stus advanced, and probably expected immediate death; but that the
fatal blow might not be unrevenged, he seized his spear, and made a
thrust with it at his supposed enemy. Augustus, however, easily
repressed the feeble effort, and soon calmed his fears by presenting him
with some pieces of iron, and assuring him of his friendly intentions.
Dr. Richardson and I then joined them, and, after receiving our
presents, the old man was quite composed, and became communicative. His
dialect differed from that used by Augustus, but they understood each
other tolerably well.

It appeared that his party consisted of eight men and their families,
who were returning from a hunting excursion with dried meat. After being
told who we were, he said, that he had heard of white people from
different parties of his nation which resided on the sea-coast to the
eastward; and to our inquiries respecting the provision and fuel we
might expect to get on our voyage, he informed us that the rein-deer
frequent the coast during summer, the fish are plentiful at the mouths
of the rivers, the seals are abundant, but there are no sea-horses nor
whales, although he remembered one of the latter, which had been killed
by some distant tribe, having been driven on shore on his part of the
coast by a gale of wind. That musk oxen were to be found a little
distance up the rivers, and that we should get drift wood along the
shore. He had no knowledge of the coast to the eastward beyond the next
river, which he called Nappa-arktok-towock, or Tree River. The old man,
contrary to the Indian practice, asked each of our names; and, in reply
to a similar question on our part, said his name was Terregannoeuck, or
the White Fox; and that his tribe denominated themselves
Nagge-ook-tormoeoot, or Deer-Horn Esquimaux. They usually frequent the
Bloody Fall during this and the following moons, for the purpose of
salting salmon, and then retire to a river which flows into the sea, a
short way to the westward, (since denominated Richardson's River,) and
pass the winter in snow-houses.

After this conversation Terregannoeuck proposed going down to his
baggage, and we then perceived, he was too infirm to walk without the
assistance of sticks. Augustus, therefore, offered him his arm, which he
readily accepted, and, on reaching his store, he distributed pieces of
dried meat to each person, which, though highly tainted, were
immediately eaten; this being an universal token among