Left on Labrador

a Bear with the Cannon-Rifle.-A Strange Sound.-The Esquimaux.-The

ally prevented any thing like dullness from "creeping over our spirits;" since we were sure of a sensation at least twice in twenty-four hours. But during the ne

easternmost a couple of miles to the southward. Between it and the next island, which lay a little back to the north, there was a sort of bay filled with floating

nd: take mine. Now look right up there

ooting along. That's a narwhal: no, 'tain't, either. By jolly! see the seals flop off into the water as it shoots along! afraid

what I t

as

ad

sses, and com

" demanded Capt. Mazard, com

au kayak!"

running aft

considered as an invention perfected through centuries by one of the most singular peoples of the Man family, it is, in connection with all their implements of use, well worth a study. Indeed, there is, to me at least, something so inexpressibly quaint and bizarre about t

r some minutes; then shot up into the passag

us,-saw the scho

captain. "Must be a pretty conspicuous obj

I presume there are others-whole families-not far away. These pe

et," said Kit. "What say for shortening sail, or standi

, gentlemen," re

unicate with us if they desired. The helm was accordingly put round, and "The Curlew" headed for the second is

he howitzer might stir t

o that!" ex

ere given at intervals of five minutes: but we saw nothing more of the kayak; and, after waiting nearly an hour more, the schooner was headed arou

three islands: so the sailors reported. The high mainland

yet broken up. Altogether the islet and the ice-field about it was perhaps two or two miles and a half in diameter. On the west it was separated from the island below it-a high, black dome of sienite-by a narrow channel of a hundred and fifty yards. Hundreds of seals lay b

hots, Wade. We've got two bear-skins; but we shall want one apiece.

a cannon, from the deck of a vessel in motion. Nevertheless Kit made quite a show of elevating the gun and getting the range. Presently he touched off. The first we saw of the shot was its striking on the ice-field at a long distance short of the bear. The bits of ice flew up smartly, and the ball must have ricochetted; for we saw the ice fly up again quite ne

ercoat!" l

ering my smaller cannon. "I'll ma

ly. It was all we could do to drive it down. The gun was then capped and cocked. I moved the screw to elevate it about an

t. "I can overbid that!"-taking up

I bid agai

e smaller and more easily handled, I had my ball down before Kit had his powder-wad rammed. The rest s

I, "shoot tha

here was a moment's hush, then a great "Hurrah!" The bear had jumped up, and, whirling partly round, ran off across the ice-field roaring, we fancied; f

him from getting back to the high islands. We can then hunt him at

Raed suddenly. "

l lis

distant cawing and hawing of a vast flock of

wl clanging out there about

s-meeting cheering the result of the presidential election, or perhaps the presidential nomination at the convention. It had a peculi

id the captain. "Take a good loo

ed bare of any thing like an Esquimau conve

islands; right over the ice-field; on that lofty brow

their arms, and gesticulating wildly. It could not have been less t

re calling to u

ke that," repl

ee," said Kit; "those

. "We'll beat up through this channe

them at first," remarked Raed, "till w

ll come off to us,-as many of them as we sh

d to the south-east side to keep away from us; though, as may readily be supposed, our attention was mainly directed to the strange people on the headland, whose disco

coming off is from friendly

, n

might give us our hands full, if the

in; "though I don't believe they wo

and load them. Fix the bayonets on them too. Wade and I will load the howitzer and the mighty rifle. And, capt

ce, anyway. And, in order to have the deck under our thumb a little more, I am going to station two of t

them, shouting and racing with each other. Such a barbari

aptain. "These folks are said to be a little thievish. It wi

y for our strange visitors. They came paddling up, one to a canoe. Their paddles had blades

en of them,

other's son of them!

long-haired mokes!

lack as Palmlea

ack," said Bonney. "Just

danger. Seeing this, we waved our arms to them, beckoning them to approach. While examining the relics of a past age,-the stone axes, arrow-heads, and maces,-I have often pictured in fancy the barbarous habits, the wild visages, and harsh accents, of prehistoric races,-races living away back at the time when men were just rising above the brute. In the wild semi-brutish shouts and gesticulations which followed our own gesture of friendliness I seemed to h

ongside, their great fat, flat, greasy faces, with their little sharp black eyes, l

ingly indistinct, and ran every thing together so, that we could not gain the slightest idea of what they were saying, further than by the word "chymo,"

them up here where we

od up, and, with a spring, caught hold of the rail, and came clambering up, leaving t

l do for one d

they did without grumbling. Indeed, they seemed singularly inoffensive; and, come to get them on deck, they were "little fellows,"-not so tall as we boys even by a whole head. They were pretty thick and stout, however, and had remarkably large heads and faces. I do not think the tallest of them was much, if any, over five feet. Donovan, who was about six feet, l

very embodiment of good nature! Here they trust themselves among us without so much as a stick in their

e, who stayed, apparently, to look out for the empty kayaks, which were floating about. They br

t they flabby fat!

king seal and whale

said Donovan. "Look at those tousled

Kit. "Say something. Ask '

ord they turned their littl

id Raed int

nguish words which sounded like oomiaksook, hennelay, cob-loo-nak, yemeck. These words, as we had read, meant big ship, woman, Englishman, water, r

d. "Let's make signs. No us

will you please bring up a couple of those long bars of iron and three or

anoes, then to the iron bars, and said chymo. At that some of them said "Tyma," and others "Negga-mai," with a shake of their heads; but when Raed pointed to both the iron and the flannel, undoubling it as he did so, they a

ed mainly of the rib-bones of the walrus. The double-bladed paddle was tied to the kayak with a long thong; as was also a harpoon, made of bones laid together, and wound over with a long thong of green seal-skin. The lance-blade at the point was of very white, fine ivory; probably that of the walrus. Attached to the harpoon was a very long coil of line, made also of braided seal-skin, and wound about a short, upright peg behind the hoop. We

a fair trade; in other words, that they couldn't afford it: and the

es karrack mean?" Rae

dy k

k?" que

arrack!" wa

ey all cried, pointing to the p

rliss, bring up two or three of those four-f

t, and thrown

from low down in their stomachs, and resembled the syllables heh-heh, or yeh-yeh, over and over and over. Raed pointed to th

captain. "Now for th

but it was easily accounted for when we came to reflect that this vast region is destitute of trees of any size. Wood was almost as eagerly sought for as iron

came down to the thigh. Kit bought one of these for a jack-knife,-for a curiosity, of course. Wade also purchased a pair of seal-skin moccasons, with legs to the knee, for

of his head. Two or three others who saw it shook their heads too. Wishing to test him, I brought up a bar of iron, and made another tender of both knife and iron. But he shook his head still more decidedly, and turned away as if to put a stop to further bantering on the subject. We were at a loss to know whether it was a souvenir,-the image of some dead child, or an object of religious reverence. Finally the captain pointed across the ice-field, where the bear was sitting crouched on the margin of it, and said, "Nen-ook." At that they all looked, and, espying him, gave vent to a series of cries and shouts. Six of them imme