_Friday, September 14th._--Came aboard last night for an early start;
weighed our anchor about 6 o'clock this morning. The wind was light
and several of the natives towed us out of the bay in the ship's
boats. Ere we started the resident missionaries brought their last
batch of letters for Europe, and bade us farewell. They had been
writing most of the night. Now the good folk will rest after the
excitement and bustle of shiptime. It will be a year before they have
visitors again, unless it be a missionary brother from Hebron or Mr.
MacLaren, the Hudsons Bay Company's agent at Nachvak.
It was most interesting to move slowly out of the bay, passing point
after point, each headland opening up new vistas of grand, snowy
mountains at the heads of the bays southwards, whilst northwards the
great cliff of the Ramah Hill looks down upon us. Having brought the
"Harmony" round the first point into more open water, where she can
better avail herself of the occasional light puffs of wind, our
Eskimoes came aboard for their breakfasts and presently rowed away in
their boats. They bade us a hearty "Aksunai" and went down the side
evidently well pleased with their wages. Nor were they sorry to leave
the ship, which was beginning to roll a little. Accustomed as they are
to brave high waves in their kayaks or flats, they nevertheless felt
the motion of the vessel and were afraid of seasickness. Before
starting John had to splice his oar with a strip of seal hide. I
watched him put it round the handle, then holding on to the oar with
both hands get the rope in his teeth and pull his lashing tight with
all the strength of his back. So the teeth served him at each turn.