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1820 . of an oblong shape, and broader at the top than at the bottom, containing a 
large mess of sea-horse flesh, with a great quantity of thick gravy. Some 
ribs of this meat were by no means bad-looking, and but for the blood mixed 
with the gravy, and the dirt which accompanied the cooking, might perhaps 
be palatable enough. I bargained with a woman for one of the stone vessels, 
giving her a brass kettle in exchange. Before she gave it into my pos- 
session, she emptied the meat into another vessel, and then, with the flap of 
her jacket, wiped out the remains of the gravy ; thus combining with what 
our notions of cleanliness incline us to consider a filthy act, an intention of 
decency and a desire to oblige us, which, however inconsistent, it was still 
pleasing to observe. Some of their vessels are made of whale-bone, in a 
circular form, one piece being bent into the proper shape for the sides, and 
another flat piece of the same material, sewn to it for a bottom, so closely as 
to make it perfectly water-tight. Their knives are made of the tusks of the 
walrus, cut or ground sufficiently thin for the purpose, and retaining the 
original curve of the tusk, so as to resemble the little swords which children 
have as toys in England. As they do not appear to have any instrument 
like a saw, great time and labour must be required in making one of these 
knives, which seem to answer most of the purposes to which they have 
occasion to apply them. 
From the description given to us by Mr. Williamson, we found that these 
were the same persons who had been seen by the Lee’s people ; but we 
had several proofs of their having had some previous communication, di- 
rectly or indirectly, with the civilized world ; such as some light blue beads, 
strung by themselves on thin leathern threads ; and an instrument for chopping, 
very much resembling a cooper’s adze, which had evidently been secured 
to a handle of bone for some time past, and of which the iron was part 
of an old file. 
The short time which we were among them, as well as the want of an 
interpreter, prevented our obtaining much of the information which would 
have been interesting, respecting the language, manners, and number of this 
tribe of Esquimaux. They call the bear, nennook ; the deer, tooktook ; and 
the hare, ookalik ; being nearly the same words as those used on the eastern 
coast of Baffin’s Bay. As it was considered a matter of some interest to ascer- 
tain whether they were acquainted with the musk-ox, a drawing of that animal 
was put before the men who were on board. The small size of it seemed, at 
first sight, to confound them ; but, as soon as a real head and horns were 
