FIRST MEETING WITH NATIVES 95 



thunder, letting go of everything in their hands. Our men ran 

 at once through the water and got safely into the boat. Laugh- 

 able as was the consternation to behold, it was nevertheless even 

 more funny how they at once rose up again, scolded us because 

 we had rewarded their good intentions so badly, and waved their 

 hands to us to be otT quickly as they did not want us any longer. 

 Some of them in getting up picked up stones and held them in 

 their hands; we, however, were obliged hurriedly to cut the 

 rope of the boat anchor, which held fast to a rock, and returned 

 to the ship rather dissatisfied, as we had not been able to observe 

 what we had intended but on the other hand had met what we 

 had not expected. Soon, however, we had reason for thanking 

 God that we were on the \-essel and that this was so well shel- 

 tered, for immediately there arose a heavy storm from the south, 

 and shortly after rain also began to fall, which lasted all through 

 the night. Our Americans, however, had lighted a fire on shore 

 and kept us pondering on what had happened. 



I must here mention a few circumstances which I observed in 

 the course of the quarter of an hour we were at the shore. The 

 American boats^o^ are about two fathoms long, two feet high, and 

 two feet wide on the deck, pointed towards the nose but truncate 

 and smooth in the rear. To judge by appearances, the frame is 

 of sticks fastened together at both ends and spread apart by 

 crosspieces inside. On the outside this frame is covered with 

 skins, perhaps of seals, and colored a dark brown. With these 

 skins the boat is [covered] flat above but sloping towards the 

 keel on the sides ; underneath there seems to be affixed a shoe 

 or keel which at the bow is connected with the bow by a vertical 

 piece of wood or bone representing a stem piece, so that the 

 upper surface rests on it. About two arshins 210 from the rear 

 on top is a circular hole, around the whole of which is sewn 



209 Cf. the illustrations. Vol. i. Fig. 12, upper and lower. The upper 

 drawing, by Waxel. represents one of the two Aleuts who approached the 

 St. Peter He is seen holding the stick with the falcon feathers men- 

 tioned above in the iournal. p. 92. 



210 Less than five feet (i arshin = 28 inches). 



