STRANGERS DISCOVERED. 55 



was seen coming off to us, and as he approached, 1824. 

 we observed, that instead of a canoe he ^\as August. 

 seated on three inflated seal-skins, connected 

 most ingeniously by blown intestines, so that 

 his vessel was extremely buoyant. He was 

 asti'ide upon one skin, while another of a 

 larger size was secured on either side of it, so 

 that he was placed in a kind of hollow. His 

 legs, well furnished with seal-skin boots, were 

 immersed nearly to the knee in water, and he 

 rowed Avith a very slender soot-stained paddle 

 of whale's bone, which was secured to his 

 float by a thong. 



On approaching, he exhibited some little 

 signs of fear ; his teeth chattered, and himself 

 and seal-skins trembled in unison. It was 

 evident from the manner of this poor fellow, 

 that he had come off as a kind of herald from 

 his tribe, and as I felt for his alarm, I threw 

 him a string of beads, which he received in 

 great trepidation, and placed, with trembling 

 fingers, across a large bunch of hair which pro- 

 truded from his forehead. A few friendly signs 

 which accompanied my gift, gave him a little 

 more confidence, and he soon came alongside, 

 after having, as a peace-offering, thrown me a 

 couple of dried salmon and a very rude arrow 

 headed with a roughly-chipped flint: at my 



