The Missionary shewed me aTestament,Creed, andLord’s Prayer, in theEsquimauxtongue: but it will be easily imagined that many deficiencies must have arisen in the first instance; consequently, whenever theEsquimauxwere at a loss for words to express any new idea, or the name of any article that they had not before seen, the Missionary supplied them with a correspondingGermanexpression; as theGermanlanguage, of all others, is most easily pronounced by anEsquimaux.
AnEnglishfrigate had been on a cruize inDavis’ Straits; and returning thence, along the coast ofLabrador, she put into a little bay, for the purpose of procuring a supply of wood and water. The affrightedEsquimauxflew to their beloved Missionary, and pointed out the strange vessel as the cause of their fear: they were, however, soon pacified, and returned quietly to theiroccupations. Nothing, then, could equal the astonishment of the officers, on landing; when, instead of a wild race of savages, prepared to oppose them, they found a small village, inhabited by an inoffensive people, peaceably employed in their daily duties; and the little children going quietly to school, with books under their arms. Their surprise, however, must have been greatly increased, when they were given to understand, that all this had been accomplished by one man, zealously actuated by a wish of serving hisGod, in the services he had rendered to these poorIndians[8].
July25th.—Course run,W.byN.35 miles. Light variable winds from the southward. We were this morning visited by an officer from one of theHudson’s-Bayships; an intelligent man, who hadthirtytimes performed the same voyage. It was his opinion, that the sharp cold, which we had experienced on the 18th of this month, must have been occasioned by the vicinity of ice; and we should doubtless have met with it on that day, had we not fortunately tacked about in time to avoid it. Our latitude at noon, this day, was 58°. 46′.N., and longitude 50°. 16′.W.Towards nightfall, the wind freshened to a fine steady breeze fromS. S. W.; and we could plainly discern a bright appearance in the sky, towards the North; this was believed by every person on board to be a certain indication of ice in that direction.
July26th.—Course runW.byN.128 miles.—A fine fair breeze all this day; the ship going about seven miles an hour. In the forenoon, we took on board the chief-mate of thePrince of Wales, (one of theHudson’s-Bayships,) to act as pilot, or rather to instruct us in the management of our ship, amongst the ice in theStraits. He immediately advised us to raise our anchors, lest the shocks of the heavier masses of ice should break the stocks: we also rove smaller braces to all the yards, that we might be able to manœuvre the ship with the greater facility. At noon, we were in latitude, by account, 50°. 11′.N., and longitude 54°. 20′.W.We now kept our course more to the northward, to prevent the possibility of our falling in with the ice to the southward; as there are always large quantities drifting out ofHudson’s Straits, along the coast ofLabrador. Ships do well, therefore, to keep to the northward, until they reach the latitude ofCapeResolution; and when that is attained, they may haul inN. W.and keep close in to the North shore; thus making a semicircle round the ice: but they should be particularly cautious not to keep too much to the North, until they reach the longitude of 54°W.and are consequently quite clear of the coast ofGreenland.
July27th.—Course runN. W.byW.182 miles. As we were now getting well to the northward, the air began to feel quite frigid; and the wind drawing round to the East, we hauled up North. Latitude, at noon, was 60°. 54′.N.Longitude, 59°. 19′. Our distance fromCape Resolutionwe computed to be about 171 miles. In the afternoon we saw the firsticeberg, which was an immense mountain of solid ice, in the shape of an English barn[9].
Towards evening, we passed anothericeberg. It had a complete chain of floating fragments on the lee-side of it, through which we butted our way. We continued to run in for the land, all night, with a fair wind, although it was a very thick fog, and there were numberlessicebergsin all directions; indeed, it appeared to me almost miraculous, how we escaped being dashed upon some of them.
July28th.—The thick fog still continued, until 9A.M.when it suddenly cleared up, and we saw the island ofCape Resolution, bearingE. N. E.about eighteen miles distant. We had been long wishing to get into theStraits; and now that object was accomplished, we as sincerely wished ourselves back again into the ocean. The prospect on every side was of the most gloomy nature: the black and craggy mountains on shore were only visible towards their bases;their summits being covered with eternal snows, and the aspect of the countlessicebergs, on all sides of us, truly terrific. The strong southerly current continually setting out from all the Northern seas has been hypothetically explained, by supposing that Nature thus supplies the deficiency of water occasioned by the evaporation caused by the heat of the sun between the Tropics. It is not my intention to discuss this philosophical question: suffice it to say, that I can bear testimony to the existence of such a current in all the Northern seas, and along the Coast ofLabradorandNewfoundland, facing theAtlantic; and the effect caused by the continual flowing of the waters towards the South, is attended with the most beneficial effects; as the Northern seas are consequently cleared of the vast accumulation of ice, which would otherwise infallibly block them up, and render all navigationimpracticable. We had taken care to get into the latitude ofLake Resolution, before we bore away to make the land; and although, in running in for theCape, we still continued to steer a point to the northward of our true course, yet, after all, the southerly current proved so strong, as to set us to the southward of our land-fall: and on our making theCape, it was eighteen miles to the northward of us.
