captain, according to appointment, paid
another visit on shore, accompanied by two officers, Alexei, and four
seamen carrying the presents intended for the Japanese. On this
occasion, the former precautions were dispensed with; the boat was
hauled up to the shore, and left with one seaman, while the rest of
the party proceeded to the castle. The result was, that after a
renewal of the friendly explanations and entertainments of the
preceding day, the treacherous Japanese threw off the mask, and made
prisoners of the whole party.

'The first thing done, was to tie our hands behind our backs, and
conduct us into an extensive but low building, which resembled a
barrack, and which was situated opposite to the tent in the direction
of the shore. Here we were placed on our knees, and bound in the
cruelest manner with cords about the thickness of a finger; and as
though this were not enough, another binding of smaller cords
followed, which was still more painful. The Japanese are exceedingly
expert at this work; and it would appear that they conform to some
precise regulation in binding their prisoners, for we were all tied
exactly in the same manner. There was the same number of knots and
nooses, and all at equal distances, on the cords with which each of us
was bound. There were loops round our breasts and necks; our elbows
almost touched each other, and our hands were firmly bound together.
From these fastenings proceeded a long cord, the end of which was held
by a Japanese, and which, on the slightest attempt to escape, required
only to be drawn to make the elbows come in contact with the greatest
pain, and to tighten the noose about the neck to such a degree as
almost to produce strangulation. Besides all this, they tied our legs
in two places--above the knees and above the ankles; they then passed
ropes from our necks over the cross-beams of the building, and drew
them so tight, that we found it impossible to move. Their next
operation was searching our pockets, out of which they took
everything, and then proceeded very quietly to smoke tobacco. While
they were binding us, the lieutenant-governor shewed himself twice,
and pointed to his mouth, to intimate, perhaps, that it was intended
to feed, not to kill us.'

After some hours, the legs and ankles of the prisoners were partially
loosed, and preparations were made for removing them to Matsmai, which
seems to be the head-quarters of government for the Kurile
dependen