OUR NEW ESQUIMAUX. 241 



liinet, and Angeit. This latter was the brother of 

 Hans's wife, and his name signifies " The Catcher " — 

 given to him, no doubt, in early infancy, from some 

 peculiarity of disposition which he then manifested. 

 And he was not inaptly named. The sailors took 

 him into their favor, scrubbed and combed him, and 

 dressed him in Christian clothing, and under their en- 

 couraging countenance he was soon found to be as 

 full of tricks as a monkey, and as acquisitive as a mag- 

 pie. He was the special torment of the steward and 

 the cook. Driven almost to despair, and utterly de- 

 feated in every project of reform, the former finally set 

 at the little heathen with a bundle of tracts and a cat- 

 echism, while the latter declared his fixed resolve to 

 scald him on the first favorable opportunity. "Yery 

 well, cook ; but remember they hang for murder." 

 '^ Den I kills him a leetle," was the ready answer. 



His mother, Kablunet, proved to be a useful addi- 

 tion to our household. She was very industrious with 

 her needle ; and, until she became possessed, in pay- 

 ment for her work, of such articles of domestic use as 

 she needed, sewed for us continually, making every 

 sort of skin garment, from boots to coats, which be- 

 long to an Arctic wardrobe. Her complexion was 

 quite light, as her name implied. Kablunet is the 

 title which the Esquimaux give to our race, and it 

 signifies " The child with the white skin ; " and if the 

 name of her husband, Tcheitchenguak, did not mean 

 " The child with the dark skin," it ought to, for he 

 was almost black. 



The personal appearance of this interesting couple 

 was not peculiarly attractive. Their faces were broad, 

 jaws heavy, cheek-bones projecting like other carniv- 

 orous animals, foreheads narrow, eyes small and verj^ 



16 



