OF A NORTH-WEST PASSAGE. 



167 



troublesome ; but I had to-day to take cognizance of his stealing a nail, of which, _ ]822 - 



ir* • i • • February 



though not a very serious offence, I determined to take rather a serious notice, 



as it might otherwise lead to more extensive theft. I therefore collected all 

 the other Esquimaux who were on board, and having in their presence ex- 

 pressed great indignation at this conduct, turned the offender away in disgrace. 

 Some of those best acquainted with us were afterwards taken into the cabin, 

 where our sentiments were more fully explained to them. Among these I was 

 not sorry to have Toolooak and Iligiiuk, who would not fail to report at the 

 huts all our proceedings, but who did not appear to consider themselves in the 

 slightest degree implicated in their father's offence, or concerned in his dis- 

 grace. The people of the huts being much in want of food, we again dis- 

 tributed some bread-dust among them, taking care to send a portion to the infirm 

 old man, Hik-kei-erd, by Okotook, the husband of Iligiiuk, a fine active manly 

 fellow of about two and thirty, who, as we were pleased to find the next 

 day, had punctually executed his commission. 



On the 10th the mercury in the barometer, which had been gradually but Sun. 10. 

 very slowly falling for several days preceding, had got down to 28.78 inches, 

 which is here remarkably low. It continued so with very little variation for 

 sixteen hours, and then rose much more quickly. The wind had during this 

 interval remained constantly from the northward and westward, and generally 

 moderate, with now and then some snow falling, but we could perceive no- 

 thing in the weather that seemed to coincide with this unusual indication in 

 the barometer. 



The Esquimaux went out to endeavour to catch seals as usual, but returned 

 unsuccessful after several hours' labour. As it was now evident that their 

 own exertions were not at all times sufficient to procure them food at this 

 season, and that neither indolence nor any idea of dependence on our charity 

 induced them to relax in those exertions, it became incumbent on us care, 

 fully to attend to their wants, and by a timely and judicious application of the 

 slender resources we had set aside for their use, to prevent any absolute suf- 

 fering among them. We therefore sent out a good meal of bread-dust for 

 each individual, to be divided indue proportion among all the huts. The 

 necessity of this supply appeared very strongly from the report of our people, 

 who found some of these poor creatures actually gnawing a piece of hard 

 seal-skin with the hair on it, while few of the huts had any lamp alight. It 

 must be remembered that the failure of their seal-fishery always involves a 

 double calamity, for it not only deprives them of food, but of fuel for their 



