A HOSTILE RECEPTION. 305 



ease, was once more able to join his neighbours, and take his turn of duty 

 at the seal-fishing. The skill of the ship's carpenter in thus providing a sub- 

 stitute for the natural limb, gave the greatest satisfaction and delight to the 

 whole tribe. One man, who had a slight sore on his leg, came to Ross and 

 begged to be furnished, like Tulluahui, with a wooden one. " I have no 

 objection," said Ross, "on condition that you first have your own leg cut 

 off"." The Eskimo never repeated his request. 



During the spring of 1830 Commander Ross, Captain Ross's nephew and 

 first officer, made a number of journeys from Felix Harbour — the name given 

 to the inlet in which the "Victory" was frozen up — for the purpose of 

 exploring the surrounding country. The third of these expeditions was 

 undertaken for the purpose of visiting a place considerably to the north of 

 Felix Harbour, at which point, according to the Eskimos, the land trended 

 . away to the north-west. This, it was reported, was the route to the western 

 Arctic Ocean, to reach which was one of the chief aims of the explorers. On 

 the 27th April Commander Ross, accompanied by the surgeon, and by 

 Abernethy, the mate, set out with their dog-sledge to reach the Eskimo village, 

 where, it had been arranged, they were to procure a guide. Their arrival 

 at the huts was not hailed with the cheerful shouts with which they had 

 been greeted on all former occasions ; and they were surprised to find that 

 all the women and children had been sent out of the way. Soon the men 

 swarmed out from the huts; and young Ross was astonished to observe 

 that all the men were armed with their knives. " It was the noise of our 

 dogs," says Ross, " that gave them notice of our arrival ; and as soon as this 

 was heard, one of them rushed out of a hut, brandishing the large knife used 

 in attacking bears, while the tears were streaming down his aged and fur- 

 rowed face, which was turning wildly round in search of the objects of his 

 animosity. In an instant he lifted his arm to throw his weapon at myself 

 and the surgeon, who were then within a few yards of him. But the sun 

 dazzling him, caused him to suspend his arm for an instant, when one of his 

 sons laid hold of his uplifted hand, and gave us a moment's time for reflec- 

 tion." Ross retired to the sledge, where he had left his gun. The old 

 Eskimo, Pow-weet-yah, struggled to free himself; and a number of the 

 natives made a detour so as to surround the EngUshmen. Gradually they 

 closed in, brandishing their weapons, and had arrived close upon the sledge, 

 when Ross raised his gun to his shoulder, upon which the Eskimos beat an 

 instantaneous and rapid retreat. The Englishmen could not even guess at 

 the reason for this hostile reception, until one of the women, calling on the 

 explorers not to fire, advanced towards them, and explained the meaning of 

 the warlike demonstration. She stated that one of Pow-weet-yah's adopted 

 sons, a fine boy of seven or eight years of age, had been killed on the pre- 

 ceding night by the falling of a stone on his head. This fatal accident the 

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