Journey of the sloop Good Intent to explore the Asiatic and American shores of Bering Strait, 1819 to 1822. Part one

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concluded that these islands were inhabited. This we soon confirmed, sighting first three, and then about ten, rather large boats sailing along the shore, which, upon our approach, directed themselves toward us.

Reaching to about three cable's lengths [about 1800 feet], they stopped and stared, with amazement, it seemed, at our moving enormity. The Captain ordered us to anchor, and to lower a six-oared skiff, in which he ordered the senior lieutenant, Ignatev, to meet the savages, and, entering into friendly relations with them, to try to bring them on the sloop, or, at least, to bring them as close to it as possible. At first, all his attempts to approach them were in vain. They constantly drew away from him in their light boats. Finally, he and the sailors started to wave white kerchiefs as a sign of our friendship. Then they, casting off suspicion, approached the skiff. Lieutenant Ignatev, in order to win their confidence, distributed to them glass beads, pewter rings, and small mirrors; each one so bestowed expressed his joy by shouting and clapping his hands. Then they started to trade with them their weapons, ornaments, and fruit such as coconuts, bananas, and breadfruit. In the meantime, he slowly approached the sloop and stopped with them at its side. Here, he invited them to come aboard, but no inducements could convince the savages to do so.

Of all the things they saw, they liked best the sailors' hats of thick soldier's cloth. The pieces of iron that were

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offered them they threw overboard with contempt, but when the use of this metal was explained and shown to them, they started to conceal it carefully, and after that, gave everything they owned for knives, scissors, and needles. From this circumstance, we concluded that they have had no communication with Europeans or with other peoples of Oceania.

The inhabitants of these islands are tall, of dark chestnut complexion, and very well built. Their appearance is Malayan and consequently very unpleasant. Clothing consists only of a sash round the waist, made of many different colored ribbons of their own manufacture. Their weapons consist of clubs and spears very artfully carved from some dark heavy wood. Strangest of all is the build of their boats. They consist of a semicircular hollow tree tapered at both ends, and to one of the open sides are attached boards so that the boat is convex on one side and flat on the other. From this last side a rod extends about five feet from the boat, holding it in equilibrium so that it cannot capsize. Four oarsmen are in each of them, ------------------------ and one with half a coconut shell constantly threw out water leaking into the boat through the joints and openings through which the sewing thread of coconut fiber passes. Their length extends to 30 feet. There were no women in the boats.

We lay at anchor for about three hours. Everything was observed, and was bartered, with the savages, and as they would not agree to come about the sloop, we lifted the skiff,

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filled the sails, and resumed our former course to the NNE. Having gone almost three miles, the boatswain suddenly cried out from the forecastle that we were aiming directly for a rock. We immediately tacked to starboard, and the sloop, going about five knots, quickly swung into the wind and on its right side almost touched the pseudo-stones, which turned out to be two enormous sperm whales sleeping side by side on the surface. From the noise made by the movement of the vessel in breaking the waves, the monsters woke up, spurted from their nostrils a whole cloud of stinking water spray, struck their enormous tails on the surface, and sank into the ocean depths.

The blunt-headed whale, or sperm whale, lives in hot and temperate zones of the globe. In size, it is generally much bigger than that of the northern, or sharp-snouted, whale. Its monstrous, blunt head occupies a whole third of its body. Its brain contains the precious spermaceti, and in it is often found ambergris. The inhabitants of the United States who trade with China vigorously pursue them. First, they sail to the northwest shores of America to trade furs. From there they return to the Sandwich Islands, load with sandalwood, and they transport both these things, valued highly in China, to Canton. There, they take tea and other goods and set out to hunt the sperm whale. Supplementing their cargo with spermaceti, they return home, or often go directly to France and England for the sale of all that. Their absence is seldom less than three

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years, and because of that, one rarely returns from such a voyage without having become a rich man.

The heat still persisted with the same intensity. Although the trade wind blew from the right direction, it was so weak that it could not cool the air. The crew was completely weakened, and the least movement at midday induced an unbearable headache. At this time, one would think that the whole crew had died. Each one tried to move as little as possible, and lying in one place, waited impatiently for the setting of the sun. Then the burning heat decreased, the ship came to life, and the crew began to eat dinner, postponed to this time. To this heat we attributed the loss of one of our best sailors. Standing at the helm, he suddenly fell down on the deck, and no efforts of the doctor could bring him back to life.

On the 23rd, we crossed longitude 171⁰ 34' at the equator for the second time, and on the 25th, the day of the mentioned misfortune, the sun stood at the zenith, for which reason our bodies did not cast any shadows. The rays of the sun fell vertically on our heads. The sailors said that they saw Kuzmin (that was the name of the dead helmsman) a few hours before his death on the foredeck without a cap, and from that time on he complained of a severe headache. Our ship's surgeon, Mr. Zaozerski, stated that he could have been saved if he had spoken about it in good time. For this reason, the strictest order was given not to go bareheaded, and to report the slightest

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ailment. In consequence of which, two men were bled the same evening.

Approaching the northern tropic [the tropic of Cancer], the trade winds increased and the heat subsided. On May 7th, we crossed it at longitude 169[degree symbol] 28' E. Here, the sea was covered with some kind of vesicular organism, which was devoured by immense flocks of storm petrels of a tawny color. These birds we called the stupid ones because, alighting on the masts and on the nets, they allowed themselves to be caught with our bare hands. We were very happy with these guests; they furnished us a very pleasant change of food for a few days. Their meat, similar to ducks, is very tasty.

Until May 12th, the monotony of the trip was not interrupted by anything, but now and then near the vessel, especially when it went fast, appeared schools of dolphins, which, jumping out from under the bow, outdistanced the sloop, and [swam] as though wallowing in the foam formed under the bilge from the resistance of the water during the movement of the ship in cutting the waves. The sailors struck them with harpoons from the blindage yards, but could pull up just one. The others broke loose, and immediately, with the sight of blood, were torn to pieces by the rest of them. Their flesh is rather tasty.

On that day we arrived at parallel 31⁰ 34'. Midshipman Hall came to our captain with documents from the "Discovery"; the captain immediately left with him. The Captain returned