376 VOYAGE TO THE 



chap, in our visiters different to what we had seen before, 

 >— - vw except that they were better dressed. One of them, 

 ISf' pointing to the shore, drew his hand round the 

 northern horizon as far as the south-west, by which 

 he no doubt intended to instruct us that the ice 

 occupied that space. It would, however, have an- 

 swered equally well for the land, supposing the 

 coast beyond what we saw to have taken a circuit- 

 ous direction. With the view of having this ex- 

 plained, I took him to the side of the ship on which 

 the land was, and intimated a desire that he would 

 delineate the coast; but he evidently did not under- 

 stand me, as he and his companions licked their 

 hands, stroked their breasts, and then went into 

 their boats and paddled on shore. 



The apparently good-natured disposition of these 

 people, and indeed of the whole of their tribe upon 

 the coast to this advanced position, was a source 

 of the highest gratification to us all as it regarded 

 Captain Franklin's welfare ; for it was natural to 

 conclude that the whole race, which we had reason 

 to think extended a considerable distance to the 

 eastward, would partake of the same friendly feel- 

 ing, and what was by many considered a material 

 obstacle to his success would thereby be removed. 

 At this place in particular, where the natives ap- 

 peared to be so numerous that they could have 

 overpowered his party in a minute, it was gratifying 

 to find them so well disposed. 



After the natives were gone we stood to the 

 north-westward in the hope that the wind, which 

 had been a long time in the north-eastern quar- 

 ter, would remain steady until we ascertained the 

 point of conjunction of the ice and the land, which, 



