May, 1859. PURCHASE MORE RELICS. 227 



tunate to barter everything they possessed. There was not 

 a trace of fear, every countenance was lighted up with joy ; 

 even the children were not shy, nor backward either, in 

 crowding about us, and poking in everywhere. One man 

 got hold of our saw, and tried to retain it, holding it behind 

 his back, and presenting his knife in exchange; we might 

 have had some trouble in getting it from him, had not one 

 of my men mistaken his object in presenting the knife 

 towards me, and run out of the tent with a gun in his 

 hand ; the saw was instantly returned, and these poor 

 people seemed to think they never could do enough to 

 convince us of their friendliness ; they repeatedly tapped 

 me gently on the breast, repeating the words " Kammik 

 toomee " (We are friends). 



Having obtained all the relics they possessed, I purchased 

 some seal's flesh, blubber, frozen venison, dried and frozen 

 salmon, and sold some of my puppies. They told us it was 

 five days' journey to the wreck — one day up the inlet still 

 in sight, and four days overland ; this would bring them 

 to the western coast of King William's Island ; they added 

 that but little now remained accessible of the wreck, their 

 countrymen having carried almost everything away. In 

 answer to an enquiry, they said she was without masts ; the 

 question gave rise to some laughter amongst them, and they 

 spoke to each other about fire, from which Petersen thought 

 they had burnt the masts through close to the deck in order 

 to get them down. 



There had been many hooks, they said, but all have long 

 ago been destroyed by the weather ; the ship was forced on 

 shore in the fall of the year by the ice. She had not been 

 visited during this past winter, and an old woman and a boy 

 were shown to us who were the last to visit the wreck ; they 

 said they had been at it during the preceding winter (/. e. 

 1857-8). 



Q 2 



