Account of
the Inhabitants
o f Alackfu.
Animals.
The natives of the above-mentioned iflands are very
tall and ftrongly made. They make their cloaths of
the Ikins of birds; and thruft bones through their under
lips by way of ornament. They were faid to ftrike
their nofes until they bled, in order to fuck the blood;
but we are informed from fubfequent accounts, that the
blood thus drawn from themfelves was intended for other
purpofes *. They were accufed even of murdering
their own children in order to drink their blood ; but
this is undoubtedly an invention o f the criminals, who
reprefented the iflanders in the moft hideous colours, in
order to excufe their own cruelties. Their dwellings
under-ground are limilar to thofe of the Kamtchadals ;
and have feveral openings on the fides, through which
they make their efcape when the principal entrance is
befet by an enemy. Their weapons confift of arrows
and lances pointed with bone, which they dart at a con-
fiderable diftance.
The ifland Alakfu is faid to contain rein-deer, bears,
wild boars,, wolves, otters, and a fpecies of dogs with
long ears, which are very fierce and wild. And as the
greateft part of thefe animals are not found upon thofe
Fox Iflands which lie nearer to the weft, this circum-
* It appears in the lail chapter- o f this tranflation, that the iflanders
are accuftomed to glue on the. point o f their darts with blood ; and
that this was the real motive to the pradtice mentioned in the text.
ftance
ftance feems to prove that Alakfu is fituated at no great
diftance from the Continent of America. As to red,
black, and grey foxes, there is lb large a quantity, that
they are feen in herds of ten or twenty at a time. Wood
is driven upon the coaft in great abundance. The
ifland produces no large trees, having only fome underwood,
and a great variety of bulbs, roots, and berries.
The coafts are frequented by large flocks of fea-birds,
the fame which are obferved upon the fhore of the.
fea of Penftiinlk.
Auguft 4, 1759, the Peter and Paul, fitted out at the voyageof*=
expence of the merchant Rybenlkoi by his agent An-
drew Serebranikoff, and manned with thirty-three per- '755'
fons, fet fail from the mouth of the Kamtchatka river.
They fleered fouthwards until the aoth of September
without feeing any land, when they flood for the Aleutian
Ifles, one of which they reached the 27 th of September.
They remained there until the 24th of June,.
1 7 6 1 ; during which time they killed upon this and.
the two other iflands 1900 old and young fea-otters,
and obtained 450 more by bartering with the iflanders..
The Coflac Minyachin, who was on board as colledtor
of the tribute, calls in his account the firft ifland by, the:
Ruffian name of Krugloi, or Round Ifland, which he
fuppofes to be about fixty verfts in circumference : the
largeft ifland lies thirty verfts from thence, and is about
an hundred and fifty round : the fmalleft is about thirty
verfts;