352 



A JOURNEY TO THE SHORES 



the rest, He was much terrified when Augustus advanced, and 

 probably expected immediate death ; but that the fatal blow might 

 not be unrevenged, he seized his spear, and made a thrust with 

 it at his supposed enemy. Augustus, however, easily repressed 

 his feeble effort, and soon calmed his fears by presenting him with 

 some pieces of iron, and assuring him of his friendly intentions. 

 Dr. Eichardson and I then joined them, and, after receiving our 

 presents, the old man was quite composed, and became communi- 

 cative. His dialect differed from that used by Augustus, but they 

 understood each other tolerably well. 



It appeared that his party consisted of eight men and their fa- 

 milies, who were returning from a hunting excursion with dried 

 meat. After being told who we were, he said, that he had heard 

 of white people from different parties of his nation which resided on 

 the sea-coast to the eastward ; and to our inquiries respecting the 

 provision and fuel we might expect to get on our voyage, he in- 

 formed us that the rein-deer frequent the coast during summer, 

 the fish are plentiful at the mouths of the rivers, the seals are 

 abundant, but there are no sea-horses nor whales, although he re- 

 membered one of the latter, which had been killed by some distant 

 tribe, having been driven on shore on his part of the coast by a 

 gale of wind. That musk oxen were to be found a little distance 

 up the rivers, and that we should find drift wood along the shore. 

 He had no knowledge of the coast to the eastward beyond the next 

 river, which he called Nappa-arktok-towock, or Tree Eiver. The 

 old man, contrary to the Indian practice, asked each of our names ; 

 and, in reply to a similar question on our part, said his was Terre- 

 ganceuck, or the White Fox ; and that his tribe denominated 

 themselves Nagge-ook-tor-mceoot, or Deer Horn Esquimaux. 

 They usually frequent the Bloody Fall during this and the follow- 

 ing moons, for the purpose of salting salmon, and then retire to a 

 river which flows into the sea, a short way to the westward, (since 



