Captain Li/ou's Private Journal. 



bbr: 



nianncr wc airivcd most merrily on 

 board. 



The strangers walked in a quiet and 

 ofderlv manner about the upper deck, 

 but could not avoid occasionally j;iving 

 xyiit to their admiration, by (hose in- 

 <le.scribablc screams which had already 

 so much anuisod us. Order, however, 

 did not lonjf continue, for the natives 

 met our seamen more than hall-way in 

 liolic; and in a short time, with the as- 

 sistance ol'a fiddle and drum, every lep; 

 was in motion, our people assisting, in 

 no slight degree, in the general shouting 

 and jeils. Onr music attracted the 

 Tury's proportion of visitors, and wc 

 soon had the ship fnll. Some old 

 ^'omcn sang to dilFerent gronpes which 

 assembled round them, and others 

 danced, or rall]er jumped, with so much 

 spirit, as to bathe tiiemselves in perspi- 

 lation. 



An old niiin, whose appearance was 

 much in his favour, accompanied me to 

 my cabin, where ho behaved with great 

 decorum, and neither asked for nor ex- 

 pected a present. A small hand-organ 

 artorded him a very great treat, and he 

 listened to it with such an expression 

 of pleasure on his countenance, as 

 would be shown by a lover of music on 

 liearing the performance of an orchestra; 

 breathing gently, making no noise, and 

 unconseionsly opening his month. A 

 musical snulf-box succeeded this in- 

 strument, and underwent a very strict 

 examination ; during which, my visitor 

 repeatedly uttered a faint bnt highly ex- 

 pressive cry of |)leasure. Drawings of 

 the Eskiman>;, in Hudson's Strait, sur- 

 prised him mnci), but he innnediately 

 understood them, and pointeil out many 

 parts of tlieir dress which differed from 

 that of his own tribe. 



There were five clusters of lints, some 

 having one, some two, and others three 

 domes, in which thirteen families lived, 

 each occupying a dome or one side of 

 it, according to tlieir strength. The 

 whole nundjer of people were 21 men, 

 25 women, and 18 children, making a 

 total ofG4. 



The entrance to the dwellings was 

 by a hole about r yard in diameter, 

 which led through a low-arched passage 

 of snflicient breadth for two to pass in 

 a stooping posture, and about 16 feet in 

 lenglii ; another hole then presented 

 itself, and led through a similarly 

 ;iliapcd, but shorter passage, iiaving at 

 its termination, around opening, [, about 

 two feet a<;ross. V\t this hole we crept 

 vnc sie{), and fuund ourselves in a dome 



about seven feet in lieiglrt, aild as many 

 in diameter, from whenne the three 

 dwelling-pldces, with arched roofs, were 

 entered. It must be observed, that this 

 is the description of a large hnt, the 

 smaller ones containing one or two 

 families, having the domes somewhat 

 differently arranged. 



Each dwelling might be averaged at 

 14 or 16 lectin diameter by 6 or 7 in 

 height, but as snow alone was used in 

 their construction, and was always at 

 hand, it might be supposed that there 

 was no particular size, that being of 

 course at the option of the builder. 

 The laying of the arch was performed 

 in such a maimer as would have satis- 

 fied the most regular artist, the key- 

 piece on the lop, being a large square 

 slab. 'J'lie blocks of snow used in the 

 buildings were from four to six inches 

 in thickness, and about a couple of feet 

 in length, carefully pared with a large 

 knife. Where two families occupied a 

 dome, a scat was raised on cither side, 

 two feet in height. These raised places 

 were used as beds, and covered in the 

 first place witlj whalebone, sprigs of 

 ■ androiueda, or pieces of seals' skin, 

 over thesHj were spread deer pelts and 

 deer skin clothes, which had a very 

 warm ajipeariuice. The pells were 

 used as blankets, and many of them had 

 ornamental fringes of leather sewed 

 round their edges. 



Eacii dwelling-place was illuminated 

 by a broad piece of transparent fresh 

 water ice of about two feet in diameter, 

 which formed part of tlK' roof, and was 

 |)laced over the door. These windows 

 gave a most pleasing light, free from 

 glare, and something like that which is 

 thrown throngh ground glass. We soon 

 learned that the +)uildingof a house was 

 but the work of an hour or ton, and that 

 a couple of men, one to cut the slabs 

 and the other to lay them, were labour- 

 ers su(55ciciit. 



For the sup|)ort of the lamps and 

 cooking ap|>aratus, a mound of snow is 

 erected for each family; and when the 

 master has two wives, or a mother, both 

 have an indcpendant place, one at each 

 end of the bench. 



I find it impossil)le to attempt de- 

 scribing every thing at a second visit, 

 and shall thrrefore oidy give an account 

 of those! arlJcleHof furniture, which must 

 be always tl)C same, and with which, in 

 five minutes, any one nn'ght bo ac- 

 quain((.'d. A franx!, cunqiosed of two 

 or three broken lisliing-spcars, sup- 

 [lottcd in the first place, a largo hoop 



of 



