24 
JSARYTSCHEW’S TRAVELS. 
me. On the shore stood a cross with a Latin inscription, similar 
to what is found on catholic crosses. After making sixteen miles, 
we bore away to the right, for a bay which was two miles broad. 
The shore on both sides was at first level, and afterwards rose 
into inconsiderable mountains. 
Towards noon we were met by eight double-seated baidars 
with Americans, among whom were some of our acquaintances, 
whom we had already seen in our ship. They had been on the 
chace after others, and told me, that the waters in which we 
were sailing, which we had taken for a bay, was only a narrow 
strait that leads into the open sea, but scarcely passable with their 
small baidars. They mentioned to us, likewise, a small island 
on the left side of the shore, which was, in like manner, sepa¬ 
rated from the continent by a narrow strait. Both we and the 
Americans landed on this island to prepare our dinner. They 
hauled their baidars on shore, and took out a young female otter 
which they had just killed, and two young otters, for which I gave 
them some enamel and beads. In the mean time, my dinner 
being dressed for me, our new companions flocked around it 
with eager curiosity. 1 invited them to partake of the meal, 
which they joyfully accepted, and discovered so much civility on 
the occasion, that I was occupied more with observing their 
movements than with eating. On the other hand, they were 
not deficient in hospitality, but invited me, in their turn, to par¬ 
take of some boiled otter’s-flesh, which they had just prepared. 
A keen appetite, and a rather savory smell, induced me to accept 
the offer. When hot, the flesh had an agreeable flavour, very si¬ 
milar to that of a sucking pig; but when cold, it leaves a strong 
taste of sea-weeds in the mouth. 
After dinner we parted from our friendly Americans, and bent 
our course up the strait; but a thick mist coming on, we kept 
close to the left shore. Two hours after, the mist dispersed, and 
left both the right shore and the sea open to our view. I now 
steered in an oblique direction across the bay, in order to mea¬ 
sure it, and found its depth 2J, 2, and 1 h fathoms ; its bottom 
sandy, and its breadlh If mile. It was then high water, but 
fearing lest I should be stranded on the return of the ebb, I 
tacked about in the evening, and arrived before break of day 
the next morning in Shakutskish Bay. 1 would fain have ex¬ 
amined, the whole bay, but the want of provisions, and still 
greater want of time (being limited by my captain to only four 
days longer), obliged me to relinquish a farther examination, and 
commence my voyage back towards Elava. 
On the 25th, w 7 e spent the last night at the distance of 6k 
miles from Nutschek, w hen w e met with some families of Ame¬ 
ricans close by the shore of the sea. Some of them lived in 
