DEATH OF SHARKEY'S WIFE.

463

CHAPTER XXX.

Sick Mam-ma-yat-che-ung immured in a living Tomb!—The dying Woman lingers for Weeks, almost starring.—The Aurora Borealis.—A magnificent Display.— Strange Custom relating to new Mothers.—Nukertou's Grave.—More singular Customs.—A Talk with the Dead.—Presents to the Departed.—Life in the Winter.—Theatricals on Board.—Henry Smith, the "Negress."—Consternation of some of the Innuits on seeing a black Face.—Another Excursion.—A Winter Sledge-journey.—Old Mother Petato.—Novel Mode of warming the Feet.—More traditionary Statements.—A great Feast.—Frozen Deer.—Deer's Paunch considered delicious Food.—Return to the Ship.—Visit Tikkoon.—Tradition of a Ship built and masted.

I Begin this chapter with the sketch from my diary of a sad scene which passed under my observation:

"October 28th, 1861. This morning, or during the night, 'Mamma-yat-che-ung,' 'Mary,' the wife of 'Sharkey,' died. This Innuit woman has long been an invalid. Her disease was consumption, one that is carrying off more Innuits than all other diseases together. Some months ago it was thought she could not survive long; the Innuits gave her up, I may add, as one dead. Her wing-a—husband—Sharkey, though all his previous conduct was kind to her, gave her up as dead. A tupic was made, and into it Mary was removed; it was her living tomb! Sharkey took to himself another wife. For weeks and weeks Mary lived helpless and almost starving. Occasionally some few of the Innuits would carry this dying woman morsels of seal, duck, or walrus. Of course, all that was valuable or convenient for Mary's comfort was taken away when the Innuits carried her to the 'house of her death,' for it is their custom to leave every thing in the tupic or igloo where one of their number dies as unfit to be touched ever after. Mary must have died during the night, for when Suzhi called this morning at the tupic with cooked meituk—duck —sent her by Tookoolito, no answer was made, and, on looking in, Suzhi saw that she was dead. Innuit custom will not permit one of that people to enter the place of the dead under such circumstances. One of the Innuits came over to the vessel and announced the death of Mary, and Captain B, with one of the ship's men, went over to bury her. The captain looked in, and

saw enough to chill one's heart's blood. The corpse met his view with head erect, and eyes staring at him with the overpow ering glare of death! The tupic became her winding-sheet, and stones were piled over her—her only monument."

On November 2d, at 6 P.M., there was another magnificent display of the aurora. From east to west—south of us—was a beautiful arch of living gold. The eastern base rested, to all appearance, on the high land, as did also the western, and the centre of the arch was 10° above the horizon south.

The wind was blowing strong, and the aurora truly appeared as possessing life. It danced to and fro from one extreme to the other. Its colors rivaled the rainbow, the pea-green predominating over the other hues. At the east a bank of golden rays shot up far above all the rest. The stars were obscured as the "merrie dancers" swept along in piles of coruscations. The arch continued to recede, falling lower and lower; the reverse is the usual course of the aurora, as far as my observation has extended. Not a cloud could be seen.

FOOD FOR THE DEAD.

467

At 7 30 P.M. the aurora was lifting its arches zenithward; there were now two reaching from east to west, and for some portion of the way there were three. The wind was blowing almost a gale, the thermometer being 6° above zero. The stronger the breeze, the more beautiful was the aurora, the brisker its races and dancings, and the more glowing its colors. I find in my diary the following entry with reference to this sublime spectacle:

"I wish all my friends in the States could witness the aurora as seen in these regions. I am sure, on beholding it as now seen, they would clap their hands and sing, 'Praise to God, for He hath surrounded us with the heavens full of glory!'

"Never shall I forget when, last winter, Captain B, Mate Gardiner, and myself were on deck, witnessing one of the rare displays just described. In truth, we did tremble, Captain B― exclaiming, 'I never wish to behold the like again.' And so I felt."

I accompany this description and illustration with a picture of a still more remarkable display which occurred on the evening of October 13th, 1860, one feature connected with which was a meteor of great brilliancy; it shot from a point in the heavens near Cassiopeia, crossing Ursa Minor, and losing itself among the folds of Draco. It was followed by a trail of light twenty degrees in length.

On November 4th I visited Ebierbing and Tookoolito. During my stay the latter informed me that she had to make calls the next day in all the tupics, and perhaps at the ship. On my asking the reason, she answered that her infant would be two months old, and that it was the custom—the first Innuits having done so for the mother to call at every tupic of the village at the end of the period mentioned. During these two months Tookoolito had not been into any tupic except her own. She added that, in accordance with custom, she should cast away all the clothing she then had on, and should never touch it again.

Some time after I was informed that the grave of Nukertou had been visited by Innuits, according to another of their singu lar customs. They took down small pieces of tuktoo skin with the fur on, and of toodnoo. When there, they stood around her grave, upon which they placed the articles they had brought. Then one of them stepped up, took a piece of the tuktoo, cut a slice and ate it, at the same time cutting off another slice and placing it under a stone by the grave. Then the knife was passed