lljjlMlI.Ll,.,
T he Adventures
of the
wounded two iflanders, and driven away the others,,
brought Kokovin half-dead to the hut.
Soon afterwards the natives furraunded the hut, which
four Ruffians .Up Ruffians had taken the precaution to provide with
fhooting-holes. The fiege lafted four days without in-
termiffion. The iflanders were prevented indeed by the
fire-arms from ftorming the hut; but whenever the
Ruffians made their appearance, darts were immediately
fliot at them from all fides; fo that they could not
venture to go out for water. At length when Shaffyrin
and Kokovin were a little recovered, they all fallied out
upon the iflanders with their guns and lances ; three
perfons were killed upon the Ipot, and feveral wounded;
upon which the others fled away and difperfed. During
the fiege the favages were feen at a little diftance
bearing fome arms and caps, and holding them up in
triumph : thefe things belonged to the fix Ruffians, who
had been fent to the pit-falls, and had fallen a facrifice
to the refentment of the natives.
The latter no fooner difappeared, than the Ruffians
dragged the baidar into the fea, and rowed without mo-
leftation out of the bay, which is about ten. verfts broad.
They next landed near a fmall habitation : finding it
empty they drew the baidar affiore, and went with thpir
fire-arms arid lances acrofs the mountains towards Ka-
laktak, where they had left Kudyakoff’s party. As they
approached
approached that place towards evening, they fired from
the heights; but no fignal being returned,, they concluded,
as was really the cafe, that this company had
likewife been mafiacred by the inhabitants. They them-
felves narrowly efcaped the fame fate; for, immediately
upon the report of the fire-arms, numerous- bodies of the
iflanders made their appearance, and clofely purfued the
Ruffians : darknefs however coming on, the latter found,
means to efcape over the fandy fhore of a bay to a rock,
where they were flieltered,. and could defend themfelves..
They here made fo good a ufe of their arms, that the
iflanders thought proper to retire : the fugitives, as foon
as their purfuers were withdrawn, feized the opportunity
of proceeding towards the haven, where their
veflel lay at anchor: they ran without interruption during
the whole night, and at break of day, when they were about
three verfts from the haven, they efpied a locker of the
veflel lying on the fhore. Struck with aftonifhment at
this alarming difeovery, they retreated with precipitation
to the mountains,, from whence- they deferied feveral
iflanders rowing in canoes, but no appearance of their
own veflel. During that day they kept themfelves clofely
concealed, and durft not venture again towards the haven
before the evening. Upon: their arrival they found the
veflel broken to pieces, and the dead bodies of their companions
lying mangled along the beach. Having collected
all the provifion which had been untouched by
the favages, they returned to the mountains.
The