May, 1859. FRIGHTEN A SOLITARY PARTY. 229 



brother, the head of the Moravian Church in London, both 

 esteemed friends of Franklin. 



Finding the " Mathison Island " of Rae to be a flat- 

 topped hill, we crossed over low land to the west of it, 

 and upon the morning of the 10th May reached a single 

 snow hut off Point Booth. I was quite astonished at the 

 number of poles and various articles of wood lying about it, 

 also at the huge pile of walrus' and reindeer's flesh, seal's 

 blubber, and skins of various sorts. We had abundance of 

 leisure to examine these exterior articles before the inmates 

 would venture out; they were evidently much alarmed by 

 our sudden appearance. 



A remarkably fine old dog was tied at the entrance — the 

 line being made fast within the long passage — and although 

 he wagged his tail, and received us as old acquaintances, 

 we did not like to attempt an entrance. At length an 

 old man and an old woman appeared ; they trembled with 

 fear, and could not, or would not, say anything except 

 "Kammik toomee :" we tried every means of allaying their 

 fears, but their wits seemed paralysed, and we could get no 

 information. We asked where they got the wood ? They 

 purchased it from their countrymen. Did they know the 

 Great River ? Yes, but it was a long way off. Were there 

 natives there now ? Yes. They even denied all knowledge 

 of white people having died upon their shores. A fine 

 young man came out of the hut, but we could learn nothing 

 of him ; they said they had nothing to barter, except what 

 we saw, although we tempted them by displaying our store 

 of knives and needles. 



The wind was strong and fair, and the morning intensely 

 cold, and as I could not hope to overcome the fears of these 

 poor people without encamping, and staying perhaps a day 

 with them, I determined to push on, and presented the 

 woman with a needle as a parting gift. 



