OF A NORTH-WEST PASSAGE. .529 



would probably have gained his point. But with Iligliuk this would not do ; 

 she saw at once the absurdity of his bargain, and insisted on his immediately 

 cancelling it, which was accordingly done and no more said about it. In 

 general indeed the husband maintains his authority, and in several instances 

 of supposed bad behaviour in a wife, we saw obedience enforced in a pretty 

 summary manner. It is very rare, however, to see them proceed to this 

 extremity ; and the utmost extent of a husband's want of tenderness towards 

 his wife consists in general in making her walk or lead the dogs, while he 

 takes his own seat in the sledge and rides in comfort. Widows, as might be 

 expected, are not so well off as those whose husbands are living, and this 

 difference is especially apparent in their clothes which are usually very dirty, 

 thin, and ragged ; when indeed they happen to have no near relatives their 

 fate, as we have already seen, is still worse than this. 



I fear we caiinot give a very favourable account of the chastity of the 

 women, nor of the delicacy of their husbands in this respect. As for the 

 latter, it was not uncommon for them to offer their wives as freely for sale 

 as a knife or a jacket. Some of the young men informed us that, when two 

 of them were absent together on a sealing excursion, they often exchanged 

 wives for the time, as a matter of friendly convenience ; and indeed, without 

 mentioning any other instances of this nature, it may safely be affirmed, that 

 in no country is prostitution carried to greater lengths than among these 

 people. The behaviour of most of the women, when their husbands were 

 absent from the huts, plainly evinced their indifference towards them, and 

 their utter disregard of connubial fidelity. The departure of the men was 

 usually the signal for throwing aside restraint, which was invariably resumed 

 on their return. For this event they take care to be prcjiared by the report 

 of the children, one of whom is usually posted on the outside for the purpose 

 of giving due notice. 



The affection of parents for their children was frequently displayed by 

 these people, not only in the mere passive indulgence, and abstinence from 

 corporal punishment, for which Esquimaux have before been remarked, but 

 by a thousand playful endearments also, such as parents and nurses practise 

 in our own country. Nothing indeed can well exceed the kindness with 

 which they treat their children ; and this trait in their character deserves to 

 be the more insisted on, because it is in reality the only very amiable one 

 which they possess. It must be confessed indeed, that the gentleness and 

 docility of the children are such as to occasion their parents little trouble, and 



3 Y 



