FIRST VISIT TO NATIVES. 23 



On the 1st of November, the first visit was made to 

 the native habitations. A party of officers went to 

 Woorel, the village where AkouU resided; they repaired 

 to his, and then to other huts, and were received with 

 joyful hospitality, being nearly roasted, as with the 

 Tclmtski the increase of heat is the increase of honour ; 

 on .their departure they were presented with reindeer 

 skins and meat, and bade farewell to their hosts with 

 mutual good will. Next day, according to fashionable 

 usage, the retm'n visit was made by a rather numerous 

 party, two of whom were invited into the gun-room and 

 partook of our dinner. They were by no means 

 awkward in their use of the knife and fork, and handled 

 their spoons to perfection — salt food, pickles, pepper, 

 or any other naturally hot comestible, they rejected 

 with extreme dislike ; but sweets of any kind were 

 consumed with an avidity that proved how agreeable 

 such delicacies were to their tastes. A boat-full of 

 natives, whom we had not before seen, came on board 

 to-day : their arrival reduced the monopoly of native 

 productions, and the bartering was " done at a lower 

 figure," Among them was a young man with light 

 brown hair and fair complexion ; he would easily 

 have passed for an European, the flat nose of the 

 tribe being scarcely distinguishable in him. The 

 chief's (Akoull's) youngest child, about two years old. 



