NATIVE MIMICRY. 137 



apparently erected for arid devoted to public pur- 

 poses (possibly as a council-room as well as theatre, 

 for in place of the usual inner apartments, only a 

 species of bench, of raised earth, ran around 

 it), were seated numerous spectators. Yaneenga 

 made room for me beside her, and I had a 

 plain view of the solitary actor, who sustained his 

 part with extraordinary skill, activity, and endu- 

 rance : this performance was a representation of the 

 practices of the Pa-erks (i. e., Esquimaux on the 

 opposite shore of the straits :) I had before seen 

 this slightly attempted, but the present was evidently 

 a state occasion, and all detaOs were carefully 

 presented. He imitated with extravagant action — 

 paddling, eating, and drinking, looking for an enemy, 

 fighting, and hunting the whale, in which the efforts of 

 the men and the struggles of the animals were gro- 

 tesquely depicted, and he gesticulated throughout with 

 furious energy. Two musicians seated upon the earth 

 beat incessantly upon their drums ; their performances 

 seeming to be an indispensably necessary addition 

 to the sport. The spectators applauded voci- 

 ferously, in a manner scarcely less interesting than 

 the scene they praised, any incident more striking 

 than the rest eliciting interjections of kah ! kah ! 

 kah ! "da capo diminuendo," and a low running 



