manners and customs of the people with whom they came in 

 contact. To Cartwright must be given the additional praise 

 of sa^^ing that he seemed to be one of those few white men who 

 understood how to approach natives and win their confidence. 



Immediately on the arrival of the partners, Lucas went 

 north and returned with a family of Eskimo, who nearly ate the 

 post out of supplies during the winter. Fortunately they were 

 not over-dainty in their choice of provisions, any more than the 

 modern Eskimo. Cartwright speaks of giving them, when the 

 supplies were low, "a skin bag filled with seal's phrippers (flip- 

 pers), pieces of flesh, and rands of seal fat; it was a complete 

 mixture of oil and corruption with an intolerable stench, and no 

 people on earth, I think, except themselves, would have eaten the 

 contents." 



The following July, a considerable number of Eskimo ap- 

 peared in the harbour. Cartwright, in order to inspire confidence 

 in them, went boldly over to the island where they were en- 

 camped, sent his people away, and began trading with them alone. 

 The Eskimo responded nobly to such treatment, and he never 

 had any serious trouble with them, although his immediate 

 predecessor (Darby) had been forced to abandon the post on 

 account of their aggressiveness. Cartwright himself attributed 

 his success in dealing with the Eskimo to his always treating 

 them fairly and firmly. He never allowed them to cheat or 

 rob him, and on the other hand was careful to see that they were 

 always satisfied. A finishing touch was his habit of entering 

 into their sports and games with as much zest as they showed 

 themselves. Here his strong physique stood him in good 

 stead. 



In a quaint rhyming letter to his brother Charles, Cart- 

 wright describes his relations with the Eskimo: 

 "The Eskimo from ice and snow now free, 



In shallops and whale boats go to sea; 



In peace they rove along the pleasant shore. 



In plenty live nor do they wish for more. 



Thrice happy race; strong drink nor gold they know; 



What in their hearts they think, their faces show. 



Of manners gentle, in their dealing just, 



