The Sun.
London, England, 1854-01-09 00:00:00

laud floe. Although the weather was very severe, so per-
fect is their clothing that the only injury they received
were some frost bites about the face. As they were with-
out food a description of their sufferings would be one of
thrilling interest, if we could understand their language
sufficiently to appreciate it.
A short time afterwards, on a general break up of the
ice, one man was carried away and lost. Finding he had
left a wife and two children, I sent a message to her to
come to the ship, and, on making her some useful presents
I endeavoured to have explained to a party assembled that
our business here was looking after other people who were
also in the ice, hoping it would have a tendency to gain
their assistance and friendship in favour of any of our par-
ties travelling along the coasts they frequent.
Several stratagems were tried to find out if we were on
the look-out at night ; small parties, generally two or
three women, came alongside, and, on being sent away,
would make some excuse of going out sealing, or some such
pretence, to keep in our neighbourhood, but our watch was
always too vigilant for them. One man was caught inthe
middle watch coming out of a tent erected over a theodo-
lite on the ice close to the ship, and was brought on board
a prisoner. As he had not been able to steal anything, the
case was not strong enough to inflict any punishment on
him, and he was permitted to go away the following day
at noon, with the promise of a good thrashing if he was
caught again. While he was on board only four or five
women and the chief came near us. I was glad to see the
latter, as he witnessed our leniency on the occasion, but he
seemed indifferent as to whether we had punished him or
not. Thf§ detection put a stop to their nightly excursions,
and left us unmolested.
A few of them from the first showed disinterested par-
tiality to us, which was appreciated, and they were in-
vited to sleep on board on a few rare occasions. For some
time they were nervous about it, but mustered courage
enough after a little while. My object in allowing them
to do so was to give them confidence, and let them see
some more of our habits, which I thought would raise us
in their estimation.

In the early part of February we were startled by a na-
tive report that a large ship, with a great many men, was
wintering to the southward at Point Hope. A party be-
longing to Cape Smyth had lately returned from Point
Hope (a journey frequently made by them in the Winter),
and had, it was said, been on board the ship ; but, know-
ing it to be an impossibility for a ship to winter there, not
much attention was. paid to it beyond thinking there gene-
rally exist some grounds for such reports, and, when well
sifted, they can sometimes be traced out. The present re-
port seemed to be a forerunner of a party of natives be-
longing to Point Hope, who arrived at Point Barrow about
this time, and soon afterwards visited the ship. The in-
formation received from them was that there was a largo
ship somewhere to the south with verylittle men on board.
Whether we mistook their "little" for " few," most likely
it was one of many such stories these people have among
them, from the habit of repeating from one to the other,
without reference to date, as in this case, if the story men-
tioned was traced to its source, it would most likely prove
to be some whaler visited by them in the summer.
This circumstance is mentioned to account for the way
reports are carried along a great extent of coast by natives
meeting for a short time for the purpose of barter, and at
considerable distances from their respective settlements,
when, as may naturally be supposed, an interchange of
news takes place, and thus becomes extended onwards,
subject to such change of version as the repeating tribe are
likely to give it ; making it necessary to consider their re-
ports well before taking much notice of them, unless ac-
companied by some token of their authority.
The chief of this party was a pleasing, spirited man, about
35 years of age, and was accompanied by his two wives, who
were good-looking young women. He had come on a barter-
ing expedition to obtain some copper kettles, giving glut-
ton skins in exchange. He recognised Mr. Simpson, the
surgeon, as having.seen him at Hotham's Inlet, and he was
also familiar with the name of Captain Moore, and some
of the former officers of the ship. He described his jour-
ney to us, of which I was anxious to get the particulars ;
he had slept 15 times, eight of them on the snow, but he
showed no signs of having suffered from cold. He, de-
scribed the sea as being open all along the coast to the
southward, but he was not familiar with ships, which I
accounted for by the lowness of the land about Point Hope
deterring the whalers from closing it, otherwise there' are
many in that latitude in the summer. He seemed to be a
poet, and favoured us with an extempore song of some
length, which included the name of the ship and some of
our own. He afterwards passed his hand down his stomach
several times expressive of great friendship, and then fixed
his forehead against mine, and used it as a fulcrum to rub
noses several times—a ceremony not very agreeable in his
heated state from singing. A chief of this place was of
the party, which made him feel quite at his ease ; other-
wise they are mistrustful on the first visit. He described
his people's barter with the Asiatics of the opposite coast
(the Tchuk-chi, or as they call themselves Tsau-chu) to
consist of the martin (sable), fox, wolverine, wolf, and
bear skins, and sometimes whale oil and fish, for which
they get in exchange kettles, tobacco, beads, knives (Rus-
sian), m an), and walrus teeth. While we remained he was a
welcome and constant visitor. The southern natives are
far more agreeable than those to the northward, who have
been rarely visited. The officers speak of the former as
more grateful and modest, particularly the women ; while
the latter are thought impudent and ungrateful. On leav-
ing, he sang of the good name he should give the ship on
his way down the coast, which will be of benefit to our
boats on their expedition to Cape Lisburne.
About the middle of February a great many of the na-
tives removed into the interior to hunt the reindeer, found
very numerous on these vast plains, which form the north-
western termination of America. As I was curious to see