During the remainder of the day, we were endeavouring, with light winds from theN. E.to get in with the north shore; and towards evening we saw much field ice towards the south. As the setting sun had a different appearance to what it generally exhibits inEngland, perhaps it may be thought worthy of notice. Although it glittered to the eye, and threw a golden tint on the water, yet it produced no rays, and might be viewed, for any length of time,without paining the sight by its refulgence. So far was it from bestowing warmth, that the air appeared more intensely cold than it had been during the whole of the preceding day. The clouds, in parallel lines immediately above the descending luminary, exhibited, in the most beautiful manner, all the varieties of the rainbow; the dusky red and deep blue being the most predominant colours. If to all this we add the dazzling reflection which glittered from the snow-capp’d summits of the rugged mountains, and the shining fantastic forms of the floatingicebergsin theStraits, the prospect will easily be imagined to have excited in our minds those feelings, which induce the mariner, as well as the poet,
“To look, through Nature, up to Nature’s God!”
“To look, through Nature, up to Nature’s God!”
At midnight we passed an immenseiceberg, which roared like a thunder storm; occasioned, perhaps, by some cavity in itsside, through which the sea was bursting. It was nearly a calm; and the surface of the sea was quite smooth at the moment, attended with that gentle undulating swell which is always prevalent in deep waters.
July29th.—In the morning we were obliged to tack about, in order to avoid a large assemblage of drifting masses, termed by the old seamen apatchof ice: the seals were leaping about in all directions, and some few sea-calves were seen. The thermometer in the Captain’s cabin, with a rousing fire, stood at 43°. At noon we were plying to windward offSavage Island, which is the next land to the west ofCape Resolution Island, on the north shore.Savage Isle, lying very low, has not so much snow upon it, in general, as the other parts of the coast hereabouts. The next land to the westward of it is calledTerra Nivea; owing to its having somemountains, about thirty miles from the sea, entirely covered with snow. During the remaining part of this day we continued our course up theStraits, but with the weather almost calm.
July30th.—We were entirely surrounded this day with a patch of broken ice, and it extended as far as the eye could reach. The sun shining bright over the calm surface of the sea, called forcibly to my mind a description I had once read of the Ruins ofPalmyra, in theSyrian Desert; the scattered fragments of ice bearing a strong resemblance to the ruins of temples, statues, columns, &c. spread in confusion over a vast plain.
Cape Saddle Back north 7 or 8 miles: with two remarkable Icebergs off the low Point.
Cape Saddle Back north 7 or 8 miles: with two remarkable Icebergs off the low Point.
Male Esquimaux in his Canoe.
Male Esquimaux in his Canoe.
July31st.—Early in the morning of this day we reached a remarkable cape, calledSaddle Back, from the resemblance that it bears to a saddle: and as we were immediately visited by theEsquimaux, I must, for a time, quit the ship and her proceedings, to describe the appearance, manners, and customs of this singular race, who inhabit the shores ofHudson’sandDavis’ Straits, the northern part ofHudson’s Bay, and both sides of the vast peninsula ofLabrador. Upon the first intelligence of the approach of the natives, I immediately jumped out of bed, and ran upon deck; where, on my arrival, the most discordant shouts and cries assailed my ears. Alongside the ship were paddling a large assemblage of canoes, of the most curious construction: these were built of a wooden frame-work of the lightest materials, covered with oiled sealskin, with the hair scraped off; the skin being sewed over the frame with the most astonishing exactness, and as tight as parchment upon the head of a drum. But the most surprising peculiarity of the canoes was, their beingtwenty-twofeet long, and onlytwofeet wide. There was but one opening in the centre, sufficiently large to admit the entrance of a man; and out of this hole projected the body of theEsquimaux, visible only from the ribs upwards. The paddle is held in the hand, by the middle; and it has a blade at each end, curiously veneered, at the edges, with slips of a sea-unicorn’s horn. On the top of the canoe were fastened strips of sea-horses’ hide, to confine the lance and harpoon; and behind theEsquimauxwere large lumps of whale blubber, for the purposes of barter. These canoes are only capable of containing one person, for any useful purpose; the slightest inclination of the body, on either side, will inevitably overturn them; yet in these frail barks will theEsquimauxsmile at the roughest sea; and in smooth water they can, with ease, travel seven miles an hour[10].
