204 
IN FORBIDDEN SEAS 
entering the thigh of one of the men ; it went well 
into the flesh, but did not strike bone. I tried to 
reach the bullet with a probe, but failed, so dressed 
the wound, which healed up quickly, and the man 
was none the worse. I now resolved to take a look 
at Robben Island, on the other side of the Okotsk 
Sea, off the coast of Saghalin. We arrived there 
on November 2, and found three schooners at anchor, 
the Rose , Felix , and Penelope, each with 420 seals ; 
another, the Otsego , having just left with 500 seals. 
There were many seals in the water, but not in¬ 
clined to haul up. The chances of getting any¬ 
thing appearing small, I headed the vessel east again, 
the winds being light. On the 5th a gale from 
the south-east sprang up, the barometer falling to 
28*68. It blew with terrific force, and we had to 
heave to under a double-reefed foresail, which, in 
jibing over to put the vessel on the other tack 
when the wind shifted, was ripped right across at 
the second reef, through the carelessness of the mate 
in not hauling the sheet in sufficiently before 
jibing. 
We now lay to under a close-reefed foresail, the 
wind shifting to south-west and blowing a fearful 
gale all day on the 6th. About 4 p.m. that day we 
sighted high land on Yetorup, bearing south-east. 
During the middle watch on the morning of the 
7th a heavy sea broke on board, tore one of our 
boats from its lashings, and carried it overboard. 
Towards noon the wind moderated. Sights placed 
us nearly seventy miles to the north-east of our 
dead reckoning, so we kept away to pass the north¬ 
east end of Yetorup. Next day the gale abated, 
and we bent our spare foresail. In this gale the 
