fast
setting in, temperature falling thus early, and the birds every day
more scarce.

About one o'clock on the morning of the 26th August, I was aroused and
told that Esquimaux were coming off on dog-sledges. All hands turned
out voluntarily to witness the arrival of our visitors. They were five
in number, each man having a single sledge. As they approached, they
uttered an expression very like Tima! or rather Timouh! accompanied by
a loud, hoarse laugh. Some of our crew answered them, and then they
appeared delighted, laughing most immoderately.

The sledges were entirely constructed of bone, and were small,
neat-looking vehicles: no sledge had more than five dogs; some had only
three. The dogs were fine-looking, wolfish animals, and either white or
tan colour. The well-fed appearance of the natives astonished us all;
without being tall (averaging about 5 ft. 5 in.), they were
brawny-looking fellows, deep-chested, and large-limbed, with Tartar
beards and moustachios, and a breadth of shoulder which denoted more
than ordinary strength. Their clothing consisted of a dressed seal-skin
frock, with a hood which served for a cap when it was too cold to trust
to a thick head of jet-black hair for warmth. A pair of bear-skin
trowsers reaching to the knee, and walrus-hide boots, completed their
attire. Knowing how perfectly isolated these people were from the rest
of the world,--indeed, they are said with some degree of probability to
have believed themselves to be the only people in the world,--I was not
a little delighted to see how well necessity had taught them to clothe
themselves; and the skill of the women was apparent in the sewing, and
in one case tasteful ornamental work of their habiliments.

I need hardly say that we loaded them with presents: their ecstacy
exceeded all bounds when each was presented with a boat-hook staff, a
piece of wood some twelve feet long. They danced, shouted, and laughed
again with astonishment at possessing such a prize. Wood was evidently
with them a scarce article; they had it not even to construct sledges
with. York, the interpreter, had before told us they had no canoes for
want of it; and they seemed perfectly incapable of understanding that
our ships and masts were altogether made of wood. The intelligence
shown by these people was very gratifying; and from having evidently
been kindly treated on board the "North Star," during her sojourn in
this neighbourhood, they were confident