SOME NARROW ESCAPES 
197 
Russian schooner Nemo , which was sold by order of 
the Russian Consul to pay off her crew and other 
liabilities. We fitted her out for hunting for the 
season of 1884, and sent her away, I remaining in 
Yokohama to look after our business, whilst my 
partner took a trip home. 
This year showed a further decline in otter¬ 
hunting, most of the schooners paying more atten¬ 
tion to sealing. Several ventured into the Bering 
Sea and visited the Pribyloff Islands, the Nemo 9 
after she had visited Cape Shipunski and recovered 
the skins buried there the previous year, as already 
recorded, being amongst them. She returned at 
the end of the season with nineteen sea-otters and 
500 sealskins, but minus two hunters, who had 
gone on board another vessel, the Adele, and been 
captured by an American revenue cutter. They, 
together with the vessel, were sent to San Francisco, 
where after an inquiry they were released, and 
returned to Japan, the vessel being restored to her 
owner in Yokohama. 
November, 1884, saw me down with typhoid 
fever, my case being considered hopeless. Thanks, 
however, to the unremitting care of those who 
nursed me, I pulled through. This was followed 
by more losses in business, and I got out with just 
enough to take over the Nemo and fit her out for 
the hunting season of 1885. We were late in 
starting, not clearing the port until May 23. It was 
just about a fortnight before we left that the sensa¬ 
tional incident occurred when the Russian AdmiraFs 
ship, the Vladimir Monomaclc, when lying at anchor 
off Yokohama, beat to quarters and ran out her 
guns as H.M.S. Agamemnon came abreast of her. 
