al knives, large
nails, and pieces of iron hoop, which was certainly a dear bargain
on our side. If they saw more than one of these at a time, they
would try hard to get the whole for the commodity they were
offering, though, when we had for some time persisted in refusing,
they would not only accept what was offered, but jump for joy at
having obtained it. They always licked the articles given them,
and in one instance only did we notice any inclination to break
the contract after this process had been gone through.

Shortly after these men had arrived, a large _oomiak_, or woman's
boat, made its appearance, containing six or seven females and
four men, the oldest of the latter, as is usual among them,
steering the boat with a rude oar of wood. The women could not be
induced to land upon the floe, but held up skins and small narrow
strips of well-tanned leather to exchange, loudly vociferating
_pilletay_ (give me) the whole time. There were in this boat
several skins of oil and blubber, which I tried hard to purchase,
but nothing could induce the old man to part with more than one
skin of it; for what reason I could not tell, except that he
hoped, by perseverance, to obtain a higher price. On my desiring
our men to hand out a second skin of oil, as an equivalent for
which I put into the old man's hand a second knife, he resisted
most vehemently, pushing our men aside in the boat with a violence
I have never seen the Esquimaux use on any other occasion. One of
the younger men then came forward, and was lifting up the stretcher
of their boat to strike our people, who were good-humouredly
laughing at the old man's violence, when I thought it high time to
interpose, and, raising a boat-hook over the head of the Esquimaux,
as if about to strike them, soon brought them into a cooler mood;
after which, to prevent farther altercation, I ordered our people
out of the boat. We had by this time succeeded in purchasing all
the oil brought by the first canoes; and as the old fellow, who was
commanding officer of the _oomiak_, obstinately persisted in his
refusal to sell his, I ordered him away, when he immediately rowed
to the Hecla, and, as I was afterward informed by Captain Lyon,
sold his oil for less than he might have obtained at first. Four
other _oomiaks_ afterward came from the shore, from which we were
distant five or six miles. Each of these contained from fourteen to
twenty-six persons, the majority being females and y