58 THE NATIVES OF 



1824. expressed neither surprise, fear, nor curiosity 

 August, about the guns. We passed several small 

 store-houses, of about six feet in height by ten 

 in diameter, built of rough slabs of lime-stone, 

 rudely but regularly piled up, and Neeakoodloo 

 opened one to shew me that it contained a 

 quantity of split salmon, suspended by the tails 

 in such a manner that no small animals could 

 reach them. As we walked forward, my com- 

 panion who went at a rapid impatient pace, 

 talked incessantly to himself with his eyes 

 fixed on the ground, occasionally elevating his 

 voice, which had a very agreeable tone, to a 

 most merry chant, having a jerk not unlike a 

 hiccup at the end of each sentence. He would 

 then for a moment appear to recover from 

 his fit of musing, and turn to urge me for- 

 ward, but soon relapsed again into his merry 

 soliloquy. If I spoke, he answered with a 

 lively *' Hai !" but never waited or endea- 

 voured to comprehend me, and again began 

 chuckling to himself. He seemed quite igno- 

 rant of the word Kayak, although he knew 

 what an Oomiak was, and pointed to tlie ship ; 

 and I observed that he called dogs " Tchien- 

 miuk," which differs very much from the Igloo- 

 lik name ''^ Kain-meg.'' Several other words 

 were equally different, and his language, which 



