THE ST. LAWRENCE ISLANDS. 95 



pie making all kinds of movements with their hands, 

 and calling out something to us, which we could 

 neither understand nor hear for the roaring of the 

 wind. There w^as not the least difference in their 

 boats and costume from those of Otdia, and we 

 could no longer doubt that it was the same nation. 

 They likewise paid no attention to their fellow- 

 islanders in distress, and did not offer to assist 

 them, though they were still half a mile from shore, 

 and had enough to do to reach it. We had now 

 to exert our skill to carry the ship safely through 

 the channel, as w^e were in danger of bemg 

 wrecked at every unsuccessful turn ; and though 

 a heavy rain sometimes intercepted our view, we 

 had reached, at nine o'clock, the interior of the 

 group, w^here we had sufficient room to tack, as 

 no coral banks were visible. We found the depth, 

 over a bottom of living coral, in the middle of the 

 channel, twenty-three fathoms, and it regularly 

 decreased to about five fathoms on either side. But 

 we had scarcely entered the basin of the group, 

 which had a depth of from tw^enty to thirty fathoms, 

 when we were compelled, as the wind increased 

 in violence, to reef the top-sails ; yet we gained 

 much, notwithstanding the few sails, by tacking, 

 as the water was as smooth as a mirror. At three 

 o'clock in the afternoon, we reached the chain of 

 islands lying N. of the strait ; Lieutenant Schisch- 

 marefF, going out on board a yawl, discovered an 

 anchoring-place, and in half an hour we cast 



