MULTITUDES OF BIRDS. 235 



awaiting, in patience, until the sulky fire should dry 

 their clothes ; and one or two, of an ingenious turn, 

 assumed the position of a roast, revolving slowly 

 before the logs ; they certainly got well smoked, if 

 heat were Avanting. We could not afford to spend 

 more time in repairing our losses, and resumed the 

 voyage on the 7th, at noon. There was a good deal 

 of " sailing " ice in our course, and we got one or 

 two hard rul)s in consequence. Ice which has much 

 wasted is very deceptive ; long tongues run out 

 under the water, and are dangerous, because unseen. 

 Near Point Pitt were seven Esquimaux tents, and 

 we landed, to communicate with the inmates, but 

 gained no intelligence : they could hardly have ever 

 see]i whites before, as more than common astonish- 

 ment Avas displayed at sight of us. We obtained 

 some fish from them, and experienced great annoy- 

 ance from the oft-repeated salutation of nose- 

 rubbing, which made us glad enough to depart. 

 The shores here were low, the ground chiefly flat 

 and swampy. Ducks, geese, and gulls, were 

 observed in great numbers, and multitudes of small 

 birds kept up a continual twitter. Landing to 

 examine a very small sandy island near Point 

 Ellice, wc were joined by two oomiaks, and recog- 

 nised ni their crews some of the persons we had 



