The next course was a mess of green stuff, looking as if carefully chopped up, and this was also hard frozen. To it was added a lump of blubber, which the lady presiding, who did all the carving, dexterously cut into slices with a knife like a cheesemonger's, and apportioned out, at different quarters of the huge tray before mentioned, which was used throughout the meal, together with a modicum of the grass-like stuff, to the company; the only distinction in favour of the strangers and guests of high degree being that their slices were cut much thinner than for the rest. We tasted this compound, and we didn't like it; at this no one will wonder; the blubber speaks for itself, and the other stuff, which really was not very unpalatable, we discovered in after-times to be the unruminated food of reindeer which had been slaughtered; at least so we were told, but I am not quite clear on this point. Our dislike to the dish had no offensive effect upon our host, who only seemed to be astonished at our strange want of taste, and, with the rest of the guests, soon cleared the board, the managing dame putting the finishing stroke by a rapid sweep of her not too scrupulously clean fingers over the dish, by way of clearing off the fragments, to prepare for the reception of the next delicacy. After this interesting operation she conveyed her digits to her mouth, and, engulfing them for a brief period, withdrew them quite in apple-pie order once more.

The board was now again replenished, this time with viands less repellent to our unnurtured tastes. Boiled seal and walrus flesh appeared, and our hospitable friends were greatly relieved when they beheld us assist in the consumption of these items, which, being utterly devoid of flavour, were distasteful only from their extreme toughness and mode of presentation, but we did not, of course, desire to appear too singular or squeamish. Next came a portion of whale's flesh, or rather whale's skin; this was perfect ebony in hue, and we discovered some apprehensions respecting its fitness as an article of food; but our fears were groundless. It was cut and recut crosswise into diminutive cubes; venturing upon one of which we were agreeably surprised to find it possessing a cocoa-nut flavour, like which also it ate, " very short;" indeed, so much astonished were we on this occasion that we had consumed a very considerable number of these cubes, and with great relish too, before we recovered from our wonder. This dish was ever afterwards a favourite with me. its disappearance a very limited quantity of boiled reindeer meat, fresh and fat, was served up, to which we did ample justice; then came portions of the gum of the whale, in which the ends of the bone lay still embedded, and I do not hesitate to declare that this was perfectly delicious, its flavour being, as nearly as I can find a parallel, like that of cream cheese. This, which the Tuski call their sugar, was the wind-up to the repast and ourselves, and we were fain to admit that, after the rather unpleasant auspices with which our feast commenced, the finale was by no means to be contemned.

On

The Tuski, in reality no better than untutored savages, are still not deficient in ingenuity and skill, even as applied to the arts. Their inventive genius is particularly displayed in the manufacture of frocks and breeches of reindeer, fawn, seal, and dogskin; also of eider-duck, okonches or over-shirts, caps, mocassins, mitts, and such like. They embroider very prettily, and to a great extent, with the hair of the reindeer and pieces of leather cut out in the required form and sewn on. They also join many parti-coloured pieces of skin together, which have frequently a very pretty effect. It was curious to notice how, with them as in more civilised communities, certain persons were famed for their skill in particular branches of manufacture. Some women were remarkable for dressing skins in a superior manner; others were noted for employing better dyes than usual. One man made whip-handles well; another produced the best thongs. Their skill in cutting ivory was also considerable. Models of sledges and of household furniture, pipes, and

toys of ivory, among which were ducks, seals, dogs, &c., evidenced great taste and variety; fishing-lines of whalebone, with hooks and sinkers of ivory, sealskin bags, coils of rope, of walrus, or seal-hide, cut without a join for full fifty fathoms, and of all thicknesses; sledges and harness were also among the products of their industry. There was one artist a very Tuski Cellini, whose skill in sculpturing ivory was the theme of praise throughout the country.

