Part 15 (1/2)

Such an unblessed discord! such a cry of pristine savagery! They came darting up alongside, their great fat, flat, greasy faces, with their little sharp black eyes, looking up to us full of confidence and twinkling with expectation of good bargains.

During our voyage we had got out of our books quite a number of Esquimaux words with their English meanings; but these fellows gabbled so fast, so shockingly 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_,” which, as we had previously learned, meant _trade_, or _barter_. But they had nothing with them to trade off to us, save their _kayaks_, paddles, and harpoons.

”But let's get a lot of them up here where we can see them,” said Wade.

We now made signs for them to climb on deck; and immediately half a dozen of them stood up, and, with a spring, caught hold of the rail, and came clambering up, leaving their canoes to float about at random.

Five--seven--eleven--thirteen--came scratching over.

”There, that'll do for one dose,” said Raed.

Kit and Wade stepped along, and thrust out their muskets to stop the stream. One little fellow, however, had got half up: so they let him nig in, making fourteen in all. Three or four more had tried to get up near the stern; but Weymouth and Don, who were on duty there, rapped their knuckles gently, as a reminder to let go and drop back into their _kayaks_, which 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, looked like a giant beside them. They stood huddled together, looking just a little wistful at being cut off from their fellows, and casting fearful glances at Guard, who stood barking excitedly at them from the companion-way.

Though used to dogs, they had very likely never seen a jet-black Newfoundland before. Possibly they mistook him for some different animal.

”What are we thinking of,” exclaimed Raed, ”with our guns and bayonets! Why, these little chaps look the very embodiment of good nature! Here they trust themselves among us without so much as a stick in their hands; while we've got out all our deadly weapons! Let's let the rest of them come up if they want to.”

Kit and Wade stood back, and beckoned to the others: whereat they all came climbing up, save one, who stayed, apparently, to look out for the empty _kayaks_, which were floating about. They brought rather strong odors of smoke and greasy manginess; but more good-natured faces I never saw.

”My eye! but aren't they flabby fat!” exclaimed Hobbs.

”That comes of drinking seal and whale oil,” said Bonney.

”Guess they don't sport combs much,” said Donovan. ”Look at those tousled heads! Bet you, they're lousy as hens!”

”Talk to 'em, Raed,” said Kit. ”Say something. Ask 'em if they want to _chymo_.”

At the sound of this last word they turned their little sharp eyes brightly on Kit.

”_Chymo?_” said Raed interrogatively.

Instantly they began to crowd round him, a dozen jabbering all at once. Faster even than before they ran on, amid which we could now and then distinguish words which sounded like _oomiaksook_, _hennelay_, _cob-loo-nak_, _yemeck_. These words, as we had read, meant _big s.h.i.+p_, _woman_, _Englishman_, _water_, respectively. But it was utterly impossible to make out in what connection they were used.

Despite our vocabulary, we were as much at a loss as ever.

”Confound it!” Kit exclaimed. ”Let's make signs. No use trying to _talk_ with them.”

”We shall want one of those _kayaks_ to carry home,” remarked Raed.

”Captain, will you please bring up a couple of those long bars of iron and three or four yards of red flannel? We will see what can be done in the _chymo_ line.”

Capt. Mazard soon appeared with the iron and the flannel; at sight of which the exclamation of ”_Chymo!_” and ”_Tyma!_” (”Good!”) were redoubled. Raed then took the articles, and, going to the side, pointed down to one of the canoes, 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 all cried ”_Tyma!_”

and one of them (the owner of the _kayak_, as it proved) came forward to take the things. Raed gave them to him. A line with a slip-noose was then dropped over the nose of the _kayak_, and it was pulled on board.

In plan it was much like our cedar ”sh.e.l.ls” used at regattas,--a narrow skiff about twenty-three feet in length by eighteen inches in width. At the centre there was a small round hole just large enough for one to sit with his legs under the seal-skin deck, which was bound tightly to a hoop encircling the hole. Indeed, the whole outside of this singular craft was of seal-skins, sewed together and drawn tight as a drum-head over a frame composed 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 supposed that the paddle and the harpoon went with the _kayak_. But the owner did not see it in that light. As soon as it had been hauled on deck, he proceeded to untie the thongs, much to the amus.e.m.e.nt of the captain. As we wished these articles to go together, nothing remained but to drive a new bargain for them. Raed, therefore, took one of our large jack-knives from his pocket, and, opening it, pointed to the paddle, and again said _chymo_.

They all _negga-mai-ed_, giving us to understand that it wouldn't be a fair trade; in other words, that they couldn't afford it: and the owner of the paddle kept repeating the work _karrack_ deprecatingly.