But Long, pointing to a grey wreath of smoke curling out of a conical protuberance on the ice field some hundred steps off, contented himself with observing quietly—
“The morses are smoking, then!”
As he spoke some living creatures came out of the but dragging themselves along the snow. They were Eskimo, but whether male or female none but a native could have said, for their costumes were all exactly alike.
Indeed, without in the least sharing the opinion of the naturalist quoted above, anyone might have taken the rough shaggy figures for seals or some other amphibious animals. There were six of them—four full-grown, and two children. Although very short, they were broad-chested and muscular. They had the flat noses, long eyelashes, large mouths, thick lips, long black coarse hair, and beardless chins of their race. Their costume consisted of a round coat made of the skin of the walrus, a hood, boots, trousers, and mittens of the same material. They gazed at the Europeans in silence.
“Does anyone understand Eskimo?” inquired the Lieutenant.
No one was acquainted with that idiom, and everyone started when a voice immediately exclaimed in English, “Welcome! welcome!”
It was an Eskimo, and, as they learned later, a woman, who, approaching Mrs. Barnett, held out her hand.
The lady, much surprised, replied in a few words, which the native girl readily understood, and the whole family was invited to follow the Europeans to the fort.
The Eskimo looked searchingly at the strangers, and after a few moments’ hesitation they accompanied the Lieutenant, keeping close together, however:
Arrived at the enceinte, the native woman, seeing the house, of the existence of which she had had no idea, exclaimed—
“House! snow-house!”
She asked if it were made of snow, which was a natural question enough, for the house was all but hidden beneath the white mass which covered the ground. She was made to understand that it was built of wood; she then turned and said a few words to her companions, who made signs of acquiescence, and they all passed through the postern, and were taken to the large room in the chief building.
They removed their hoods, and it became possible to distinguish sexes. There were two men, about forty or fifty years old, with yellowish-red complexions, sharp teeth, and projecting cheekbones, which gave them something of the appearance of carnivorous animals; two women, still young whose matted hair was adorned with the teeth and claws of Polar bears; and two children, about five or six years old, poor little creatures with intelligent faces, who looked about them with wide wondering eyes.
“I believe the Eskimo are always hungry,” said Hobson, “so I don’t suppose our guests would object to a slice of venison.”
In obedience to the Lieutenant’s order, Joliffe brought some reindeer-venison, which the poor creatures devoured with greedy avidity; but the young woman who had answered in English behaved with greater refinement, and watched Mrs. Barnett and the women of the fort without once removing her eyes from them. Presently noticing the baby in Mrs. Mac-Nab’s arms; she rose and ran up to it, speaking to it in a soft voice, and caressing it tenderly.
Indeed if not exactly superior, the young girl was certainly more civilised than her companions, which was especially noticeable when, being attacked by a slight fit of coughing, she put her hand before her mouth in the manner enjoined by the first rules of civilised society.
This significant gesture did not escape anyone, and Mrs. Barnett, who chatted for some time with the Eskimo woman, learned from her in a few short sentences that she had been for a year in the service of the Danish governor of Upper Navik, whose wife was English, and that she had left Greenland to follow her family to the hunting grounds. The two men were her brothers; the other woman was her sister-in-law, married to one of the men, and mother of the two children. They were all returning from Melbourne Island, on the eastern coast of English America, and were making for Point Barrow, on the western coast of Russian America, the home of their tribe, and were considerably astonished to find a factory established on Cape Bathurst. Indeed the two men shook their heads when they spoke of it. Did they disapprove of the construction of a fort at this particular point of the coast? Did they think the situation ill-chosen? In spite of all his endeavours, Hobson could get no satisfactory reply to these questions, or rather he could not understand the answers he received.
The name of the young girl was Kalumah, and she seemed to have taken a great fancy to Mrs. Barnett. But sociable as she was, she appeared to feel no regret at having left the governor of Upper Navik, and to be sincerely attached to her relations.
After refreshing themselves with the reindeer-venison, and drinking half-a-pint of rum, in which the children had their share, the Eskimo took leave of their hosts; but before saying goodbye, the young girl invited Mrs. Barnett to visit their snow-hut, and the lady promised to do so the next day, weather permitting.
The next day was fine, and accompanied by Madge, Lieutenant Hobson, and a few soldiers, well armed in case any bears should be prowling about, Mrs. Barnett set out for “Cape Eskimo,” as they had named the spot where the little colony had encamped.
Kalumah hastened forward to meet her friend of yesterday, and pointed to the but with an, air of pride. It was a large cone of snow, with an opening in the summit, through which the smoke from the fire inside made its way. These snow-houses, called igloos in the language of the Eskimo, are constructed with great rapidity, and are
