Page:Life with the Esquimaux - 1864 - Volume 1.djvu/77

56 husband, son, and parent might be spared for his little ones and the mother he so greatly loved.

Otto loved his grog. He and Lars went out fishing. On return, coming aboard, he most earnestly asked for a glass of spirits, "to keep salt-water out of poor Esquimaux!"

In the evening of the following day, myself, the captain, mate, Lamb, and most of the crew, went on shore to a grand dance given by the Esquimaux girls to the white-men visitors. Sterry, our genial Sterry, was in his element. He had a most capital faculty for gaining the affections of the fair sex, and proved himself excellent on the variations. He had a continual crowd of the good-looking around him. We had an old sea-captain (an Esquimaux), Ironface, as a fiddler, perched up in the window, with pipe in his mouth, and merry, right merry did all of us become. Several dances, in excellent order, were performed, and many of our company went through their waltzing with Esquimaux partners in capital style. Everything was done in the most kindly and agreeable manner; and when the party broke up, it left upon the mind of each of us a feeling of the most friendly nature.

The first Sunday at Holsteinborg I determined to ascend the mountain on the north side of the harbour, and there worship in the great temple of the world's Creator. In the morning, accompanied by Sterry, we began the ascent, with a fine clear sky above, and the glorious sun shining warmly upon us. But, ere we had got far, swarms of musquitoes came around. Fortunately, I had long hair on my head, and my beard and mustache were also of great length. Sterry, however, had to cover his face with a handkerchief having two little holes for look-outs.

As we went on, streams of pure and sparkling cold water came dancing down the mountain side, and at these we several times quenched our thirst. Thus steep after steep we mounted, but at what cost! The sun's rays poured hot upon our backs, and both of us soon had to doff our coats, leaving the musquitoes to persecute us at will. All we could do was to push on quickly, to see if we could get into a higher region