ands of the
natives, and also the plundered sea-otter skins, were not immediately
surrendered to him. The threat was effective, the greater part of the
sea-otter furs and several captives were brought on the ship and
delivered to him. He then took the ransomed captives from the other ship
and sailed for Kodiak, where he demanded a ransom of 50,000 rubles from
Baranof for the captives. The ransom was later reduced to 10,000 rubles
which was paid by Mr. Baranof.

Two years passed before much is again known of Sitka. English and
American captains sailed their ships into the harbor and gathered the
furs which Baranof had endeavored to garner in the storehouses of the
Russian American Company. In the summer of 1804 Baranof gathered a force
at Kodiak with which to cross the Gulf of Alaska to re-establish his
post. There were one hundred and fifty bearded _promyshileniks_, or
fur hunters, and over 500 Aleuts in their skin bidarkas. With him were
the ships "Alexander," "Ekaterina," "Yermak," and "Rostislaf." When they
reached Sitka they found there Captain Lisianski of the Imperial Russian
Navy, with the ship "Neva," one of the first Russians to circle the
globe, and who came to help to recapture the post.

The Indian village of Sitka was almost in the same place as the present
town, grouped around the Baranof hill which was called by the Russians a
_kekoor_. On the top of the kekoor was a redoubt, and a stronger
fort was near the mouth of the Indian River, or _Kolosh Ryeku_.

On the morning of September 28th the Russian ships moved to a point
opposite the village, the "Neva" being towed by a hundred bidarkas. The
Sitkans abandoned their village and the fort on the hill and withdrew to
the stronger fortification near the river. Baranof landed a force and
occupied the kekoor, planted cannon on the top, then opened negotiations
for the surrender of the other fort, but his overtures were rejected by
the Indians.

The ships were brought near the river fort and the cannon were trained
on it. The fort was built of thick logs in the shape of an irregular
square, with portholes on the side next the sea, and inside the breast
works were 14 barabaras, or native houses.

The walls were of such thickness that the cannon shot from the "Neva"
made but little impression on the structure. Baranof was impatient and
urged an attack. Reinforcements were landed from the ships under command
of Lieutenants Arbusof and Polavishin. The hunters, s