The Eskimo Inhabitants. 235 



a day ; but when there is plenty an Eskimo will eat ten pounds of 

 raw meat in a single day. Often he is scarcely able to move round 

 from stuffing himself. 



They move about from place to place during the fishing and 

 shooting season, following the game in its migrations. They have 

 no regular or set property, and do not often lay up a large supply of 

 food. They possess only such utensils as harpoons, spears, kayaks, 

 dog harnesses, sledges, and frequently guns. If one family is out 

 of food they share with their neighbours, and are usually very 

 generous toward each other. 



The Eskimps are not a vicious people. Their intelligence is 

 considerable. In some instances they display not only a taste, but a 

 talent, for music, chart-making, drawing, and show an abundance 

 of humour. They are excellent mimics, and are not long to learn the 

 songs and dances of the white people. They gamble a good deal, but 

 are moderate. Whatever they have for sale they leave to the pur- 

 chaser to determine its price. It is affirmed by those competent to 

 judge that they avoid indecency calculated to give rise to public 

 offence, but in their private lives their state of morality is low. They 

 are naturally very honest, but will soon learn to steal, especially 

 from whites, and lying is common among them in the same way. 



In many places they have become moderately well educated. At 

 Nain, where there is a partly civilized settlement of over three 

 hundred, nearly all of sufficient age have learned to read and write 

 in their own language. They have also made considerable progress 

 on the east main coast of Hudson's Bay. The syllabic characters used 

 are the same as those adopted for the Cree and Chippewayan 

 languages. 



Their religious teachers, the missionaries, find them quite ready 

 to participate in the Sabbath and other services, especially in the 

 singing, and to facilitate their worship, hymn, tune, and prayer- 

 books have been provided for them. These may be found in use at 

 the Moravian mission stations on the northern Labrador, and at 

 some of the Hudson's Bay stations further to the north and west. 

 Following is the Lord's Prayer and two well-known Gospel hymns, 