Whilst I was still busily employed in making my remarks on the canoes of the male Indians, a large open boat arrived, containing about twenty women, besides many children. This last boat was steered by a very old man, with a paddle: he was the only male adult amongst them. The women pulled with oars, having a very broad wash at the extremity; and they cheerfully kept time to the tune of a song, in which they all joined. The boat was built of the same materials as the canoes; that is to say, a frame-work covered with oiled seal-skins; but differed, in being shaped more after theEuropeanboats; also, in having a square sail made of seal-skins, with the hair taken off; and owing to this difference, theHudson’s-Baytraders have distinguished these boats by the name ofLug Boats; although they never attempt to use the sail, except with a fair wind. It is difficult to give an adequateidea of the delight expressed by these poor creatures, on reaching the ships: they jumped, shouted, danced, and sang, to express their joy. And here it should be observed, that the arrival of the ships is considered by theEsquimauxas a sort of annual fair; their little manufactures of dresses, spears, &c. are reserved for the expected jubilee; and when, after long watching, they at last catch a glimpse of the approaching vessels, their exultation knows no bounds.
The maleEsquimauxhave rather a prepossessing physiognomy, but with very high cheek-bones, broad foreheads, and small eyes, rather farther apart than those of anEuropean: the corners of their eyelids are drawn together so close, that none of the white is to be seen; their mouths are wide, and their teeth white and regular: the complexion is a dusky yellow, but some of theyoung women have a little colour bursting through this dark tint: the noses of the men are rather flattened, but those of the women are sometimes even prominent. The males are, generally speaking, between five feet five inches and five feet eight inches high; bony, and broad shouldered; but do not appear to possess much muscular strength. The flesh of all theEsquimauxfeels soft and flabby, which may be attributed to the nature of their food. But the most surprising peculiarity of this people is the smallness of their hands and feet; which is not occasioned, as inChina, by compression, nor by any other artificial means, as their boots and gloves are made large, and of soft seals’-skin. To their continual employment in canoes on the water, and to the sitting posture they are thus obliged to preserve, perhaps their diminutive feet might be ascribed: but when we reflect on the laborious life they must necessarilylead, and yet find that their hands are equally small with their feet, it will naturally lead us to the conclusion, that the same intense cold which restricts vegetation to the forms of creeping shrubs has also its effect upon the growth of mankind, preventing the extremities from attaining their due proportion.
The chin, cheek-bones, and forehead, among the women, are tattooed; and this operation is performed among theEsquimauxby pricking through the skin with some sharp instrument, and rubbing ashes into the wound: as the marks are not deep, their appearance is not disagreeable. I imagine that the tattooing does not take place until the female arrives at the age of puberty, because the youngest girls were without any such marks. None of the men undergo the operation; but they have a few straggling hairs on the chin and upper lip, while thewomen carefully remove them from every part of the body, excepting the head, where they have a lock on each temple, neatly braided, and bound with a thong of hide. On the back of the head, the hair is turned up, much after the fashion of theEnglishladies. I hope the latter will not be offended at the comparison.
After having gone so far in a description of their persons, perhaps their diet ought not to be overlooked; because it has been before noticed, that the relaxed state of their flesh, and the sallow hue of their complexions, may in a great measure be ascribed to the nature of their food. As they seem to devour every thing raw, it has been conjectured that they are unacquainted with the use of fire; but this is not true. I observed, near one of their huts, a circle of loose stones, containing the ashes of a recently extinguished fire, and a stonekettle standing upon it[11]: also, in a hut, I saw a pan of vegetables, resembling spinach, which had been boiled into the consistency of paste[12]. Yet, after all, it is no less certain that anEsquimauxprefers all flesh raw. In proof of this it may be mentioned, that the Commander of theEddystone, aHudson’s-Bayship, having shot a sea-gull, anIndianmade signs that he wished for the bird: immediately on receiving it, he sucked away the blood that flowed from its mouth; then, hastily plucking off the feathers, he instantly dispatched the body, entrails, &c. with the most surprising voracity. The knowledge which theEsquimauxpossess of the use of fire, is observable in the ingenuity with which they transform iron nails, hoops, &c. into heads for their arrows,spears, and harpoons. May not their fondness for raw flesh have arisen from thescarcity of fuel? There was not a bit of wood to be found on that part of the coast where I landed.
