FURTHER STAY IN FRIEDRICHSTHAL. 195 



Danish tons. A Umiak, however, never travels alone — 

 a man in a Kajak (the Kajalik) always accompanies it. 

 Either it is the owner himself, or some other native (as 

 for example is customary with the travelling missio- 

 naries), hired for the purpose. At certain times, namely 

 in summer, when the Greenlanders move from place to 

 place, whole fleets of these vessels may be met with, 

 which on such occasions are generally lively enough. 



The bacon-face of old Sybilla, who had taken such a 

 fancy to Philipp, or " Bilik " as she called him, beamed 

 with delight as she saw her darhng travelling round the 

 harbour in a canoe. But it was not so easy to keep 

 above water, and no easy task for an inexperienced person 

 to keep the legs stretched out so straight. The natives, 

 however, greeted this first attempt with joyful grins. 

 They were already on the best of footing with our men, 

 and a small exchange of civilities took place in the most 

 peaceful and satisfactory way. Even the female servants 

 at the mission were soon sociable and trustful. Konrad 

 had installed himself precentor, and made the girls sing- 

 some choruses ; and we were sm^prised to hear how true 

 and correctly these people sang. Certainly they drawled 

 every melody frightfully ; and the execution of the hymn, 

 " We had built a stately house," to which they had 

 adapted Greenland words, sounded in most wonderful 

 fashion from the lips of the native ladies. 



We had already gone to rest, when two Umiaks with 

 women and children arrived from the Fjord, and at once 

 encamped by our boats, carrying on such a loud conver- 

 sation through the night, that no one could sleep. As 

 we came down to the strand the next morning, it was 

 alive with men, women, and children, who from their 



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