A Diary and Journal from the Second Grinnell Expedition

109

that the snow wont lay and it piles up over the land ice like haystacks. I pity them that's out on the floe. He thought poor fellow of the companions whose selfish fears had made them abandon their trust, and in whose ranks he came so near being. I was thinking of Goodfellow our one child never able to take care of himself and now perhaps a second time adrift among the hills.

So they eat on telling their stories and I listening and questioning — for we have no formal reports now — and from McGeary I gathered this.

He and Morton had sledged along the ice food completely around "the reach" and made "the Huts" by ten o'clo that night. The natives were three in number, Otuniah & [his son] the elfish Myosu, the third unknown a stranger. Myosu who had been a prisoner for stealing and at this moment was an escaped hostages, held in pawn for a certain amount of walrus beef by way of indemnity for the destroyed boat, feared greatly lest they had come after him. When however he found by McGearys expressive pantomime that he was a simple visitor, and as such a claimant for the same hospitali=ty which we had so often extended to them the entire character of the savage seemed to undergo a change he appeared in a new aspect, a different & hardly recognizable phase of the same brutal thief Myosu.

Morton and McGeary, although

111

Stealing, however, as yet no fear no kind treatment no respect can repress They stole or tried to steal even while thus entertaining the party and when detected laughed with such good natured impudence that [they] we had to laugh too. In fact I am not quite clear that petty larceny is not a national institution a political feature reputated by some of the peculiar wants of this wild and ardurous life — Certain it is that while Otuniah tried to steal my Bowie knife he had given me twice its value in walrus meat, and Otuniah was the arch mime of the fraternity. Every thing that they had cooking utensils snow melting stone - scanty weapons of the chase were ones - and on leaving they placed upon the sledge, seemingly as a matter of course, all the meat left, about 40 lbs of prime flipper cut.

Monday Sept. 25

After recording last nights journal the wind freshened to a gale and the drift so obscured the atmosphere that our scanty twilight was smothered into darkness. Mr. Goodfellow who had left on a walk hoping to shoot Ptarmagan had exceeded his "absence" already four hours, and having twice before been lost, our anxiety became very great. Blue lights were fired and Roman Candles projected at intervals throughout the night. At 6. a.m. he returned worn out and cold.

He had as before lost his way by making in absence of mind his out ward tramp exceed the limits of common prudence. In fact Goodfellow

112

is one of the most impracticable and helpless men I ever was connected with. He was four months out of port before he learned to fire a gun, yet to this day he can neither load nor clear one. All my fire arms have more or less suffered from his carelessness and hardly a week ago he dropped overboard countless Grinnells Fowling piece. His neglect of routine with the accompanying neglect of duty makes him my one non reliable man, and his tendency to argue points of discipline makes me often lose my temper. I have never yet been able to draw from him a simple "yes or no." The boy is faithful and gallant, but utterly worthless as an attache to our Expedition. I would add in justice to him that he is a gentleman but I cant apply that word to one who neglects grossly and intentionally a set of duties for which he contracted and for the performance of which he is receiving the salary which would have secured me a competent and efficient substitute — So sharp is he in the style of Susan Nipper that his messmates are half the time in hot water with him and. In fact he is a conceited hobby de hoy, and so child like in his care of himself that I have to attend to his clothing. I am out of patience with him.

This evening Outuniah, Myosu, and a stranger visited us having walked from their huts. They seemed tired and brought with them no meat

122

dark season. Another trait less poetic but in the same category was their refusal to eat the Liver of one rabbit. Liver generally is an esteemed cut, but gluttons as they were neither Outuniah nor Myosu (Father & Son) would touch the morsel while Awahtok gobbled it up with great glee. They had to explain to me that some relative having died, liver of rabbit was a taboo'd article. Why or in what connection S. could not then decipher. [*see P.*] I found afterwards that it was a religious penalty [of the angels?]. The uncleansed intestines coming under no such restriction were eagerly devoured.

Cunning, duplicity, deceit, all as matters of course and seemingly without address concealment or shame when detected. Constitute my present impres= sions of the character of these poor creatures. That these are correct I do not believe for my opportunities of intimate relation are few and estimates of character without study are nearly always fallacious. The Impression however of character is itself a trait : as such I give mine. I have seen and bivouacked among the Negritos of [Lu???] & the Papuans the Andamans, the Arafuras, and some of our most rudimental [of the] North and South American aborigines, with none of these man seem to me so inert and primal nor his life so hard a struggle against extreme suffering and vicissitude. Nature yielding spontaneously nothing they are forced to toil for their lingering existence, and as the proper resources of sea and land require, for their obtainment, energies rather of the predatory than mental sort, the craft

146

and protected from the No. and N.E. by a rockly island and the hilly slope of the main land.

There were four huts, two of which were in wind, adding to our many evidences of the diminishing numbers of the Smith Sound race. Only five winters ago as many families occupied these dwelllings, now but two remain. Four deaths took place last spring. Of these two families, for I apply the word not to groups of kindred but tenants of the the hut, Myosu his Father Mother a brother and Sister, compose one while Awahtok & Otuniah each with wives, and among them three young ones occupy the second.

They received them kindly, giving them water to drink, rubbing the feet, drying the shoes &c &c. The women who did this with something of a good wife air of prerogative, seemed to soften down the brutality which persuaded the Bachelor settlement at Anatok. The lamps were cheerful, smokeless, and well tended the huts not nearly so filthy as the Anatok Caves. Each fire represented its family, and in each of the huts two fires I mean of course lamps. Here kept constantly burning. A frame of bone hooks and walrus line was stretched over each lamp for drying the wet clothes of the household. Except a few dog skins which are placed by the walrus under the small of the back the dais was as destitute of sleeping accommodations as the ruined hut of Anatok. A single walrus hide was laid upon the [bare?] stones for Morton and Hans.