IOO JOHN BURROUGHS 



were seen moving down to the beach. A boat was launched 

 and filled and came rapidly to the ship's side. It was made 

 of walrus skin stretched over a wooden frame and was a 

 strong, shapely craft. Its occupants also were clad in 

 skins. There were three women and nine men in the 

 boat, but one had to look very closely to tell which was 

 which. The men's crowns were shaved, leaving a heavy 

 fringe of coarse black hair around their heads. One of 

 them, probably thirty or thirty-five years of age, stood up 

 in the bow of the boat, and with his cloak of reddish-gray 

 fur, was really a handsome man. He had a thin black 

 beard and regular clear-cut features and looked as one 

 fancies an old Roman of his age might have looked. 

 They were evidently drawn to us partly by curiosity and 

 partly by the hope of gifts of tobacco and whiskey. The 

 tobacco was freely showered upon them by Mr. Harri- 

 man, and was as eagerly seized, but the whiskey was not 

 forthcoming. 



Our own boats were rapidly lowered and we were soon 

 upon Asiatic soil, gathering flowers, observing the birds, 

 and strolling about among the tents and huts of the na- 

 tives. We bought skins and curios of them or bartered 

 knives and cloth for such things as they had to dispose of. 

 They would take our silver dollars but much preferred 

 skinning knives or other useful articles. They were not 

 shy of our cameras and freely admitted us to the greasy 

 and smoky interiors of their dwellings. As the Eskimos 

 stood regarding us they would draw their hands into their 

 sleeves, after the manner of children on a cold morning. 

 Their skin costumes gave them a singular stuffed appear- 

 ance. One was reminded of grotesque dolls stuffed with 

 bran or sawdust. This effect was due in part to the awk- 

 ward cut of their garments and to the fact that the skins 

 were made up hair side in. Some of the natives showed 

 a strain of white or European blood; whalers bound for 



