from the N. E. to get in with the north shore; and towards evening we
saw much field ice towards the south. As the setting sun had a different
appearance to what it generally exhibits in _England_, perhaps it may be
thought worthy of notice. Although it glittered to the eye, and threw a
golden tint on the water, yet it produced no rays, and might be viewed,
for any length of time, without paining the sight by its refulgence. So
far was it from bestowing warmth, that the air appeared more intensely
cold than it had been during the whole of the preceding day. The clouds,
in parallel lines immediately above the descending luminary, exhibited,
in the most beautiful manner, all the varieties of the rainbow; the
dusky red and deep blue being the most predominant colours. If to all
this we add the dazzling reflection which glittered from the snow-capp’d
summits of the rugged mountains, and the shining fantastic forms of the
floating _icebergs_ in the _Straits_, the prospect will easily be
imagined to have excited in our minds those feelings, which induce the
mariner, as well as the poet,
“To look, through Nature, up to Nature’s God!”
At midnight we passed an immense _iceberg_, which roared like a thunder
storm; occasioned, perhaps, by some cavity in its side, through which
the sea was bursting. It was nearly a calm; and the surface of the sea
was quite smooth at the moment, attended with that gentle undulating
swell which is always prevalent in deep waters.
July _29th_.—In the morning we were obliged to tack about, in order to
avoid a large assemblage of drifting masses, termed by the old seamen a
_patch_ of ice: the seals were leaping about in all directions, and some
few sea-calves were seen. The thermometer in the Captain’s cabin, with a
rousing fire, stood at 43°. At noon we were plying to windward off
_Savage Island_, which is the next land to the west of _Cape Resolution
Island_, on the north shore. _Savage Isle_, lying very low, has not so
much snow upon it, in general, as the other parts of the coast
hereabouts. The next land to the westward of it is called _Terra Nivea_;
owing to its having some mountains, about thirty miles from the sea,
entirely covered with snow. During the remaining part of this day we
continued our course up the _Straits_, but with the weather almost calm.
July _30th_.—We were entirely surrounded this day with a patch of broken
ice, and it extended as far as the eye could reach. The sun shining
bright over the calm surface of the sea, called forcibly to my mind a
description I had once read of the Ruins of _Palmyra_, in the _Syrian
Desert_; the scattered fragments of ice bearing a strong resemblance to
the ruins of temples, statues, columns, &c. spread in confusion over a
vast plain.
[Illustration: _Cape Saddle Back north 7 or 8 miles: with two
remarkable Icebergs off the low Point._]
[Illustration: _Male Esquimaux in his Canoe._]
July _31st_.—Early in the morning of this day we reached a remarkable
cape, called _Saddle Back_, from the resemblance that it bears to a
saddle: and as we were immediately visited by the _Esquimaux_, I must,
for a time, quit the ship and her proceedings, to describe the
appearance, manners, and customs of this singular race, who inhabit the
shores of _Hudson’s_ and _Davis’ Straits_, the northern part of
_Hudson’s Bay_, and both sides of the vast peninsula of _Labrador_. Upon
the first intelligence of the approach of the natives, I immediately
jumped out of bed, and ran upon deck; where, on my arrival, the most
discordant shouts and cries assailed my ears. Alongside the ship were
paddling a large assemblage of canoes, of the most curious construction:
these were built of a wooden frame-work of the lightest materials,
covered with oiled sealskin, with the hair scraped off; the skin being
sewed over the frame with the most astonishing exactness, and as tight
as parchment upon the head of a drum. But the most surprising
peculiarity of the canoes was, their being _twenty-two_ feet long, and
only _two_ feet wide. There was but one opening in the centre,
sufficiently large to admit the entrance of a man; and out of this hole
projected the body of the _Esquimaux_, visible only from the ribs
upwards. The paddle is held in the hand, by the middle; and it has a
blade at each end, curiously veneered, at the edges, with slips of a
sea-unicorn’s horn. On the top of the canoe were fastened strips of
sea-horses’ hide, to confine the lance and harpoon; and behind the
_Esquimaux_ were large lumps of whale blubber, for the purposes of
barter. These canoes are only capable of containing one person, for any
useful purpose; the slightest inclination of the body, on either side,
will inevitably overturn them; yet in these frail barks will the
_Esquimaux_ smile at the roughest sea; and in smooth water they can,
with ease, travel seven miles an hour[10].
Whilst I was still busily employed in making my remarks on the canoes of
the male Indians, a large open boat arrived, containing about twenty
women, besides many children. This last boat was steered by a very old
man, with a paddle: he was the only male adult amongst them. The women
pulled with oars, having a very broad wash at the extremity; and they
cheerfully kept time to the tune of a song, in which they all joined.