It appears that even dandies are not unknown in Tuski land:

I suppose it is an inevitable provision of all societies that some few among their components are doomed to act the popinjay, and seek to be esteemed by their outward show. The votary of Bond-street, the petit-maître of the Boulevards, were here fitly represented by our Tuski friend; his dress was cut and donned in a manner entirely differing from the mode adopted by his fellows; pendant tags of leather, each strip having a bead, and scraps of dyed fur aptly mimicked the frogs and braids of his more advanced brother in fashion; nor was he blind to the indispensable qualifications of the fop; his cap and mocassins were as carefully selected as hat and boots elsewhere. Thus bedecked and bedizened, he strutted on the scene with an air of self-satisfaction and of admiration, which, while it provoked a smile, incited rather melancholy reflec tions on the likeness of man here and elsewhere. Our guests were as much diverted as we could desire, and night was far encroached upon ere they were all disposed in slumber.

The Tuski are naturally a very courageous people, and full of endurance. They attack the fierce polar bear singly without hesitation, and sanguinary contests are often the result.

"We met one man," Mr. Hooper relates, "who was said to have encountered a huge and savage bear with only a species of large daggerknife, and to have succeeded in despatching it. He was frightfully injured in the contest in his breast five huge scars, caused by the claws of his adversary, were visible; a terrible seam appeared on one side of his face, and he was, moreover, crippled for life."

It is quite manifest, from Lieutenant Hooper's narrative, that the officers and men of the Plover were solely indebted for the hospitality and kind treatment they received at the hands of these people to their own exceeding civility and forbearance. The whole work is, in this respect, a lesson of the good that can be obtained by kindly intercourse with semi-savages. Mr. Hooper is himself a most remarkable example of the combination of a tender, susceptible temperament, with daring courage and endurance. These peculiarities are nowhere made more manifest than on the journey to East Cape, performed on snow-shoes, with dog-sledges for provisions.

Lieutenant Hooper, accompanied by Messrs. Martin and W. H. Moore, and some friendly natives for guides, started on the morning of February 8th-a clear and beautiful day, with the temperature ranging from 20 deg. to 23 deg. below zero (that is, 52 to 55 below freezingpoint). The first night they reached tents where only a few fish were set before them both frozen and boiled. A blinding snowdrift detained them the 9th, but getting impatient, they set off, notwithstanding, on the 10th. With such discomfort, the fine fiercely driven snow blowing directly in their faces and nearly blinding them, they only got to Noowook, a miserable fishing-station, but where hospitality, according to the means of the poor people, was at once shown them. Here one of

their dogs departed from them, but they bought another the next day for six ounces of tobacco. The 11th was still misty, with dazzling snow; and passing Tchaytcheen-five small huts upon a splendid harbour-they crossed to the opposite shore, and struck off to the westward of a ridge of hills, where they stopped to refresh themselves:

The day had been misty throughout, and while we thus tarried for a space, fine snow commenced to fall thickly, and obscure our path; increasing heavily as we continued on our way. All surrounding country was now completely hidden from view'; it was even difficult for myself, who always brought up the rear, to distinguish with clearness the form of our guide, Mooldooyah, who notwithstanding pursued his way unhesitatingly until the brief daylight began to decrease, when he showed ominous signs of wavering and doubt, stopping at times to consult with his wife, and peering anxiously into the fast thickening gloom. At last, after descending a hill, and proceeding for a short time along a level surface, Mooldooyah came to a determined halt, and realised our fears of his having been misled by telling us that we were now on salt-water ice, probably only an inlet of the sea, but he did not know what or where--in fact, that be had lost his way in the snowfall and darkness, and that we must wait until moonrise for light and guidance. This would not happen for four or five hours, so we sat ourselves down contentedly to wait for the advent of the queen of night to relieve us from our difficulties. We proposed, indeed, to show the direction of the land by compass; but Mooldooyah rejected the offer as of little use, as even then he would be unable to find the road. Fortunately the fall of snow had brought a moderation of the cold, from which, therefore, we suffered little and so slightly did the condition of affairs depress our spirits, that several favourite songs were sung in chorus, and Martin and myself had a dance in the snow, which deserves the name of the Tuski Polka. It was, however, rather too laborious an amusement to be long continued, as we were heavily encumbered with our clothes, and the snow was three feet deep recourse was then had to smoking, and sure I am that the severest condemners of this practice would withhold their strictures in our case, where its indulgence was so great a solace.

