_
from another man for a stick of wood.

Beneath their bear-skin frocks they wore a shirt of some thin skin,
which the captain pronounced to be bladder-skin,--of bears, perhaps. I
got one of these shirts for a jack-knife. Wishing to have an entire
outfit, we bought a pair of breeches of the man of whom we had
already purchased the boots, for a dozen spike-nails. These were of
fox-skin, apparently, with the hair worn next the skin. I noticed that
one man wore a small white bone or ivory trinket, seemingly carved to
represent a child. Pointing to it, I held out a butcher-knife,--a good
bargain, I fancied. Somewhat to my surprise, he _negga-mai-ed_ with a
very grave shake 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 immediately dropped into their _kayaks_
and set off after him. Reaching the ice, they landed, and pulled the
canoes on to it. Then, taking their harpoons, they divided into three
parties of two each. One of these went straight across toward the
bear; the second followed round the edge of the field to the right,
the third to the left. The bear must have been pretty severely wounded
by our six-ounce bullet, I think; for he paid no attention to their
approach till they were within four or five rods, when he made a
feeble attempt to get past them. They rushed up to him without the
slightest hesitation, and despatched him in a twinkling.

CHAPTER VII.

The Husky Belles.--_We-we_ and _Caubvick.--"Abb_," she
said.--All Promenade.--Candy at a Discount.--"_Pillitay,
pillitay!_"--Old Trull and the Husky Matron.--Gorgeous
Gifts.--Adieu to the Arctic Beauties.

None of their women had come off with them; and, while the party that
had gone after the bear were busy skinning it, Raed brought up a roll
of flannel, with half a dozen knives, and, holding them up, pointed
off to the mainland and said, "_Henne-lay_." Whereupon t