88 THE "OLDEST INHABITANT. 



stone blind, so could only feel our clothes and faces, 

 lingering in surprise upon our beards, which were by 

 this time of a very respectable length : she seemed 

 much gratified when Captain Moore spoke to her and 

 gave her a little tobacco. Her age was guessed at 

 hazard to be about eighty, but with the exception of 

 sight none of her senses seemed to be impaired, and 

 her blindness appeared rather the result of disease 

 than of age, her eyes being bleared and sore, and 

 running with rheum. Indeed ophthalmia is more or 

 less very prevalent here, principally induced I should 

 think by snow blindness and neglect. 



We were much shocked to see near the village 

 stages erected, upon which the dead were laid, and 

 exposed alike to the attacks of the elements and of 

 the numerous crows, or rather ravens of immense size, 

 which abound in great numbers, and are literally the 

 scavengers of the country. These birds have wonderful 

 power of beak ; with a single bloAv I have known one 

 of them pierce the side of a dead and hard frozen 

 dog, penetrating right through to the entrails. 



An earnest endeavour was made on this occasion 

 to show Omdooyah and Attah, who lived here, how 

 shocking was this practice of exposing the dead ; 

 but although they appeared to understand the appeal, 

 it made I fear little impression on their cold natures, 



