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whaling fashion, towing the new arrival into harbor. Four boats, of beautiful form and finish—two white, with blue gunwales, and two green—were in a line ahead of the Rescue, pulling her along, while the merry voices of our men resounded upon the still waters, and were echoed back from the bold mountains in answering glee. It was a pretty sight as witnessed from the schooner's deck, and one to be often remembered. "Otto," a pure-blooded Esquimaux, stood at the wheel to steer us in, and all hands besides, except the cook, were in the boats.

At midnight we came to an anchor within a couple of stones' throw of Government House.

Both Otto and Lars Kleijt were reckoned such good men and ice pilots that every confidence was placed in them. I asked the latter, "What for"—meaning how much—" you go to West Land (King William's Land) with me?" His answer was, "My mother old man she get no dinner—my little ones die!"

Captain Walker, of a Scotch whaler, last year tried to get "Lars" to go with him, and offered to make him second mate; but Lars said, "Me no go for all the world. My family!" A noble fellow this Lars. But, poor man! he was then much distressed, owing to the loss of his wife, who had died a few weeks previous to our visit. He himself appeared very sick, and my sincere wish was that so good a husband, son, and parent might be spared for his little ones and the mother he so greatly loved.

Otto loved his grog. He and Lars went out fishing. On return, coming aboard, he most earnestly asked for a glass of spirits, "to keep salt-water out of poor Esquimaux!"

In the evening of the following day, myself, the captain, mate, Lamb, and most of the crew, went on shore to a grand dance given by the Esquimaux girls to the white-men visitors. Sterry, our genial Sterry, was in his element. He had a most capital faculty for gaining the affections of the fair sex, and proved himself excellent on the variations. He had a continual crowd of the goodlooking around him. We had an old sea-captain (an Esquimaux), Ironface, as a fiddler, perched up in the window, with pipe in his mouth, and merry, right merry did all of us become. Several dances, in excellent order, were performed, and many of our company went through their waltzing with Esquimaux partners in capital style. Every thing was done in the most kindly and agreeable manner; and when the party broke up, it left upon the mind of each of us a feeling of the most friendly nature.

The first Sunday at Holsteinborg I determined to ascend the mountain on the north side of the harbor, and there worship in the great temple of the world's Creator. In the morning, accompanied by Sterry, we began the ascent, with a fine clear sky above, and the glorious sun shining warmly upon us. But, ere we had got far, swarms of musquitoes came around. Fortunately, I had long hair on my head, and my beard and mustache were also of great length. Sterry, however, had to cover his face with a handkerchief having two little holes for look-outs.

As we went on, streams of pure and sparkling cold water came dancing down the mountain side, and at these we several times quenched our thirst. Thus steep after steep we mounted, but at what cost! The sun's rays poured hot upon our backs, and both of us soon had to doff our coats, leaving the musquitoes to persecute us at will. All we could do was to push on quickly, to see if we could get into a higher region where these torments did not abound. But our bodies soon became weary; and the steepness of the way was such that one false step would have proved fatal to us; yet we were not without some relief. Patches of broadleaved sorrel on the mountain-side refreshed us greatly as we rested, and beds of moss, covered with smiling flowers, served as our temporary couch.

In about two hours we gained the summit, both of us covered with musquitoes, and driven almost to madness by their stings. In vain we tried every thing that mind could think of to get rid of them. Nothing availed. We were doomed by these merciless invaders, and our very life's blood was copiously drawn forth to supply their gluttonous desires.

On the other side of the mountain we saw a beautiful little lake; and upon standing by its side, it was found to be clear as crystal, mirroring forth the lofty peaks above us. On its north shore was a low shingly beach, that had been thrown up by the winds coming in this, the only direction they could cross the water. This lake was fed by various small streams that were leaping down from the snowy mountains, and, if it had got no other name, I termed it "William Sterry" Lake. We walked along it, and saw numerous salmon, small trout (three of which we caught with our hands), and many skulls and horns of deer.

