mss142-vasilevShishmarev-i3-035

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briskly from the W and by noon we saw the mountains. The cap-
tain had told us that these shores were completely uninhabited.
We were surprised therefore to see a large settlement, consist-
ing of a hundred or more conically shaped skin tents on a long
sandspit extending from the high shores for about a mile and a
half inside the bay (the only place it was possible to land
because of shoal water.). Opposite each [tent] on the beach
lay a baidar turned upside down. As soon as the inhabitants
noticed us, 150 persons gathered, armed from head to foot with
spears, bows, and a few even with long rifles. Seeing that,
the captain ordered us to remove the sails and lay to in
order to decide whether to go ashore or to return. Seeing
that, the savages started to wave various furs and to shout
"toki, toki," which meant, as we found out later, to trade.

It was decided to go ashore and to repel any attack by
loading the falconets, guns, pistols, and by preparing side
arms. Completing all that, we lifted the grapnel, and using
oars, approached the very end of the above-mentioned bar, a
distance of two or three cables' lengths away from the settle-
ment. The principal reason for this action was the high tide,
as we could not hope either to maneuver or to row out against
the wind and currents, and therefore, we wanted to wait on
shore for the low tide, especially since everyone was very
hungry and longed to eat warm sour cabbage soup, for which we
had everything necessary along. So we neared the shore, but
not so close as to make it possible to get directly off the