The rising of the moon brought no alteration in their condition; the heavy snow-flakes fell so thickly that they could barely tell, by a faint glimmering, in which direction she lay, and they were perforce induced to arrange their sledges for repose, following in that the movements of their Tuski friend Mooldooyah, and aided by the suggestions of his good wife Yaneenga, who was ever watchful for their comforts-not more anxious perhaps than her husband, but more alive to their wants.

Mooldooyah and his wife were evidently in a state of terrible anxiety for our safety; for themselves they could have little fear, inured as they were to the rigour of the climate, although even the natives occasionally suffer dreadful, and even fatal injuries by such accidents as the present. But the case was different as concerned the strangers, whose power to resist the cold they were unacquainted with. In this extremity, recourse was had to thy powers, dread Shamanism! and whatever people may think of it, I freely confess, that although by no means a man of weak nerves, the manner of conducting the ceremony, notwithstanding the simplicity of its details, struck me with a sensation of awe, and first opened my eyes to the real danger we were in. Quitting their sledge with slow and measured step, the pair removed to a distance from us, where Yaneenga prostrated herself in the snow, her hands upraised above her buried face; the man, turning first to the west, then to the north and south, omitting-I know not why, perhaps accidentally—the fourth point, bowed himself to each repeatedly; like Yaneenga's, his hands and arms were upraised above his head, and he gave forth a succession of cries, which still Sept.-VOL. XCIX. NO. CCCXCIII.

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sound in my ears as I write of them-long, wailing shouts, loud, unearthly, and despairing, each exhausting the lungs in their emission, like a thunderroll at first, and sinking by degrees to a melancholy faintness. In all my life I never heard any sounds to equal these for horrible impressiveness; the deathwail of the Irish, the shout of the Red Indian, both of which I have heard in force, fall far short of Mooldooyah's appeal to his fates. They presently returned to their sledge, where I joined them, and found Yaneenga weeping profusely, but quietly, while her husband sat in moody silence, and replied only briefly to my questions. Ere long I regained my own sledge, and reclined against it until morning, but sleep came tardily, and then only in broken, fitful portions.

Glimmering daylight brought no relief, the snow still falling in enormous flakes, and they only made a little progress along shore, the view being circumscribed to a few yards' extent. At night the wind rose and the temperature fell considerably, so they were glad to dig holes in the snow and to lay therein in a crouching position. Thus a little, very little, miserable slumber was obtained, although two days' weariness courted repose. Mr. Moore was unfortunately at the same time attacked with violent diarrhoea.

This was a miserable night; darkness surrounded us without relief, for we had neither fuel nor means of obtaining light; the snow, penetrating our outer garments, thawed upon the under clothing; gauntlets and caps, frequently dropped or mislaid, were full of snow when recovered, and little round crystal balls fringing our inner caps and hair, greatly increased our discomfort. It may thus be imagined how truly wretched was our situation, that of our poor messmate particularly, aggravated as it was by illness and extra exposure.

Another day dawned, but brought no comfort to our now chilled souls as well as bodies. Think, dear friends, of the utter desolation and dreariness of uninterrupted snow; the livelong day, the weary night, snow, only snow, now falling perpendicularly in broad and massive flakes, now driven by the freezing blast in slanting sheets which sought each nook and cranny for a resting-place. In scenes of stirring excitement there is much to blind one to possible contingencies, or at least they are congenial to the spirit, but this our miserable condition, desolate and monotonous, called for all the quicksilver in one's veins.

A partial clearance towards noon stimulated to new efforts, but the sledges broke down or turned over.

