Departure ôt
raflilnikofPs
effel-
SVipwrecked
.-upon Copper
Mand.
a c c o u n t o f t h é
fe\V oir them poffefs iron hires : their ‘only weapons are-
arrows with points of bone Or flint, which they fhoOt
from a wooden inftrument. There are no trees Upon
the ifland : it produces hoWevhr the cOW-parfnip -, Which
grows at Kamtchatka. The climate is by no means
févere, for the fnów does not lie upon the ground above
a month in. the year.
KraffilnikofFs veflfil failed in 1754, and anchored on
tile 18th of Odtdber before Beering’s Iftafid ; where all
the iliips which make to the New Difc'.ovèred Ifiartds a‘re
accuftomed to winter, in order to procure a ItOCk of ialted
provifiohs from the fea-cows. and other amphibious animals,
that are found in great abundance, fe r e they
refitted the 'veffel, which had been damaged by driving
upon her anchor; and having laid, in a füffident ftöre
of all rieceflaries, weighed ''fee lift ''rif "Atlgüft, 1754.
The doth they were in fight of ah ifland, Whole coaft
was lined with fuch a number of inhabitants, that they
durft not venture afhore. Accordingly they flood out
to fea, and being overtaken liy a ftoifn, they Wete reduced
to great diftrefs Tor want of wafer ; at length they wefe
driven upon Copper Ifland, where they landed ; and
having taken in Wood and wafer, they again fët fall.
They were beat hack however by cofitrary ‘winds, artd
dropped both their anchors near the fhOfe ; hut the
ftorm increafiüg at night, both the cables were broken,
and the fhip dallied to pieces upon the coaft. All the
* Heracleum.
crew
crew were fortunately faved; and means were found to
get afhore the fhip’s tackle, ammunition, guns, and the
remains of the wreck; the provifions, however, were
moftly fpoiled. Here they were expofed to a variety of
misfortunes; three of them were drowned on the 15th
of O(Sober, as they were going to hunt; others altnofl
perifhed with hunger, having no nourifhment but fmall
fhell-fifli and roots. On the % 9th of December great part
o f the fhip’s tackle, and all the wood, which they had
collected from the wreck, was walked away during an
high fea. Notwithstanding their diftreffes, they continued
their hunting parties,, and caught 103 Tea-otters,
together with .13 90 blue foxes.
In fpring they put to fea for Beering’s Ifland in two
baidars, carrying with them all t-he ammunition, .firearms,
and remaining tackle. Having reached that ifland,
they found the fmall veffel Abraham, under the care of
the four failors who had been left afhore by the crew of
Trapefnikoff’s fhip : but as that veffel was not large
enough to contain the whole number, together with their
cargo.of furs,-they ftaid until Serebranikoff’s and Tolftyk’s
veffels arrived. Thefe took in eleven of the crew, .with
their .part of the furs. Twelve remained at Beering’s
Ifland, where they killed .-great numbers of anftic foxes,
-and returned to Kamtchatka in the Abraham, excepting
-two, who .joined Shilkin’serew.
* See the preceding chapter.
The Crew
reach Bee ring’s
111 and in two
Baidars.
C H A P .
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