The boat was built of the same materials as the canoes; that is to say,
a frame-work covered with oiled seal-skins; but differed, in being
shaped more after the _European_ boats; also, in having a square sail
made of seal-skins, with the hair taken off; and owing to this
difference, the _Hudson’s-Bay_ traders have distinguished these boats by
the name of _Lug Boats_; although they never attempt to use the sail,
except with a fair wind. It is difficult to give an adequate idea of the
delight expressed by these poor creatures, on reaching the ships: they
jumped, shouted, danced, and sang, to express their joy. And here it
should be observed, that the arrival of the ships is considered by the
_Esquimaux_ as a sort of annual fair; their little manufactures of
dresses, spears, &c. are reserved for the expected jubilee; and when,
after long watching, they at last catch a glimpse of the approaching
vessels, their exultation knows no bounds.
The male _Esquimaux_ have rather a prepossessing physiognomy, but with
very high cheek-bones, broad foreheads, and small eyes, rather farther
apart than those of an _European_: the corners of their eyelids are
drawn together so close, that none of the white is to be seen; their
mouths are wide, and their teeth white and regular: the complexion is a
dusky yellow, but some of the young women have a little colour bursting
through this dark tint: the noses of the men are rather flattened, but
those of the women are sometimes even prominent. The males are,
generally speaking, between five feet five inches and five feet eight
inches high; bony, and broad shouldered; but do not appear to possess
much muscular strength. The flesh of all the _Esquimaux_ feels soft and
flabby, which may be attributed to the nature of their food. But the
most surprising peculiarity of this people is the smallness of their
hands and feet; which is not occasioned, as in _China_, by compression,
nor by any other artificial means, as their boots and gloves are made
large, and of soft seals’-skin. To their continual employment in canoes
on the water, and to the sitting posture they are thus obliged to
preserve, perhaps their diminutive feet might be ascribed: but when we
reflect on the laborious life they must necessarily lead, and yet find
that their hands are equally small with their feet, it will naturally
lead us to the conclusion, that the same intense cold which restricts
vegetation to the forms of creeping shrubs has also its effect upon the
growth of mankind, preventing the extremities from attaining their due
proportion.
The chin, cheek-bones, and forehead, among the women, are tattooed; and
this operation is performed among the _Esquimaux_ by pricking through
the skin with some sharp instrument, and rubbing ashes into the wound:
as the marks are not deep, their appearance is not disagreeable. I
imagine that the tattooing does not take place until the female arrives
at the age of puberty, because the youngest girls were without any such
marks. None of the men undergo the operation; but they have a few
straggling hairs on the chin and upper lip, while the women carefully
remove them from every part of the body, excepting the head, where they
have a lock on each temple, neatly braided, and bound with a thong of
hide. On the back of the head, the hair is turned up, much after the
fashion of the _English_ ladies. I hope the latter will not be offended
at the comparison.
After having gone so far in a description of their persons, perhaps
their diet ought not to be overlooked; because it has been before
noticed, that the relaxed state of their flesh, and the sallow hue of
their complexions, may in a great measure be ascribed to the nature of
their food. As they seem to devour every thing raw, it has been
conjectured that they are unacquainted with the use of fire; but this is
not true. I observed, near one of their huts, a circle of loose stones,
containing the ashes of a recently extinguished fire, and a stone kettle
standing upon it[11]: also, in a hut, I saw a pan of vegetables,
resembling spinach, which had been boiled into the consistency of
paste[12]. Yet, after all, it is no less certain that an _Esquimaux_
prefers all flesh raw. In proof of this it may be mentioned, that the
Commander of the _Eddystone_, a _Hudson’s-Bay_ ship, having shot a
sea-gull, an _Indian_ made signs that he wished for the bird:
immediately on receiving it, he sucked away the blood that flowed from
its mouth; then, hastily plucking off the feathers, he instantly
dispatched the body, entrails, &c. with the most surprising voracity.
The knowledge which the _Esquimaux_ possess of the use of fire, is
observable in the ingenuity with which they transform iron nails, hoops,
&c. into heads for their arrows, spears, and harpoons. May not their
fondness for raw flesh have arisen from the _scarcity of fuel_? There
was not a bit of wood to be found on that part of the coast where I
landed.
We made many attempts to induce the natives to partake of our food. At
breakfast, we placed an _Esquimaux_ at table, and offered him every
species of food that the ship could afford. He tasted every thing; but,
with a broad laugh, he was sure to eject whatsoever he tasted, over our
plates and upon the table-cloth. The only thing they could be induced to
swallow was a piece of hog’s lard; and of this they all partook with
avidity. Above all, they appeared to have the greatest aversion from
sugar and salt.
