enances, which gave us great confidence in the
friendliness of their disposition. Seeing this, we walked forward and
put out our hands; they did the same; and presently there was as warm a
shaking of hands between us, as if we were the oldest friends each other
had in the world.

This ceremony being over, they accompanied us to the hut, which we
examined with some little anxiety, to see if they had taken anything
away; but nothing was disturbed. The few things, also, which had been
left in the boat had not been touched.

"You are honest fellows, that you are," exclaimed Terence, shaking them
all round again by the hand, at which they seemed mightily pleased. We
talked away at them, and they talked to us for some time, making all
sorts of signs and gestures; but at the end of it all we were not much
the wiser, for neither of us could understand a word each other said.

However, we did not want them clustering round us while we were
unpacking our sledges, and we were in a hurry to stow our things away
before night; so Terence undertook to draw them off. He managed it by
taking one by the hand, and making him sit down at a little distance and
seating himself beside him; then, making a sign to the first to sit
quiet, he led another to the spot, and so on till they all were seated.
They then remained very quiet, looking on with an expression of the
greatest surprise at the various things we produced. It was almost
sunset when they got up, and again shaking hands, took their departure
over the hills. By this we supposed that their habitations were at no
great distance.

The next morning we were up by daybreak to return to the ship; and as we
did not think it wise to leave our property without a guard, Terence and
Tom were selected to remain, with two of the guns, to shoot any game
which might appear, or to defend themselves if necessary. The ship had
not been visited; and having laden our large sledge with some wood from
the wreck for building the house, and two small ones with provisions, we
set forward on our return.

Terence reported that the Esquimaux had again visited the hut, and had
invited him and Tom, by signs, to accompany them over the hills; but
that, on his shaking his head and sitting still, they had understood
that he could not leave his post, and they went away.

As soon as we had taken some food, Andrew urged us to set about building
our winter house without delay, lest the severe frosts should c