OF A NORTH-WEST PASSAGE. 



541 



not unlike our H skip-rope." This is performed by two women holding the 

 ends of a line and whirling it regularly round and round, while a third 

 jumps over it in the middle according to the following order. She com- 

 mences by jumping twice on both feet, then alternately with the right and 

 left, and next four times Avith the feet slipped one behind the other, the rope 

 passing once round at each jump. After this she performs a circle on the 

 ground, jumping about half-a-dozen times in the course of it, which bring- 

 ing her to her original position, the same thing is repeated as often as it can 

 be done without entangling the line. One or two of the women performed 

 this with considerable agility and adroitness, considering the clumsiness of 

 their boots and jackets, and seemed to pride themselves in some degree on 

 the qualification. A second kind of this game consists in two women hold- 

 ing a long rope by its ends and whirling it round in such a manner, over the 

 heads of two others standing close together near the middle of the bight, 

 that each of these shall jump over it alternately. The art therefore, which 

 is indeed considerable, depends more on those whirling the rope than on the 

 jumpers, who are, however, obliged to keep exact time in order to be ready 

 for the rope passing under their feet. 



The whole of these people, but especially the women, are fond of music 

 both vocal and instrumental. Some of them might be said to be passionately 

 so, removing their hair from off their ears and bending their heads forward 

 as if to catch the sounds more distinctly, whenever we amused them in this 

 manner. Their own music is entirely vocal, unless indeed the drum or tam- 

 bourine before mentioned be considered an exception. 



The voices Of the women are soft and feminine, and when singing with 

 the men are pitched an octave higher than theirs. They have most of them 

 so far good ears, that, in whatever key a song is commenced by one of 

 them, the rest will always join in perfect unison. After singing for ten 

 minutes the key had usually fallen a full semi-tone. Only two of them, of 

 whom lligluik was one, could catch the tune as pitched by an instrument ; 

 which made it difficult with most of them to complete the writing of the 

 notes, for if they once left off they were sure to re-commence in some 

 other key, though a flute or violin was playing at the time. 



There is not in any of their soilgs much variety, compass, or melody. In 

 the following specimens therefore which, in conjunction with Mr. Hender- 

 son, I wrote down from their singing, I can only promise that the notes 

 are correctly given, and that I have done my best to put them into the time 



