Capt. Ross’s Voyage of Discovery. 283 
attempted to urge him on, but in vain, his evident terror pre- 
venting him from advancing till his companions came up. It 
was apparent that he still believed the vessel to be a living crea- 
ture, as he stopped to contemplate her, lookiug up at the masts, 
and examining every part with marks of the greatest fear and 
¥ astonishment. He then addressed her, crying out in words per- 
fectly intelligible to Sacheuse, and in a loud tone, ‘ Who are 
you? what are you? where do you come from? is it from the 
sun or the moon ?’ pausing between every question, and pulling 
his nose with the utmost solemnity. ‘The rest now came up m 
succession, each showing similar surprise, and making use of the 
same expressions, accompanied by the same extraordinary cere- 
mony. Sacheuse now laboured to assure them that the ship was 
only a wooden house, and pointed out the boat, which had been 
hauled on the ice to repair; explaining to them that it was a 
smaller one of the same kind. This immediately arrested their 
attention, they advanced to the boat, examined her, as well as the 
carpenter’s tools, and the oars, very minutely; each object, in its 
turn, exciting the most ludicrous ejaculations of surprise. We 
then ordered the boat to be Jaunched into the sea, with a man 
in it, and hauled up again, at the sight of which they set no 
bounds to their clamour. The ice-anchor, a heavy piece of iron, 
shaped like the letter S, and the cable, excited much interest ; 
the former they tried in vain to remove, and they eagerly inquired 
of what skins the latter was made. 
‘* By this time the officers of both ships had surrounded them, 
while the bow of the Isabella, which was close to the ice, was 
crowded with the crew; and certainly a more ludicrous, yet in- 
teresting scene, was never beheld, than that which took place 
whilst they were viewing the ship : vor is it possible to convey to 
the imagination any thing like a just representation of the wild 
- amazement, joy, aud fear, which successively pervaded the coun- 
tenauces and governed the gestures of these creatures, who gave 
full vent to their feelings ; and I am sure it was a gratifying scene 
which never can be forgotten by those who witnessed and en- 
joyed it. 
Their shouts, halloos, and Jaughter, were heartily joined in, 
and imitated by all hands, as well as the ceremony of nose-pulling, 
which could not fail to increase our mirth on the occasion, That 
which most of all excited their admiration was the circumstance 
of a sailor going aloft, and they kept their eyes on him till he 
reached the summit of the mast; the sails, which hung loose, 
they naturally supposed were skins. Their attention heing again 
-ealled to the boat, where the carpenter’s hammer and nails still 
remained, they were shown the use of these articles; and no 
sooner were they aware of their purposes, than they showed a 
. desire 
