LANDING ON SHUMAGIN ISLANDS 77 



carry into effect a double program, viz. to look around for the 

 nearest place where fresh water could be had and, as a fire had 

 been seen burning in the night on the island ^^° to the north of 

 us, to send Master Khitrov with a crew to it in order to recon- 

 noiter the place and search for people. In order that the naval 

 officers might have the honor of the expected discovery, they 

 asked me of their own accord if I did not wish to go ashore. 

 Although it was easy to perceive their intention, I nevertheless 

 accepted their offer very kindly and went ashore ^^^ with the 

 water carriers in the hope that both parties might discover 

 something useful, although there was little of that to be ex- 

 pected on a bare and wretched island. 



No sooner had I landed than I made efforts at once to locate 

 a watering place and found several springs which had good and 

 wholesome water. In the meantime the sailors had chosen the 

 first and nearest stagnant puddle and already started operations. 

 I found fault with this water because it was stagnant and alka- 

 line, as proven at once when boiled for tea and later on when 

 tested with soap, and also because I observed at the beach that 

 it fell and rose with the sea and consequently must be brackish, 

 as it also betrayed to the taste when boiled. I therefore proposed 

 that the springs found by me should be used for taking water and 

 sent on board a sample of their water with an oral report, point- 

 ing out particularly that by using the [other] water the scurvy 

 would quickly increase and that, because of its lime content, the 

 people would become dried up and lose strength and that this 

 water, after a short while in the vessel, would even increase in 

 salinity from day to day and finally through standing become 

 salt water, while on the other hand none of this had to be feared 

 from the spring water. — But although in this matter I ought 

 to have been listened to in my capacity of physician, ^^2 neverthe- 



160 Turner Island (see Fig. 13). See also log book for August 30 (Vol. i, 

 p. 141), entry for 3 A. M. and footnote 83. 



161 On the eastern side of Nagai Island. 



162 The MS here has the additional clause "and although so much 

 damage, even our final misfortune, resulted from it" [use of the bad 

 water]. 



