We arrived abreast of the Upper Savage Island early in the morning and,
as the breeze was moderate, the ship was steered as near to the shore as
the wind would permit to give the Esquimaux inhabitants an opportunity of
coming off to barter, which they soon embraced.
Their shouts at a distance intimated their approach some time before we
descried the canoes paddling towards us; the headmost of them reached us
at eleven; these were quickly followed by others, and before noon about
forty canoes, each holding one man, were assembled around the two ships.
In the afternoon when we approached nearer to the shore five or six
larger ones containing the women and children came up.
The Esquimaux immediately evinced their desire to barter and displayed no
small cunning in making their bargains, taking care not to exhibit too
many articles at first. Their principal commodities were oil, sea-horse
teeth, whalebone, seal-skin dresses, caps and boots, deerskins and horns,
and models of their canoes; and they received in exchange small saws,
knives, nails, tin-kettles, and needles. It was pleasing to behold the
exultation and to hear the shouts of the whole party when an acquisition
was made by any one; and not a little ludicrous to behold the eagerness
with which the fortunate person licked each article with his tongue on
receiving it, as a finish to the bargain and an act of appropriation.
They in no instance omitted this strange practice, however small the
article; the needles even passed individually through the ceremony.
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