Page:Life with the Esquimaux - 1864 - Volume 2.djvu/74

Rh freedom to live as one pleases, act as one pleases, and go where and when one pleases; so I determined to look brightly forward, placing all my dependence on God.

I watched the ship's progress. She got along but slowly. There was a light wind from the southeast against her. It was tack, tack, all the day long. Every now and then I ascended a hill on the island to look at her. It was past meridian before she got down as low as Parker's Bay. By evening she had reached French Head, but late in the had drifted back, evidently with the tide, to Parker's Bay. White clouds now capped the high land about there, which was the precursor of a storm. During the day, Sharkey, E-e-u-ar-ping (the latter the youngest son of Artarkparu), and a boat's crew of those Innuits remaining at Rescue Harbour, started off to French Head. Koodloo also, in my boat, with Suzhi and Ookoodlear, with the children, went among the islands ducking, but obtained only two ducks. Wishing to manufacture some balls of the lead which I had with me for my rifle and Koodloo's gun, the thought came into my head that the hull of the Rescue had still some hard coal in her, and that, by taking advantage of the low tide, I could obtain it; therefore I and Koodloo, with Suzhi, went in the boat to the "ghost." The tide was still ebbing when we got alongside, but, on examination, it was found that the water inside of her was too deep to fish for coal. We therefore started elsewhere to fish for something else, or try for seal. We drew up to the point of an island to gratify the Innuits in killing some little birds about the size of our robins at home, but here called by the natives sik-yar-ung. They were too small game for the expense of powder, therefore Koodloo tried to kill them by throwing stones, but failed, though they were by no means shy. We then rowed off to look for seals. Presently we saw one. My rifle was instantly raised, but just as I pulled the trigger a little boy in the boat lifted himself up and unsettled