We made many attempts to induce the natives to partake of our food. At breakfast, we placed anEsquimauxat table, and offered him every species of food that the ship could afford. He tasted every thing; but, with a broad laugh, he was sure to eject whatsoever he tasted, over our plates and upon the table-cloth. The only thing they could be induced to swallow was a piece of hog’s lard; and of this they all partook with avidity. Above all, they appeared to have the greatest aversion from sugar and salt.
In their dealings, they manifested a strange mixture of honesty and fraud. At one moment I observed anEsquimauxstriving, with all his might, to convey into a sailor’s hands the article for which he had already received his equivalent; and, in ten minutes afterwards, I detected the same man in an endeavour to cut the hinder buttons from my own coat. They valuemetalsmore than any other article of barter, andironmost of all. As a specimen of the relative articles of traffic, I shall briefly insert the prices which I paid for some little curiosities[13]; viz.
They have a strange custom of licking with their tongue every thing that comes into their possession, either by barter or otherwise; and they evidently do not consider an article as their property until it has undergone this operation. By way of experiment, I gave to a young girl half a dozen iron nails: she immediately jumped, and shouted, to express her gratitude; and then licking each nail separately, she put them into her boot, that being the depository of all riches among the femaleEsquimaux, who are entirely unacquainted with the use of pockets. I could easily perceive that each man had a wife; but polygamy did not appear to exist amongst them; perhaps more on account of their poverty, and the difficulty of supporting a plurality of wives, than from any idea they may entertain of the impropriety of the practice itself. Several of the natives brought their wives on board the ship, and, in return for a tin spoon or pot,compelled them, nothing loath, to receive our salutations. Nay, one man plainly intimated, that if I wished to hold any private conversation with his lady, he should have no objection to her visiting my cabin, provided I rewarded him with an axe. Many of the women had very pleasing features; but they were so disfigured with dirt, and their persons smelt so strongly of the seal oil, that it required a stout heart to salute even the prettiest of them.
On board the ship, they were exceedingly curious in viewing every thing: but however astonished or delighted they might appear in the first sight of any novelty, yet ten minutes was the utmost limit of their admiration. The pigs, cats, and fowls, attracted their attention in so remarkable a manner, as to indicate a certainty of their not having seen any such animals before. A sailor threw them all into the most violentfit of jumping and shouting, by walking upon his hands along the deck. But nothing seemed to fix their attention so much as CaptainStopford’samputated arm[14]: they satisfied themselves, by feeling the stump, that the arm was actually deficient, and then appeared to wonder how it could have been lost: but when I made signs to them that it had been severed by a saw, to the credit of their feelings, I must state, that commiseration was depicted on every countenance. We did not perceive an instance, either of man, woman, or child, amongst them, who was in any way crippled or deformed.
After breakfast, it was proposed that we should go on shore, and a party accordingly made: we were all well armed, as a precaution against treachery; because this people have been particularly accused of a disposition that way,—whether with or without reason, it is impossible for me positively to say. AnEsquimaux, who had bartered his very last covering away for some bauble, went with us, as a sort of pilot. On our way to the shore, we met two of the large women’s boats; each steered, as usual, by an old man. They expressed great joy at meeting with us, by singing, shouting, and clapping their hands; and instead of proceeding on toward the ships, they turned their boats, and followed us to the shore. The coast appears to be completely fringed with small rocky islands, and these no doubt form a shelter to many good harbours; but the shores ofHudson’s Straitshave never been thoroughly examined, although a smallvessel might accomplish the task in two summers, with ease: indeed, a voyage for this purpose would, if well conducted, turn out advantageously, in a mercantile point of view; for although theHudson’s-BayCompany’s ships do not procure much oil or whalebone from theEsquimaux, it is because they have but little intercourse with this people, and perhaps with only one particular tribe: yet it might be very profitable to any merchant to send a small strong brig intoHudson’s Straits, early in the month of June, so as to reachCape Saddle-Backbefore the Company’s ships arrive. TheHudson’s-BayCompany would not wish to interrupt so laudable an attempt towards opening a free intercourse with the wildEsquimauxin those seas; because the profits they derive from the traffic in question are comparatively trifling, when put in competition with the other more important objects of their annual voyage. A vessel intended for this employ shouldnot remain later than the beginning of October in theStraits; and she ought to be well provided with saws, iron lances, harpoons, files, open knives, kettles, spoons, hatchets, and a few beads and looking-glasses. By coasting along both sides of theStraits, and as far to the southward ofCape DiggsorCape Smith, she might doubtless gather thirty or forty tons of good oil, besides whalebone and a few skins. But the Master of a vessel, during such an expedition, should be particularly cautious in not trusting a boat on shore, unless well armed; and by no means ought he to admit more thantwoorthree Esquimauxat the same time into his vessel, however friendly they might appear to be.
