34 RECEPTION BY ESQUIMAUX. \Jltne, 



The establishment at the Whalefish Islands must have 

 degenerated in a most extraordinary degree of late years, 

 if it ever deserved the reputation of having one decent 

 house in it within the memory of man. Never did I wit- 

 ness such utter filth and degradation in any Esquimaux 

 western tribe in my life ; but visits to Lievely, Uper- 

 navik, and Cape York, satisfy me that the tribes here 

 are more filthy. Upon the occasion of our visit, nine 

 kaiacks formed in line ahead, awaiting our arrival, with 

 lances poised, as if we had been some mighty monster 

 of the deep they intended to attack. These kaiacks 

 probably were manned by their select men, and in- 

 tended to exhibit a visit of courtesy, as they were better 

 clad than we afterwards noticed. They kept up with the 

 ship, throwing then 1 spears at objects which offered, re- 

 covering them with great agility as they came up with 

 them, buoyed by their light fish-bladder. One unfortu- 

 nate linume was struck, probably gazing in astonishment 

 at us, but pursuit was overbalanced by the chance of 

 the nice things they might pick up from us, particu- 

 larly as it was our dinner hour, and Jack is generous 

 in his way. They probably had seen the ship before, 

 but no whaler ever could be mistaken for her. Many 

 of them have some pretension to head and stern, and 

 are even gilded ; but why our predecessors deemed it 

 expedient to make our vessels so unlike anything before 

 created, not a little perplexes me, for in truth we have 

 less of the heavy ice to encounter. The day will yet 

 arrive when whalers, or those intending to amuse them- 

 selves in " northern researches," will prefer clipper- 

 moulded vessels, instead of tea-chests. 



