654 



Caplain Lyon's Prioale journal. 



of wood of bone, across which an open 

 moshed and ill-made net was spread or 

 worked, for llic rece|)tioii of wet or 

 damp clollies, skins, fitc. vvhicli coulil 

 be dried liy the heat of the lamp. On 

 this contrivance, the master of euch hut 

 placed his "jlovcs on entering, first care- 

 fully clearing lliem of snow. 



From the irame above-mentioned, one 

 or more coffin- shaped stone pots were 

 suspended over lamps of the same 

 material, crescent shaped, and havin?^ a 

 ridje exle:»<lin<? along their back: the 

 bowl part w;is filled with blubber; and 

 the oil and wicks were ranged close 

 together along the edge. These wicks 

 were made of moss, and trimmed by a 

 piece of asbestos, stone, or wood : near 

 at baud a large bunch of moss was 

 hanging for a future sup|)ly. The 

 lamps were supported by sticks, bones, 

 or pieces of horn, at a sufficient height 

 to admit an oval pot of wood or whale- 

 bone beneath, in order to catch any oil 

 tliat might drop from them. The lamps 

 varied considerably in size, from two feet 

 to six inches in length, and the pots 

 were equally irregular, holding from 

 two or three gallons to Iiidf a pint, 

 Although I have mentioned a kind ot 

 scafiolding, these people did not all 

 possess so grand an establishment, 

 many being contented to suspend their 

 pot to a piece of bone stuck in tho 

 wall of the hut. One young woman 

 was quite a caricature in this way; 

 she was the inferior wife of a youug man, 

 ivliose senior lady was of a large size, 

 and bad a corresponding lamj), &c. at 

 one corner, while she herself being short 

 and fat, had a lamp the size of half a 

 dessert plate, and a pot which held a 

 pint only. 



CHILDREN. 



While examining the interior of the 

 huts, we found many opportunities of 

 establishing ourselves in the favour of 

 the Eskimanx by attentions to their 

 children, whose first appearance gave 

 me a most favourable idea of their 

 quiet and unobstrusive manners, and I 

 Jievcr afterwards had occasion to alter 

 my opinion of them. I could not look 

 on these modest little savages, without 

 being obliged to draw comparisons 

 rather disadvantageous to many sweet 

 Jittle spoiled children in England, and 

 I inly determined, should I ever be 

 blessed with a family of my own, to 

 tell them many stories of these Indians, 

 whose orderly behaviour might be an 

 example to them. Of the outward 



garb of my young friends I cannot say 

 niuci), fur tlicy were as dirty as human 

 creatures (;onhl possibly lie ; their large 

 dresses, giving them, when their faces 

 were hidden, the appearance of young 

 bears, wolves,and seals, and puppy dogsi 

 they were, however, the picture of 

 health, rosy, fat, and strong, with the 

 finest black eyes imaginable, and a pro- 

 fusion of long jetty hair. 



The laces of the young women would, 

 if cleaner, have been considered pleas- 

 ing, notuithstanding lln' great breadth 

 o! their features, for they bad a fine 

 rosy colour with brilliant and ex|>ressive 

 eyes. All the females, while we were 

 present, repeatedly nttered a kind of 

 grunt, wliieb I at length discovered to 

 be a .sign of great satislaction. 



WOLVliS. 



Early in (lie morning of the 7th, the 

 wolves came in a body and carried away 

 the carcass of a dog, which had been 

 moored as a decoy, on the ice alongside 

 with strong ropes, even before a musket 

 could be got ready for them ; and 

 when they bad dragged their prize a 

 short distance from the ship,- a most 

 furious battle was fought for it. For 

 several niglits they had broken and 

 straightened bailed hooks and chains 

 set fur them by the Fury, and when it 

 is known that the hooks were made of 

 the iron ramrods of nuiskets, some idea 

 may be formed of the strength of jaw 

 reqtiisite to i)rcak them. 



Ill the evening a wolf was taken in a 

 trap set by tiic Furj', and three balks 

 were fired through him while im- 

 prisoned. His bind legs were then 

 tied, and lie was dragged out, tail fore- 

 most, by a rope; this he instantly bit 

 through with ease, springing at Mr. 

 Richards, who was the nearest to him, 

 and seizing him by the knee: being 

 thrown oil', the animal llew at his arm, 

 but, with great presence of mind, Mr. 

 Richards grasped him by the throat and 

 (lung him back, at the same time re- 

 treating a pace or two, when the wolf 

 quickly made his escape, having done 

 no other damage than tearing Mr. 

 Richards's clotlies, and slightly wound- 

 ing his arm. It was very fortunate that 

 the requisite quantity of winter clothing 

 formed a good defence, and that the 

 person attacked was a powerful young 

 man, the effects might otherwise have 

 been more serious. Mr. Nias struck 

 the animal once or twice with a cutlass, 

 but without doing it any injury. 



k-%; iZ 3 HiNi TED 



4^: INDEX. 



8 DEC 1949 



