DAY AND NIGHT. 801 



nature and quality of our missile, his weather-beaten 

 visage beamed with forgiving smiles. 



Next we came upon an eagle, which alighted on a tree 

 and allowed us to come within long range at least out 

 sanguine temperaments induced us to hope that i't was 

 long range before taking flight. Of course it took no 

 notice whatever of the three shots we fired at it. Boon 

 after that we reached the mouth of the river. 



Here we found a small hamlet of exceedingly poor 

 people, who received us hospitably, but with such evident 

 astonishment, that we concluded they had never seen 

 civilised visitors before. Their fiord was off the track of 

 steamers, and far distant from any town. They them- 

 selves were little if at all better than North American 

 Indians. 



They gathered round us with open eyes and mouths, 

 and the women handled our clothes with evident wonder. 

 We presented them with several pairs of scissors, where- 

 upon they shook hands with us all round and said "tak" 

 thanks very heartily. In this custom ot shaking 

 hands when a gift is presented, I usually found that 

 the receiver shook hands not only with the donor, but, 

 in the exuberance of his gratitude, with the whole party. 



The looks of the people betokened either that scissors 

 were entirely new implements to them, or tnm those we 

 presented were of unusually good quality. They went 

 about snipping everything in the most reckless manner. 

 One woman caught hold of the ends of her daughter's 

 neckerchief and snipped them both off ; whereupon hel 