But to return to our party, whom I left pulling in for the shore, under the guidance of the nakedEsquimaux, who continued pointing for us to proceed still farther tothe west, where some natives, from the bottom of a creek, waved their hands for us to approach. A sort of expostulation took place between these people and our conductor, by which it seemed, that the former did not wish us to proceed any farther to the west. We therefore landed, but walked about some time without observing any habitations; although, from the deers’ bones and ashes which lay scattered about the hills, it was evident that a party had not long quitted the spot. From appearances upon the hills, we had reason to suppose that rabbits must be abundant; and we were gradually receding from the sea shore in search of them, when our guide stopped short, and would not be prevailed upon, by any entreaties, to accompany us farther. We could not guess the cause of this extra-ordinary conduct; but not wishing to give any offence to the natives, we turned about, and descended again to our boats. On ourway to the beach, we were joined by some young girls, to whom we had been, perhaps, rather pointedly attentive on board the ships: they continued to pester us with the continual whine of this people, repeating incessantly the word “Pillitay! pillitay! pillitay!” signifying “Give us something:” and having now stripped us of every thing, by their solicitations, they only seemed to have acquired an incitement to make new demands. It is generally the case with all barbarous nations, that the receiving of a gift appears to them to confer a right to levy fresh contributions: therefore, in all dealings with savages, it is adviseable to teach them that something will be expected in return for every present bestowed; and the equivalent should be strenuously insisted upon, let it be of ever so trifling a nature. A departure from this rule may, indeed, be necessary in the first opening of a communication with a strangepeople; but, even then, the presents ought only to be bestowed on the principal chieftains, priests, and women.
As we were upon the point of re-embarking, one of our party offered to a young girl, who stood on the beach, a pinch of snuff; shewing her, at the same time, how it was to be used. She imitated her instructor with great exactness, giving a hearty sniff; but it was attended with rather a violent effect; a torrent of blood instantly gushing from her nose. Entertaining some apprehensions lest the natives should imagine that we had been guilty of a premeditated injury to the poor girl, we all made a point of taking snuff before her: this had the desired effect, in convincing them that no serious evil was to be apprehended; and the young woman went, at my request, to wash her nose in a neighbouring pool. Unfortunately, the cold water produced a contrary effect to what wasintended; the blood again streaming from her nose: yet so far was this mild creature from being offended, that she smilingly held forth her hand to me, with the old exclamation of “Pillitay!(Give).” I cut two brass buttons from my coat, and gave them to her; and with this atonement she was quite satisfied. The fact is, as we afterwards discovered, that bleeding at the nose is a most common incident among theEsquimaux; and it is certain to follow the least exertion. Possibly this may also be occasioned by the quantities of raw flesh they devour daily.
Perhaps some readers may deem an incident like the foregoing of too trifling a description to merit a recital; but the manners, dispositions, and customs of a wild people may be better judged of from a simple relation of the most trivial circumstances, than from any inferences which the narrator himselfmight presume to draw from them: therefore I would run the chance of being thought jejune, or even tedious, rather than incur the greater risk of misleading others by my own weak conclusions.
huts
Embarking again, we pulled along shore, towards the west, among barren rocky islands, until we at last got sight of some huts on an eminence at the bottom of a creek; and putting ashore, we examined them minutely. They are more properly tents than huts, because they are erected much after the fashion of a marquee: a triangle supports the tent at one end, and two poles, fastened at the top, at the other: over all is thrown a covering of seals’-skins sewed together, the hair being scraped off: they areequally impervious to air or water, and the light is much the same as in the interior of anEuropeanlinen tent. At the lower end of their dwellings is a flap of seal’s-skin, left loose, to answer the purpose of a door; and when this is thrown back, a person must stoop low to enter. If a whole family happen to be absent from their home at the same time, the only security for their property, during the time they are away, consists in a few loose stones piled against the flap of seal-skin which covers the entrance to the tent: and although they be not rigidly honest towards strangers, yet theEsquimauxappear to have a great respect for each other’s property. At the top of their huts is a piece of wood, in an horizontal position, for the purpose of supporting slips of the sea-horse’s hide to dry in the sun; and of this hide they form a sort of rope, possessing uncommon strength, and useful to them in a variety of ways.
