CRUISE OF THE STEAMER OORWIN. 73 



ing over and over the " Hung-Hi-Hung-A-Hung-A-A-A," which seems to contain all the elements 

 necessary to arouse the dancers to a pitcli of frenzy. After the dancers from the diiferent settle- 

 ments had performed a general dance took place in which the women joined, and the whole 

 assemblage, as if to do honor to the fair sex, joined in the chorus. Several drunken natives forced 

 themselves through the crowd and ran wildly around the open space, but they were speedily 

 ejected. As the dance proceeded the number of drunken men increased so much that our friend, 

 the chief, advised us to leave, which we did, not, however, before a brawny, half-naked Eskimo 

 from Point Hope had burst through the crowd and, in the ardor of his affection, flung himself on 

 me and buried his bushy head on my breast, at the same time imploring me to give him some 

 whisky. When he was told that I had no whisky, but would destroy all there was in the village 

 if he did not behave, he set up a furious yell and flung himself upon the ground, howling and 

 tearing up the grass like a wild animal. We escaped from the crowd and regained our camp 

 without further adventure, but long after darkness had obscured the view in all other directions 

 the glare from a hundred fires lighted np the plain in the vicinity of the village, and the dark 

 forms of the natives could be seen flitting to and fro, and their howls and shouts of bacchanalian 

 laughter came floating down to us on the wind, showing that the orgy was still at its height. 



August 24, 1884. — The day began with a moderate breeze from the northwest, and at noon 

 shifted to the northward and commenced blowing hard. We shifted the anchorage of the launch 

 to a more sheltered spot and got out both stone anchors. At sunset the wind had increased to a 

 moderate gale, and the sea had risen so much that I feared the launch would either drag her 

 anchors and go on the beach, or be swamped. We placed the coal on board to day and that set 

 her so much by the head that she was unmangeable under sail. Wilbur and I stayed by all night, 

 and at 12 o'clock the seas were mak ing clean breaches over her and we were kept busy bailing 

 until morning. 



August 25, 1884. — At daylight the gale moderated somewhat, and at 7 a. m. I got ashore from 

 the launch and examined the entrance to a lagoon about one mile to the eastward of us and found 

 a narrow channel loading to a safe harbor for the launch. At 8.30 we put two reefs in the launch's 

 sail, and having shifted all the coal aft, got under way and stood for the entrance to the lagoon. 

 The wind was now blowing a gale from the northward, and a heavy chop-sea was running in the 

 sound. Fortunately for us the launch did not touch bottom in the narrow channel, and at 9 o'clock 

 we came to anchor in a lagoon which extends nearly across to Cape Blossom. During the after- 

 noon we brought the tent and camp outfit to this harbor, and at night I was thankful we had so 

 snug a place to lie, as the wind increased to a gale, and the sea in the sound became so high that 

 the launch would not have lived through it. Natorak brought me a present of tea from the chief 

 of the Selawik Indians, who also desired that I should pay him a visit. Accordingly I went over 

 to the village and called on the old man. He was very glad to see me, and after making me a 

 present of a bear-skin asked me to take supper with him. I accepted, and in a short while we sat 

 down to a repast consisting of seal meat, berries and oil, and flour paste, brought to a close by a 

 cup of tea brewed for my especial benefit in an old tomato can. 



August 26, 1884. — The wind shifted to the eastward during the night, and this morning the 

 water had fallen some five feet, leaving the launch aground on the soft muddy bottom. The 

 channel leading from the inlet to the sea is greatly affected by the wind, and a single gale will so 

 alter its position as to make it impossible to place any dependence on previous soundings. During 

 the day I visited the village for the purpose of locating the channel while the water was low. 

 From a high point of land the position of many shoals was located with the aid of the sextant, but 

 as far as I could see there is no regularly defined channel leading to the sea. 



August 27, 1884. — The weather continues clear, but is growing cold, and though we sleep in 

 the tent we find it hard to keep warm during the night. I observed signs of frost on the leaves 

 this morning, and the mud around the edges of the lagoons was partially frozen. The chief of 

 the Selawiks took breakfast with me this morning, and after that ceremony was over he had a 

 smoke and then stowed himself away in a corner and slept soundly until dinner was announced at 

 5 p. m. We gave him some boiled fish and bread, and after dinner I negotiated with him for a bag 

 of flour, as ours is nearly gone. The continued wet weather we had at the beginning of the trip 

 spoiled our baking-powder, and we have bread now in its primitive state. Although nothing is 



