PACIFIC AND BEERING'S STRAIT. 361 



and surprise of our inquisitive companions, we paid 

 a visit to the next valley, where we found a small 

 village situated close upon a fine stream of fresh iJU! ' 

 water flowing from a large bed of thawing snow. 

 The banks of the brook were fertile, but vegetation 

 was more diminutive here than in Kotzebue Sound ; 

 notwithstanding which, several plants were found 

 which did not exist there. The tents were con- 

 structed of skins loosely stretched over a few spars 

 of drift-wood, and were neither wind nor water 

 tight. They were, as usual, filthy, but suitable to 

 the taste of their inhabitants, who no doubt saw no- 

 thing in them that was revolting. The natives tes- 

 tified much pleasure at our visit, and placed before 

 us several dishes, among which were two of their 

 choicest — the entrails of a fine seal, and a bowl of 

 coagulated blood. But, desirous as we were to 

 oblige them, there was not one of our party that 

 could be induced to partake of their hospitality. 

 Seeing our reluctance, they tried us with another 

 dish, consisting of the raw flesh of the narwhal nice- 

 ly cut into lumps, with an equal distribution of black 

 and white fat ; but they were not more successful 

 here than at first. 



An old man then braced a skin upon a tambou- 

 rine frame, and striking it with a bone gave the sig- 

 nal for a dance, which was immediately performed 

 to a chorus of Angna aya ! angna aya ! the tambourine 

 marking time by being flourished and twirled about 

 against a short stick instead of being struck. The 

 musician, who was also the principal dancer, jumped 

 into the ring, and threw his body into different atti- 

 tudes until quite exhausted, and then resigned his 

 office to another, from whom it passed to a lad who 



