Barely had the
ships passed up the sound, when they were enshrouded in a fog that
wiped out every outline; otherwise, the high coast of glacial
palisades--two hundred feet in places and four miles broad--might have
been seen landlocked by mountains; but Mr. Gore launched out in a small
boat steering north through haze and tide-rip. Twenty natives were
seen clad in sea-otter skins, by which--the white men judged--no
Russians could have come to this sound; for the Russians would not have
permitted the Indians to keep such valuable sea-otter clothing. The
glass beads possessed by the natives were supposed to attest proximity
to traders of Hudson Bay. With an almost animal innocence of wrong,
the Indians tried to steal the small boat of the _Discovery_,
flourishing their spears till the white crew mustered. At another
time, when the _Discovery_ lay anchored, few lanterns happened to be on
deck. No sailors were visible. It was early in the morning and
everybody was asleep, the boat dark. The natives swarmed up the ship's
sides like ants invading a sugar canister.
Pages:
236
237
238
239
240
241
242
243
244
245
246
247
248
249
250
251
252
253
254
255
256
257
258
259
260