With respect to the interior of their habitations, it is a general custom to appropriate the lower end or entrance of the tent to answer the purpose of a larder, where all their delicacies are displayed; such as, deer’s flesh, oil, and whale blubber. The upper end of the tent, under the triangle, was thickly carpeted with skins of different animals, particularly the deer, and it is set apart for their resting and sleeping place. I noticed, that whenever I entered a tent, which had not been previously visited by any of our party, the owner of it ran forward, with great precipitation, to conceal something under the skins at the farther end of the tent. Curiosity prompted me to inquire into this mysterious conduct; and, on removing the skins, I discovered his bow and arrows, in a sort of seal-skin quiver. The owner stood quite tranquil during my search, and he did not appear angry when the arms were produced; butwhen I offered him a knife, with the usual expression, “Chymo(barter),” he smiled, as I thought, rather suspiciously; and taking the quiver gently out of my hand, he replaced it under the skins; at the same time, offering me an unfinished bow, without a string, in exchange for the knife. As often as I continued to point to the quiver, and make signs that I wished to purchase the set complete, he seemed to feel confused, and endeavoured instantly to draw off my attention from the subject. I tried at each tent, with no better success; and it struck me, from appearances, that theEsquimauxhave some superstitious veneration for their bows and arrows: but their hiding them may be intended as a compliment to their visitors, or an assurance of their security whilst under that roof. None of the canoes that visited us, during our stay inHudson’s Straits, had either bow or arrows on board; consequently,they are only used by theEsquimauxin their wars, and not for the purpose of killing birds or fishes. After having said this respecting their singular attachment to their weapons, perhaps it will be expected that those articles are curiously manufactured and ornamented: but the bow is merely made of two pieces of plain wood, firmly corded together, and rarely strengthened at the back with thongs of the sea-horse’s hide; the string is formed of two slips of hide or dried gut; the arrows are headed, either with iron, sea-horse’s teeth, sea-unicorn’s horn, or, in some few instances, with stone[15]; and the whole fabrication of the bow and arrows does not surpass the workmanship of an English school-boy.
In one of their tents, I saw a female far advanced in pregnancy; she was sitting upon the ground, closely wrapt in skins as high as her hips; and during the whole of my stay, she never attempted to rise. It may now be proper to relate an anecdote of a very interesting nature; which I received upon such indisputable authority, that it will not admit of a doubt, as to its veracity.
The land to the northward ofChurchill Factory, inHudson’s Bay, is inhabited byEsquimaux, who, contrary to the general customs of this people, employ themselves in hunting. They carry their furs annually toChurchill Factory, for the purpose of traffic. In one of their periodical visits, a young woman was seen amongst them, having a sickly infant in her arms, respecting whose health she appeared to be particularly solicitous; andas some of the domesticatedIndianwomen in the factory, belonging to the nation ofCree Indians, partly understood theEsquimauxtongue, the young woman explained to them, that, as the infant was her first-born child, if it should unfortunately die, her husband would undoubtedly put her to death. The infant expired shortly after this explanation took place; and someEuropeansvisiting theEsquimauxencampment a day or two afterwards, made inquiries respecting the unhappy mother; when theIndianssilently pointed to the spot where the poor victim was interred!
This circumstance has given rise to an assertion, that if a first-born child die before it reaches a particular age, the mother is certain of being immolated, for a supposed want of attention to her infant. I had no means of ascertaining this singular custom myself; but I have before observed, that there did not appear eithersickly or deformed child or adult amongst them.
Their fire-places, as before stated, are outside the tents; and they have no need of any in the interior, as the seal-skins that cover them are like parchment oiled, and will not admit the wind, nor give egress to the breath; therefore their habitations are not only warm, but at mid-day, when I visited them, they were oppressively hot. With respect to their winter residence, I can say little or nothing. Most people suppose that they live in caves, by lamp-light; but the AbbéRaynal, who mentions theEsquimauxin his History of theEastandWest Indies, is of a different opinion. As the Abbé is both correct and incorrect, in many points of which I had a good opportunity to judge, perhaps it may not be amiss to give an extract from the part of his work relating to theEsquimaux Indians.
