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

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various chores awaited us, and where it was too difficult for three officers, they detailed Lieutenant Zelenii to us from the "Discovery," and when he moved over, we and the "Discovery" moved out of the harbor on the mentioned date, our taking a different course from its course because before his move, our captain received from the commander the following instructions: "Upon leaving the harbor take a course toward Transfiguration Island, seen by some trader, and determine its existence, then go to Anderson Island put on the map by Captain Cook, but afterward not found by anyone; survey St. Matthew and St. Lawrence islands, and finally, try to reach the Arctic Sea by the 7th of July and to sail along the Asiatic shore as high as possible, searching for a westward passage around this part of the world."

Having a different course from the "Discovery," we went WNW, and it, in company of the boat detailed to survey Bristol Bay, toward Cape Newenham to the NE. Soon we lost sight of each other, which was aggravated by a dense descending fog.

On July 1st, we reached the place where Transfiguration Island was indicated on the map, that is, latitude 58˚ 48˚ and longitude 183˚ 24˚. The weather was rather clear, and the horizon unencumbered, but even from the crosstree, which I climbed with a telescope, it was not possible to see anything. For this reason, the captain, without much ado, erased the island off the face of the earth, or rather, off the face of the sea.

Finishing this business, we continued our course to St.

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Matthewy Island, which we reached the next day, but because of dense fog, we saw only the outlines of its high mountains in the atmosphere. Its low part was completely hidden from our sight. Not wasting time in waiting for the fog to lift, we directed out course to the place where Anderson Island was indicated on the map, and on the third reached this spot, but likewise, with slightly overcast weather, we saw nothing resembling an island. Even so, we hesitated to erase it from the map, and continued our journey, taking a direction to the NNE. About four o'clock in the afternoon, the horizon toward the SE cleared completely, and we saw high ground in this direction. Being situated ata that time at latitude 62[degree symbol] 56' and logitude 193[degree symbol] 32', we were at a distance of more than 180 miles from the American shore, too great to be able to see the tallest mountain on the globe. For this reason, we considered the land as a new discovery, or, assuming errors in the calculations of Captain Cook, as Anderson Island.¹⁵ Wishing to check further the captain ordered us to approach this shore. Moving forward, we constantly cast the lead. This precaution proved very useful because the depth noticeably started to decrease. After we made a few miles, the water began noticeably to change its color, and from dark green became yellow and muddy, a clear sign of shoal water in an open sea; and indeed, the depth suddenly decreased from eight to four sazhens. Seeing the impossibility of penetrating to the sighted shore without danger and loss of time, we, being at a distance of 67 1/2

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miles from it, and following the order of the captain, changed our course and went directly to St. Lawrence Island. Having head winds often reaching the strength of a storm, we did not approach the western cape of this island, which shortly disappeared from our sight in the fog before the ninth. After midday, the fog lifted, and we saw ten large baidars coming toward us from the island. To give them time to approach, the captain ordered us to lie to, and soon they approached, but the people in them, not only did not want to com on deck, but were even afraid to apprach the side until our Agalakhmiut and Kamchadal started to talk to them in their languages. Then trading started, and for tobacco, knives, scissors, axes, and various knickknacks they gave everything they had, even removed from themselves their deer parkas and kamochna [?] kamleiki [gutskin parkas], called by them kamlilki. Having exchanged everything that they had with them, they departed and stared rowing back to the island.

Wishing to refresh the crew with non-salted food, the captain ordered us to keep toward the bay of the same name as the island in order to get deer from the Chukchi. The next day, we entered it and anchored across from a small settlement of the sedentary Chukchi.

At St. Lawrence Bay

St. Lawrence Bay is open and rough. It would have been unsuited for staying at anchor if a low sandpit had not extended from the northern shore, forming a small bay, which

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the sea surf reaches only by deflecting from the oppisite shore. However, it is completely open and extends into the inside of the shore for more than 15 miles to the NW. At that depth in this direction are two small islands, behind which, if someone had to stay hear for a long time, or even to pass the winter, it is possible to find a quiet berth. The shore and the land surrounding the bay are high and hilly for the most part. This country is covered with eternal snow, not only on the heights, but in the hollows between the mountains. Only on the lowlands along the shore is it possible to see something resembling vegetation, that is, yellow and dry grass, over which occasionally rises a yellow flower. Here is seen not even a tree, or even small bushes; in a word, here a sad morose nature is presented to the eyes of a sailor. In a few places along the shore of the bay are seen the conical yurts of the natives, who, noticing us,immediately got into their baidars and began rowing toward us. They neared the side without invitation or fear, and came aboard. There were 12 persons, and among them was the chief of the settlement lying before us. Receiving and giving presents as well as we could to these Chukchi who called themselves Chauchi, the captain asked the chief to deliver about 20 deer, but he assured us that there were none of these animals in the vicinity, and since they, because of lack of moss nearby,had been driven to the interior, it was necessary to have at least 12 days to

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drive them back. We could not waste that much time; therefore, we wanted to weigh anchor immediately and go farther according to the given commission, but we were forced to postpone this plan because of a lack of wind.

Having dined, we went ashore to a nearby settlement to spend the time and to get acquainted with the domestic life of the Chukchi, upon their invitation. It [the settlement] consisted of seven skin yurts, similar to those seen by us the previous year in Kotzebue Sound and on St. Lawrence Island, with the sole difference that these yurts were much roomier on the inside, and were also divided into two parts, of which one, serving as the family's bedroom, was covered on the walls and floor with bear skins, and so low that it was impossible to stand, but crawling in, one had to sit or lie down. In this part, whale fat constantly burned in a clay bowl, heating the air so much that the Chukchi, upon crawling in there, immediately undress completely. Whale fat constituted their only heating because very little driftwood is deposited upon the Asiatic shore, and it is used by them for various handicrafts such as building of sleds, for yurts, baidars, and weapons.

Returning again to the sloop, we found a large number of baidars at its side. They came from other settlements situated near the bay, and were trading their fox furs, weapons, and clothing for kettles, axes, knives, scissors, needles, and tobacco, but the latter they took only as a supplement to the other things because they snuff it, but do not smoke, or