﻿184S. HEAVY GALE. 259 



siderable number in that way ; but they were very 

 unwilling to dispose of the fish which hung on 

 poles in the village. After letting us have a few, 

 they refused to part with any more, even for a 

 good price, assigning as a reason, that they be- 

 longed to a man who Avas absent. They either 

 prize that kind of food very highly, or are scrupu- 

 lous about using the property of an absent country- 

 man. 



A heavy gale continued all day, and raised a very 

 high surf on the beach. Asthe weather was extremely 

 cold, we required a considerable quantity of fire- 

 wood, and converted two of the Eskimo scaffolds to 

 that use ; but I informed the owners that we would 

 pay for it before we went, to which arrangement 

 they gave a ready assent. At high-water, about 

 a quarter before seven o'clock, a.m., the sea rose 

 so much that the shoal off the point was covered, 

 and the surf began to reach our boats, so that we 

 had to shift them further in. The wind blowing 

 on the shore had increased the rise of water con- 

 siderably beyond an ordinary tide. It was low- 

 water again a few minutes before one. In the 

 afternoon the gale began to moderate, and in the 

 evening three men came to the village, two of them 

 being of the party who had visited the boats three 

 days before. They told us that their women were 

 coming in the umiaks on the following day. 



s 2 



