NORTHERN OCEAN 189 



would have formed a much deeper and stronger current than I 1771. 

 discovered, and occasioned an annual deluge at the breaking-^" ^" 

 up of the ice in the Spring, of which there was not the least 

 appearance, except at Bloody Fall, where the river was con- 

 tracted to the breadth of about twenty yards. It was at the 

 foot of this fall that my Indians killed the Esquimaux ; which 

 was the reason why I distinguished it by that appellation. From 

 this fall, which is about eight miles from the sea-side, there 

 are very few hills, and those not high. The land between 

 them is a stiff loam and clay, which, in some parts, produces 

 patches of pretty good grass, and in others tallish dwarf 

 willows : at the foot of the hills also there is plenty of fine 

 scurvy-grass. 



The Esquimaux at this river are but low in stature, none 

 exceeding the middle size, and though broad set, are neither 

 well-made nor strong bodied. Their complexion is of a dirty 

 copper colour ; some of the women, however, are more fair 

 and ruddy. Their dress much resembles that of the Green- 

 landers in Davis's Straits, except the women's boots, which are 

 not stiffened out with whalebone, and the tails of their jackets 

 are not more than a foot long. 



Their arms and fishing-tackle are bows and arrows, spears, 

 lances, darts, &c. which exactly resemble those made use of by 

 the Esquimaux in Hudson's Straits, and [167] which have been 

 well described by Crantz * ; but, for want of good edge-tools, 

 are far inferior to them in workmanship. Their arrows are 

 either shod with a triangular piece of black stone, like slate, 

 or a piece of copper ; but most commonly the former. 



The body of their canoes is on the same construction 

 as that of the other Esquimaux, and there is no unnecessary 

 prow-projection beyond the body of the vessel ; these, like 

 their arms and other utensils, are, for the want of better tools, 

 by no means so neat as those I have seen in Hudson's Bay and 



* See Hist, of Greenland, vol. i. pp. 132-156. 



