THIRD VOYAGE 343 



we had but a distant view of the coast. Over some adjoin- 

 ing islands we could see the mainland covered with snow, 

 but particularly some hills whose elevated tops were seen 

 towering above the clouds to a most stupendous height. 

 The most south-westerly of these hills was discovered to 

 have a volcano, which continually threw up vast columns 

 of black smoke. It stands not far from the coast. It is 

 also remarkable from its figure, which is a complete cone, 

 and the volcano is at the very summit. 



" In the afternoon, having three hours' calm, our people 

 caught upward of a hundred halibuts, some of which 

 weighed a hundred pounds. This was a very seasonable 

 refreshment to us. In the height of our fishing a small 

 canoe, conducted by one man, came to us from the large 

 island. On approaching the ship he took off his cap and 

 bowed. It was evident that the Russians must have a 

 communication and traffic with these people, not only 

 from their acquired politeness but from the note before 

 mentioned. But we had now a fresh proof of it, for our 

 present visitor wore a pair of green cloth breeches, and a 

 jacket of -black cloth or stuff, under the gut-shirt of his 

 own country. He had nothing to barter except a gray 

 fox skin, and some fishing implements or harpoons, the 

 heads of the shafts of which were neatly made of bone. 



" The weather was cloudy and hazy, with now and then 

 sunshine, till the afternoon of the 22nd, when the wind came 

 round to the south-east, and, as usual, brought thick, rainy 

 weather. Before the fog came on, no part of the mainland 

 was in sight except the volcano, and another mountain close 

 by it. We made but little progress for some days, having 

 the wind variable, and but little of it. 



" On the morning of the 25th we got a breeze easterly, 

 and, what was uncommon with this wind, clear weather, 

 so that we not only saw the volcano but other mountains, 

 both to the east and west of it, and all the coast of the 

 mainland under them, much plainer than at any time before. 



" The weather in the afternoon became gloomy, and at 

 length turned to a mist, so thick that we could not see a 

 hundred yards before us. We were now alarmed at hearing 

 the sound of breakers on our larboard bow. On heaving 

 the lead, we found twenty-eight fathoms water. I im- 

 mediately brought the ship to, and anchored over a bottom 

 of coarse sand. 



" A few hours after, the fog having cleared a little, it 

 appeared that we had escaped very imminent danger. We 

 found ourselves three-quarters of a mile from the north-east 

 side of an island. Two elevated rocks were about half a 

 league each from us, and about the same distance from each 