It was now dinner-time, and our appetite was well sharpened by the exercise we had enjoyed. Accordingly, a fire was lit whereby to cook the fish, though at first I was greatly puzzled

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how we were to get material for a fire; but Sterry, who had been so much in this arctic region, well knew its resources. Where all looked barren to me, he soon found moss and some low brushwood, like the running hemlock of the States. It is a tough shrub, with small leaves and white blossoms, which produce black berries with red sweet juice. Dwarf willow, heather, and small undergrowth wood of various description are intermixed. The dead wood, the leaves, stalks, and limbs of preceding years, are thickly interspersed with the growing portions of this fuel, and it was with it that Sterry so quickly made a fire. A result followed, however, that we little expected. The abundance of such fuel around caused the fire to spread rapidly, and as a strong breeze was now blowing, it soon got beyond our control. Sterry, however, very calmly said, "Never mind; let it burn. Of what use is this to any body, hemmed in here by these mountains?" So I very quietly made myself content, and sat down to the primitive meal—a carpet of heather for our table, and huge precipices yawning close by, with high, broken mountains that pierced the sky grimly looking down upon us.

There is philosophy in every thing, especially in eating. The world eats too much. Learn to live—to live as we ought. A little food well eaten is better for any one than much badly eaten. Our pleasures have a higher relish when properly used. Thus we thoroughly enjoyed our food, and, after a short nap, started on the return journey.

As we passed along, I noticed several large rocks, thousands of tons in weight, that had evidently fallen from the tops of two lofty mountains, the detached portions corresponding in shape to the parts vacated. Every where was seen the effects of the freezing of the water that percolates into the crevices. The tremendous workings of Nature in these mountains of Greenland during the arctic winter often result in what many of the inhabitants think to be earthquakes, when, in fact, the freezing of water is alone the cause! In descending, we encountered several little clear, babbling brooks, innumerable flowers, and shrub-fuel in abundance. Peat was also plentiful. Fox-holes in numbers were seen, and a natural canal, with an embankment, in appearance much like the levee at New Orleans.

On arriving at the beach, which was a quarter of a mile long, we found it as smooth and inviting as that of Cape May. The limit of this beach was next to an abrupt bank with millions of broken

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shells upon it, and covered with driftwood ten feet above highwater mark. One piece was twelve feet long. Here, from a boat that took us off, we heard that the town of Holsteinborg was much alarmed about the fire up in the mountain, and, from what I afterward gathered in an explanation I had with the governor when I apologized for our thoughtlessness, it was evident that the Esquimaux dreaded the loss of what they considered their best fields—not woods—of fuel. Fortunately, the fire went out in about an hour after its discovery by the people.

It was on this Sunday afternoon that I heard of a curious custom here. The dance-house is regularly opened after. 4 P.M. The people go to church in the morning and afternoon, then they consider Sunday to cease, and amusement begins. I went to the dance-house, where I found the governor, his lieutenant, Miss Bülou, and Mrs. Kjer. Miss Bülou and the lieutenant governor danced, but the governor has not for years, and the priest and his wife never. Sometimes 150 persons are crowded into this dance

house.

I asked the governor when the Sabbath began. He replied, "On Saturday evening, and ends Sunday at 4 P.M." I farther inquired if the Esquimaux were at liberty to work after that hour on Sundays. He said, "No, certainly not." "Then how is it the government dance-house is opened for balls at that time?" said I. "Oh, that is not work!" responded the good Governor Elberg.

Referring to the amusements of these native Greenlanders, I am led to speak of a great festival that occurs here on the Danish king's birthday, and is general, on the same day, throughout all the settlements. His Danish majesty supplies the good cheer, and Europeans as well as Esquimaux join in the festivity. It is a most enlivening scene, as the accompanying sketch will show. The original of this picture, which I have in my possession, was drawn by a Greenlander, and Mrs. Kjer, who gave it to me, said it was an admirable representation of the great festal day.

On another occasion I visited the church one Sunday morning, when the school-teacher—a native Esquimaux—preached exceedingly well, and I must say that the general attention given would do credit to people any where. The preacher played an organ, and went through the whole services in a most praiseworthy manner. Indeed, I was much struck with the great advance made by the native inhabitants of Holsteinborg in Christian and general