348 CAPTAIN COOK'S VOYAGES 



well dressed, some with the hair or fur on, but others 

 without it. 



" We found the village composed both of their summer 

 and winter habitations. The latter are exactly like a vault, 

 the floor of which is sunk a little below the surface of the 

 earth. One of them which I examined was of an oval 

 form, about twenty feet long, and twelve or more 

 high. 



" The summer huts were pretty large and circular, being 

 brought to a point at the top. The framing was of slight 

 poles and bones, covered with the skins of sea animals. I 

 examined the inside of one. There was a fireplace just 

 within the door, where lay a few wooden vessels, all very 

 dirty. Their bed-places were close to the side, and took up 

 about half the circuit. The bed and bedding were of deer 

 skins, and most of them were dry and clean. 



" At first we supposed some land visible to the westward 

 to be a part of the island of Alaschka, laid down in Mr. 

 Staehlin's map, but from the figure of the coast, the situa- 

 tion of the opposite shore of America, and from the longi- 

 tude, we soon began to think that it was more probably the 

 eastern extremity of Asia, explored by Behring in 1728. 



" After a stay of between two and three hours with these 

 people we returned to our ships, and soon after we weighed 

 anchor and stood out of the bay. From this station we 

 steered east, in order to get nearer the American coast. 



" On Monday the 7th, before noon, we perceived a 

 brightness in the northern horizon like that reflected from 

 ice, commonly called the blink. About an hour after, the 

 sight of a large field of ice left us no longer in doubt about 

 the cause of the brightness of the horizon. At half-past 

 two we tacked close to the edge of the ice, in twenty-two 

 fathoms water, not being able to stand on any farther, for 

 the ice was quite impenetrable, and extended from west 

 to south to east by north, as far as the eye could reach. 

 Here were abundance of sea-horses. 



" On the 18th, at noon, we were near five leagues farther 

 to the eastward. We were at this time close to the edge of 

 the ice, which was as compact as a wall, and seemed to be 

 ten or twelve feet high at least ; but farther north it 

 appeared much higher. 



" We now stood to the southward, and after running six 

 leagues, shoaled the water to seven fathoms, but it soon 

 deepened to nine fathoms. At this time we saw land ex- 

 tending from south to south-east by east, about three or four 

 miles distant. The eastern extreme forms a point which 

 was much encumbered with ice, for which reason it obtained 

 the name of Icy Cape. The other extreme of the land was 



