many of their words afloat among the different ships, some of which I had picked up. Accordingly I now rapped out two or three of the first that came to hand, no matter how.

"Ook-gook?" shouted I, coming closer up.

This was the word for a seal, and it seemed to have some effect in setting him at ease, so I made the most of it over and over again.

"Tima, tima!" added I, recollecting by good chance what was the signal for making friends.

"Innu," he said, pointing to himself, as much as to tell his nation; for they are far from fond of the name of " Huskies;" then with a knock on his breast he signified his own name to be "Myuk." Every now and then he looked over his shoulder, clearly expecting to see more of us, and it struck me it was just as well not to let him too far into the secret of my condition, even if he could have understood the different signs and shouts I kept making at him.

By that time he had got his feet free, picked up his bone seal-spear, and at sight of the wreckage on the sledge, began to prick up his ears. I tried my best to get the notion driven into him about the castaway crew from the berg, but no sooner had he got this than it seemed to confuse him into the idea that I was one of them. "Kodlun-ar?" he asked, first pointing at me, as much as to say, "White man?" then making a motion with his hand away round, which puzzled me. However,

I soon made out that there were more of his family not far off; and suddenly a thought seemed to strike him in regard to some of them perhaps being better able to make me out.

"Oosisoak sabbey," meaning "savvy," which all the world over stands for knowingness between natives and sailors. He then made to hurry off in-field; but seeing from me, to say nothing of the dogs, that this was taken for doubtful, he jumped back, and threw down his seal-spear and line before me, adding to it a black stump of an old tobacco pipe, which he laid down most carefully on the ice as a great valuable. "Wichou!" said he, which means wait; "Oosisoak Danske Innu— Peter, Peter!" he said, evidently with regard to the same man. Then off he went full speed.

There was not only no mistrusting him after this, as I understood the case to be that the said Oosisoak was called Peter about the Danish settlements, and had more knowledge accordingly. I sat down, noway fit for more till the upshot was settled. I could hear the "Husky" a long way off, whooping and whistling against the ice, till all was still again. I don't know what I could have done that time, if this said Myuk had played me false. You would hardly believe it, but I came nearest to losing my senses, now deliverance was at hand. It was like a dream; still there was the man's spear and other articles lying before me, and I would not have meddled with them on any

account, nor so much as stirred from the spot lest they should not be able to find me. The time looked like an age, when all of a sudden the dogs gave tongue, and I saw three figures coming along the snow.

It was Myuk back again, with the Oosisoak in question, and a boy besides. The man was an older brother, even shorter than the first, and as fat and plump as a bull seal; he was lighter coloured, and, perhaps, better-looking, but wanting the good-natured, turn of Myuk, also with a down look that did not take my fancy. The boy was a funny little round chap, cased up in rough skins, for all the world like a hedgehog.

Oosisoak could speak what he called Kabbiney, that was to say, broken whaling English and Husky, which was about three parts bad Danish with him. He took care to let me know first he was Peter, and full christened; which was none the more creditable to him, considering his greedy cunning side-glances. "Piletay, piletay!" ("Give, give!") said he, holding out one hand, with the other on his fat corporation, as much as to say they were hungry. The truth no doubt was that "Myuk" had lost his seal in consequence of my appearing, and furthermore, by what I could make out, he had had to draw off his brother and the boy from the track of a white bear that was making for water at the time. Though Myuk plainly bore no grudge in the matter, and showed no particular

concern about it, the other made a very poor mouth about their condition, giving me to understand that his people had come far out on the ice after the walrus and seals, which seemed to be then scarce toward land. Karg-toon, Karg-toon!" "Very much hungry!" persisted he, commencing again with his Pil-e-tay, to get something from me; as if counting on my being flush of stores. It was not far to take them till we got in sight of the ship, over the hummocks and the small berg on the floe." Accordingly I led that way, till the sight of the Priscilla made all three jump back. I had left the cabin and binnacle lamps lighted ready, and the caboose stove burning, which, with the smoke from the funnel, gave her quite a lively look. Seeing the crack all along between, however, they hung behind in a way I could not very well understand till afterwards. The men appeared bent to go no farther; at the same time they had no objection to settle down and see what they could get.

All I had about me was a plug of first-rate tobacco, and no sooner did, I hand it out, than you should have seen how the fat fellow caught at it; biting off a big chaw, then stowing away the rest, without so much as saying "shares" with the younger one.

No matter where natives may be, tobacco is always nuts to them, and this seemed to open the fellow out. At last I contrived to get into his thick skull about the wrecked crew off the berg,