250 TREATMENT OF CHILDREN AND AGED PERSONS. 



as the adopted takes the place of a real child, and performs his 

 duties towards his benefactors as if for his own parents. Grief is 

 sometimes made the excuse for violence, but it is also assuaged in a 

 nobler manner by adopting the children of the deceased ; or a 

 stranger's orphan, to whom the name of the lost one is given. In 

 this manner O-mig-a-loon, the principal man at Point Barrow, the 

 same who followed and annoyed Captain Pullen at Point Berens, 

 adopted an Indian infant which fell into his hands by accident 

 while grieving for his father, then recently dead, whose name the 

 youth now bears. We have never heard of the sick or aged being 

 left to perish, though at Icy Cape we saw a woman lying dead, 

 in a hut, who had been subject to bad treatment, as evidenced by 

 the bruises on her face. Within her reach were placed food and 

 water, which we are willing to look upon as proofs that it was not 

 intended she should die of starvation. One instance of infanticide 

 came within our knowledge during the last winter ; but a child, 

 they say, is only destroyed when afflicted with disease of a fatal 

 tendency, or, in scarce seasons, when one or both parents die. In 

 the case alluded to both these conditions were present. They state 

 that children are rarely put to death at Nu-wuk, though frequently 

 in the inland regions ; as if by pointing out its greater frequency 

 there they palliated the crime among themselves. 



Having but little food of a nature adapted to supply the place of 

 milk, it is no unusual thing to see a boy of four or five years old 

 take the breast ; and the indulgence with which children are 

 treated is attributable in some degree to the difficulty in rearing 

 them. We have seen a child of four years old demand a chew of 

 tobacco from his father, and, not receiving it immediately, strike 

 him a severe blow on the face with a piece of wood, without giving 

 offence. It is not improbable that such indulgence should have a 

 permanent effect on the temper and character of the people. The 

 children fight with and bully each other in their play, but among 

 the grown-up men or women we have never seen anything approach- 

 ing a quarrel ; and, as a general rule, they are particularly careful 

 not to say anything displeasing in each other's presence. If a man 

 gets angry or out of temper, the others, even his nearest friends, 

 keep out of his way, trusting to his recovery in a short time. 

 Whenever we have met them at a distance from the ship in small 

 parties, they have proved tractable and willing to assist when re- 

 quired ; but when the numbers were large they were mischievous 

 bullies, threatened to use their knives on the slightest provocation, 

 and, instead of giving assistance, would rather throw impediments 

 in our way. We hardly think them likely to commit wanton cruelty, 



