. . . . . . . . . . . . . 212

Medals commemorating _Columbia_ and _Lady Washington_ Cruise 215

Building the First American Ship on the Pacific Coast . . . 223

Feather Cloak worn by a son of a Hawaiian Chief, at the
celebration in honor of Gray's return . . . . . . . . . . 226

John Derby . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 228

Map of Gray's two voyages, resulting in the discovery
of the Columbia . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 231

A View of the Columbia River . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 237

At the Mouth of the Columbia River . . . . . . . . . . . . 239

Ledyard in his Dugout . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 244

Captain George Vancouver . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 265

The _Columbia_ in a Squall . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 269

The _Discovery_ on the Rocks . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 274

Indian Settlement at Nootka . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 276

Reindeer Herd in Siberia . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 288

Raised Reindeer Sledges . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 294

John Jacob Astor . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 303

Sitka from the Sea . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 314

Alexander Baranof . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 317

{1}

PART I

DEALING WITH THE RUSSIANS ON THE PACIFIC
COAST OF AMERICA--BERING, THE DANE, THE
SEA-OTTER HUNTERS, THE OUTLAWS, AND
BENYOWSKY, THE POLISH PIRATE

{3}

Vikings of the Pacific

CHAPTER I

1700-1743

VITUS BERING, THE DANE

Peter the Great sends Bering on Two Voyages: First, to discover whether
America and Asia are united; Second, to find what lies north of New
Spain--Terrible Hardships of Caravans crossing Siberia for Seven
Thousand Miles--Ships lost in the Mist--Bering's Crew cast away on a
Barren Isle

We have become such slaves of shallow science in these days, such firm
believers in the fatalism which declares man the creature of
circumstance, that we have almost forgotten the supremest spectacle in
life is when man becomes the Creator of Circumstance. We forget that
man can rise to be master of his destiny, fighting, unmaking,
re-creating, not only his own environment, but the environment of
multitudinous lesser men. There is something titanic in such lives.
They are the hero myths of every nation's legends. We {4} somehow feel
that the man who flings off the handicaps of birth and station l