uld not fail to report at the huts
all our proceedings, but who did not appear to consider themselves
in the slightest degree implicated in their father's offence, or
concerned in his disgrace. The people of the huts being much in
want of food, we again distributed some bread-dust among them;
taking care to send a portion to the infirm old man, _Hik-k~ei-~er=
a_, by _Ok~otook_, the husband of Iligliuk, a fine, active, manly
fellow of about two-and-thirty, who, as we were pleased to find the
next day, had punctually executed his commission.

The Esquimaux went out on the 10th to endeavour to catch seals as
usual, but returned unsuccessful after several hours' labour. As
it was now evident that their own exertions were not at all times
sufficient to procure them food at this season, and that neither
indolence nor any idea of dependance on our charity induced them
to relax in those exertions, it became incumbent on us carefully
to attend to their wants, and, by a timely and judicious
application of the slender resources we had set aside for their
use, prevent any absolute suffering among them. We therefore sent
out a good meal of bread-dust for each individual, to be divided
in due proportion among all the huts. The necessity of this supply
appeared very strongly from the report of our people, who found
some of these poor creatures actually gnawing a piece of hard
sealskin with the hair on it, while few of the huts had any lamp
alight. It must be remembered that the failure of their
seal-fishery always involves a double calamity, for it not only
deprives them of food, but of fuel for their lamps. When this is
the case, not to mention the want of warmth and light in the huts,
they are also destitute of the means of melting snow for water,
and can therefore only quench their thirst by eating the snow,
which is not only a comfortless, but an ineffectual resource. In
consequence of this, it was surprising to see the quantity of
water these people drank whenever they came on board; and it was
often with difficulty that our coppers could answer this
additional demand. I am certain that Toolooak one day drank nearly
a gallon in less than two hours. Besides the bread-dust, we also
supplied them to-day with a wolf's carcass, which, raw and frozen
as it was, they ate with a good appetite; and, indeed, they had
not the means of cooking, or even thawing it. I cannot here omit a
pleasing trait in their character, observed by our peop