ESQUIMAUX HAMLET. 343 



neither stones nor shells. Placing a tide-stick at 

 night we found next morning a rise and fall of 

 about a foot. We encamped on Richard Island 

 on the 24th, and here killed another deer which 

 afforded luxm^ious feasting. In the evening of the 

 25th, landing for a short time near Toker Point, 

 we found a number of Esquimaux winter dwellings ; 

 they were built of driftwood and sods of turf or 

 mud ; on a ground-plan they formed three sides of a 

 cross, the roofs were nearly orange-shaped but rather 

 more peaked, with a hole in the centre to let out 

 the smoke; the apartments were raised about four 

 feet from the ground, the entrance being from below 

 through a sort of trap -hatch. Near the huts were 

 several covered pits containing whale and seal blad- 

 ders of oil, and upon light scaffolds around were 

 disposed several articles of native manufacture. At 

 first we thought the village was entirely deserted, 

 but a tiny footprint freshly made in the sand re- 

 futed the supposition. We hung a knife, scissors, 

 some beads and tobacco to one of the stages, to- 

 gether with a rude hieroglyphic scratched upon a 

 board, to assure the Esquimaux of our friendly 

 intentions, then re-embarked and continued our 

 journey. Becoming entangled in the pack, we gained 

 the ])cach in Hutchinson's Bay with difficulty, and 



