A VOYAGE IN THE NORTH SEAS. 393 



breasts, pulled their noses, and jabbered out some uncouth sounds, 

 which were perfectly unintelligible to our friends. At length, having 

 reached the shore, they assisted the old man to land, and then ga- 

 thered round Flora and Frank with renewed cries, screams, and 

 gestures of pleasure and astonishment. A few words from the old 

 man, spoken in their own tongue, caused them to draw back, and 

 cease their uncouth exclamations. What was the joy of Arundel 

 and his companion to hear themselves, after they had in vain 

 attempted to understand the Danish which he first spoke, addressed 

 in their native language by their venerable deliverer, for so they 

 already considered him ! When they had replied to his questions by 

 giving a brief narrative of the events which had cast them upon 

 the island, he walked aside abstractedly for a brief space ; and 

 then, after speaking rapidly to the Esquimaux, who instantly ran to 

 their boats, and began unpacking their portable tents, he sat down on 

 the rocks, beckoning Flora and Arundel to be seated near him. He 

 informed them that he belonged to the Moravian mission, and was 

 endeavouring to spread the blessings of Christianity among the poor 

 people of the north, to whom he had attached himself; that the 

 noise of the falling iceberg had directed the attention of himself and 

 his companions to the spot where they now stood ; and that having 

 observed the signal from the top of the mountain, they had coasted 

 along the other side of the streight, to a point from which, al- 

 lowing for the current, they might reach their wished-for des- 

 tination. He had been surprised to discover any marks of the island 

 being inhabited, for it had been long abandoned by the natives on 

 account of a grievous malady having many years ago attacked them 

 here, which carried off great numbers. It was therefore with great 

 difficulty he had prevailed on the Indians to come over, so great was 

 their dread of the " land of the scarlet death," as it was called. 

 The families whom he accompanied were part of a roving tribe of 

 Esquimaux, who, during the summer, gained their livelihood by 

 hunting. They were now returning with a quantity of furs and skins 

 of water-fowl for clothing, to their winter-quarters, which lay on the 

 north coast of Hudson's Bay. From the description of the neigh- 

 bouring countries, Arundel discovered that the island on which they 

 now were must be one of those which cluster round the entrance to 

 this great inland sea of Hudson, and the whole of which, taken col- 

 lectively, were supposed to form the Meta Incognita of Frobisher, at 

 one time expected to turn out a sort of northern Peru. 



CHAPTER VI. 



"All's well that ends well/' 



THE spectacle of the Esquimaux huts and their inhabitants 

 formed a pleasing picture of savage life. Some of the men were 

 plucking moss for beds, others were gone with their nets to catch 

 fish ; the women were singing while they lighted their fires or en- 

 gaged themselves in other~domestic employments ; and the children 



M.M. No. 4. 3 E 



