VOYAGE OF THE "ST. PAUL" 343 



run since the previous noon, augmented by allowance for current, 

 all coincide in fixing the position of the St. Paul at noon, July 17, 

 as abreast Cape Edward, and about ten miles offshore. At 3 130 

 o'clock in the afternoon of July 18 the longboat was lowered and 

 Fleet Master Dementiev with ten armed men was sent to exam- 

 ine the shore. Comprehensive instructions were given him, 

 which are fully set forth in Chirikov's report, and Dementiev 

 was to signal with a rocket as soon as he landed. 



LOSS OF TWO LANDING PARTIES 



In his report Chirikov states "we had no signal of any kind from 

 him. We saw them approach the shore, and that is all." For 

 five days the St. Paul kept as near the bay as possible, waiting for 

 the boat to return. At first the weather was such that the long- 

 boat could have come off without trouble, but later they had 

 strong winds that at times carried the ship a distance of 30 miles. 

 On July 23 the St. Paul returned and upon approaching the bay 

 saw a fire which they thought had been made by Dementiev, be- 

 cause all the time they had followed the coast they had seen no fire, 

 buildings, boats, nor any other signs of human beings and sup- 

 posed the coast was uninhabited. Upon noting the fire a gun 

 was fired at intervals as a signal, and the St. Paul was sailed close 

 to the shore. As the gun was fired the fire on shore appeared to 

 grow brighter, but there was no sign of the boat. On July 24 Chiri- 

 kov concluded the longboat had been damaged and was unable to 

 come off, and it was decided to send the small boat ashore with 

 tools for repairing the longboat. Accordingly, boatswain Savelev 

 was sent in the small boat with a carpenter, a calker, and a 

 seaman. 



Chirikov reports that when Savelev departed "the weather was 

 very still; we followed him quite close to the shore and saw 

 him approach it. According to our time it was exactly six o'clock 

 in the afternoon. The signals which had been agreed upon he 

 failed to make and at the expected time did not return." We 

 can well imagine the anxiety with which Chirikov and his ship's 



