Author carried to hospital--Both his feet
amputated--Account of the party left at Sannack--Employed
in teaching native children English--Account of
Kodiak--Natives--Dress--Canoes--Superstition--Food--Author sails in
the ship Neva for the Sandwich Islands.
Upon our arrival at Alexandria I was immediately carried to the
hospital. The surgeon, on examining my feet, found them in a state of
mortification; he used poultices of rye, and other applications, for
several days, in hopes of effecting a cure. On the second day he cut
off one of my fingers; I lost a joint of another, but all the rest
recovered.
Finding no favourable symptoms in my feet, he informed me I must
submit to lose them in order to save my life. I had no idea that the
case was so hopeless, and was not prepared for such an alternative. I
requested three days to consider. At the end of that time I told him I
had made up my mind, and would submit to the operations. Accordingly he
amputated one of them on the fifteenth of March, and the other on the
seventeenth of April following. Unfortunately for me he cut them off
below the ankle joint, from a wish to take as little away as possible;
the sores extended above the place, and have never completely healed.
By the month of August I could creep about on my hands and knees.
My case excited great compassion, and a subscription was raised for
me by Governor Baranoff and the officers of the ships that lay in the
harbour, which amounted to one hundred and eighty rubles.
Whilst in the hospital, the brig arrived that had been despatched to
Sannack for the goods saved from the wreck. With her came Mr. Bander,
and also the mate and boatswain of the Eclipse, who had left Captain
O’Cain in consequence of a difference that had taken place. They
informed me that he had nearly completed the vessel, which was a brig
of about seventy tons, and that he would find no difficulty in manning
her with Russians and Indians. I afterwards heard from some Indians,
who had come with despatches from Oonalaska, that the vessel was
launched, and had sailed from Sannack. What became of her afterwards,
I never could learn with certainty, but it was reported that she had
foundered at sea, and all on board perished.
The mate, second mate, and boatswain, left Kodiak in a ship called
the Neva, bound for Sitcha, an island near Norfolk Sound, where
the Russians have lately established a settlement, from whence, I
understand, they went to China in an American ship.
Mr. Baranoff, the governor, went to Sitcha at the same time, leaving
Mr. Bander in charge of the colony.
When I had tolerably recovered my strength, I was employed by that
gentleman in teaching eight Indian children the English language,
in order that they might be qualified to act as interpreters to the
American ships that frequently touch at these islands. My pupils were
between the ages of eight and thirteen, and had all been taught the
Russian language, of which, by this time, I understood a little.
I had to labour under great difficulties for want of books and
grammars, and was obliged to form the letters of the alphabet in the
best manner I was able. This was no easy task to me, both from want
of practice, and the state of my right hand, which I could with
difficulty open or shut. I however succeeded in teaching them to read
the letters, but my farther progress was interrupted by my departure
from the island. I have very little doubt of my ultimate success, had I
remained, for the boys were uncommonly quick and apt to learn.
The island of Kodiak is the principal possession of the Russians on
the northwest coast of America. It is above a hundred miles long, from
northeast to southwest, and about fifty across at the wider part; but
its breadth is very irregular, the shore being indented with deep bays
and inlets.
The climate is by no means favourable; the snow lies on the ground till
the end of April, and although the cold in winter is not very intense,
the season is seldom free from fogs, snow, or rain. The summers are
also very wet, and subject to frequent fogs.
Kodiak contains but a scanty population, the inhabitants are scattered
through eight or ten villages upon the coast, and are employed in
collecting furs for the Russian American Company. These villages, in
general, consist of a few Indian families, who are under the charge of
a Russian overseer.
No part of the island is cultivated, except a garden or two near the
town, and a little barley at the village of Superscoff. It contains,
however, a great deal of fine timber, chiefly larches, spruces, and
other kinds of pine. Many of the trees are large enough to make spars
of considerable dimensions.
Alexandria,[15] the principal town on the island, and the residence of
the governor, is situated on the eastern side of an extensive bay. It
possesses an excellent harbour, being well sheltered by several small
islands that lie to the southwest. The eastern entrance, which is the
safest, is not above a mile wide, and is defended by a battery or small
fort. There is also an entrance to the west; but it is narrow and
intricate, and requires a leading wind to pass through.
