56 CAPTAIN CART WRIGHT'S 



are now cucumbers, mustard, cresses, and onions 

 coming up. 



A fine day, and at noon the mercury stood at 5°. 



Monday, December 17, 1770. I employed all the 

 men near the house to-day. In the evening the 

 three Indian men came here ; and, from the effects 

 of some liquor, were exceedingly noisy and troub- 

 lesome. I had a sallad at dinner; which I may 

 venture to affirm, was the first ever cut upon this 

 coast in the month of December. 



Continual snow all day. 



Wednes., Decemher 19, 1770. The Indians, hav- 

 ing been to Seal Island with their sled, brought a 

 couple of seals' carcasses for my dogs; some seal- 

 skins; a bottle of seal's oil, and some other things 

 I had left there. 



As the construction of an Esquimaux sled ^ dif- 

 fers so widely, and is, I think, so much superior 

 to all others which have yet come to my knowl- 

 edge; a particular description may not be un- 

 worthy of notice : It is made of two spruce planks, 

 each twenty-one feet long, fourteen inches broad, 

 and two inches thick, which are hcAvn out of sep- 

 arate trees (because they are not acquainted with 

 the use of the pitsaw.) They are placed collater- 

 ally with their upper edges at a distance of about 

 a foot asunder; but the under edges are somewhat 

 more, and secured in that position by a batten, 

 two inches square, which is placed close under the 

 upper edges. The fore ends are sloped off from 

 the bottom upwards, that they may rise over any 



* Komatik. 



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