A PRISONER IN RUSSIAN HANDS 173 
from which a great deal of smoke was issuing. 
When off this island, to the eastward of Prevost 
Peak, we experienced the effects of a submarine 
disturbance of some kind, a low rumbling noise 
being heard, accompanied by considerable trembling 
of the vessel. 
On the south end of Paramushir we fell in with 
the natives who used to inhabit Ushishir and the 
neighbouring island, their last place being Shiashi- 
kotan. Some of them came on board, and told us 
a Japanese schooner had called in at Shiashikotan 
in June, made them drunk, stole the few skins they 
had, and ordered them away from the island. 
These poor Ainu, being terribly afraid of the 
Japanese, had left in a hurry, making their way in 
their boats up the islands, intending to get as far as 
Shumshir or Kamchatka. Up to this time the 
season had been the finest I had ever experienced 
on the Kurils, there not being more than eight or 
nine days of fog a month. 
Otters were very scarce. In May we lowered 
boats ten times, getting seven otters, and having 
seven blank days out of the ten. In June we were 
out nineteen times, getting nine otters, and having 
fourteen blank days. In July we lowered six times 
up to the 17th, for nothing. We were 217 hours 
out in the boats, and pulled 657 miles, getting 
sixteen otters only. This poor result made me 
resolve to try the Bering Sea, so, leaving the Kurils 
on July 17, we ran along the coast of Kamchatka. 
On the 24th we anchored to the north of Cape 
Kronotski, filled up our water-tanks, and got some 
firewood from the driftwood on the beach. 
Here an amusing encounter took place with a 