something of the conntry and their mode of living at this

inclement season, I thought my making an excursion to
their hunting-grounds would show we placed every confi-
dence in them. I accordingly left the ship on the Ist of
March, accompanied by Mr. Gordon, mate, two seamen,
with a native guide, and a sledge drawn by six dogs, car-
rying a tent, guns, and provisions. Our route into the In-
terior was S.S.W. (true), across snowy plains, differing
little in appearance from the bay ice, except on the ap-
proach to a lake, when the rise became more sudden, and,
being exposed to the sweeping winds, grass was occasion-
ally seen in spots through the snow, offering, with deer,
of which we saw a great many, the only thing wortliy of
notice. Three and a-half days heavy travelling brought us

to an encampment on the bank of a river; they had ii,hole
through the ice, which we found to be seven feet tiick,
and reaching within one of the bottom. Their houses dif-
fered from those described by Captain Parry, being exca-
vated in the snow lodged on the river, the ice of which
formed a perfectly even floor. Their position from outside
was only observable by seeing the implements of chase be-
longing to the owners in a group over the top. We found
them in no instance wanting in kindness, but their char-
acter for begging . had not fallen off since leaving Point
Barrow. Their mode of killing the reindeer is novel, and
such as nature has pointed out. The country is so open
that they have no means of approaching the animals under
any cover ; they therefore dig deep pits in the snowy
ravines, selecting places where the surface is even, and
cover them lightly over with slabs of snow ; the moment
the animal puts his feet upon them, he is precipitated into
the pit, the depth of which is too great for them to leap
from. _ _ _

