184 



ARCTIC RESEARCH EXPEDITION. 



out in all directions seal-hunting, but with such slight success that 

 several of them departed for other quarters, where they hoped 

 seals would be more abundant. Among these were Ugarng and 

 his family. They started for Cornelius Grinnell Bay, but, before 

 leaving, a few cakes of hard bread were given them, that the party 

 might have something to fall back upon in case of success not fol- 

 lowing immediately. 



It was not long, however, before Ugarng returned very sick. 

 He left in the morning, and arrived at the ship about 4 P.M., 

 thus making a rapid journey on his sledge of about forty miles. 

 Two days afterward, having received extra aid and medicine, he 

 once more started, and, as will be presently related, when I made 

 an excursion to where he had gone, I found him busily engaged 

 sealing. 



Among the other incidents to be mentioned as occurring about 

 this period of my narrative, I must not forget to say that Christ- 

 mas and New Year's Day were celebrated by us in our winter 

 quarters with all the honors it was in our power to show. A 

 few of the natives were on board to dine on Christmas Day, and I 

 . took the opportunity to give Tookoolito a Bible that had been 

 placed in my hands by the Young Men's Christian Union of Cin- 

 cinnati, and which I thought could not be devoted to a better pur- 

 pose. I inscribed upon it the following : 



" Presented to Tookoolito, Tuesday, December 25^,1860." 



Her first act was to read the title, "Holy Bible," then to try and 

 read some of its pages, which she still longs to understand. 



The new year of 1861 was welcomed by me at its very earliest 

 commencement, having been up throughout the night. The pre- 

 vious evening I had been paying visits on shore among the na- 

 tives, and at 1 A.M. of the first day of January I was engaged 

 in writing, in the midst of the sleeping forms of Esquimaux made 

 warm and happy for the night in our main cabin. Paulooyer 

 (Blind George) and his little girl, Kookooyer, were there, well 

 wrapped up, and Kimmiloo, in my sleeping bag, was asleep on a 

 sea-chest. Koojesse and his wife Tunukderlien were in my berth, 

 and two other Esquimaux were on the cabin floor. Ebierbing 

 and Tookoolito were on shore in their own igloo, and it was to 

 them that, at half past 5 A.M., I made my first New Year's 

 "call." Yarious other "calls" were made, all with a view to 

 some beneficial result, and, if possible, to do the poor people good 



