CAPTAIN BILLINGS GOES ON SHORE. 
43 
tops of the mast, a large lake, and still farther on declivitous 
mountains occasionally covered with snow. Towards the west 
the shore declined in a curve, its extreme point being 14 miles 
distant towards south-west 60°. To the south of this point, 
\ye saw in imagination two other islets, which proved after¬ 
wards to be nothing but thick mist. 
Captain Billings, Doctor Mer'k, Boatswain Bakow, and the 
Second Lieutenant Bakulin, went in two boats on shore. They 
reached the shore with considerable difficulty, the surf being 
very high, and overwhelming them with water. Captain Bil¬ 
lings proceeded with some of them to the west, in search of a 
human residence. In the mean time, we descried from the 
top of the mast a baidar of islanders rowing towards us from 
an opposite side of the lake. The sailors who had been left be¬ 
hind on the shore perceiving them also, strove to call Captain 
Billings back by loud bawling; and afterwards, when they found 
this ineffectual, endeavoured to attract bis attention by firing their 
guns, which, instead of producing the desired effect, unfortunately 
only, served to. terrify the savage inhabitants; who, on hearing 
the report of the guns, immediately made off. Thus were 
we prevented by act of imprudence, from forming an acquaint¬ 
ance with these islanders. Captain Billings returned towards 
evening without having succeeded in finding the object of his 
search. 
On the 22d, we .went to the eastern point of the island, keep¬ 
ing dose to the shore, where thq depth diminished from 16 to 
10 fathoms, on a gravelly bottom, occasionally mixed with sand. 
The shore was perfectly level, but we observed, at a distance, 
some mountains parted off from each other. To the east-north¬ 
east some mountainous lands appeared a-head of its, which, on 
a nearer approach, we found to be connected together by one 
level shore, and, in reality, to be one'single island, which has 
in two places on the fiat shore some considerable villages. On 
the map of Lieutenant Sinde we find, instead of this one great 
island, a number of smaller ones marked, which is doubtless a 
similar error to what we made from a distant observation. 
In the afternoon \v,e stood round the south-eastern side, and 
went to the north-eastern cape of the island, the shore of which 
somewhat curves inward; six miles and a half from the south¬ 
eastern cape we found a village close by the water.* Towards 
evening we passed the north-east cape of St. Laurence, from 
which we observed, at the distance of four miles and a half, 
three islets, close to each other. On one of them was a pyra¬ 
midal kekim, round which plank huts and poles for drying fish 
were erected, but we saw no human beings ; from which we 
F 2 
