114 G. Holm. 



gifts themselves, Ukutiak came and begged us for several things he 

 wanted, without having the means to pay us. By dint of questioning, 

 I managed to elicit from him the information that the reason why 

 unlike the others, he asked for gifts, was because 'he did not like 

 to do as they did and steal from me when he had not the where- 

 withal to pay me'. 



The following will serve as another example of their cleverness: — 

 Alusagak was not quite satisfied with the form of the knives which 

 we brought with us for bartering, and so one day he came to us 

 with a bone model of a knife in natural size. As he gave it me, he 

 said that when Kavdlunaks came up there again, they should bring 

 knives with the form represented by the model. Scissors were 

 unknown to the natives before our arrival, but they were not slow 

 to realise their use. Desiring to obtain possession of one of our 

 scissors, a man carved an excellent pair of scissors in bone, and 

 brought it to us to have it exchanged for a pair of scissors made 

 of iron; he did this because the natives were accustomed to my 

 giving them, in exchange for their knives, tools and clothes etc., 

 similar things of European make. 



When Hanserak held divine service, the natives generally listened 

 in mute astonishment, and many of them could be seen wùtli their 

 eyes opened wide with wonder; but I do not believe that they 

 understood a word of it, at any rate not at first, when the West- 

 Greenlandic language was quite strange to them. An old man who 

 had been following Hanserak's address with the greatest interest 

 and attention, complaicently informed us, in reply to our question, 

 that he understood 'some of the words'. There were, however, 

 several old men who were always very eager to hear Hanserak 

 preach. But when he spoke to them personally, they one and all tried 

 to get at the meaning of his words by dint of perpetual questions. 



They were no doubt often quite sincere when they assured him 

 that they were eager to hear about God and be baptized, but that 

 the way to the West coast was too long for them. 



They earnestly entreated therefore that teachers might be sent 

 to them up there, just as our Expedition had come. Of course it 

 was often the prospect of obtaining tobacco that formed the under- 

 lying motive for this request. 



The following little incident from Hanserak's diary deserves to 

 be quoted, as being rather characteristic: — An angakok with whom 

 Hanserak had earnestly pleaded, declared that he realized his 

 ignorance, believed in our Lord, and had a great desire to be bap- 

 tized. When Hanserak impressed upon him that, if he believed, he 

 must leave oil" heathen i)iactices and angakok arts, the heathen 



