INTRODUCTION. 
XXXI 
but human flesh to eat; and, as they relished it, 
they had now inured themselves to this strange and 
unnatural food. “ They do not like to slaughter 
middle aged people, even in a time of dearth, but 
only old people and forsaken orphans; and they 
will preferably spare their dogs at such a time, 
because of their usefulness, and slay some unne¬ 
cessary person in their stead.” He also added, 
among several other curious particulars related 
by Crantz (vol. i. p. 267.), that they build their 
houses of stone, like the Greenlanders, and lay 
wooden rafters on the walls. But wood is there 
very scarce, and iron very rare, so that there is 
great joy, if they happen to find a nail in the 
wood that the sea drives upon their shores. 
Another account, communicated to one of the 
factors in the modern western settlements, was 
to this effect. A Southlander, who wintered at 
the colony in the year 1757 , stated, that there 
were people who lived in a certain inlet, on the 
east side of the country, who came down every 
spring in pretty large numbers to the sea coast. 
The Greenlanders fly from these men in their 
boats to the islands, who cannot follow them for 
