hunting gun from him ; but upon his refuting to part
with it and retiring to the fmall boat, the iflanders ran
after him ; and feized the rope by which the boat was
made fail to fir ore. This violent attack obliged Tfiuproff
to fire ; and having wounded one perfon in the hand,
they all let go their hold ; and he rowed ofF to the fhip.
The Savages no fooner faw that their companion was hurt,
■ than they threw off their cloaths, carried the wounded
perfon naked into the fea, and walhed him. In confe-
quence of this encounter the fliip’s crew would not venture
to winter at this place, but rowed back again to the
other ifland, where they came to an anchor.
The next morning Tfiuproff, and a certain Shaffyrin
landed with a more confiderable party: they obferved
feveral traces of inhabitants; but meeting no one they
returned to the fhip, and coafted along the ifland. The
following day the Coffac Shekurdin went on fhore, accompanied
by five failors: two o f whom he fent back
with a fupply of water; and remained himfelf with the
others in order to hunt fea-otters. At night they came
to fome dwellings inhabited by five families : upon their
approach the natives abandoned their huts with precipitation,
and hid themfelves among the rocks. Shekurdin
no fooner returned to the fhip, than he was again
fent on fhore with a larger company, in order to look out
for a proper place to lay up the veffel during winter -: In
their way they obferved fifteen iflanders upon an height;
and
and threw them fome fragments of dried fifh in order to
■ entice- them to approach nearer. But as this overture
did not Succeed, Tfiuproff, who was one of the party,
ordered fome of the-crew to mount the height, and to
feize one • of the inhabitants, for the purpofe of learning
their language : this order was accordingly executed,
notwi'thftanding the refiftance which the iflanders made
with their bone fpcars; the Ruffians immediately returned
with their prifoner to the fhip. They were foon
afterwards driven to fea by a violent ftorm, and beat
about from the 2d to the 9th of October, during which
time they loft their anchor and boat; at length they
-came back to the fame ifland, where they paffed the
winter.
Soon after their landing they found in an adjacent hut
»the dead bodies of two of the inhabitants, who had probably
been killed in the laft encounter. In their way the
Ruffians'were met by an old woman, who had been taken
prifoner, and fet at liberty. She was accompanied with
thirty-four iflanders of both fexes, who all came dancing
to the found of a drum ; and-brought with them a present
of coloured earth. Pieces of cloth, thimbles, and
needles, were diftributed among them in return; and
they parted amicably. Before the end of October, the
fame perfons, together with the old woman and feveral
•children, returned dancing as before, and brought birds,
fifh, and other provifion. Having paffed the night with
F ' the