Page:Life with the Esquimaux - 1864 - Volume 2.djvu/140

Rh asked me if it talked about Ad-le-par-me-un, pointing down, than to answer in the affirmative, bringing forth more surprise from them. I need hardly say how much I longed to possess the power of communicating to them the truthful beauties of our Christian faith; of dwelling upon its heavenly Founder, and of telling them of God. Perchance the day may yet come when these people shall no longer be without some one who can do so. On Saturday, August 31st, the weather was thick and foggy. In the morning I had a good wash with snow—not snow of this season, however. What its age was I know not; perhaps it belonged to many winters ago; but, notwithstanding, it was fresh and white, and it gave me clean, cool hands and face, which is a luxury in the North as well as in any other place. By the side of this friendly snow-drift was abundant vegetation, green and fruitful, and blueberries all around. I picked some with rather cold, stiff fingers, and made a capital feast. I had not found any place where there was a greater variety of vegetable growth within the same space. In a little spot, not over four feet square, one could count more than fifty different kinds of vegetation. Mosses, grasses, berry-bushes, flowers, willows, and many other plants, could be enumerated as abounding in that little plot. But all these were quite diminutive; for instance, the blueberry-bushes were only from an inch to two inches in height. On this day I made arrangements with Miner and Koojesse for the whole company in the boats and kias to return by the Kingaite side. It was agreed that we should proceed first to Aggoun—the Innuit name of the west side of the head of Frobisher Bay—and thence return and follow down the coast of Kingaite. The chief reason for my making such an arrangement was that, by having two boats, should a mishap occur to one, the other would be our "Rescue." We started from our thirteenth encampment in the afternoon, leaving behind two of the Innuit tents erect, and some sundries, to be called for on our return from Aggoun. Our course was direct for the northwest end of Bishop's Island,