Three Voyages for the Discovery of a Northwest Passage from the Atlantic to the Pacific, and Narrative of an Attempt to Reach the North Pole, Volume 1Parry, William Edward, Sir
History
Three Voyages for the Discovery of a Northwest Passage from the Atlantic to the Pacific, and Narrative of an Attempt to Reach the North Pole, Volume 1
Parry, William Edward, Sir
Arctic regions; Northwest Passage; Parry, William Edward, Sir, 1790-1855
The two Esquimaux tents which we were now going to visit were
situated just within a low point of land, forming the eastern side
of the entrance to a considerable branch of the inlet, extending
some distance to the northward. The situation is warm and
pleasant, having a southwesterly aspect, and being in every
respect well adapted for the convenient residence of these poor
people. We landed outside the point, and walked over to the tents,
sending our boats, accompanied by the two canoes, round the point
to meet us. As soon as we came in sight of the tents, every living
animal there, men, women, children, and dogs, were in motion; the
latter to the top of the hill out of our way, and the rest to meet
as with loud and continued shouting; the word _pilletay_ (give me)
being the only articulate sound we could distinguish amid the
general uproar. Besides the four men whom we had already seen,
there were four women, one of whom, being about the same age as
the old man, was probably his wife; the others were about thirty,
twenty-two, and eighteen years of age. The first two of these,
whom we supposed to be married to the two oldest of the young men,
had infants slung in a kind of bag at their backs, much in the
same way as gipsies are accustomed to carry their children. There
were also seven children, from twelve to three years of age,
besides the two infants in arms, or, rather, behind their mothers'
backs; and the woman of thirty was with child.
We began, as before, by buying whatever they had to dispose of,
giving in exchange knives, axes, brass kettles, needles, and other
useful articles, and then added such presents as might be farther
serviceable to them. From the first moment of our arrival until we
left them, or, rather, till we had nothing left to give, the
females were particularly importunate with us, and "pilletay"
resounded from the whole troop, wherever we went; they were
extremely anxious to obtain our buttons, apparently more on
account of the ornament of the crown and anchor which they
observed upon them than from any value they set upon their use;
and several of these were cut off our jackets to please their
fancy. When I first endeavoured to bargain for a sledge, the
persons I addressed gave me distinctly to understand by signs that
it was not their property, and pointed towards the woman who owned
it; though my ignorance in this respect offered a good opportunity
of defrauding me, had they been so inclined, by receiving an
equivalent for that which did not belong to them: on the owner's
coming forward, the bargain was quickly concluded. The pikes which
I gave in exchange underwent the usual ceremony of licking, and
the sledge was carried to our boat with the most perfect
understanding on both sides. In another instance, an axe was
offered by some of the Griper's gentlemen as the price of a dog,
to which the woman who owned the animal consented. To show that we
placed full confidence in them, the axe was given to her before
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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