92 THE LIFE OF E. J. PECK 



to get some, at least, of the filth from their greasy 

 faces. 



" Another peep in the glass, and their surprise 

 was unbounded as they began to realize the trans- 

 forming power of soap and water. (Note. What 

 a picture here for PEARS ! An Eskimo, say, before 

 and after a bath with PEARS' SOAP ! What a 

 striking advertisement it would make !) 



" The people also manifested much desire to know 

 how various articles, uncommon to them and to 

 their own rude fashionings, were made. Earthen- 

 ware jugs, tea-pots, etc., greatly excited their 

 curiosity, and when I explained that such articles 

 were made of a particular kind of clay baked in 

 great heat, they would gaze at me with something 

 of awe in their manner, as though they regarded 

 the white man as the embodiment of all wonders. 



" Such an article as a watch, they could scarcely 

 conceive as being made, but supposed it to be a 

 living, sentient thing. When it ticked they said 

 it was alive ; when it ceased its ticking, they spoke 

 of it as dead." 



But however receptive of teaching the people 

 might be, or however curious about the stranger, it 

 must be remembered that the first object they had 

 in view was, of course, not learning from the mis- 

 sionary, but trade. Consequently, their time was 

 taken up with business pursuits during the day. 

 There is a brief reference to this in Mr. Peck's 



