Page:Life with the Esquimaux - 1864 - Volume 2.djvu/168

Rh gathered round her in great commotion, some of them trying to break off pieces of the rocks about. I asked Koojesse what all that hubbub meant. He said Tweroong had found gold! This word started me at once. I threw my cloak from my shoulders and leaped over the bow, landing on a sand-beach, knee-deep in sea-water. I was followed by my whole crew, for I had communicated the yellow fever to them, and, bounding from rock to rock, we arrived at the desired spot. A huge, heavy "yellow boy" was soon in my hand. Gold, gold, indeed, was now in the list of my discoveries! Ought I not to be satisfied, after all my trials and perplexities? But, on the first touch of my knife, I found that I had only fool's gold, and I brought away but small specimens of this precious metal. A short distance from Gold Cove we made our twenty-third encampment, on the south side of Jones's Cape, not far from the fourth encampment. At this place old Toolookaah and his wife left our party. He intended to remain at that spot until his son, who was with Sampson up an inlet near by, should return. I made him a present of matches and tobacco, and gave his wife two papers of needles. In parting with him I said, "Toolookaah, I may not see you again. Soon I shall go to my own county—America; but I hope by-and-by to meet you in Kood-le-par-me-ung (heaven)." A tear started in his eye and trickled down his iron face as we pressed hands and said the final word, "Ter-bou-e-tue!" (farewell.) Our twenty-fourth encampment was made on an island called Oo-mer-nung, at the entrance of Wiswell's Inlet, and on the following day, at 10 we were again under way for Niountelik, then only a few miles off. After landing upon Niountelik, and taking an observation of the sun at the spot where I first discovered the coal, we proceeded toward an island, on which, according to Innuit tradition, the kodlunas built a small ship amasuadlo (a great many) years ago. The heavens were cloudless, there was a fine breeze from the northwest, and the boat bounded along