In their dealings, they manifested a strange mixture of honesty and
fraud. At one moment I observed an _Esquimaux_ striving, with all his
might, to convey into a sailor’s hands the article for which he had
already received his equivalent; and, in ten minutes afterwards, I
detected the same man in an endeavour to cut the hinder buttons from my
own coat. They value _metals_ more than any other article of barter, and
_iron_ most of all. As a specimen of the relative articles of traffic, I
shall briefly insert the prices which I paid for some little
curiosities[13]; viz.
A seal’s-skin hooded frock, quite new, for a knife.
A seal’s-skin pair of breeches needle.
Seal’s-skin boots saw.
A pair of wooden spectacles, or rather shades, used by one bullet.
the _Esquimaux_ to defend their eyes against the
dazzling reflection of the sun from the ice
A pair of white feather gloves two buttons.
A fishing lance or spear file.
They have a strange custom of licking with their tongue every thing that
comes into their possession, either by barter or otherwise; and they
evidently do not consider an article as their property until it has
undergone this operation. By way of experiment, I gave to a young girl
half a dozen iron nails: she immediately jumped, and shouted, to express
her gratitude; and then licking each nail separately, she put them into
her boot, that being the depository of all riches among the female
_Esquimaux_, who are entirely unacquainted with the use of pockets. I
could easily perceive that each man had a wife; but polygamy did not
appear to exist amongst them; perhaps more on account of their poverty,
and the difficulty of supporting a plurality of wives, than from any
idea they may entertain of the impropriety of the practice itself.
Several of the natives brought their wives on board the ship, and, in
return for a tin spoon or pot, compelled them, nothing loath, to receive
our salutations. Nay, one man plainly intimated, that if I wished to
hold any private conversation with his lady, he should have no objection
to her visiting my cabin, provided I rewarded him with an axe. Many of
the women had very pleasing features; but they were so disfigured with
dirt, and their persons smelt so strongly of the seal oil, that it
required a stout heart to salute even the prettiest of them.
On board the ship, they were exceedingly curious in viewing every thing:
but however astonished or delighted they might appear in the first sight
of any novelty, yet ten minutes was the utmost limit of their
admiration. The pigs, cats, and fowls, attracted their attention in so
remarkable a manner, as to indicate a certainty of their not having seen
any such animals before. A sailor threw them all into the most violent
fit of jumping and shouting, by walking upon his hands along the deck.
But nothing seemed to fix their attention so much as Captain
_Stopford’s_ amputated arm[14]: they satisfied themselves, by feeling
the stump, that the arm was actually deficient, and then appeared to
wonder how it could have been lost: but when I made signs to them that
it had been severed by a saw, to the credit of their feelings, I must
state, that commiseration was depicted on every countenance. We did not
perceive an instance, either of man, woman, or child, amongst them, who
was in any way crippled or deformed.
After breakfast, it was proposed that we should go on shore, and a party
accordingly made: we were all well armed, as a precaution against
treachery; because this people have been particularly accused of a
disposition that way,—whether with or without reason, it is impossible
for me positively to say. An _Esquimaux_, who had bartered his very last
covering away for some bauble, went with us, as a sort of pilot. On our
way to the shore, we met two of the large women’s boats; each steered,
as usual, by an old man. They expressed great joy at meeting with us, by
singing, shouting, and clapping their hands; and instead of proceeding
on toward the ships, they turned their boats, and followed us to the
shore. The coast appears to be completely fringed with small rocky
islands, and these no doubt form a shelter to many good harbours; but
the shores of _Hudson’s Straits_ have never been thoroughly examined,
although a small vessel might accomplish the task in two summers, with
ease: indeed, a voyage for this purpose would, if well conducted, turn
out advantageously, in a mercantile point of view; for although the
_Hudson’s-Bay_ Company’s ships do not procure much oil or whalebone from
the _Esquimaux_, it is because they have but little intercourse with
this people, and perhaps with only one particular tribe: yet it might be
very profitable to any merchant to send a small strong brig into
_Hudson’s Straits_, early in the month of June, so as to reach _Cape
Saddle-Back_ before the Company’s ships arrive. The _Hudson’s-Bay_
Company would not wish to interrupt so laudable an attempt towards
opening a free intercourse with the wild _Esquimaux_ in those seas;
because the profits they derive from the traffic in question are
comparatively trifling, when put in competition with the other more
important objects of their annual voyage. A vessel intended for this
employ should not remain later than the beginning of October in the
_Straits_; and she ought to be well provided with saws, iron lances,
harpoons, files, open knives, kettles, spoons, hatchets, and a few beads
and looking-glasses. By coasting along both sides of the _Straits_, and
as far to the southward of _Cape Diggs_ or _Cape Smith_, she might
doubtless gather thirty or forty tons of good oil, besides whalebone and
a few skins. But the Master of a vessel, during such an expedition,
should be particularly cautious in not trusting a boat on shore, unless
well armed; and by no means ought he to admit more than _two_ or _three
Esquimaux_ at the same time into his vessel, however friendly they might
appear to be.
