T h e Natives
?are finally re-
pulfed by the
Ruffians.
trepidity difconcerted the iflanders, and they jjimmediately-
retreated without making the leaft refiftance.
The a 6th of October they ventured a third attack,
and advanced towards the veffel for this purpofe by daybreak
: the watch however gave the alarm in due time,
and the whole crew were immediately under arms. The
approach of day-light difcovered to their view different
parties of.the enemy advancing under the protection of
wooden fcreens. Of thefe moving breaft-works they
counted fcven; and behind each from thirty to forty
men armed with bone lances. Befides thefe a croud of
•armed men advanced feparately to the attack, Tome of
them bearing whale jaw-bones, and others wooden fhields.
Diffuafion proving ineffectual, and the arrows beginning
to fall even aboard the fhip, Glottoff gave orders'to fire.
The fhot from the fmall arms however not being of force
enough to pierce the fcreens, the iflanders advanced under
their protection with fteadinefs and intrepidity. Glottoff
neverthelers determined to rifk a Tally o f his whole crew
armed with mufkets and lances. The iflanders inftantly
threw down their fcreens, and fled with precipitation until
they gained their boats, into which they threw themfelves
and rowed off. They had about feventeen large baidars
and a number of fmall canoes. The fcreens which they
left behind were made of three rows of flakes placed perpendicularly,
and bound together with fea-weed and offers;
they were twelve feet broad, and above half a yard thick.
The
The Ruffians
winter at The iflanders now appearing to be fufficiently intimidated,
the Ruffians began to build a winter hut of floated Kadjak
wood, and waited in -a body the appearance of fpring
without further annoyance. Although they faw nobody
before the 25th of December, yet Glottoff kept his people
together; fending out occafionally fmall hunting and
fifhing parties to the lake, which lay about five verfts
from the creek. During the whole winter they caught
in the lake feveral different fpecies of trout and falmon,
foies, and herrings of a fpan and a half long, and even
turbot and cod-fifh, which came up with the flood into
the lake.
At Ml, on the 25 th of December, two iflanders came
to the fhip, and converfed at a diftance, by means of
interpreters. Although propofals of peace, and trade
were held out to them in the moft friendly manner,
yet they went off without feeming to put much
confidence in thefe offers: nor did any of them
appear again before the 4th o f April, 1764. Want
of fuflicient exercife in the mean time brought on a
violent fcurvy among the crew, by which diforder nine
perfons were carried off.
m
On the 4th of April four iflanders made their appearance,
and feemed to pay. more attention to the propofals
: one of them at laft advanced, and offered to barter
two fox-fkins for beads. They did not fet the leaft va-
Q lue
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