154- FROM RADACK TO 



without my being able to explain the cause, and 

 it now prevented me from reaching Bigar. We 

 had fine weather all the day, and a moderate 

 E.N.E. wind. We saw several species of sea-fowl, 

 which indicated that some unknown island was 

 near. 



The 15th. We have made another fruitless at- 

 tempt to reach Bigar ; the current has again car- 

 ried us twenty miles to the west ; and, seeing the 

 impossibiUty of reaching this group, I steered for 

 Oonalashka. The islands discovered by the frigate 

 Cornvvalhs lay in my way, and I resolved to direct 

 my course in such a manner as to be able to see 

 them. According to Kadu's statement, Bigar 

 likewise forms a circle, but which consists for the 

 most part of reefs, and contains only two small 

 islands ; a third is said to lie in the middle of the 

 basin, and that all are covered with but a little 

 mould, and overgrown with low bushes. There are 

 little entrances under the lee of the island for 

 boats, which go there to catch turtle and sea-fowl. 

 I should very much have liked to have penetrated 

 to that place, where, to judge from Kadu's convers- 

 ation, some light might be obtained respecting 

 the religion of the Radackers. The island is in- 

 habited by a blind god and his two sons ; but as 

 he has taken the turtles and sea-fowls under his 

 particular protection, the savages have hit upon 

 the stratagem to adopt the names of the two sons 

 as long as they remain in the island, by which the 



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