The Kadiak Bear and his Home 



history of Alaska. This is the first land that 

 Bering sighted, and where he landed after the 

 memorable voyage of his two boats, the St. Peter 

 and St. Paul, from Kamtschatka. 



The early Russian adventurers of this part of 

 the world have, it seems, been lost sight of, and 

 have not had justice done them. The names of 

 the Dane Bering, the Russians Shelikoff and 

 Baranoff, should mean to us something more than 

 the name of a sea, strait or island. A man who 

 fitted out his expedition in Moscow, carried much 

 of the building material for his two boats across 

 Siberia to the rough shores of Kamtschatka, and 

 sailed boldly eastward, deserves our warmest ad- 

 miration. Bering never reached home. He died 

 on the return voyage, and was buried on the small 

 island of the Commander group which bears his 

 name. The .story of the expedition is one of ex- 

 treme hardship and of splendid Russian courage. 



At Orca we were transferred to the Newport, 

 with Captain Moore in command, and, as on the 

 Excelsior, everything was done for our comfort. 

 We looked with envious eyes on Montague Island 

 as we passed it in Prince William Sound, for we 

 were told that the natives avoid fishing and shoot- 

 ing here, claiming that the big Montague brown 

 bear are larger and fiercer than any others. 



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