M'Ktevor's Voyage to Hudson's Bay. 27 



inlet running northward, out of which come the greater part 

 of those islands of ice which are so much taken notice of hi 

 these parts." 



I have been told by gentlemen in the Hudson's Bay Com- 

 pany's service, that some of their ships have formerly been 

 driven by the ice into this inlet, where they found a fine open 

 sea, without any bounds, that they could see, to the north- 

 ward. This inlet, Captain Wales calls the North Bay. 



July 81st. The weather continues remarkably fine and 

 clear ; thermometer in the shade 49. Moored alongside a 

 field of ice. 



August 1st. This day, about ten o'clock A. M., we got 

 sight of the north shore, distant about ten leagues. The 

 whole of this coast exhibited a very barren appearance ; the 

 mountains rising suddenly out of the sea, and being composed 

 of rocks, which are thinly covered with black peat earth. 



Several fires were kindled along the shore, for the purpose, we 

 presumed, of giving us notice that the natives intended visit- 

 ing us. Our conjectures we soon found to be true, for, about 

 four o'clock in the afternoon, word was brought down to the 

 cabin that the Esquimeaux Indians were in sight. This be- 

 ing an event long and anxiously wished for, we all hastened 

 an deck immediately. They were not more than thirty yards 

 from the ship. The ice being very thick, they were obliged 

 to carry their canoes and articles for traffic almost the entire 

 way. Whe/i they had g-ot within a short distance of the vessel, 

 they all set up a loua cry, every one repeating the word 

 chimo, chimo,* which, in their language, signifies trade. 

 They had no sooner got along-side than they began to traffic. 

 The articles which they offered for sale were whalebone, 

 bags of blubber, with half-frozen, half-putrid flesh; skins of 

 different animals, as of the bear, rabbit, hare, seal, and deer ; 

 dried salmon, dogs, a few fresh fowls ; toys of various kinds, 

 as models of their canoes, dresses, &c. 



In return they got glass beads, old knives, hatchets, but- 

 tons, pins, and needles ; gimblets, scissars, pieces of old iron- 

 hoops, which they prized very highly ; brass-rings, tin-pots, 

 kettles, saws, files, &c. 



It would be difficult to give expression to the feelings of 

 gratification, delight, and surprise, which, in hurried succes- 

 sion, passed through my mind on first getting a view of 

 these untutored savages ; their manners, persons, dress, lan- 

 guage, every thing, in short, so completely different from what 



The word chimo is also mad* use of as a term of friendship. 



E2 



