OF A NORTH-WEST PASSAGE. 



453 



the winding course which we made to pick up the seals left by the hunters, 

 rendered the day's journey extremely fatiguing and unpleasant, particularly 

 as we suffered a good deal from cold. After travelling about twenty miles, 

 we at length halted at thirty minutes past seven P.M. As we had nothing 

 but our blanket-bags to place between us and the ice, Erichiuk kindly fur- 

 nished us with staves procured from the ships, with which we floored the tent, 

 and passed the night much more comfortably than Ave had anticipated. The 

 encampment was formed on a small dry ridge of ice, almost the only spot 

 free from water that we had seen during the afternoon. In consequence of 

 their success, the Esquimaux passed the evening feasting on raw flesh; 

 only one or two taking the trouble to light their lamps. 



" The weather being fine on the 6th, we broke up the encampment at 

 thirty minutes past seven A.M., and travelled about fifteen miles in a N.N.E. 

 direction. The hunters of both sexes again dispersing themselves, many 

 seals were killed merely for their skins, and the carcasses left on the ice, 

 after being deprived of the entrails, of which the Esquimaux seemed parti- 

 cularly fond. At seven P.M. we landed on the north shore, and pitched our 

 tent on a rocky point in the midst of the Esquimaux encampment. The 

 women brought us some roots of the potentilla pukhella, which they had 

 pulled whilst collecting dwarf-willow for their fires, and which had a 

 pleasant flavour, resembling liquorice, but not so sweet. They seemed 

 fond of it, and had brought in a considerable quantity, which they ate 

 without cleansing from the soil. Nearly all the women had large kettles' 

 full of seals' flesh boiling outside of the tents ; when it was ready the 

 master of the tent announced it by three loud shouts, to collect the rest of 

 the men to partake of it. They had scarcely finished one before another was 

 ready, to which they were again summoned ; and in this manner they kept up 

 the feast until a late hour. 



" On the 7th the weather was gloomy with light rain occasionally. The 

 Esquimaux remained at home all day, most of them being laid up with snow- 

 blindness. No intelligence could be gained relative to their future movements ; 

 the women, who are always the most communicative, seemed to kno w nothing ; 

 and the men were either heedless of our inquiries, or very unsatisfactory in 

 their answers. The land gradually rose behind our tents to hills of considerable 

 height, well clothed with herbage, and seeming likely to afford game ; but 

 after a long walk we saw only a few deer-tracks, two grouse, and some ducks, 

 all so wild that it was impossible to get near them. From the top of a 