Having effected my purpose of visiting and going among
them, I returned to the ship, after an absence of seven
days. The position of the place, by astronomical observa-
tions, was S. 40 W., 38 miles from the ship.
Nothing further worthy of remark occurred in our inter-
course until I was setting out on a journey along the coast
to the eastward, when some of the worst disposed tried to
deter a young man from accompanying me as guide, by
threatening to follow and murder us when we slept—the
guide among the number, among whom it appeared tohave
no effect, beyond his repeating the story, and advising that
the men should not be allowed into the ship during my ab-
sence. This report made it evident that the fact of our
force being divided had been talked of, and I felt Sorry
our residence among them for so long had produced no
better feeling; but I considered it necessary to show we
were capable of defending ourselves, and travelling when
we found it necessary. If this was not established, our
position, confined to the ship by a tribe of unarmed sav-
ages, would not be very flattering. With these feelings I
set out on my journey, well satisfied with the resources of
my party, and with the judgment and discretion of the
officer, Lieutenant Vernon, in whose charge the Plover
was left. On my return, after an absence of 25 days, I was
glad to find everything going on as favourably as possible.
The natives were returning from the interior in large num-
bers, and the day previous, April 27, as many as 40 sledges,
with 93 people, crossed the bay to the village from the
hunting grounds.
From this time we procured an abundant supply of
venison, the only instance during our stay of receiving any
benefit from our proximity to them. It lasted nearly two
months, and had the effect of restoring; for a time, the
health of the crew, previously much debilitated and ex-
posed to scurvy.
The season for their whale fishing was now approaching,
and commenced on the 7th of May. The distance to the
open water was about four miles W. (true) of Point Bar-
row. On the 11th, hearing they had caught a whale, I
made an excursion to the scene, with the hope of being in
time to witness its distribution ; but, on arriving, the only
remains we could discover were about half-of-pound of
blubber, to so good an account do they seem to turn every
part of the animal. ' We found the open water extending
E.N.E. and W.S.W. (true), and no bottom with 10
fathoms. The ice to the southward seemed open, and I
supposed the water was free in that direction to Behring's
Straits. It would be interesting to be able to conjecture
its north-eastern extent, the wind blowing, it may be said,
constantly from that quarter ; if the ice should happen to
be broken it most clear a large space of water. •
This pursuit occupied them until the 21st of June,
when most of their " oomaiks" were brought to the land
to be prepared for their summer journey to the eastward,
previous to which they seem to allow themselves ten days'
enjoyment, which are passed in eating, smoking, and danc-
ing • then they commence the work of preparation.
While treating on this subject, it is worthy of being
mentioned that the natives state the whales make their
appearance off Point Hope in April and May, when the ice
there breaks up into fields, and that most of then} have
disappeared by the time the ships arrive. About the same
time these animals also appear at this place, and are pur-
sued by the natives in their " oomaiks," as mentioned be-
fore, until June, when few are seen, and in July none in
this neighbourhood ; and the people believe they retire
northward, to return this way in August and September.
The masters of whaling vessels have informed me that
whales are less abundant in the open water in July and
August than in September.
A month previous to this time we received, quite by ac-
cidentrsome very useful information. Two of the officers,
Lieutenant Vernon and Mr. Simpson (surgeon), conversing
with one of the chiefs more intelligent:and communicative
than the rest, asked him if he had ever seen any boats like
ours along the coast, when he said he had, near the Colville
River. Finding that Mr. Simpson, by turning over the
leaves of Commander Pullen's journal, was able to describe
the occurrences that took place, the man unwittingly gave
a detail of the whole affair, which corresponded with the
written account, even to the wind, by which it appears that
the chief of this place' with his Hudson's Bay gun—Barnett,
1843 (vide evidence taken before the Arctic Committee,
questions 1,384-5-6 - is the person described by Commander
Pullen, and he appears to have taken a large number of
men with him to follow the boats. The man afterwards
seemed very uneasy, and was perhaps thrown off his
guard when he told so much; but the officers supposed that
he thought, if the book told so much, they must also be
acquainted with every circumstance by the same moans,
and that he was doing no harm in acknowledging the facts.
He was very anxious from the first to learn the names of
Commander Pullen and his companion, Lieutenant Hooper
(a prevalent habit with them), but he was not told until
he had identified them in the most minute way. In fur-
ther conversations connected with the foregoing circum-
stances, we were enabled to identify this people as the
western Esquimaux, and the same man traced out for us the
deThis point had been one of
distance from Point eli!
übrten with
istthague ss ; o
suppositheng
n ethe
Bar-
row to Barter Island to be 240 miles of an exposed coast,
it could not be accomplished by them in the short season
Of open water, as their skin boats, when deeply laden, are
not adapted for a-seaway. These difficulties were explained
by saying they took the boats• away on sledges a month