216 



SECOND VOYAGE FOR THE DISCOVERY 



:■ offered to go to the huts for the purpose of bringing him on board, where, 

 v by Mr. Edwards's kind attentions, and the enjoyment of warmth and 

 dryness, we hoped soon to recover him. Mr. Bushnan therefore without 

 waiting for the return of the sledges set out for the village at an early hour 

 in the forenoon, accompanied by the serjeant of marines. At eleven at night 

 our party returned on board, bringing on a sledge Okotook, Iligliuk, and 

 their son. That Iligliuk would accompany her husband I of course took for 

 granted and wished ; but as the boy could do us no good, and was moreover 

 a desperate eater, I had desired Mr. Bushnan to try whether a slight objec- 

 tion to his being of the party would induce Okotook to leave him with his 

 other relations. This he had cautiously done ; but the instant the proposal 

 was made, Okotook, without any remark, began to take off the clothes he 

 had himself just dressed in to set out. No further objection being made, 

 however, he again prepared for the journey, Iligliuk assisting him with 

 the most attentive solicitude. Before the invalid was suffered to leave 

 his apartment, some of the by-standers sent for Ewerat, now better known 

 to our people by the undignified appellation of "the Conjuror." Ewerat, 

 on this occasion, maintained a degree of gravity and reserve calculated to 

 inspire somewhat more respect than we had hitherto been disposed to 

 entertain for him in that capacity. Placing himself at the door of the 

 apartment opposite Okotook, who was still seated on the bed, he held 

 both his thumbs in his mouth, keeping up a silent but solemn converse with 

 his toorngow*, the object of which was, as Mr. Bushnan presently afterwards 

 found, to inquire into the efficacy and propriety of the sick man's removal. 

 , Presently he began to utter a variety of confused and inarticulate sounds ; 

 and it being at length understood that a favourable answer had been given, 

 Okotook was carried out and placed on the sledge, Ewerat still mumbling 

 his thumbs ^md muttering his incantations as before. When the party took 

 their leave, there were a great many doleful faces among those that remained 

 behind ; and Mr. Bushnan said that the whole scene more resembled the 

 preparations for a funeral than the mere removal of a sick man. When the 

 sledge moved on, Ewerat was the only one who had not a " Good-bye !" 

 ready, he being as seriously engaged as at first, and continuing so as long as 

 our people could observe him. 



Okotook was extremely ill on his arrival, having been three hours on the 



* Familiar spirit. 



