450 THE FRANKLIN SEARCH— 184:8-51. 



" As we pulled to the eastward we saw four more oomiaks full of people, 

 and two large camps or villages, one on a point abreast of us, the other, and , 

 the largest, on the first point westward of Point Beechey. Although the 

 weather was calm, there was every appearance of a change, as we could see 

 heavy clouds banking up to the north-east, and this made me very desirous of 

 getting out of the vicinity of such a number of strapping looking fellows as 

 were now about us. There were five oomiaks ; in one I counted twenty-three 

 people, two of whom were women. None of the others contained less than 

 sixteen, and they all seemed very desirous to get alongside of us, shouting 

 and talking as if displeased at our keeping such close order, and such a sharp 

 look-out on their every movement. 



" We passed very close to the large camp, and the oomiaks followed us a 

 short distance beyond it, when, finding none of their persuasions would 

 induce us to land, they turned back, and, I hoped, had left us for good. It 

 was now one o'clock on the morning of the 12th, and we had a good breeze 

 from north-east, which by two a.m. had so much increased, and the sea with it, 

 that we were driven to the shore and landed on a very shallow flat beach 

 half-a-mile west of Point Beechey. "We had not been long here when the 

 natives came to us in numbers, walking along the shore from the large camp, 

 which was about two miles distant, and from which they must have evidently 

 watched us. I should say there were not less than eighty men and women, 

 among whom was the chief mentioned above, with his musket carried by his 

 wife, as well as the man who tried to steal the shovel at Point Berens. I 

 judged from the pertinacity which this man evinced in following us, that it 

 was his intention to make another attempt to steal something, or perhaps 

 attack us ; but although I felt perfectly at ease, seeing no arms among them 

 except their knives, I had everything ready to embark at a moment's notice, 

 and Mr Hooper's double-barrel, as well as my own, was always loaded and 

 at hand. 



" A boundary line was drawn, and all were seated quietly on their proper 

 side, preparatory to a distribution of presents, when the chief stepped 

 towards us with his musket, making earnest demands for powder, a request 

 I would not comply with, and accordingly motioned him off. As soon as he 

 found he could not succeed, he gave his gun to his wife, walked a few paces 

 towards a projection in the bank, picked up something there secreted, which 

 we soon discovered to be his bow and arrows, and returned, and at the same 

 time all the men in the company acted in a similar manner. This I con- 

 sidered as almost a declaration of war, and therefore ordered the breakfast 

 (which was preparing) into the boat, and the ' Logan ' and ' Supply ' to shove 

 off into deep water — Mr Hooper, the two marines, and myself, keeping a sharp 

 look-out with musket in hand, while they were about it. The chief now 

 tried very hard to get on the bank — rather above us — but that we prevented. 



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