DASTARDLY ATTACKS 
235 
north-east. About seven o’clock next morning, 
when still becalmed, a schooner was sighted to the 
northward; she had a light, fair wind, and was 
standing to the west towards Bering Island; but 
seeing us, she altered her course and stood towards 
us, losing the wind as she did so. I lowered a boat, 
and after a pull of some miles boarded her. She 
was, as I had thought, the schooner Leon, belonging to 
the Alaska Commercial Company, Captain Blair in 
charge. She had just arrived from San Francisco, 
had called in at Copper Island and taken on board 
the Government official who had been there through 
the winter, and was now bound to Bering Island 
and Petropaulsky. 
I spent a couple of hours on board, and they 
gave me, among other things, some late San Fran¬ 
cisco papers and a quantity of fruit. The official 
showed me a number of water-colour paintings of 
the fur-seal life on the rookeries, his own work and 
beautifully done. I told him I was going to take 
a look at the north-west reef for otters, visit the 
western Aleutian Islands, then go back to the 
Kurils. I further remarked that his people on shore 
would not think we had come for seals, as it was too 
early, to which he said there would not be any for 
six weeks or more. The Leon got back into the 
breeze, and continued her course towards Bering 
Island, whilst we remained becalmed. 
We had drifted to within about two to three miles 
of the north-west point, and, not wishing to go closer, 
dropped the kedge in 35 fathoms of water. Time 
hanging heavily, I resolved towards evening to 
lower boats and pull around, as the water was quite 
smooth. We remained out three hours and saw 
