who
had walked round by the southeast point on the ice, all alike
unsuccessful, after being out in the wind for six hours, with the
thermometer from 18 to 22 degrees below _zero_. Thus hardly did
these people obtain their daily subsistence at this severe season
of the year.

[Footnote: Sorcerers or wizards, pronounced as written above in
Greenland; but at Winter Island _Ang-~et-k~ook_; and by the people
at Igloolik, _An-n~at-k~o_.]

A wolf being caught in one of the traps this evening, which was so
close as to be easily watched from the ship, a party of the
officers ran out to secure the depredator, and fired two balls
into the trap at once to despatch him. Finding, after this, that
he continued to bite a sword that was thrust in, a third shot was
fired at him. The trap was then sufficiently opened to get his
hind legs firmly tied together, after which, being considered
tolerably secure, he was pulled out of the trap, which, however,
his head had scarcely cleared, when he furiously flew at Mr.
Richards's throat, and would certainly have done him some serious
mischief had not that gentleman, with great presence of mind,
seized the animal in his turn by the throat, squeezing him with
all his force between both hands. This made the wolf relinquish
his first attempt, and Mr. Richards only suffered by a bite in his
arm and another in his knee, which, on account of the thickness of
his clothes, were happily not severe ones. As for the wolf, he
prudently took to his heels, though two of them were still tied
together; and, being favoured by the momentary confusion,
occasioned by his late rencounter with Mr. Richards, succeeded in
escaping his pursuers. He was found dead the following day at the
distance of three quarters of a mile from the ships.

On the 8th we were visited by a musical party of females,
consisting only of a few individuals expressly invited for this
purpose. A number of the officers assembled in the cabin to hear
this vocal concert, while Mr. Henderson and myself took down the
notes of their songs, for which, indeed, they gave us every
opportunity, for I thought they would never leave off. We
afterward amused them with our little band of flutes and violins,
and also by some songs, with the whole of which they were
extremely well pleased. I feared several of them, and especially
Iligliuk, would go into fits with delight when we introduced into
our song some of their names mingled with our own. While most