166 



ARCTIC RESEARCH EXPEDITION. 



on turning round, perceived poor 1 Blind George.' I went to him, 

 and found that he was in great trouble. He tried to tell me all 

 his grief, but with difficulty could he give utterance to his words. 

 'Ugarng,' said he, 'Ugarng home to-day? My pickaninny away 

 go. Mitter Hall, speak-um, my pickaninny — speak-um, my pick- 

 aninny here.' 



" The fact was that, as already stated, Ugarng had got his child, 

 and the poor blind man wanted her to be with him for a while. 

 I therefore spoke to Ugarng, and often afterward little Kookoo- 

 yer was seen by her father's side. 



" While in the village I called at another tent, and was treated 

 to a liberal piece of ' black skin' after it had been well cleansed 

 of foreign substances by the free application of a lady's tongue !" 



On November 10th I again visited the shore, accompanying 

 the water-boat. "We found the lakelet frozen over, and that our 

 ice-axe by mistake had been left on board. This would have 

 proved a great annoyance to us had not one of the Esquimaux 

 (Charley) brought his seal-spear to our aid, and speedily opened a 

 good-sized " well-hole." In helping to carry the water, I fell into 

 line with the natives, joining them in their mirthfulness of heart 

 as they went along. As we passed the tupics, every woman and 

 child gave a joyous smile and kindly word to the stranger. It 

 was on this occasion, after I had been about two hours on shore, 

 that I noticed something unusual had occurred. An excited 

 crowd of natives were rapidly gathering round a young man who 

 appeared to be frantically addressing them. Whatever his object, 

 I soon perceived that he contrived to greatly affect his hearers. 

 One moment he made them like infuriated demons ; at another, 

 they were melted to tears. Now they were clenching their fists 

 and gesticulating in a maddened way ; presently they were calm 

 and full of joyful repose. It was astonishing the hold he had 

 over the people around him. So complete was this power that a 

 simple motion with the tip of his finger would be followed by de- 

 monstrative movements on the part of the audience. An Esqui- 

 maux might be quietly enjoying a smoke, when a word from the 

 orator would bring the pipe from the smoker's mouth to the 

 speaker's pouch, or into the man's own pocket, just as directed. 



I soon ascertained that the orator was an angeko, or wizard- 

 man, and that his name was Ming-u-mai-lo. Though young, he 

 was very much credited by the whole population of that and the 

 neighboring village. As I approached, his eye soon caught mine, 



