266 
LAST VOYAGE OF CAPT. ROSS, 
seeing a violin suspended in a corner of the cabin, she appeared 
almost instinctively to know its use, and gave them to know by 
signs, that she should like to hear the sound of it; a few chords 
were struck upon it, and as if bitten by a tarantula, she began 
immediately to dance, but stopped, as soon as the music ceased. 
Commander Ross now asked her to favour them with a song, 
but like certain other accomplished singers, she required a great 
deal of pressing before she would grant the request; and she also 
resembled certain singers in another particular, for having once 
began to sing, there was no such a thing as stopping her. Her 
song was like our Chevy-chase, with a few of the longest of the 
Percy ballads following in succession; or she was like the indi¬ 
vidual, w ho really could not sing, although his companions were 
in their own minds convinced to the contrary, and therefore so 
importuned the unfortunate wight with their entreaties, that to 
be revenged upon them for their obstinacy, he selected the two 
lines: 
I was there all the while, 
At the siege of Kelleisle. 
and with some slight modulation of the voice, continued to chant 
them for above half an hour, until he drove the major part of his 
audience out of the room, considering that the fellow was de¬ 
cidedly mad. Fortunately however for the ears of Capt. Ross, ji 
and those of the remainder of the audience, this Catalani of the 
Esquimaux got to the end of her bravura, and Commander Ross 
made up his mind, that if Okkaru ever visited the ship again, 
never to invite her to sing. 
But the superior intelligence of this extraordinary woman, 
was perhaps the most conspicuous in the readiness, with which 
she was made to comprehend the manner of laying down on 
paper, the geographical outline of that part of the coast of 
America, with which she was acquainted, and the neighbour¬ 
ing Islands, so as to construct a chart. It was at first found 
difficult to make her comprehend what was meant, but Com¬ 
mander Ross discovered that she was acquainted with the four 
