man. and alio a fufficienjt ftorp o f ammunitiQn and pro*
vifiqn. The following dajr two accounts were fent from
Barnaffieff; and letters were alfo received from the crew
of Protafffiffis veffel. From the 2d of November to the
8th of December, the Ruffians, who remained with Korovin,
killed forty-eight dark-coloured foxes* together
with an hundred and feventeen of the common fort:
during this expedition one man was loft. Some of the,
natives came occafionally in baidars, and exchanged fea-
ottets and fox flaps for corals.. On the. 8th of December
letters were again, br-Qughf fiutn Barnafheff ?nd aMft
from the crew of Protafloff’s fhip,. Anti vers were returned
by the fame meflengers.
After the departure of fhefe meflengers, the mpther
o f Alexey came with a meffage from, the Toigon her huf-
band importing, that a large number of iflanders were
making towards the fhip. Upon this Korovin ordered
the men to arms, and foon after feventy nativ.es approached
and held up fome fea-otter fkins, The Ruffians, cried,
out that no more than ten at a time fhould come over the
brook towards their h u t: upon which the iflanders left
their fkins with Korovin, and returned without attempting
any hoftilities. Their apprehenfions were now fome-
what quieted, but they were again raifed by the arrival
of three Kamtchadals belonging to Kulkoff’s fhip, who
flew'for protedion to Korovin: they brought the account
that the crew had been killed by the favages, and
the
the veffel deftroyed. It was now certain that the feventy
iflanders above-mentioned had come with hoftile intentions.
This information fprekd fuch a fudden panic
among the Ruffians, that it Was even proposed to burn
the Veffel, and to endeavour to find their companions,
who were gone upon hunting parties.
That day however paffed without any attack : but towards
the evening of the 10th of December, the favages af -N“ ves'
fembled in large bodies, and in veiled the hut on ali
ffdes. Four days and nights they never ceafed annoying
the Ruffians with their darts ; two of the latter were
killed, aftd the furvivots were nearly exhaufled by continual
fatigue. Upon the fifth day the iflanders took poll
in a neighbouring càvern, where they- continued watch-
ing the Ruffians fo clofely during a whole month, that
none of the latter durft venture fifty paces from
their dwelling. Korovin, finding himfeif thus annoyed
by the natives', ordered the hut to be deftroyed : he
then retired to his veflel, which was brought for greater
fecurity out of the mouth of the rivulet to the diftance of
an hundred yards from the beach. There they lay at
anchor from the 5th of March to the 26th df April,
during which time they differed greatly from Want o f
provifion, and ftill more from the feurvy.
A
During