We had before this time communicated to Ayoket and his countrymen our intention of sending a party of our people to the northward in the spring; and Captain Lyon had displayed to him all the charms of a brightly-polished brass kettle, of greater magnitude than had, perhaps, ever entered into an Esquimaux imagination, as an inducement, among various others, for him to accompany the Kabloonas in their excursion. The prospect of such riches was a temptation almost irresistible; but enterprise is not the genius of an Esquimaux; and Ayoket, we soon began to perceive, had no fancy for the proposed trip, which all his friends persisted in saying could never be accomplished. This was evidently to be attributed, in no small degree, to jealousy of any one individual among them being thus selected; and the brass kettle was speedily the means of increasing the distance to "Iligliuk's country" from sixteen to twenty-four days' journey. We had long, indeed, observed that this feeling of jealousy was easily excited among these people; but, what is extraordinary, it never displayed itself (as is most usual) among themselves, but was entirely vented upon us, who were, though innocently, the authors of it. As an instance of this, a man of the name of _Karr~etok_ refused to take from me a strong and useful pair of scissors as a present, because, as he did not hesitate to assure me, I had given Okotook a pike, which was _more_ valuable. To show him that this temper was not likely to produce anything to his advantage, I took back the scissors, and, having sent him away, went to my dinner. Going accidentally on deck an hour afterward, I found Karretok still on board, who, having had time to reflect on his folly, now came up to me with a smiling face, and begged hard for the scissors, which, of course, he did not get. Many similar instances occurred, both to Captain Lyon and myself. To this discouragement on the part of his friends, was added, on that of Ayoket, the same wavering and inconstant disposition which most other savages possess, rendering it impossible to place any dependance on his promises and intentions for two hours together. Indeed, the more our scheme was pressed upon his attention, and the more he saw of the actual preparations for the journey, the less doubtful his intentions became; and arrangements were therefore made for completing the party without him. For the reasons now given, it was equally impossible even to direct the attention of the Esquimaux, with any hope of success, to our scheme of their conveying letters to the Hudson's Bay settlements.