202 
IN FORBIDDEN SEAS 
five miles, to fulfil his vow at the church. We gave 
our Aleut friends all the clothing and stores we could 
spare. They would not accept money, being afraid 
it would betray them ; and we made arrangements 
to visit them again next season at the same time, 
taking a list of their requirements, which we 
promised to bring them. The weather continuing 
rough, with indications of another heavy gale, 
nothing more could be done, so on the after¬ 
noon of October 20 I set the course for the Kuril 
Islands. 
Whilst we were at sea with our Aleut guest, 
S. had had an adventure ashore. The first thing the 
natives did when he went to stay with them was 
to kill a seal and rub the skin all over his clothes, 
which they said was to make him at home with the 
dogs; they would bark or be alarmed if he smelt dif¬ 
ferent from themselves. Fur-seal skins, particularly 
those of the big bulls, have a strong musky sort of 
odour which is very persistent, and after handling 
fresh skins one must wash one’s hands many times 
before the smell can be got rid of. It is not un¬ 
pleasant. To resume: The next night but one 
after we had gone to sea, the dogs gave warning of 
the approach of visitors, which, the Aleuts informed 
S., would probably be someone from Nicolski in a 
dog-sleigh, and he must clear out and hide in the 
hills until they had gone. This was a cold job in 
that climate ; however, it had to be done, and S. 
spent a miserable seven or eight hours in the open. 
The visitor turned out to be one of the Cossacks, 
who was on his way to a small settlement some 
twenty or thirty miles farther on. He remained 
until daybreak, and then left without his suspicions 
