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At day-break Lieutenant
Ratmanoff went with Dr. Langsdorffin the direction of Tamary-Aniwa, to
examine the east side of the bay, but particularly that part into which
we had seen the Japanese vessel sail, and in the afternoon we ourselves
went on shore to pay a visit to the factory.
Owing to the
heavy surf, it was impossible to land in our boats; we were therefore obliged
to suffer ourselves to be conveyed on shore, through the surf, two at a
time in a small skiff, which an Aino very good humouredly offered for that
purpose, and not without danger of getting wet.
Page 64
The direction
of Aniwa bay is nearly north and south: Lachsforellen bay, therefore, which
is at the further extremity of that of Aniwa, is entirely exposed to the
south, which are here said to be the prevailing winds, and consequently
the road is by no means safe.
The great surf
is moreover an obstacle to landing; but when the tides are rising I fancy
it is not attended with any danger, as the Japanese flat boats passed at
all times through it.
Nuuihva ??
Page 118
I therefore took
a boat with me besides my barge, of which all the men as well as the officers
were armed, the former with a brace of pistols and a sabre, and six of
them with fire-arms.
The Englishman
and Frenchman conducted us as interpreters.
A vast concourse
of people of both sexes were collected on the beach where we were to land,
which, owing to the heavy surf, was not effected without difficulty.
Although neither
the king nor any of his relations were among these people, they conducted
themselves with great decency and respect.
After I had examined
the water and found it good, we directed our course towards a house not
far from the beach, where the king was waiting to receive us.
...
Page 120
At noon we again
arrived on board, and I immediately sent off the long boat with empty water-casks,
which returned in about three hours.
The natives lent
every possible assistance to our people; they filled the casks, and swam
with them back through the surf; nor would it, without their help, have
been possible for us to have procured more than one boat load of water
in a day; and even then not without great exertions on the part of our
men, and the risk of endangering their health.
With the assistance
of the natives we could with great facility send off the boat three times
in the day, while our people had only to attend to and watch them, and
during eight days, they only succeeded in getting one iron hoop from a
cask, and this convenient mode of obtaining water cost us each time no
more than a dozen pieces of broken iron hoop, about five inches long.
Page 143
Wood and water are the only two articles they may depend upon procuring in sufficient quantity, and without the assistance of the natives, who swim with the water casks through the heavy surf, with a facility that surprises an European, while he is quite unable to imitate it, even this task would be very arduous, and might also prove dangerous; for upon any sudden disagreement the water party would be instantly cut off; and such a disagreement may easily happen, any slight misunderstanding giving rise to it, as we ourselves experienced.
Voyage round the world, in the years 1803, 1804, 1805, & 1806: by order of ... Translated by Richard Belgrave H |
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