DEATH OF SHAEKEY'S WIFE. 



463 



CHAPTER XXX. 



Sick Mam-ma-yat-che-ung immured in a living Tomb ! — The dying Woman lingers 

 for Weeks, almost starving. — The Aurora Borealis. — A magnificent Display. — 

 Strange Custom relating to new Mothers. — Nukertou's Grave. — More singular 

 Customs. — A Talk with the Dead. — Presents to the Departed. — Life in the Win- 

 ter. — Theatricals on Board. — Henry Smith, the "Negress." — Consternation of 

 some of the Innuits on seeing a black Face. — Another Excursion. — A Winter 

 Sledge-journey. — Old Mother Petato. — Novel Mode of warming the Feet. — More 

 traditionary Statements. — A great Feast. — Frozen Deer. — Deer's Paunch con- 

 sidered delicious Food. — Return to the Ship. — Visit Tikkoon. — Tradition of a 

 Ship built and masted. 



I begin this chapter with the sketch from my diary of a sad 

 scene which passed under my observation : 



" October 28$, 1861. This morning, or during the night, i Mam- 

 ma-yat-che-ung 'Mary,' the wife of ' Sharkey,' died. This Innuit 

 woman has long been an invalid. Her disease was consumption, 

 one that is carrying off more Innuits than all other diseases to- 

 gether. Some months ago it was thought she could not survive 

 long ; the Innuits gave her up, I may add, as one dead. Her 

 wing-a — husband — Sharkey, though all his previous conduct was 

 kind to her, gave her up as dead. A tupic was made, and into it 

 Mary was removed; it was her living tomb! Sharkey took to 

 himself another wife. For weeks and weeks Mary lived help- 

 less and almost starving. Occasionally some few of the Innuits 

 would carry this dying woman morsels of seal, duck, or walrus. 

 Of course, all that was valuable or convenient for Mary's com- 

 fort was taken away when the Innuits carried her to the ' house 

 of her death,' for it is their custom to leave every thing in the 

 tupic or igloo where one of their number dies as unfit to be touch- 

 ed ever after. Mary must have died during the night, for when 

 Suzhi called this morning at the tupic with cooked meituk — duck 

 — sent her by Tookoolito, no answer was made, and, on looking 

 in, Suzhi saw that she was dead. Innuit custom will not permit 

 one of that people to enter the place of the dead under such cir- 

 cumstances. One of the Innuits came over to the vessel and an- 

 nounced the death of Mary, and Captain B , with one of the 



ship's men, went over to bury her. The captain looked in, and 



