ACCOUNT OF SHIPWRECKS. 
25 
huts of boards fixed together ; others under large leathern 
baidars, placed in an inverted position. As they saw us ap¬ 
proach, they made their usual movement of extending their arms, 
and crying Cali! call! No sooner had I stepped on shore, than 
one of them came up to me, and laid his cheek on mine. This 
man was considerably taller than the rest, and had his face 
dyed with a black colour. The interpreter told me, that he and 
another Standing close by him, were the Troies, or elders in their 
tribes. It was manifest, that they had not at first a complete 
confidence in us ; but I addressed them kindly, and assured them, 
that, so far from offending them, we wished to be on the most 
friendly terms with them. They now pointed to the sun, which 
was meaut to signify that they had no evil intentions : “ You be 
as good to us,” said they, “ and conduct yourselves better than 
those who formerly came here with their ships to our shore, and 
why should we then quarrel with you?” I wished much to know 
of what nation these ships were, but they were unable to give 
me any information of this kind, only saying, that two and three 
masted ships arrived here yearly, and that in this year two had 
lain in Kenaiskish bay. It then occurred to me to enquire 
about Commodore Behring : whether they remembered any thing 
of a vessel which must have been the first that they had ever seen 
on their shores ? I wished to learn the anchoring station of this 
navigator, but doubted very much whether Tschukli were the 
island, which he denominates the Cape of St. Elias, as this was 
marked in the charts delivered to us by the board of admiralty. 
One of the Americans then actually told us, that his father had 
related to him something of this ship ; which, however, had not 
landed at Tschukli, but at the island of Kadjak, that lay about 
two days’ sail to the east of this place, and was actually re¬ 
sorted to in the summer by the Americans, who went in pursuit 
of otters. The crew of this ship went on shore, and left them 
some knives and beads. 
A few years after another and larger ship arrived there, which 
was stranded on the island of Tschukli, and not a single man of 
the whole crew was saved. Towards evening the Troies brought 
me two small boards, four feet long, two feet broad, and half 
an inch thick, and begged me to accept them as a token of friend¬ 
ship. I presented them each in return with a looking-glass, a 
knife, and some beads, which they veij joyfully accepted, warn¬ 
ing us to take particular care of our things, and be on our guard 
against some of their countrymen, w ho had a strong propensity 
to rob iis. The very next morning we experienced but too fully 
the propriety of the caution ; for, notwithstanding all our vigilance, 
an American drew a jacket from under our steersman’s lad so 
dexterously, that though the boy was not sleeping; he had not the 
SANYTSCHEW, VOL. II.] I> 
