232 BARTEE WITH NATIVES. Chap. XII. 



fore landed, and they built us a commodious 

 snow hut in half an hour ; this done, we dis- 

 played to them our articles for barter — knives, 

 files, needles, scissors, beads, &c. — expressed 

 our desire to trade with them, and promised 

 to purchase everything which belonged to the 

 starved white men, if they would come to us on 

 the morrow. Notwithstanding that the weather 

 was now stormy and bitterly cold, two of the 

 natives stripped off their outer coats of reindeer 

 skin and bartered them for a knife each. 



Despite the gale which howled outside, we 

 spent a comfortable night in our roomy hut. 



Next morning the entire village population 

 arrived, amounting to about forty-five souls, 

 from aged people to infants in arms, and barter- 

 ing commenced very briskly. First of all we 

 purchased all the relics of the lost expedition, 

 consisting of six silver spoons and forks, a 

 silver medal, the property of Mr. A. M'Donald, 

 assistant surgeon, part of a gold chain, several 

 buttons, and knives made of the iron and 

 wood of the wreck, also bows and arrows con- 

 structed of materials obtained from the same 

 source. Having secured these, we purchased 

 a few frozen salmon, some seals' blubber and 

 venison, but could not prevail upon them to 

 part with more than one of their fine dogs. 



