Viewing page 45 of 72

This transcription has been completed. Contact us with corrections.

of black on its breast like a ring neck but its note appears different. I then went back to the base of Mts. a mile from village where the graves are placed some on a rocky bench a hundred feet above the flat and others on the flat itself. The dead are frequently buried under a mass of stone in a hole made in the stones for the purpose and ranged around in a wide oval like sketched for St. L. Is. are larger stones — over the head of several graves are placed a pile of 4 or 5 sets of deer antlers. Scattered about other graves were seen a broken musket and other articles all broken before leaving. Many bodies had been laid down & enclosed in a ring of stones as mentioned with no implements and nothing placed on the body laying at the foot of grave & extending away therefrom and often held in place by stones were sticks of wood several feet long & 2 or 3 inches in diameter none were seen planted at end nearest feet & inclining upward & outward. I now returned on board and the vessel having coaled we prepared to leave and a crazy Chukchee who had been on board for [[strikethrough]] a month [[/strikethrough]] two weeks past was sent on shore with the natives. This fellow, who was taken on at St. L. Bay showed signs of insanity all around to St. M and back and as we were ready to start from St. L. Is he stabbed himself near the right nipple piercing the lung and then jumped overboard but when a rope was thrown him he 

Transcription Notes:
.