NINE MONTHS IN THE ARCTIC. 129 



this time. He applied a poultice of sea bread, 

 in order to reduce the inflammation, which he 

 supposed it would shortly do. 



The woman, however, did not get immediately 

 better ; and her friends took the poultice off, and 

 in the place of it they tied a string very tight 

 round her chin, in order, as they believed, to pre- 

 vent the disease or swelling from going down- 

 wards. The string rather increased the inflam- 

 mation ; and then it was taken off, and placed 

 still lower down, until the swelling had very 

 much increased, and had reached her breast. 

 The string was now tied tighter than ever, until 

 it became embedded in the flesh. 



Since Mr. Osborn's remedy had failed to ben- 

 efit her, the natives, from their appearance and 

 gestures, supposed that the poultice was an in- 

 jury, instead of an advantage, to the woman. 

 They therefore gathered round Mr. Osborn in 

 the most threatening attitude, and he greatly 

 feared they were about to injure or kill him. At 

 any rate, he learned one important lesson — to 

 be more cautious, in future, in prescribing reme- 

 dies to the sick among the natives. They were 

 superstitious, and therefore unreasonable. 



The natives were subject to nose bleeding ; 

 the excessively cold weather was doubtless the 

 chief cause of it. The remedy which they em- 

 9 