[15] This place is named St. Paul by Captain Lisianski. We must suppose
that since his visit in 1803, the name has been changed in honour of
the present Emperor. Dr. Langsdorf merely calls it the new harbour of
Kodiak.
The town consists of about fifty houses, built of logs, the seams of
which are calked with moss, and the roofs thatched with grass; they
are, in general, divided into three apartments below, and as many on
the upper story. They are heated by stoves or ovens; when the wood is
reduced to ashes, the vent is closed by means of a slide fitted for the
purpose, and the heated air then diffusing itself through the room,
renders it extremely comfortable. The windows, instead of being glazed,
are covered with pieces of the gut of the seal, split up and sewed
together; this, after being well oiled, is stretched on a frame, and
defended from the wind by cross-bars on each side. Talc is also used
for the same purpose. This substance is found in flakes about the size
of the palm of the hand, and several of these are puttied together to
form a pane.
About sixty Indians reside at this place; they live in a large circular
building or barrack, called the Cazerne Aleuskoi.
The town also possesses a church, a barrack for the Russian convicts, a
school, and several storehouses belonging to the N. W. Company.
At the school the children of the natives are taught the Russian
language, writing, and arithmetic; there were about fifty scholars,
and as far as I could judge, from the few under my charge, there is no
difficulty in teaching them these acquirements.
Here, as at Kamschatka, most of the Russians are married to native
women.
This is the principal depot of the American Company;[16] the furs
collected at the different settlements on the coast are sent here,
and lodged in the Company’s stores till ships arrive to carry them
to Kamschatka, whence they are sent to China, or overland to St
Petersburgh.
[16] This Company was established in the reign of the Empress Catharine
II. for the purpose of giving solidity and effect to the fur trade; and
the better to promote these purposes, all the islands lying between
Kamschatka and the Russian part of the northwest coast of America,
were granted them in perpetuity. His present majesty, Alexander I. has
extended the privileges of the Company, and graciously declared himself
their immediate patron.
_Lisianski, p. 13._
The natives, in return for the furs which they procure for the Company,
receive cloth, powder and shot, beads, toys, and articles of luxury,
such as rum, tobacco, and snuff, of which they are immoderately fond.
A considerable trade is carried on with the Americans who call at
these islands. Their ships take on board a certain number of natives,
with their baidarkas, and implements of fishing and hunting. They then
proceed to the coast of California, where there is great abundance
of fur seals, and otters, and with the assistance of the Indians,
generally complete their cargoes in two seasons. On their return the
American Company are entitled to a certain proportion of their furs,
as an equivalent for the labour of the Indians. The Eclipse was on a
voyage of this description, when chartered by the Russians to bring a
cargo from China.
A few miles to the west of Alexandria, there is another village
called Superscoff, the property of a Russian of that name, who had
been settled there above fifteen years. From this place the town of
Alexandria derives its principal supply of salmon and dried fish.--They
had a herd of black cattle consisting of seventy, all sprung from one
cow which Superscoff brought with him. The milk, butter, and cheese,
used at the town, were brought from this place.
Their stock of cattle, having been but recently introduced, is too
small to admit of their slaughtering any, and bear’s flesh is the
only fresh meat consumed upon the island. The bears are either shot
or caught in traps; the trap is merely a piece of board, about two
inches thick, and two feet square, stuck full of spikes, barbed, and
kept extremely sharp; this is set in their paths, and covered with
dust; from the weight of the animal, when he sets down his foot, the
spikes enter it; to assist himself in pulling the first away, he plants
another on the trap, and continues his exertions, till, at last, all
his four feet are transfixed, when he falls on his back, and is taken.
The natives of the Fox islands, or Aleuskoi, as they are called by the
Russians, are low in stature, broad in the visage, with dark eyes and
hair.
The principal article of their dress is a large frock called a parka,
made of fur or skin, frequently of the skins of sea-fowls, which they
wear with the feathers out during the day, and next their skin at
night. This piece of dress is nearly the same in both sexes. When at
sea, they wear a frock of another kind, called a camelengka, made of
the gut of the seal, to which a hood is attached, and tied close round
the face, the sleeves being equally tight at the wrist. Upon their
limbs they frequently wear boots and breeches in one piece, made of
seal hide, over which the camelengka is fastened close, so that their
dress is perfectly water-proof.