The snowfall decreased slightly towards evening, and this trifling improvement favoured an illusion, whose dissipation was a cruel disappointment to us in our jaded and dispirited state. We were, unconsciously, again approaching the sea, and suddenly hailed with transports of delight what we took to be a collection of yarangas. Strange to say, the dogs manifested equally joyous symp. toms of recognition, and needed little persuasion to make them quicken their speed towards the so welcome objects. Alas, we might have spared our glad hurrahs; the fancied yarangas were but the bare abrupt faces of the sea cliffs, and, as we neared them, seemed to grin derisively at our bitter delusions.

So great a fall of snow had rendered travelling exceedingly difficult, particularly with such heavily laden sledges; the dogs could scarcely flounder along, and we were constantly obliged to lift one or the other runner from its deep furrow. These continued efforts were, in our exhausted plight, painfully laborious; and the entire helplessness of Mr. Moore, who still suffered from his complaint, added greatly to our fatigue.

We stopped at last, from sheer inability to proceed, in the mouth of a small inlet, bordered by steep banks, and passed a night of misery and suspense, far worse than any of the preceding. The wind, sweeping remorselessly through

the gorge, covered us with snow-drift, and sought to freeze the very marrow in our bones, the temperature having again fallen considerably.

That night is imprinted indelibly upon my memory: never do I recal its tardily passing moments without shuddering at the thought of what might have been our state next morning. That we were not all frozen to death will ever be a matter of wonder to me, for our under garments had been completely saturated with melted snow, and our outer dresses were rigid as boards. The morning of the 14th presented little to justify more than a faint hope of relief. A heavy mist hung around, obscuring the scene as much as ever; and although we journeyed on, it was in a circle, for we crossed our old track. Between nine and ten, however, the mist cleared off, and gave us a considerable view, by which fortunate chance both Martin and Mooldooyah recognised a headland afar, and then knew that we were in Oong-wy-sac Coy-ee-mak, or Oongwysac harbour, and consequently could reach the village of Oongwysac ere night. We directly took bearings, in case the weather should again thicken, but it cleared as the day wore ou; and using all the very moderate despatch we could exert, Oongwysac was reached after a laborious travel of ten hours. We arrived at the yarangas in a condition of complete exhaustion; and here our first cry was for water. For water! with snow in such profusion around! Even so, good friends. Thirst was one of our greatest sufferings, which eating snow only increased, from its inflammatory effect. Our poor dogs were almost famished.

The okonch of the natives is invaluable as a protection against snow. It is made of the intestines of whales and other marine animals, slit open and sewn very neatly together on a double edge. This species of shirt is, when good, quite impervious to water, and exceedingly light, weighing only a few ounces. It is manifest what a boon such a protection must be in snow, particularly heavy drift, the fine particles of which will penetrate into the smallest crevice, and so completely fill the hair of this dress that its weight becomes unbearable.

We have limited ourselves in this notice to the Tuski and their tents, as the more novel subject; but Mr. Hooper's work contains also a very interesting narrative of a boat expedition along the Arctic shores of North America; of interviews with Esquimaux by no means of so pleasant a character as those with the Tuski; of an ascent up the Mackenzie and Peel Rivers, and of winterings at the forts of the Hudson Bay Company; which narrative is further enlivened by sundry tales of starvation in those desolate regions of a truly appalling character, comprehending as they do notices of an old Indian who devoured eleven or thirteen persons, among whom (charity begins at home) were his parents, one wife, and the children of two; and another rather worked-up story of an European who perished from a surfeit over the liver of his friend in distress. These painful episodes of Arctic wintering are further diversified by accounts of cowardly fights between the Indians and the Esquimaux. Both narratives are illustrated by a map, in which Mr. Hooper carries out Wrangell's land to Wollaston's--a totally improbable view of the case-and by several prettily tinted lithographs, which give a good idea of the tents of the Tuski, of their interiors, and of the people themselves; as also by a very animated picture of the winter-quarters of the Plover in the same regions, and a characteristic view of Cape Bathurst, with Esquimaux, tents, and boats, and of the ice pressing down on that most remote and inhospitable shore.