it was necessary to resort during
the winter. We therefore brought down some of the boats to the
ships to repair, put up the forge on the ice, and built a snow
house over it, and set about various other jobs, which made the
neighbourhood of the ships assume a busy and bustling appearance.

I had to-day a visit from Okotook and Iligliuk, who, with their
son, came in upon their sledge from the distant huts. Being
desirous of entertaining them well, in return for their late
hospitality, we provided abundance to eat, and showed them
everything about the ship that we thought likely to amuse them. Of
all the wonders they had ever seen on board, there was nothing
which seemed to impress them so strongly with a sense of our
superiority as the forge, and the work which the armourer
performed with it. The welding of two pieces of iron especially
excited their admiration, and I never saw Iligliuk express so much
astonishment at anything before. Even in this her superior good
sense was observable, for it was evident that the utility of what
she saw going on was what forced itself upon her mind; and she
watched every stroke of the hammer and each blast of the bellows
with extreme eagerness, while numbers of the other Esquimaux
looked stupidly on, without expressing the smallest curiosity or
interest in the operation, except by desiring to have some
spear-heads fashioned out by this means. Iligliuk was always very
much entertained also by pictures having any relation to the
Esquimaux in other parts, and derived great entertainment from a
description of any difference in their clothes, utensils, or
weapons. Of these the sail in an Esquimaux boat seemed particularly
to attract her notice; but, in general, she had no inclination
to admit the inferiority of her, own tribe to any other. She
was always extremely inquisitive about her own sex, whether
_Innuees_[*] or _Kabloonas_, listening with eager attention to any
account of their dress or occupations, and in common, I believe,
with all the rest of the Esquimaux, wondered how we came to travel
to their country without our wives. The assurance that many among
us were not married, they received with evident incredulity.

[Footnote: Esquimaux.]

On the 13th, a number of the natives from the Winter Island huts
formed a second detachment, and set off for the other village.
They carried their goods on sledges as before, even to the
exclusion of poor old Hikkeiera, whom some of our gentlem