The mangled,
headless bodies of the Russians lay in the ashes. At noon of the
eighth day the mountains suddenly rocked to the echo of two
cannon-shots from the bay. A ship had come. Three times one Russian
ventured to the shore, and three times was chased back to the woods;
{310} but he had seen enough. The ship was an English trader under
Captain Barber, who finally heard the shouts of the pursued man, put
off a small boat and rescued him. Three others were saved from the
woods in the same way, but had been only a few days on the ship, when
Michael, the Kolosh chief, emboldened by success, rowed out with a
young warrior and asked the English captain to give up the Russians.
Barber affected not to understand, lured both Indians on board, seized
them, put them in irons, and tied them across a cannon mouth, when he
demanded the restoration of all captives and loot; but the Sitkan chief
probably had his own account of who suggested the massacre. Also it
was to the English captain's interests to remain on good terms with the
Indians. Anyway, the twenty captives were not restored till two other
ships had entered port, and sent some Kolosh canoes to bottom with
grape-shot.
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