nce, and repeated it to their
countrymen, who testified their joy by tossing their hands aloft, and
raising the most deafening shout of applause I ever heard.

After the first present, I resolved to bestow no more gratuitously, but
always to exact something, however small, in return; the three elderly
men readily offered the ornaments they wore in their cheeks, their arms,
and knives, in exchange for the articles I gave them. Up to this time
the first three were the only kaiyacks that had ventured near the boats,
but the natives around us had now increased to two hundred and fifty or
three hundred persons, and they all became anxious to share in the
lucrative trade which they saw established, and pressed eagerly upon us,
offering for sale their bows, arrows, and spears, which they had
hitherto kept concealed within their canoes. I endeavoured in vain,
amidst the clamour and bustle of trade, to obtain some information
respecting the coast, but finding the natives becoming more and more
importunate and troublesome, I determined to leave them, and, therefore,
directed the boats' heads to be put to seaward. Notwithstanding the
forwardness of the Esquimaux, which we attributed solely to the desire
of a rude people to obtain the novel articles they saw in our
possession, they had hitherto shown no unfriendly disposition; and when
we told them of our intention of going to sea, they expressed no desire
to detain us, but, on the contrary, when the Lion grounded in the act of
turning, they assisted us in the kindest manner by dragging her round.
This manoeuvre was not of much advantage to us, for, from the rapid
ebbing of the tide, both boats lay aground; and the Esquimaux told us,
through the medium of Augustus, that the whole bay was alike flat, which
we afterwards found to be correct.

An accident happened at this time, which was productive of unforeseen
and very annoying consequences. A kaiyack being overset by one of the
Lion's oars, its owner was plunged into the water with his head in the
mud, and apparently in danger of being drowned. We instantly extricated
him from his unpleasant situation, and took him into the boat until the
water could be thrown out of his kaiyack, and Augustus, seeing him
shivering with cold, wrapped him up in his own great coat. At first he
was exceedingly angry, but soon became reconciled to his situation, and
looking about, discovered that we had many bales, and other articles, in
the boat, whic