Esquimaux. 213 



of the cry of " A fall ! " and the hoisting of the 

 jack, to oui' chagrin we perceived that he had 

 missed. The skipper concealed his feelings won- 

 derfully well, and went below • but strange to say, 

 the fish had not been frightened, and again rose 

 not far from Harky, who pulled up, and this time 

 got fast. The whale was soon killed and along- 

 side. It was not a very large one, but still it is 

 another fish, and gives us altogether 210 tons on 

 board. 



On arriving at the land-ice, several parties of 

 Esquimaux came down to us, and the ship has the 

 whole day been besieged by them — dirty, unkempt- 

 looking people, both men and women. They ar- 

 rived in sledges drawn by from nine to twelve dogs 

 each. 



Altogether there were seven sledges, bringing 

 about twenty-five men, women, and children. With 

 the exception of a few foxes' skins and walrus tusks 

 they had little to barter, though that did not pre- 

 vent their asking for everything they saw, and the 

 more that was given them the more they wanted. 

 I have received by no means a favourable impression 

 of these Pond's Bay natives, for from that place 

 they come. They seem to me about the lowest 

 specimens of humanity I have ever come across, not 

 excepting the Solomon Islanders. 



One man picked up the carcase of a loom that the 

 doctor had been skinning, and seemed to relish it 



