ACROSS PACIFIC OCEAN AND BEHRING SEA 25 



thick to see anything plainly, and we dared not run on to so 

 rocky a coast with our rather inaccurate observations and with 

 night coming on. So we checked our impatience and stood off 

 and on during the night. 



At 5 A.M. on June 6 we bore off for the land. The weather 

 was not very fine, it was rainy and foggy, but we could run 

 close in without danger, as the sea was rather high and broke 

 over any sunken rocks that could do us harm. At 8 A.M. 

 we entered Kiliuak Fjord, and with a fair brisk breeze stood 

 up it. The voyage from Victoria had in all taken sixteen 

 days. 



There were many rocks in the entrance, and we had to place 

 a man on each bow heaving lead. Dr. Howe thought it looked 

 like good fun and volunteered to relieve one of the lead-heavers, 

 but his first attempt to heave was also his last, as he had not 

 strength enough to swing the lead, and it fell on his own head. 

 Happily he was not hurt much, but I never got him on the 

 chain-plates again. 



The sight of grassy slopes was very pleasing. Far back in 

 the smaller fjords we could see rather high trees, and near the 

 water's edge some scrub trees were fighting for existence. 

 Fresh and green it all looked, and the trickling of numerous 

 rivulets down the sides of the mountains, the singing of birds, 

 the shrill calls of the numerous flocks of seagulls, disturbed in 

 their accustomed peace by our arrival, formed a very agreeable 

 contrast to the monotonous sea life we had been leading for 

 the last two weeks. 



When we had definitely entered the fjord the clouds lifted, 

 and the high snow-covered mountain tops glittering in the 

 brilliant sunshine made the whole scenery still more attractive. 



With varied speed we crawled up the fjord, one minute with 

 the sails drawing in a small breath of air, the next drifting about 

 with the anchor at " stand by " to prevent us from being swept 

 on the numerous rocks by the strong current. Before we had 

 found a suitable anchorage a heavy rainstorm came up the 

 fjord from the ocean, and we had no choice but to heave to 

 and wait for more favourable conditions. While we were 

 drifting about, a boat with seven or eight natives came to the 

 side of the ship, apparently all very glad to see us. They had 

 been out hunting, and had had the luck to come on the track of 



