Page:Life with the Esquimaux - 1864 - Volume 1.djvu/328

Rh something. But Sharkey's wife, who was sitting opposite, soon convinced me to the contrary by springing toward her. I saw what the matter was in a moment. Tookoolito had fainted; and, when aided by such means as were in my power, she soon revived, but a general prostration, accompanied by terrible pains in the head, ensued. As it was necessary for her to have immediate rest, she was placed in my berth, and the little girl, Ookoodlear, sent to attend upon her. Meanwhile I had another patient suddenly on my hands. Directly Tookoolito revived, Mam-ma-yat-che-ung, wife of Sharkey, was seized with bleeding at the lungs. The poor woman, like many of her people, especially those of her sex, was in a rapid decline, and, as I thought, had not long to live. She had gone upon deck, where I found her coughing and vomiting up blood most fearfully. The snow-wreath at the gangway was crimsoned as if a bear's jugular had been opened there. I at once gave her a glass of alum water, which checked it after she had bled for some twenty minutes. She then went down to my cabin, and attended upon Tookoolito until the return of Ebierbing, who was greatly affected at the condition of his wife. Poor Tookoolito continued very sick for some days, but, with such care and relief as could be given to her, she ultimately got well enough to go about as usual. Perhaps the cause of her sickness was over-exertion in moving their tupic from one island to another the day previous. It had been heavy work for her, but she had to do it, for the custom among Innuits is to make the women perform all such domestic and ordinary labour. Before leaving for my exploration of the Frobisher waters, I determined to examine the head of Field Bay, the bay where we were now at anchor. I commenced the work at 9 of the 20th of May. The Innuits Ebierbing and the angeko, with Mam-ma-nar-ping, one of the wives of the latter, were with me, though the two former only went part of the way, they leaving me to chase some reindeer, the tracks of which