PACIFIC AND BEERING'S STRAIT. 151 



poles under the seats of the boat, and pressing upon CI ^ P - 

 the gunwale as a fulcrum ; an ingenious contrivance, v -^~*- 

 from which we found it difficult to free ourselves, JJ25. 

 especially as the poles were very large. Others, 

 again, prepared cords to fasten the boats to their 

 raft, unconscious of our possessing any instrument 

 sufficiently sharp to disengage them. In short, they 

 were determined we should land ; but as I did not 

 like the place, and as their conduct appeared to be a 

 repetition of what we had experienced outside the 

 harbour, we disappointed their expectations, and 

 went to the next island. 



We were there joined by some of our visiters who 

 had been on board the ship, who reminded us of our 

 former acquaintance, and greeted us with a hearty 

 rub of their noses against ours. This salutation, it 

 was thought by some of us, sealed a friendship be- 

 tween the parties ; but we had not sufficient op- 

 portunity of ascertaining whether it was considered 

 inviolable. The manner of effecting this friendly 

 compact is worthy of description. The lips are 

 drawn inward between the teeth, the nostrils are 

 distended, and the lungs are widely inflated ; with 

 this preparation, the face is pushed forward, the 

 noses brought into contact, and the ceremony con- 

 cludes with a hearty rub, and a vehement exclama- 

 tion or grunt : and in proportion to the warmth of 

 feeling, the more ardent and disagreeable is the 

 salutation. 



Finding, from communication with our friends, 

 that water was to be had at Mount Duff, we quitted 

 them and crossed to that point, where we had the 

 satisfaction to see two streams trickling down the 

 sides of the hill, either of them sufficiently ample for 



