THIRD VOYAGE 355 



" On the 10th, Lediard returned with three Russian 

 seamen, or furriers, who with some others resided at 

 Egoochshac, where they had a dwelling-house, some store- 

 houses, and a sloop of about thirty tons burthen. They 

 were all three well-behaved intelligent men, and very ready 

 to give me all the information I could desire. But for 

 want of an interpreter, we had some difficulty to understand 

 each other. 



" On the fourteenth, in the evening, while Mr. Webber 

 and I were at a village, at a small distance from Sam- 

 ganoodha, a Russian landed there, who I found was the 

 principal person amongst his countrymen in this and the 

 neighbouring islands. His name was Erasim Gregorioff Sin 

 Ismyloff. He arrived in a canoe carrying three persons, 

 attended by twenty or thirty other canoes, each conducted 

 by one man. I took notice that the first thing they did 

 after landing was to make a small tent for Ismyloff, of 

 materials which they brought with them ; and then they 

 made others for themselves of their canoes and paddles, 

 which they covered with grass, so that the people of the 

 village were at no trouble to find them lodging. Ismyloff, 

 having invited us into his tent, set before us some dried 

 salmon and berries, which I was satisfied was the best cheer 

 he had. He appeared to be a sensible, intelligent man, 

 and I felt no small mortification in not being able to 

 converse with him unless by signs, assisted by figures and 

 other characters, which, however, were a very great help. 

 I desired to see him on board the next day, and accordingly 

 he came with all his attendants. 



" I found that he was very well acquainted with the 

 geography of these parts, and with all the discoveries that 

 had been made in them by the Russians. On seeing the 

 modern maps, he at once pointed out their errors. 



" From what we could gather from Ismyloff and his 

 countrymen, the Russians have made several attempts to 

 get a footing upon that part of the continent that lies 

 contiguous to Oonalashka and the adjoining islands, but 

 have always been repulsed by the natives, whom they 

 describe as a very treacherous people. They mentioned 

 two or three captains or chief men who had been murdered 

 by them, and some of the Russians shewed us wounds 

 which they said they had received there. 



" He would fain have made me a present of a sea-otter 

 skin which he said was worth eighty roubles at Kam- 

 tschatka. However, I thought proper to decline it, but 

 I accepted of some dried fish, and several baskets of the 

 lily or saranne root, which is described at large in the 

 History of Kamtschatka. Next day Mr. Ismyloff left us 



