he northward. They were
certainly all very glad to see us again, and, throwing off the Esquimaux
for a time, shook us heartily by the hand, with every demonstration of
sincere delight. Ewerat, in his quiet, sensible way, which was always
respectable, gave us a circumstantial account of every event of his
journey. On his arrival at _Owlitteweek_, near which island we overtook
him, he had buried the greater part of his baggage under heaps of
stones, the ice no longer being fit for dragging the sledge upon. Here
also he was happily eased of a still greater burden, by the death of his
idiot boy, who thus escaped the miseries to which a longer life must,
among these people, have inevitably exposed him. As for that noisy
little fellow, "John Bull" (_Kooillitiuk_), he employed almost the whole
of his first visit in asking every one, by name, "How d'ye do, Mr. So
and So?" a question which had obtained him great credit among our people
at Winter Island. Being a very important little personage, he also took
great pride in pointing out various contrivances on board the ships, and
explaining to the other Esquimaux their different uses, to which the
latter did not fail to listen with all the attention due to so knowing
an oracle.

CHAPTER XIII.

Preparations for the Winter.--Various Meteorological Phenomena to
the close of the year 1822.--Sickness among the
Esquimaux.--Meteorological Phenomena to the end of March.

_November_.--The measures now adopted for the security of the ships and
their stores, for the maintenance of economy, cleanliness, and health,
and for the prosecution of the various observations and experiments,
being principally the same as those already detailed in the preceding
winter's narrative, I shall be readily excused for passing them over in
silence.

The daily visits of the Esquimaux to the ships throughout the winter
afforded, both to officers and men, a fund of constant variety and
never-failing amusement, which no resources of our own could possibly
have furnished. Our people were, however, too well aware of the
advantage they derived from the schools not to be desirous of their
re-establishment, which accordingly took place soon after our arrival at
Igloolik; and they were glad to continue this as their evening
occupation during the six succeeding months.

The year closed with the temperature of -42 deg., the mean of the month of
December having been 27 deg. 8', which,