OF A NORTH-WEST PASSAGE. 91 



he explained by wiping the lamp-black off with one of his fingers, would soil '^^'• 

 a clean seal-skin jacket that formed part of the bundle. 



Among the few domestic utensils we saw in the tent was the woman's 

 knife of the Greenlanders described by Crantz, and resembling, in its semi- 

 circular shape, that used by shoe-makers in England. The most interesting 

 article, however, was a kind of bowl exactly similar to that obtained by 

 Captain Lyon from the natives of Hudson's Strait, being hollowed out of the 

 root of the musk-ox's horn. As soon as I took the cup in my hand, the 

 boy who was our first companion, and had since been our constant attendant, 

 pronounced the word oomingmuJc, thus aff'ording an additional confirmation to 

 that obtained on the former voyage, of the musk-ox being the animal de- 

 scribed by the natives of the west coast of Greenland, as having occasionally, 

 though rarely, been seen in that country. 



As soon as the Esquimaux became a little more familiar with us, they re- 

 peatedly asked for sowik (iron), in answer to which we gave them to under- 

 stand that they must accompany us to our boats, if they wished to obtain any 

 of this precious article. Accordingly, the whole group set off with us on our 

 return, the males keeping up with us, and the women a short distance behind. 

 The whole of the children carried bundles of the branches of ground willow, 

 which we had just before seen them bring in for their own use, and which 

 they seemed to consider an article of barter that might be acceptable to us. 

 As we returned, I noticed a quantity of the ledum -palustre, and having 

 plucked some of it, gave it to the boy to carry ; after which, though he very 

 much disliked its smell, he gathered every root of it that we came to, and 

 deposited it at our tents. This lad was uncommonly quick and clever in 

 comprehending our meaning, and seemed to possess a degree of good- 

 humour and docility, which, on our short acquaintance, made him a great 

 favourite among us. 



We had hitherto been much pleased with our new acquaintance, who were 

 certainly a good-humoured decent sort of people. We therefore loaded them 

 with presents, and endeavoured to amuse them by shewing them the manner 

 of rowing our boats, which were hauled up on the beach. While the men 

 and children were occupied in observing this, the women were no less busily 

 employed, near the tents, in pilfering and conveying into their boots, some 

 of our cups, spoons, and other small articles, such as they could conveniently 

 secrete. This they accomplished with so much dexterity, that no suspicion 

 would have been excited of their dishonesty, had not Mr. Sherer fortunately 



N 2 



