NORTHERN OCEAN 181 



they began firing at them from the West side. The poor 1771. 

 Esquimaux on the opposite shore, though all up in arms, did-*"^' 

 not attempt to abandon their tents ; and they were so un- 

 acquainted with the nature of fire-arms, that when the bullets 

 struck the ground, they ran in crowds to see what was sent 

 them, and seemed anxious to examine all the pieces of lead 

 which they found flattened against the rocks. At length one 

 of the Esquimaux men was shot in the calf of his leg, which 

 put them in great confusion. They all immediately embarked 

 in their little canoes, and paddled to a shoal in the middle of 

 the river, which being somewhat more than a gunshot from 

 any part of the shore, put them out of the reach of our 

 barbarians. 



When the savages discovered that the surviving Esquimaux 

 had gained the shore above mentioned, the Northern Indians 

 began to plunder the tents of the deceased of all the copper 

 utensils they could find ; such as hatchets, bayonets, knives, 

 &c. after which they assembled on the top of an adjacent high 

 hill, and standing all in a cluster, so as to form a solid circle, 

 with their spears erect in the air, gave many shouts of victory, 

 constantly clashing their spears against each other, and fre- 

 quently calling out tima! tima!* by way of derision to the poor 

 surviving [157] Esquimaux, who were standing on the shoal 

 almost knee-deep in water. After parading the hill for some 

 time, it was agreed to return up the river to the place where 

 we had left our canoes and baggage, which was about half a 

 mile distant, and then to cross the river again and plunder 

 the seven tents on the East side. This resolution was im- 

 mediately put in force ; and as ferrying across with only three 

 or four canoes f took a considerable time, and as we were, from 



* Tiiiia in the Esquimaux language is a friendly word similar to what 

 cheer ? 



t When the fifteen Indians turned back at the Stony Mountains, they took 

 two or three canoes with them ; some of our crew that were sent ahead as 

 messengers had not yet returned, which occasioned the number of our canoes 

 to be so small. 



