114 



ARCTIC RESEARCH EXPEDITION. 



at Nu-gum-mi-uke (a bay that I named after Cyrus W. Field, one 

 of the promoters of my expedition). The harbor we entered was 

 hard to find, but it was thought to be perfectly safe. Soon after- 

 ward the ship and her crew made ready for whaliDg ; but for my- 

 self, I determined upon mixing unreservedly with the natives, 

 and for this purpose tried to secure Ugarng as a guide and com- 

 panion. I presented him with a beautiful ivory-handled knife, 

 given to me by " Wayne & Son," of Cincinnati, hoping this would 

 lead to good results. He was much pleased with it, and said, in 

 his own tongue, kuoy-en-na-mik (I thank you). 



Ugarng's wives were really good-looking, and capital workers, 

 chewing more seal, reindeer, and walrus skins for boots and mit- 

 tens than any other women of the country. This chewing proc- 

 ess will be described at another time; but I may here observe 

 that it is one of the principal modes of making the skins pliable, 

 and changing them into any desired form. It is a labor always 

 performed by females, never by men. The Innuit women also 

 washed clothes, and soon became so proficient that they could do 

 them as well as Americans. One morning I gave my clothes to 

 be washed by a woman called Nulcertou, and by the evening she 

 returned the articles to me completed and in good order. Ugarng 

 gave me an excellent pair of native boots, made by one of his 

 wives, and, in return, I presented her with some brass rings, which 

 the women greatly prize for doing up the hair. 



Wishing to visit some of the innumerable islands that lay scat- 

 tered about the bay, and also place my dogs on some place best 

 suited for them, where the remains of a whale were found, I took 

 three Esquimaux boys and little Kimmiloo in the boat with me 

 to pull. I accomplished my errand, and, on the return, much en- 

 joyed the sight of my crew, including the girl (all fresh types of 

 the Iron race of the North), smoking with pipe in their mouth, 

 and, at the same time, pulling heartily at the oars ! 



On Monday, August 20th, after tea, the captain, myself, Smith, 

 Sterry, Morgan, and Bailey took a boat, and went out a ducking. 

 The wind was blowing fresh from the northwest, therefore we beat 

 to windward. On the way we killed five ducks — a sport that was 

 exciting enough, though not remunerative, five or six shot hav- 

 ing to be expended in killing one duck. While tacking, I lost 

 my venerable hat — the one I punctured with a pike when rais- 

 ing it high in the air on top of the first iceberg I visited. 



On the 21st of August, at 7 A.M., the Rescue was got under 



