sles.--Glimpse of an Esquimau
Canoe.--Firing at a Bear with the Cannon-Rifle.--A Strange
Sound.--The Esquimaux.--Their Kayaks.--They come on board.--An
Unintelligible Tongue.--"Chymo."

During the night following our bear-hunt a storm came on,--wind, rain,
and snow, as before,--and continued all the next day. The tremendous
tides, however, effectually prevented any thing like dullness from
"creeping over our spirits;" since we were sure of a sensation at
least twice in twenty-four hours. But during the next night it cleared
up, with the wind north; and, quite early on the morning of the 11th
of July, we dropped out of "Mazard's Bay," and stood away up the
straits.

At one o'clock we sighted another group of mountainous isles,--the
same figured on the chart as the "Middle Savage Isles;" and by five
o'clock we were passing the easternmost a couple of miles to the
southward. Between it and the next island, which lay a little back to
the north, there was a sort of bay filled with floating ice. Raed was
leaning on the bulwarks with his glass, scanning the islands as we
bowled along under a full spread of canvas. Suddenly he turned, and
called to Kit.

"Get your glass," he said. "Or never mind: take mine. Now look right
up there between those islands. What do you see?"

"Seals," replied Kit slowly, with the glass to his eye. "Any quantity
of seals on the ice there; and--there's something larger scooting
along. That's a narwhal: no, 'tain't, either. By jolly! see the seals
flop off into the water as it shoots along! afraid of it. There!
something flashed then in the sun! Raed, I believe that's a
_kayak_,--an Esquimau canoe! An Esquimau catching seals!"

"That's what I thought."

"Wash!"

"Wade!"

"Get your glasses, and come here quick!"

"What's that about Esquimau?" demanded Capt. Mazard, coming along from
the binnacle.

"An Esquimau _kayak_!" said Raed.

"That so?" running after his glass.

In a few moments we were all--all who had glasses--looking off at the
wonderful object, to see which had been one of the pleasant hopes of
our voyage; and yet I am bound to say, that, in and of itself, it was
no great of a sight, especially at a distance of two miles. But,
considered as an invention perfected through centuries by one of the
most singular peoples of the Man family, it is, in connection with all
their implements of use, well worth a study. Indeed, there is, to me
at least, something so inexpr