leg or arm; and for a walrus, round his
body, his feet being at the same time firmly set against a hummock
of ice, in which position these people can, from habit, hold
against a very heavy strain. Boys of fourteen or fifteen years of
age consider themselves equal to the killing of a _neitiek_, but
it requires a full-grown person to master either of the larger
animals.

On the 17th, a number of the Esquimaux coming before the church
service, we gave them to understand, by the sun, that none could
be admitted before noon, when they quietly remained outside the
ships till divine service had been performed. We then endeavoured
to explain to Iligliuk that every seventh day they must not come
to the ships, for, without any intention of offending, they had
become rather an annoyance in this way. They now brought with them
a great many little canoes and paddles, sledges, figures of men
and women; and other toys, most of them already bespoke by the
officers and men, and the rest for sale.

Toolooak, who now considered himself as quite privileged to find
his way into the cabin without a conductor, and was not backward
in thus practising his newly-acquired art of opening and shutting
the door, sat with me for a couple of hours on the 18th, quietly
drawing faces and animals, an occupation to which he took a great
fancy; and we often were reminded, by this circumstance, of a
similar propensity displayed by his amiable countryman, our
lamented friend John Sackhouse. We soon found that Toolooak
possessed a capacity equal to anything he chose to take an
interest in learning; and could he, at his present age, have been
voluntarily removed from his companions, and his attention
directed to the acquirement of higher branches of knowledge than
that of catching seals, he would have amply repaid any pains
bestowed upon his education. I had always entertained great
objection to taking any such individual from his home, on the
doubtful chance of benefiting himself, or of his doing any service
to the public as an interpreter. My scruples on this head had
hitherto been confined to the consideration due to the individual
himself, and to the relatives he leaves behind. In our present
case, however, not the smallest public advantage could be derived
from it; for it had long ago become evident that we should soon
know more of the Esquimaux language than any of them were likely
to learn of English in any reasonable period of time. I was
therefo