OF THE POLAR SEA. S5 



Providence by Belanger, we distributed them 

 amongst the Indians, informing the leader at the 

 same time, that the residence of so large a party 

 as his at the house, amounting, with women and 

 children, to forty souls, was producing a serious 

 reduction in our stock of provision. He acknow- 

 ledged the justice of the statement, and promised 

 to remove as soon as his party had prepared 

 snow-shoes and sledges for themselves. Under 

 one pretext or other, however, their departure was 

 delayed until the 10th of the month, when they 

 left us, having previously received one of our fish- 

 ing-nets, and all the ammunition we possessed. 

 The leader left his aged mother and two female 

 attendants to our care, requesting that if she died 

 during his absence, she might be buried at a dis- 

 tance from the fort, that he might not be reminded 

 of his loss when he visited us. 



Keskarrah, the guide, also remained behind, 

 with his wife and daughter. The old man has 

 become too feeble to hunt, and his time is ahnost 

 entirely occupied in attendance upon his wife, 

 who has been long affected with an ulcer on the 

 face, which has nearly destroyed her nose. 



Lately he made an offering to the water spirits, 

 whose wrath he apprehended to be the cause of her 

 malady. It consisted of a knife, a piece of tobacco, 

 and some other trifling articles, which were tied 



