SECOND VOYAGE OF DISCOVERY. 



203 



endure the wretchedness which such a scene exhibits. This was now the J^22. 

 case at the village where, though the remaining tenants of each hut had com- 

 bined to occupy one of the apartments, a great part of the bed-places were 

 still bare and the wind and drift blowing in through the holes which they 

 had not yet taken the trouble to stop up. The old man Hikkeiera and his 

 wife occupied a hut by themselves, without any lamp or a single ounce 

 of meat belonging to them ; while three small skins on which the former was 

 lying, were all that they possessed in the way of blankets. Upon the whole, 

 I never beheld a more miserable spectacle, and it seemed a charity to hope 

 that a violent and constant cough with which the old man was afflicted would 

 speedily combine with his age and infirmities to release him from his present 

 sufferings. Yet in the midst of all this he was even cheerful, nor was there 

 a gloomy countenance to be seen at the village. Almost all the men were 

 out ; and some of them had been led so far to sea upon the' floating and 

 detached masses of ice in pursuit of walruses, that Captain Lyon, who 

 observed their situation from the ships, had it in contemplation, in the course 

 of the evening, to launch one of the small boats to go to their assistance. 

 They seemed however to entertain no apprehensions themselves, from a 

 confidence perhaps that the south-east wind might be depended upon 

 for keeping the ice close home upon the shore. It is certain, notwith- 

 standing, that no degree of precaution, nor any knowledge of the winds and 

 tides, can render this otherwise than a most perilous mode of obtaining sub- 

 sistence ; and it was impossible therefore not to admire the fearlessness as 

 well as dexterity with which the Esquimaux invariably pursued it. 



Having distributed some bread-dust among the women, we told old 

 Illumea and her daughter Togolat that we proposed taking up our lodging 

 in their hut for the night. It is a remarkable trait in the character of these 

 people, that they always thank you heartily for this, as well as for eating 

 any of their meat ; but both board and lodging may be given to them 

 without receiving the slightest acknowledgment either in word or deed. As 

 it was late before the men returned, I asked Togolat to get the rest of the 

 women to perform some of their games, with the hope of seeing something 

 that was new. I had scarcely time to make the proposal when she darted out 

 of the hut, and quickly brought every female that was left at the village, not 

 excepting even the oldest of them, who joined in the performance with the 

 same alacrity as the rest. I could however only persuade them to go through 

 a tedious song we had often before heard, which was now indeed somewhat 



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