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
Toolooak, who now considered himself as quite privileged to find
his way into the cabin without a conductor, and was not backward
in thus practising his newly-acquired art of opening and shutting
the door, sat with me for a couple of hours on the 18th, quietly
drawing faces and animals, an occupation to which he took a great
fancy; and we often were reminded, by this circumstance, of a
similar propensity displayed by his amiable countryman, our
lamented friend John Sackhouse. We soon found that Toolooak
possessed a capacity equal to anything he chose to take an
interest in learning; and could he, at his present age, have been
voluntarily removed from his companions, and his attention
directed to the acquirement of higher branches of knowledge than
that of catching seals, he would have amply repaid any pains
bestowed upon his education. I had always entertained great
objection to taking any such individual from his home, on the
doubtful chance of benefiting himself, or of his doing any service
to the public as an interpreter. My scruples on this head had
hitherto been confined to the consideration due to the individual
himself, and to the relatives he leaves behind. In our present
case, however, not the smallest public advantage could be derived
from it; for it had long ago become evident that we should soon
know more of the Esquimaux language than any of them were likely
to learn of English in any reasonable period of time. I was
therefore far from desiring to receive from Toolooak an answer in
the affirmative, when I to-day plainly put the question to him,
whether he would go with me to _Kabloona noona_ (European
country). Never was a more decisive negative given than Toolooak
gave to this proposal. He eagerly repeated the word _na-o_ (no)
half a dozen times, and then told me that if he went away his
father would cry. This simple but irresistible appeal to paternal
affection, his decisive manner of making it, and the feelings by
which his reply was evidently dictated, were just what could have
been wished. No more could be necessary to convince those who saw
it, that these people may justly lay equal claim with ourselves to
these common feelings of our nature; and, having once satisfied
myself of this, I determined never again to excite in Toolooak's
mind another disagreeable sensation, by talking to him on this
subject.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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