336 NOTE TO ACCOMPANY THE CHART 



shore and, after sighting the Semidi Islands, stood to the south- 

 ward until August 10 when he concluded to work to the westward 

 along the 53rd parallel of latitude. But he now experienced a 

 succession of head winds and storms and made so little progress 

 on the homeward voyage that on the 27 th he again became 

 troubled over the water supply and called a council of the officers. 

 There were but 25 casks of fresh water remaining in the hold, and 

 if the westerly winds continued for any length of time they could 

 not hope to reach Avacha Bay before the water supply w^as 

 exhausted. According to the reckoning land was about 240 miles^ 

 distant, and it was agreed "for safety's sake, to go nearer the land 

 with a view to finding good anchorage where we might take on 

 waterenough to last until our return so that in case of head winds 

 we should not suffer extremely." 



LANDING ON THE SHUMAGIN ISLANDS 



Accordingly, on August 27, the ship was headed to the north- 

 ward; on the 29th, shortly after daylight, a group of islands 

 came into view, and on the afternoon of the 30th the St. Peter 

 anchored between Near Island and Nagai Island of the Shumagin 

 group. The following morning the task of filling the empty water 

 casks was begun, and Khitrov was sent ashore to examine the 

 land in the vicinity of a fire which had been seen the night before.' 

 Steller went ashore with the water party to pursue his studies, the 

 results of which he has minutely recorded in his diary. 



On September i the work of filling the water casks was com- 

 pleted, and the sick men were brought on board in the longboat; 

 but the wind had freshened and kicked up a sea, and Khitrov, 

 who had landed in the small boat and extended his explorations 

 some distance along the shores of Nagai Island, was unable to 

 return to the ship. Towards noon of the 2nd the weather moder- 



6 "60 German miles." 



7 There were now ten of the ship's company down with the scurvy, and these 

 men were sent ashore for rest and fresh air; but one of the sick seamen, Nikita 

 Shumagin, died just after he was landed. He was buried on shore, and in his 

 memory Bering named the island Shumagin. But the name has come down to us 

 as apphed to this entire group, and the particular island which Bering named 

 Shumagin is now known as Nagai Island. 



