Page:Narrative of the Discoveries on the North Coast of America.djvu/380

350 party, paddled ourselves across the stream in true Esquimaux style to visit the lodge on the island. We found in it Awallook's two wives, so terrified that they dared not look up, but uttered, as we entered, some piteous words, meaning "Have mercy, have mercy on us!!" Their deerskin tent was so small that a man could barely sit upright. Their effects were all tied up, ready for flight; and one or two little children, stowed in behind the packages, disclosed their hiding-place by crying and sobbing. After presenting the ladies with some bright buttons cut off our clothes, and patting their fine dogs, which were far handsomer than themselves, we recrossed the river. Before taking leave of these timid people, I may remark that the men were quite equal to Europeans in stature, broad-chested and full-fleshed. They were comfortably dressed in deerskins, the upper garment terminating in a tail, which in one instance closely resembled in shape that of an English dress-coat! the others were rounded off at the lower corners. Narrow strips of deerskin bound their short black hair, and they had no tonsure. They were very curious to know what strange animals produced our various coloured clothing, and seemed much interested when I desired Ooligbuck to explain to them that they were partly made of the hair of an