But to return to our party, whom I left pulling in for the shore, under
the guidance of the naked _Esquimaux_, who continued pointing for us to
proceed still farther to the west, where some natives, from the bottom
of a creek, waved their hands for us to approach. A sort of
expostulation took place between these people and our conductor, by
which it seemed, that the former did not wish us to proceed any farther
to the west. We therefore landed, but walked about some time without
observing any habitations; although, from the deers’ bones and ashes
which lay scattered about the hills, it was evident that a party had not
long quitted the spot. From appearances upon the hills, we had reason to
suppose that rabbits must be abundant; and we were gradually receding
from the sea shore in search of them, when our guide stopped short, and
would not be prevailed upon, by any entreaties, to accompany us farther.
We could not guess the cause of this extra-ordinary conduct; but not
wishing to give any offence to the natives, we turned about, and
descended again to our boats. On our way to the beach, we were joined by
some young girls, to whom we had been, perhaps, rather pointedly
attentive on board the ships: they continued to pester us with the
continual whine of this people, repeating incessantly the word
“_Pillitay! pillitay! pillitay!_” signifying “_Give us something_:” and
having now stripped us of every thing, by their solicitations, they only
seemed to have acquired an incitement to make new demands. It is
generally the case with all barbarous nations, that the receiving of a
gift appears to them to confer a right to levy fresh contributions:
therefore, in all dealings with savages, it is adviseable to teach them
that something will be expected in return for every present bestowed;
and the equivalent should be strenuously insisted upon, let it be of
ever so trifling a nature. A departure from this rule may, indeed, be
necessary in the first opening of a communication with a strange people;
but, even then, the presents ought only to be bestowed on the principal
chieftains, priests, and women.
As we were upon the point of re-embarking, one of our party offered to a
young girl, who stood on the beach, a pinch of snuff; shewing her, at
the same time, how it was to be used. She imitated her instructor with
great exactness, giving a hearty sniff; but it was attended with rather
a violent effect; a torrent of blood instantly gushing from her nose.
Entertaining some apprehensions lest the natives should imagine that we
had been guilty of a premeditated injury to the poor girl, we all made a
point of taking snuff before her: this had the desired effect, in
convincing them that no serious evil was to be apprehended; and the
young woman went, at my request, to wash her nose in a neighbouring
pool. Unfortunately, the cold water produced a contrary effect to what
was intended; the blood again streaming from her nose: yet so far was
this mild creature from being offended, that she smilingly held forth
her hand to me, with the old exclamation of “_Pillitay!_ (Give).” I cut
two brass buttons from my coat, and gave them to her; and with this
atonement she was quite satisfied. The fact is, as we afterwards
discovered, that bleeding at the nose is a most common incident among
the _Esquimaux_; and it is certain to follow the least exertion.
Possibly this may also be occasioned by the quantities of raw flesh they
devour daily.
Perhaps some readers may deem an incident like the foregoing of too
trifling a description to merit a recital; but the manners,
dispositions, and customs of a wild people may be better judged of from
a simple relation of the most trivial circumstances, than from any
inferences which the narrator himself might presume to draw from them:
therefore I would run the chance of being thought jejune, or even
tedious, rather than incur the greater risk of misleading others by my
own weak conclusions.
[Illustration: huts]
Embarking again, we pulled along shore, towards the west, among barren
rocky islands, until we at last got sight of some huts on an eminence at
the bottom of a creek; and putting ashore, we examined them minutely.
They are more properly tents than huts, because they are erected much
after the fashion of a marquee: a triangle supports the tent at one end,
and two poles, fastened at the top, at the other: over all is thrown a
covering of seals’-skins sewed together, the hair being scraped off:
they are equally impervious to air or water, and the light is much the
same as in the interior of an _European_ linen tent. At the lower end of
their dwellings is a flap of seal’s-skin, left loose, to answer the
purpose of a door; and when this is thrown back, a person must stoop low
to enter. If a whole family happen to be absent from their home at the
same time, the only security for their property, during the time they
are away, consists in a few loose stones piled against the flap of
seal-skin which covers the entrance to the tent: and although they be
not rigidly honest towards strangers, yet the _Esquimaux_ appear to have
a great respect for each other’s property. At the top of their huts is a
piece of wood, in an horizontal position, for the purpose of supporting
slips of the sea-horse’s hide to dry in the sun; and of this hide they
form a sort of rope, possessing uncommon strength, and useful to them in
a variety of ways.