MURDocn) PSYCHICAL CIIAKACTEKISTICS. 41 



even when practiced on themselves. '|'|i,.y aiv ucncially peiccahic 

 We (lid uotwitness a sinokMiuarrel aiiKni- Ih.' men dining the tu,, ve-irs 

 of our stay, thonjih tliey told us stoiirs of faial (|iiaiTcls in lonucr vcais 

 in whieli firearms were used. iai|Uor nia\ lia\c Ipcm ilic i-ausc di' iliesi' 



fiS'llts, as it is said to iia\e hccii of tli< ly suicide I e\cr lieaiii of 



anion};- tliem, wliieji I am inlornicd li\ ('a|it. !•;. !•;. Smiili the ulidiii"- 

 master already relencd to, oeeurivd in IS.s:, at Nuwiik. I )isai;TeefMents 

 between nuin and wife, liowever. sdmctimes lead to hli.ws. in whieli the 

 man does not always i^et tiie best of it. 



When the station was tirst establislied many of the natives be-an 

 l)ilferin.i;- from our stores, but rliey soon learned that iiv so doinu Ihfv 

 eat tliemselves otf from the privilesc of visitin.i;- tlie station ami enjoNin- 

 the oi)i)ortunity for tradin.i;- which it atfoided. and were -lad to promise 

 to refrain from the practice. This promise was verv well obsei\ed. 

 though I think wholly from feelin.i^s of self-interest, as the thieves when 

 detei'ted seemed to have no feelinj;- of shame. Some, I believe, never 

 yielded to the tem|)tatiou. There was seldom any diftieulty inobtaininu' 

 restitution of stoh-n arti(des, as the thiefs comrades wouhl not attempt 

 to shi(dd him, but often voluntarily betrayed him. They aekiiowled-vd 

 that there was eonsi(leral)le thievin-du board of the ships, but the men 

 of rtkiavwin tried to lay the blame on the Nuwrd< people, ami we may 

 sii|)iiose that the charjic was reciprocated, as was the casi' re-ardin.i; 

 the theft of the /7<>rr/'\ sails.' We also heard of occasional thefts 

 amonji- themselves, es])ecially of seals lelt <ni the ice or venison burii'd 

 in the snow, but men who were said to be thieves did not appear to lose 

 any social consideiation. 



Robbery with violence ajipears to be ludcnown. We never saw oi- 

 heard of the -bur-lar alarm" described by Or. Simjison,- which I am in 

 <;lined to believe was really a "demon trap" like that described bv 

 Lieut. May (see below, under Keli-ion). 



They are in the main truthful, thoii.nh a detecti'd lie is hardly con 



sidered m.U'e than a u: 1 Joke, and consideral)le trickery is practiced in 



tradin^r. Fi>v instance, soon alter the station was established they 

 broujiht over the carcass of a clo-, with the skin, h. 'ad, feet, and tail 

 remoNcd, and attempted to sell it for a youn,';- reindeer; and when we 

 be.nan to purchase seal oil for the lamps one woman brou.yht over a tin 

 can neaily tilled with ice, with merely a layer of oil on top. 



Clothin- anil othei' aitides made .vsiKrially for sale to us were often 

 very carelessly and hastily made, while their own thin.i;s were always 

 carefully linishe.l.^ 



Their atfection for each other, es])ecially for tlnar children, is stronJ,^ 



20|>. cit.. p. 247. 



I II Ciiit. limlny lisLs 