“This sterility of Nature extends itself to every thing. The human race are few in number,and scarce any of its individuals above four feet high. Their heads bear the same enormous proportion to their bodies as those of children: the smallness of their feet makes them awkward and tottering in their gait: small hands, and a round mouth, which inEuropeare reckoned a beauty, seem almost a deformity in these people; because we see nothing here but the effects of a weak organization, and of a cold that contracts and restrains the springs of growth, and is fatal to the progress of animal as well as vegetable life. Besides all this, their men, although theyhave neither hair nor beard, have the appearance of being old, even in their youth: this is partly occasioned by theformation of their lower lip, which is thick, fleshy, and projecting beyond the upper. Such are theEsquimaux, who inhabit not onlythe coast ofLabrador, from whence they have taken their name, but also all that tract of land which extends from the point ofBellisleto the most northern part ofAmerica.
“The inhabitants of Hudson’s-Bayhave, like theGreenlanders, a flat face, with short, but not flattened noses;the pupil of their eyes yellow, and the iris black. Their women have marks of deformity peculiar to their sex; amongst others, very long and flabby breasts. This deformity, which is not natural, arises from their custom of giving suck to their children until they are five or six years old. They frequently carry their children on their shoulders, who pull their mothers’ breasts with their hands, and almost suspend themselves by them.
“It is not true, that there are races ofEsquimauxentirely black, as has beensupposed, and afterwards pretended to be accounted for; neither do they live under ground. How should they dig into a soil, which the cold renders harder than stone? How is it possible they should live in caverns, where they would be infallibly drowned by the first melting of the snows? What, however, is certain, and almost equally surprising, is, that these people spend the winter under huts, run up in haste, and made of flints joined together by cements of ice, where they live without any other fire, but that of a lamp hung up in the middle of the shed, for the purpose of dressing their game, and the fish they feed upon. The heat of their blood and of their breath, added to the vapour arising from this small flame, is sufficient to make their huts as hot as stoves.
“TheEsquimauxdwell constantly nearthe sea, from whence they are supplied with all their provisions. Both their constitutions and complexions partake of the quality of their food. The flesh of the seal, which is their food, and the oil of the whale, which is their drink, give them an olive complexion, a strong smell of fish, an oily and tenacious sweat, and sometimes a sort of scaly leprosy. This last is probably the reason why the mothers have the same custom as the bears of licking their young ones.
“This nation, weak and degraded by nature, is, notwithstanding, most intrepid on a sea that is constantly dangerous. In boats, made and sewed together like so many borachio’s, but at the same time so well closed that it is impossible for the water to penetrate them, they follow the shoals of herrings through the wholeof their polar emigrations, and attack the whales and seals at the peril of their lives.
“One stroke of a whale’s tail is sufficient to drown a hundred of these assailants;and the seal is armed with teeth, to devour those he cannot drown: but the hunger of theEsquimauxis superior to the rage of these monsters. They have an inordinate thirst for the oil of the whale, which is necessary to preserve the heat in their stomachs, and defend them from the severity of the cold. Indeed, men, whales, birds, and all the quadrupeds and fishes of the North, are supplied by nature with a degree of fat, which prevents the muscles from freezing, and the blood from coagulating. Every thing in these Arctic regions is either oily or gummy, and even the trees are resinous.
“TheEsquimauxare, notwithstanding, subject to two fatal disorders; the scurvy, and loss of sight. The continuation of snows upon the ground, joined to the reverberation of the rays of the sun on the ice, dazzle their eyes in such a manner, that they are almost constantly obliged to wear shades of two pieces of very thin wood, through which small apertures for the light have been bored with fish-bones. Doomed to six months’ night, they never see the sun but obliquely; and then it seems rather to blind them, than to give them light. Sight, the most delightful blessing of nature, is a fatal gift to them,and they are generally deprived of it when young. A still more cruel evil, which is the scurvy, consumes them by slow degrees: it insinuates itself into their blood, and changes, thickens, and impoverishes the whole mass. The fogs of the sea, whichthey inspire; the dense and inelastic air they breathe in their huts, which are shut up from all communication with the external air; the constant and tedious inactivity of their winters; a mode of life alternately roving and sedentary; every thing, in short, tends to increase this dreadful malady, which in a little time becomes contagious, and, spreading itself through their abodes, is transmitted by cohabitation, and perhaps likewise by the means of generation.
