CHAPTER XX rv^. 
WE VISIT THE TSCHAXTAR ISLANDS, PARTAKE LARGELY OF WILD RHUBARB, 
AND CAPTURE ONE OF THE INHABITANTS — AFTER WHICH WE SAIL FOR 
THE AMOOR RIVER, W'HERE WE FALL IN WITH THE BOATS OF THE RUS- 
SIAN SQUADRON, FAIL TO PASS THROUGH INTO THE GULF OF TARTARY, 
AND FINALLY RETURN INTO THE OKOTSK SEA. 
The day after leaving Ayan we sighted the Tschautar 
Islands, and toward night let go our anchor in the prin- 
cipal harbour of that of Fekilzoff. This was the only 
one of the group upon which we landed ; but, upon 
steaming around the others, we found them exhibiting 
the same general appearances, from which we concluded 
that “in seeing one we had seen all.” Tlicir central 
latitude is 55° N., their longitude 138° 30' E. : they are 
covered with dense forests of spruce and birch, are rather 
hilly than mountainous, arc watered by clear and 
numerous streams, and yet are not possessed of a single 
human inhabitant, as far as we could learn from our own 
observation and from conversing with whalers. 
In fact, animal life of every description seemed scarce, 
though the soil is remarkably rich and vegetation con- 
sequently luxuriant. In conversing with whaling-cap- 
tains in regard to these islands, they had held out most 
startling and sport-promising pictures to us. One of 
them said, for instance, tliat he had been anchored iu 
one of their bays iu company with two hundred other 
whale-ships, and that black bears were as abundant in 
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