340 THE LABEADOE PENINSULA. CHAP. xx. 



of a beam about four inches square, and slowly lifted 

 myself so that my chin rested on the beam, then allowed 

 my arms to assume a perpendicular position ; this I repeated 

 half a dozen times a common gymnastic exercise which 

 every schoolboy can do with a little practice. One by 

 one the Indians tried to do the same, but in one instance 

 only did any of them succeed in touching the top of the 

 beam with his chin ; the others could not even touch the 

 bottom. I tested the muscular strength of these Indians 

 in various ways, but I found them to be all comparatively 

 weak. No doubt they were not in good condition, having 

 most of them been at Seven Islands or on the coast for 

 some weeks, and living on seals and fish. A few weeks 

 in the woods would probably make a change ; but their 

 physique is certainly inferior to that of the white man. 



Towards evening I had another visit from the JSTas- 

 quapees : they came to exchange bows and arrows and 

 fish-hooks for tea and tobacco. They expressed much 

 delight at receiving a present of a number of large hooks 

 with strong gimp attached. One of them lay on the 

 ground for fully half an hour playing with a compass, 

 drawing the needle round with a key. 



He was not a little astonished when I held a small 

 magnet, which I carefully concealed in my hand, to the 

 needle and repelled it ; he was resting his head- on his 

 hand at the time when I tried the experiment. The 

 moment he saw the needle move away from my finger 

 instead of towards it, he sat up and motioned me to do it 

 again ; he then tried with the key, but he found it 

 attracted the needle. I put the magnet near it, he saw 

 it was repelled. He spoke to the other Indians ; they 



