"King's Cape," at a place called by Esquimaux Se-ko-se-lar.* This man's name was Koo-choo-ar-choo, but known by us as "Sampson,"

from his great size and strength. He was large and muscular, five feet six inches high, and weighing over 200 lbs. He was famous, too, as a great hunter, and had even captured whales by himself, with only the aid of a boy! When he visited us, his pretty little daughter Puk-e-ne-yer, of about ten years old, accompanied him, and I was much amused with the nimble way in which she undid and then rebraided her hair. The use of a comb she did not know until I gave her one and showed her. As for the father, I found him very intelligent, and, through Tookoolito, who acted as my interpreter, he gave me much geographical informa

tion.

Another of our visitors was Puto, the mother of a white child.

* From various sketches drawn for me by Esquimaux, I concluded Se-ko-se-lar to be a place on the north side of Hudson's Strait, near a large bay as yet undiscovered by white men. This bay is somewhere between the longitudes 72° and 75° west, making far up, due north, and abounding in seals, walrus, white whales, and the Mysticeti, or Greenland whales.

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This woman had once been considered handsome, and even now showed some signs of her former beauty. She was about 35 years old, and, though she had a hard time of it alone, supporting herself and child, yet she was generally cheerful, smart, kind, and industrious. On one of my visits to Tookoolito's igloo, Puto with her child was there, and I then witnessed the operation—very rarely performed of washing a child's face. This was done by licking it all over, much as a dog would do the hand that had just contained a fresh beefsteak. She did this twice while in my presence, and the true color of the child's face was then more clearly seen.

Owing to some cause or other which I could only surmise, Puto suffered more from various privations than the other women. She was often a week with hardly any thing to eat, and, in consequence, her poor child was nearly starved. On the occasion I now refer to, after I had left the igloo and wandered about to other dwellings, I came across Charley and Ebierbing, just arrived with a sledge-load of frozen krang, whale-meat, for the dogs. Puto at the moment also came to the spot, and immediately asked for some. They gave her about twenty-five pounds of it; and this she slung to her back, along with a pack of equal weight already there, besides the child!

Ye mothers of America! what say you to taking an infant, besides an additional pack of fifty pounds on your back, and starting off on a tramp of several miles—such was the distance to Puto's home—with the thermometer 40° to 45° below the freezing point?

This, however, reminds me that at the same time I was obliged to he very careful, and especially of my nose. An instance had already occurred—a few days previous—of one of the ship's crew getting his nose frostbitten, without discovering the serious fact until pointed out to him, and thus just saving it in time. Accordingly, I had to protect mine by as much covering as I could; but, as I then said, deliver me from any more of "Job's comforters"—boils—especially if there be any signs of them approaching that bridge below my eyes, which, from late experience, might indeed be termed "the bridge of sighs!"

On the visit just mentioned, I met a sister of Ebierbing, and also another woman, just taking up their quarters in the same place. In fact, it was a matter of mutual accommodation, for the purpose of creating more warmth within, and economizing light

and fuel. They arrived, bringing their worldly goods, while I was talking to Tookoolito, and at once the new-comers proceeded to place their lamp on the opposite side to that of the mistress of the igloo. They first filled it abundantly with seal-blubber, then putting in large wicks of moss, soon brought forth a long, even train of light and a glorious heat. The new-comers, it appeared, had managed to procure some of the precious seal-blubber, so much needed.

At Ugarng's igloo, which I visited the same day, I there encountered several women and children congregated together. I was welcomed at once by Nikujar, "Polly," the first or family wife of Ugarng, and by Punnie, his third wife—No. 2 wife, Kunniu, being absent, though her lamp was bright and in full trim. Little Kookooyer (the child of Blind George) was also there, and, with her fat cheeks, laughing eyes, and pleasant voice, greeted me as I entered.

"Polly," in speaking to me, could only raise her voice to a whisper, for she was suffering from a pulmonic disease, and almost unable to utter a word without pain.

While waiting at this igloo, in came Puto and her child—Puto finding it necessary to rearrange the pack at her back prior to a final start for the upper village. Her infant was given to little Kookooyer to hold; but, as it was rather noisy, I thought to pacify the babe by taking it in my own hands, and, in doing so, tried to show them how civilized mothers carry and nurse their children. This, however, only produced a hearty laugh; and I was made to understand that, in all the matters relating to the tending of infants—even in the very minutest, as there and then shown to me—the Innuit custom was the best.

I could here mention one or two facts, but it will be unneces sary more than to say that mothers here at home will comprehend all my meaning when I tell them that an Innuit infant is carried naked in the mother's hood, yet in close contact with the parent's skin. Thus every childish necessity is generally anticipated in good time by the ever-sensitive, watchful mother.

