CHAP. 



V 



Sunday 13^ 



NORTH WEST COAST OF AMERICA, 223 



the boat round the point than they took to their paddles 



and went off as faft as" they were able. I rowed out and ' — 



joined the Charlotte's boat, and found the Indians had May, 

 taken away all their fifliing-lines, and were juft forcing 

 their anchor out of the. boat when I hove in fight. On 

 enquiry I found captain Dixon's people had no fire-arms 

 in the boat; which was very unlucky, as even the fight of 

 a mufket will prevent the Indians from attempting any 

 violence ; fo thoroughly have the Ruffians taught them 

 by experience the fatal effeds of fire-arms. Captain 

 Meares told me (and he had his information from the 

 Ruffians whom he faw at Kodiac, where he touched on 

 his way hither) that a party of them, fince our vifit in 

 the Refolution, had wintered in the Sound, and (accord- 

 ing to their defcription of the place) in the very harbour 

 we now were at anchor in, where they had a battle with 

 the natives, who were beaten off; but feven Ruffians loft 

 their lives in the fkirmifh^ Captain Meares likewife 

 touched at Oonafka, and proceeding from thence along 

 the coaft, he paffed the Schumagin Ifles. When he came as 

 far as what captain Cook calls Whitfuntide Bay, he took 

 it for the entrance into Cook's River, and finding an open- 

 ing, he flood into it, and did not find out his miftake for 

 fome time : at length meeting with fome Ruffians, they 

 informed him that the ftrait he then was in led into Cook's 

 River, and that all the land between the Ifle Saint Her- 

 mogenes and the fbait was the ifland of Kodiac. On re- 

 ceiving this information, captain Meares flood on, and- 

 got into Cook's River near Smoaky Bay ; b t was pre- 

 vented by bad weather from proceeding much further. 

 During his fhort flay in the river, he procured only 



two 



