

THIRD VOYAGE 347 



came down toward the shore, and were so polite as to take 

 off their caps and make us low bows. We returned the 

 civility, but this did not inspire them with sufficient con- 

 fidence to wait for our landing ; for the moment we put the 

 boats ashore they retired. I followed them alone, and by 

 signs and gestures prevailed on them to stop and receive 

 some trifling presents. In return they gave me two fox- 

 skins and a couple of sea-horse teeth. 



" They seemed very cautious, expressing their desire, by 

 signs, that no more of our people should be permitted to 

 come up. A few beads distributed to those about us soon 

 created a kind of confidence, and by degrees a sort of traffic 

 between us commenced. In exchange for knives, beads, 

 tobacco, and other articles, they gave us some of their 

 clothing and a few arrows. But nothing that we had to 

 offer could induce them to part with a spear or a bow. 

 These they held in constant readiness, never once quitting 

 them, except at one time, when four or five persons 

 laid theirs down while they gave us a song and a 

 dance. 



" The arrows were pointed either with bone or stone ; but 

 very few of them had barbs, and some of them had a round 

 blunt point. What use these may be applied to I cannot 

 say, unless it be to kill small animals without damaging the 

 skin. The bows were such as we had seen on the American 

 coast, and like those used by the Esquimaux. The spears 

 or spontoons were .of iron or steel, and of European or 

 Asiatic workmanship ; in which no little pains had been 

 taken to ornament them with carving and inlayings of brass 

 and of a white metal. 



" Several other things, and in particular their clothing, 

 shewed that they were possessed of a degree of ingenuity 

 far surpassing what one could expect to find among so 

 northern a people. All the Americans we had seen since 

 our arrival on that coast were rather low of stature, with 

 round chubby faces and high cheek bones. The people 

 we now were amongst, far from resembling them, had long 

 visages, and were stout and well made. In short, they 

 appeared to be a quite different nation. We saw neither 

 women nor children of either sex, nor any aged except one 

 man, who was bald headed, and he was the only one who 

 carried no arms. All of them had their ears bored, and 

 some had glass beads hanging to them. These were the 

 only fixed ornaments we saw about them, for they wear 

 none to the lips. 



" Their clothing consisted of a cap, a frock, a pair of 

 breeches, a pair of boots, and a pair of gloves, all made of 

 leather, or of the skins of deer, dogs, seals, etc., extremely 