On the 18th of December we heard of an arrival at the upper village from Annawa, the Esquimaux who, with his family, it may be remembered, went away on the 30th of the previous August. This Esquimaux was a brother of some of the most enterprising Innuits in the North. He lived almost the life of a hermit—that is, he resided with his small family in a distant part, away from

THE "BROADWAY BELLE."

181

other people, his abode being at an island called Oo-pung-ne-wing, in the Countess of Warwick's Sound, on the north side of Frobisher's Bay. It was his son who had now arrived; with a view of doing a little trade, if he could.

Many of the Esquimaux came to me, not only as ordinary visitors and to see what they could get in way of presents, but also to do some trading. At the same time, several of the younger ones gladly received instruction from myself in the civilized tongue. As regards trading with them, it was generally done for articles of use, reindeer-skin dresses especially being necessary for me for winter, and no one could be more expert or more tasteful than the Innuit women in making them.

On one of my visits to the upper village, a daughter-in-law of Artarkparu was just finishing off her winter coat with a long tail, the universal fashion there among the ladies. It was prettily or namented (?) with federal coin of the United States—old copper cents—eight in number, arranged in rows, and fixed as pendents to the tail.

On another occasion, when Kokerzhun came on board with her husband, she had on a beautiful tuktoo (reindeer) fur dress, having a skirt standing out hoop fashion! The variety of colors of the tuktoo was most prettily arranged, and so well did she appear, that it was said by some of us she would pass at home for a "Broadway belle."

So excellent were the dresses made for me by these Innuit women, that I did not hesitate paying tolerably "liberal" for them, particularly as they were rather scarce. I obtained a native jacket for a knife, two small skins for another knife and some powder, and a good deerskin for more powder, buckshot, and caps. Many of the natives had guns, obtained from the whalers of Northumberland Inlet either by barter or as returns for services rendered. I could not, at that time, get all I desired in the way of Innuit apparel, though it was useless to attempt traveling in any other costume, as nothing but that could withstand the cold; but from my first arrival I had been obtaining several articles, and thus I was now tolerably well supplied.

About this time, and toward the end of December, I was much astonished at the changes in the temperature. On the 19th the thermometer, on this gloriously fair and calm morning, was minus 20°, barometer 30.175. Cold indeed; by thermometer, 52° below the freezing point. Yet so calm was the weather, that to my

person it seemed no colder than at the commencement of the season, when the thermometer indicated 32° above 0. But let a smart breeze spring up coming from the N.W., then how like hot iron it will burn! The weather was such that, unless we soon had snow, the ice would freeze thick and solid throughout the regions. Snow upon the ice serves to keep it warm, the same as snow on the ground in the Northern States of America.

In my journal at this date I find as follows: "I have just been out walking and running, exposing myself, my face and hands, to the cold air. A light breeze prevailing from N.W. I am confident there is something yet to be discovered relative to air and cold. The human system is not such a liar as three excellent thermometers I have would make it, if I gave full credence to their story this morning. My three thermometers say 20° below zero, and yet far greater exposure now than at other times, with a higher register of temperature, leads to no unpleasant results. I am aware moisture in the air makes a great difference as affecting the human system; but a fact is a fact. The cold air from the same direction—equally charged with aqueous matter at different times—shows a difference of ten to twenty degrees in the thermometer; and yet the air at the lowest temperature affects the human system less than the highest.

"December 20th, 5 30 A.M., thermometer —5°, barometer 30. 200. Wind very light, N.W. Yet there must be a storm prevailing not far from us, as a tremendous roar of waters and cracking of ice comes from the direction of Davis's Straits. The ice around the shore of this harbor is constantly 'singing,' indicating that a heavy sea is now affecting us even here. * 7 A.M., the wind went round to the N.E., when it commenced snowing; thermometer 4°, barometer 30.100. At 10 P.M. we had the thermometer 14° above zero, barometer 30.050, wind N.E., blowing a gale, the ice breaking up in Field Bay, and also in our harbor.

*

"Friday, December 21st. Thermometer 21° above zero, barometer 30.012. Wind light from east. The bay is nearly clear of ice. What little there is fastens up our harbor. The weather is too warm for the igloos; they have commenced dripping. If the like continues, down will come snow-houses.

"Saturday, December 22d The thermometer is actually +321⁄2°; barometer 30.100. Wind N.E. During the night considerable rain fell. The natives are in sad plight. There has been not exactly a conflagration in the Esquimaux village, but disruption, and