TO THE ARCTIC REGIONS. 277 
indeed, in this instance, thatthey hadno great oppor- 
tunity for pilfering, if they were so disposed ; but 
if such a disposition existed, it is probable that some 
symptoms of it would be detected; but as there 
were none discovered, it is but a piece of justice due 
to them to consider them as honest, whilst nothing 
to the contrary can be said against them. We un- 
derstood, from the people of the Lee, that when 
they fell in with them, they could hear nothing 
from them but the word <« Pillitey,”’ which signi- 
fies, I believe, in the Esquimaux language, Give me 
something. Of this begging expression, however, 
they made very little use whilst on board of us, 
most probably owing to the commercial system 
that was adopted, from which they soon learned 
that they had the means of procuring what they 
wanted, without humbling themselves to beg for 
it. We endeavoured to learn a tew words of their 
language, or rather we tried to ascertain if it is 
the same as that spoken by the Esquimaux in other 
parts of these regions, and as far as our means of 
deciding this point went, we have reason to sup- 
pose that it is. The method that was adopted to 
ascertain this, was by showing them specimens, 
and drawings, of the different animals with which 
we had reason to think they must be acquainted. 
Immediately the head of the rein-deer was shown 
them, they called it ‘ tooktook,” and according to 
Mr. Chappell’s account of the Esquimaux in Hud- 
son’s Straits, they call the deer “ muck-tu.”” A 
drawing of a bear, and others of some other ani- 
mals being shown them, they appeared to know 
very well what they were intended to represent ; 
T 3 