They are extremely fond of ornaments, particularly beads, with which
the women decorate themselves in great profusion, sewing them round the
neck, skirts, and wrists of their skin frocks. They also wear them in
their ears, or suspend them from a hole made in their under lip, and
sometimes hang them round each end of a bone about five inches long,
which they pass through the gristle of the nose, called by sailors
their spritsail-yard. They do not tattoo themselves like the Sandwich
islanders, but they often paint or rather daub their faces in streaks,
with red ochre and train oil.
Their canoes are made of the skin of sea-lions, stretched over slight
wooden frames; Those of the largest size, called baiderais, are open,
and can contain sixty or seventy people; the smaller kind, called
baidarkas, being quite close, have a hole in the covering, or deck,
for each sitter, and carry one, two, or three persons. They are rowed
either with double-bladed paddles, which are held by the middle, or
by single-bladed ones, with crutch handles, which are shifted to each
side alternately; the rowers sit with their faces to the bow, and pull
them with great swiftness. It is wonderful what long voyages they
make in these slight boats; several of them came from Oonalaska to
Kodiak during my stay in that island. No water can get into them in the
roughest weather, for the camelengka, a gut frock, which Indians wear
when at sea, is stuffed tight round them at the hole. From their flat
construction, and extreme lightness, the weight of the people sitting
in these canoes, renders them top heavy, and many accidents arise from
their oversetting. In this respect, the single-holed ones are much the
safest, for even when overset, a slight exertion is sufficient to right
them.
In catching seals, and other amphibious animals, these people show
great dexterity and ingenuity. Concealing themselves behind rocks, they
decoy them by throwing a seal skin, blown out like a bladder, into the
sea. To this is fixed a line made of the sinew of the whale, by which
they draw it to them, when it is followed by the seals, who take it
for an animal of their own species. As soon as within reach, they are
killed with spears or bows and arrows.
The natives, as I have already observed, are converts to the Greek
church, but their religion consists in little more than crossing
themselves, whenever they enter a house; they are however, abundantly
superstitious, and put complete faith in the predictions of their
shamans, or astrologers. Whilst I was there an eclipse of the moon took
place, on which occasion they confidently affirmed that it was the sign
of great events happening in Europe. Indeed, not only the natives, but
the Russians themselves seemed to be of the same opinion; and the next
ship bringing intelligence of war between England and Russia, served to
confirm their belief.
The food of the natives consists of fish, fresh or dried, principally
salmon; blubber, or whale fat; whale and seal oil; the flesh of seals
and other amphibious animals; and berries preserved in oil.
In consequence of this diet, as well as the state of filth in which
they live, they are very liable to the scurvy; indeed, few of them are
free from ulcers and scorbutic eruptions.
On the return of the Neva from Sitcha, she was ordered to be prepared
for a voyage to the Sandwich Islands, and was provided with a supply of
adzes, hatchets, teeth of the sea-horse, and other articles suited for
that market.
It would appear that the Russians had determined to form a settlement
upon these islands; at least, preparations were made for that purpose;
and I was informed by the commandant, that if I chose, I might get a
situation as interpreter. The ship had a house in frame on board, and
intimation was given that volunteers would be received; none, however,
offered; and I never observed that any other steps were taken in this
affair.
Being sure of meeting with American vessels at the Sandwich Islands, in
which I might get to Europe or America, I expressed a desire to embrace
this opportunity of quitting Kodiak, and was accordingly permitted to
take my passage in the ship.
The Neva had a crew of seventy-five seamen, belonging to the Russian
imperial service, and was commanded by captain Hageimeister, who had
been bred in the British navy, and could speak English fluently.
The ship herself was British built, and had made a voyage round the
world.[17]
[17] This ship sailed round the world in the Russian expedition under
captain Krusenstern, and was commanded by captain Lisianski, who has
published an account of the voyage. He talks in raptures of her good
qualities. “As to the Neva itself, I shall be excused if, with the
warmth of a sailor, I declare, that there never sailed a more lovely
vessel, or one more complete and perfect in all its parts. So little
had it suffered from the length of the voyage, and even from the
disaster of striking on the coral rocks at our newly discovered island,
that, in a few weeks, it was again ready for sea, and was despatched to
the north west coast of America.”
_Lisianski’s Voyage_, p. 317.
The preparations for the expedition being completed, we left the harbour
on the 11th of December, O. S. with a fair wind, and soon lost sight of
the island.