“Notwithstanding these inconveniences, theEsquimauxis so passionately attached to his country, that no inhabitant of the most-favoured spot under Heaven quits it with greater reluctance, than he does his frozen deserts. The difficulty he finds in breathing in a softer and cooler climate may possibly be the reason of this attachment. The sky ofAmsterdam,Copenhagen, andLondon, though constantly obscured by thick and fetid vapours, is too clear for anEsquimaux. Perhaps, too, there may be something in the change of life and manners more contrary to the health of savages than the climate: it is not impossible but that the indulgences of anEuropeanmay be poison to anEsquimaux.—Such are the inhabitants of acountry discovered, in 1610, by Henry Hudson!”
Although many parts of the foregoing extract are strictly descriptive of theEsquimaux, yet it is very evident that the AbbéRaynalhas undertaken to describe a people whom he never saw: consequently, nothing can be more absurd than those remarks which, it may be observed, I have particularized: and I shall now notice them, in the order in which they occur.
In the first place, the Abbé says, that “scarce any of the individuals are above four feet high!” It has been before noticed, that, of all those whom we saw, a fair average standard might determine their height to be between five feet five inches, and five feet eight inches: moreover, we even saw some of the females five feet seven inches high. In the next place, he observes: “Their heads bear the same enormous proportion to their bodies as those of children.” This, again, is about as fabulous as those old stories of a race having been discovered withtwo heads. There is certainly nothing peculiar about the heads of theEsquimaux, to distinguish them from theEuropeans; unless, indeed, we except the enormous quantity of thick, coarse, straight, black hair, which covers them: and this last fact will bear rather hard upon the next marvellous remark of the Abbé’s, in which he asserts thatthey have neither hair nor beard! Theamazing coarseness of their hair, which generally is as thick as a mat on their heads, is, of all others, the most likely characteristic to strike the attention of a stranger: they have also a straggling beard upon the chin and upper lip; although, certainly, it must be admitted that the beard never grows thick or bushy.
The aged appearance of theEsquimauxis, as he says, owing to theformation of their lower lip!—Being able to adduce, if necessary, the testimony of a hundred witnesses to prove the truth of my assertions, I shall content myself with simply stating, that there is no suchprojection of the lower lipas the Abbé has described. He states that theEsquimauxhavetaken their name from the coast of Labrador; butEsquimaux, orSkimaux, is an expression, in the language of theCreeand other inlandIndians,signifying “eaters of raw flesh!” and they have bestowed this appellation on the maritimeIndians, in contempt; as there has always been a most deadly hatred between them.
Then again, with a bold dash of his pen, the Abbé peoples thewhole of Hudson’s Bay with Esquimaux: whereas, in fact, they occupy but a very small proportion of it, when compared with the vast extent of territory inhabited by the different tribes of HuntingIndians, the inveterate enemies of theEsquimaux. The northern and unexplored parts of the Bay, and the western shore ofLabrador, fromCape Diggsto the southward, are alone inhabited by the latter; whilst the whole of the western and southern shores are peopled by the former.
I know not what could have inducedhim, also, to describe theEsquimauxas having “the pupil of their eyes yellow, and the iris black:” this is not true; but I suppose that such a supposition may have arisen from that peculiar contraction of the eyelids which has already been noticed in the foregoing part of this Narrative.
It is not less absurd to affirm, that “the seal is armed with teeth, to devour those he cannot drown,” than to say, that the hare is armed with teeth, to devour those dogs from which she cannot escape;—the former being almost as timid an animal as the latter; and there cannot be much danger from therage of that monster, who coolly suffers a man to strike him a blow over the nose, which puts an almost immediate end to his existence.
I believeRaynalto be very correct in his remarks on the prevalent diseases of theEsquimaux; but he goes too far, in asserting that “they are generally deprived of sight when young.” Sore eyes, indeed, are common amongst them; but there were many old men without this complaint, and few of the women were troubled with it. “Such,” he concludes, “are the inhabitants of a country discovered, in 1610, by Henry Hudson.”—However, if curiosity should lead any person hereafter to visit the shores ofLabrador, in the hopes of meeting with a race of peoplefour feet in height, withenormous headswithoutany hair on them, andyellow eye-balls, he will be grievously disappointed: and so far are they from being that miserable degraded race which the Abbé describes them to be, that they are really possessed of industry, ingenuity, and courage; and certainly as far superior to the disgustingHottentot, as anEuropeanis superior to that race of men.