416 CAPTAIN COOK'S VOYAGES 



Clerke, delivered to him the commander's letter, which was 

 written in German, inviting him and his officers to Bol- 

 cheretsk. Mr. Port at the same time acquainted him that 

 the major had conceived a very wrong idea of the size of the 

 ships, and of the service we were engaged in ; Ismyloff, in 

 his letter, having represented us as two small English packet 

 boats, and cautioned him to be on his guard, insinuating 

 that he suspected us to be no better than pirates. 



" Being now enabled to converse with the Russians by the 

 aid of our interpreter, our first inquiries were directed to the 

 means of procuring a supply of fresh provisions and naval 

 stores, from the want of which we had been for some time 

 in great distress. On inquiry, it appeared that the whole 

 stock of live cattle which the country about the bay could 

 furnish amounted only to two heifers ; and these the 

 sergeant very readily promised to procure us. Our applica- 

 tions were next made to the merchant, but we found the 

 terms upon which he offered to serve us so exorbitant, that 

 Captain Clerke thought it necessary to send an officer to 

 visit the commander at Bolcheretsk, and to inquire into 

 the price of stores at that place. 



" Captain Clerke having thought proper to fix on me for 

 this service, I received orders, together with Mr. Webber, 

 who was to accompany me as an interpreter, to be ready to 

 set out the next day. 



" Captain Gore was now added to our party, and we were 

 attended by Messrs. Port and Fedositsch, with two Cossacks, 

 and were provided by our conductors with warm furred 

 clothing, a precaution which we soon found very necessary, 

 as it began to snow briskly just after we set out. 



" On the morning of the second day, we were met by the 

 Toion, or Chief of Karatchin, who had been apprised of our 

 coming, and had provided canoes that were lighter, and 

 better contrived for navigating the higher parts of the river 

 Awatska. We now went on very rapidly, the toion's people 

 being both stout and fresh, and remarkable for their expert- 

 ness in this business. At ten we got to the ostrog, the seat 

 of his command, where we were received at the waterside by 

 the Kamtschadale men and women, and some Russian 

 servants belonging to Fedositsch, who were employed in 

 making canoes. They were all dressed out in their best 

 clothes. 



" This ostrog was pleasantly situated by the side of the 

 river. We were conducted to the dwelling of the toion, who 

 was a plain decent man, born of a Russian woman by a 

 Kamtschadale father. His house, like all the rest in this 

 country, was divided into two apartments. A long narrow 

 table, with a bench round it, was all the furniture we saw in 



