316 
WE LEAVE JAPAN AND THE JAPANESE. 
moans, or what "was the nature of their mumbled words, 
w'e were never able to learn. 
So much for the “hairy Kuriles:” and now for the 
winding-up of our survey along their coasts. 
Having tilled up Avitli wood at Tomari, (for wdiich the 
Japanese w'ould receive nothing^) axid fixed the astro- 
nomical position of Cape Soya, the northeastern ex- 
tremity of Jesso, w'e rounded this latter under steam, 
and filled in the coast-line as far to the southward as 
Cape Shaef, when, a dense fog putting a stop to all 
further wmrk, the head of the old ci-devani anchor-hoy 
was again pointed to the northw^ard, and, after w'e had 
crossed the Straits of La Perouse, we anchored near a 
rock knowui as “dangerous” since the time of the unfor- 
tunate La Perouse. At least, our dead reckoning and the 
distant bellowing of seals indicated us to be in its vicinity ; 
but wdiether wm w'erc or not the dense fog rendered it im- 
possible for us to say. This w’as the same fog that had ar- 
rested ouiMVork on the previous evening, since which time 
our circle of vision had certainly not exceeded one hun- 
dred yards in diameter; and, if it w^as to be the exponent 
of the w^eather we were to expect throughout the Okotsk 
Sea, w^e w^ere indeed entering upon a desperate w’ork. 
“Blindmau’s butf,” among children, is undoubtedly a 
pleasant species of recreation ; but, when it comes to be 
indulged in betw^een vessels and rocks, its character 
assumes quite a difterent phase. We were now clear 
of Japan, and at anchor upon the verge of the Okotsk 
Sea, aw^aiting a fair wind to carry us across it to the 
southern point of Kamtschatka. 
This w^as the 15th of July, 1855. 
