The dogs were cold, and eager to start. In a moment they were yoked to the sledge; the hunter with his right hand threw out the coils of his long whip-lash, with his left he seized an upstander, and propelling the sledge a few paces, he uttered at the same moment the shrill starting-cry, “Ka! ka!--ka! ka!” which sent the dogs in a bound to their places, and away they dashed over the rugged ice. The hunter skilfully guided his sledge among the hummocks, moderating the impetuosity of his team with the nasal “Ay! ay!” which they perfectly understand. On reaching the smooth ice, he dropped upon the sledge, allowed his whip-lash to trail after him on the snow, shouted “Ka! ka!--ka! ka!” to his savage team, and disappeared in as wild a gallop as ever was taken by the demon huntsman of German legend! * * * * * It does not appear that the Eskimos have magistrates or laws, yet the utmost good order prevails in their communities, and quarrels are rare. When these do occur, one or other of the dissatisfied parties collects his little store, and migrates to a different settlement. The constitution of their society is rightly described as patriarchal, but the ruler does not seem to be elected: he attains his post by proving his possession of superior strength, address, and courage. As soon as his physical powers give way, or old age enfeebles his mind, he deposes himself, takes his seat in the _oomiak_, or woman’s boat, and is relegated by common consent to female companionship. Like all savage tribes, the Eskimos have their mystery-men, or _angekoks_, who resort to the usual deceptions to acquire and retain supremacy, swallowing knives, resorting to ventriloquial artifices, and conversing in a mysterious jargon, unintelligible to “the common herd.” They profess to hold intercourse with certain potent spirits, and to employ their agency in rewarding or punishing their dupes; and even the influence of the Christian missionaries has hardly rooted out the belief in the superstitions originated and fostered by these men. Notwithstanding the hard conditions of their life, and the dreariness of the region which they inhabit, the Eskimos are a cheerful people. They are keenly sensible of the charms of music, though their own vocalization is inconceivably melancholy; and they are partial to many rude pastimes, mostly of a gymnastic character.