94 STELLER'S JOURNAL 



beckoning. However, as we gave them to understand with 

 various signs why that was impossible for us, one of them got 

 into his boat, which he had hfted with one hand and carried 

 under his arm to the water, and came paddling up to us. He 

 was made welcome with a cup of brandy, which, following our 

 example, he emptied quickly, but also immediately spit out again, 

 and acted strangely, as if he did not seem to be any too well 

 pleased with this fancied deception. Although I advised against 

 such things as tobacco and pipes, our gentlemen opined never- 

 theless that the Americans had the stomachs of sailors and 

 consequently, intending to neutralize the first displeasure with 

 a new one, gave the stranger a lighted pipe of tobacco, which he 

 accepted indeed, though paddling away quite disgusted. The 

 smartest European would have done just the same if he had 

 been treated to fly mushroom or rotten fish soup and willow bark, 

 which the Kamchadals, however, consider such delicacies. — As 

 in the meantime the surf and wind were increasing m.ore and 

 more, our people were called back to the boat. The kind island- 

 ers, on the other hand, wanted their corrpany still further and 

 would not at all let them off to the vessel. They manifested espe- 

 cially great inclination towards our Koryak interpreter, who 

 quite resembled them in manner of speech and in facial appear- 

 ance. At first they presented them with rrore whale blubber and 

 iron-colored paint; but, as they would not let themselves be in- 

 fluenced by gifts, they tried to hold on to them by violence, 

 seized them by the arms, and kept them from the boat by force. 

 Another party took hold of the painter w ith which our boat was 

 made fast and intended, perhaps not with evil design but from 

 sheer thoughtlessness, not realizing our danger, to haul the 

 boat with its occupants ashore, where it would have been 

 wrecked on the rocks. As in this confusion and danger there was 

 no time to be lost and as the islanders could not be dissuaded 

 from their purpose by sign language, shots were fired simultane- 

 ously over their heads at the rocks from three muskets loaded 

 with balls, by which unheard-of occurrence they became so 

 frightened that they all fell down on the ground as if hit by 



