r eyes intently fixed upon him, till he had
reached the summit of the mast. The sails, which hung loose, they
supposed to be skins.

After this, they were conducted to the foot of a rope-ladder suspended
from the deck of the ship; and the mode of ascending it was shown to
them; but a considerable time elapsed before they could be prevailed
with to ascend. At length one of them went up, and he was followed by
the rest. The wonders with which they were now surrounded, excited
additional astonishment.

The knowledge which these Indians had of wood seemed to be confined to
some kinds of heath, which had stems not thicker than the finger: hence
they knew not what to think of the timber with which the ships were
constructed. Not being aware of its weight, two or three of them,
successively, seized hold of the spare topmast, and evidently with an
intention of carrying it off. The only object on board which they
seemed to view with contempt, was a little terrier dog; judging, no
doubt, that it was too small for drawing a sledge: but they shrunk back,
in terror, from a pig, whose pricked ears, and ferocious countenance,
presented a somewhat formidable appearance. This animal happening to
grunt, one of them was so much terrified, that he became, from that
moment, uneasy, and impatient to get out of the ship. In carrying his
purpose into effect, however, he did not lose his propensity to
thieving, for he seized hold of, and endeavoured to carry off, the
smith's anvil: but, finding it infinitely too heavy for his strength, he
laid hold of the large hammer, threw it on the ice; and, following it
himself, deliberately laid it on his sledge, and drove off. As this was
an article that could not be spared, Captain Ross sent a man from the
ship, who pursued the depredator, and, with some difficulty, recovered
it.

The officers and men on board were much amused by putting into the hands
of these Indians a magnifying mirror. On beholding themselves in it,
their grimaces were highly entertaining. They first looked into, and
then behind it, in hopes of finding the monster which was exaggerating
their hideous gestures. A watch was held to the ear of one of them; and
he, supposing it alive, asked if it was good to eat. On being shown the
glass of the skylight and binnacle, they touched it, and desired to know
what kind of ice it was.

Three of the men who remained on board were handed down into the
captain's cabin, and shown the use of th