ng of a cloth-yard shaft"
in the heart of a deer.

Several of the young men tried the speed of their kaiyacks against our
boats, and seemed to delight in showing us how much their little vessels
excelled ours in velocity. Towards evening the women's oomiaks had all
gone ahead, and we were given to understand that they were about to
encamp for the night. Thinking that they would choose the best route, we
followed them into a channel, which proved too shallow; and when we put
about to try another, the natives became more urgent than ever that we
should land and encamp along with them. Just as we were about to enter a
passage which the Esquimaux, doubtless, knew was deep enough, and led by
the shortest route to the sea, the Union grounded upon a bank, about
half a bow-shot from the shore. Seven or eight of the natives instantly
jumped out of their kaiyacks, and laying hold of the boat's bow and
steering-sweep, attempted to drag her ashore. They were speedily joined
by others, who hurried from the beach with knives in their hands; and
Mr. Kendall seeing that he would almost immediately be surrounded by a
force too great to permit his men to act, called to me that he should be
obliged to fire. Fully aware of the necessity of prompt measures, I
answered that he was at liberty to fire if necessary. Upon which,
snatching up his fowling-piece, he presented it at three of the most
daring who had hold of the sweep-oar, and his crew who were now in the
water endeavouring to shove the boat off, and struggling with the
natives, jumped on board and seized their muskets. The crew of the
Dolphin likewise displayed their arms and stood ready, but I ordered
that no individual should fire until called upon by name. They were,
however, the instant that a shot was fired from the Union, to lay the
Dolphin aground alongside of her, that thus we might present only two
assailable sides to the enemy. Happily there was no occasion to fire at
all; the contests of the Esquimaux with the Indians had taught them to
dread fire-arms, and on the sudden sight of every man armed with a
musket, they fled to the shore. Until that moment we had kept our guns
carefully concealed in the arm-chest, to prevent any of the natives from
snatching them away and disarming us, and also that they might not deem
our intentions to be other than pacific.

I do not believe that the natives had matured a plan of attack, but the
stranding of a boat on their own shore was too