THE WORLD OF ICE, 199

tioned the chief as to his knowledge of the country.
Unfortunately Awatok and his band had travelled
from the interior to the coast, and never having been
more than twenty or thirty miles to the north of the
Bay of Mercy, could give no information either in
regard to the formation of the coast or the possibility
of Europeans having wintered there. In fact, neither
he nor his countrymen had ever seen Europeans before,
and they were so much excited that it was difficult to
obtain coherent answers to questions. The captain,
therefore, postponed further inquiries until they had
become somewhat accustomed to the novelty of their
position.

Meanwhile, David Mizzle furnished them with a
large supply of pea-soup, which they seemed to relish
amazingly. Not so, however, the salt pork with
which it had been made. They did, indeed, con-
descend to eat it, but they infinitely preferred a
portion of raw walrus-flesh, which had been reserved
as food for the dogs, and which they would speedily
have consumed had it not been removed out of their
reach. Having finished this, they were ordered to
return to their camp on the ice beside the ship, and a
vigorous barter was speedily begun.

First of all, however, a number of presents were
made to them, and it would really have done your
heart good, reader, to have witnessed the extravagant
joy displayed by them on receiving such trifles as bits
of hoop-iron, beads, knives, scissors, needles, ete. Iron
is as precious among them as gold is among civilized