lack head up out of the
forecastle, and rolling his eyes about. If he had been the Devil
himself, they couldn't have acted more scared. I had to send him below
out of sight, or there would have been a general stampede. The men are
afraid of him. I don't understand exactly why they should be."

None of us did at the time; but we learned subsequently that the
Esquimaux attribute all their ill-luck to a certain fiend, or demon,
in the form of a huge black man. We have, therefore, accounted for
their strange fear and aversion to the negro on that ground. They
thought he was the Devil,--their devil. So Hobbs brought up the candy.
Raed passed it round, giving each of our visitors two sticks apiece.
This was plainly a new sort of treat. They stood, each holding the
candy in their hands, as if uncertain to what use it was to be put.
Raed then set them an example by biting off a chunk. At that they each
took a bite. We expected they would be delighted. It was therefore
with no little chagrin that we beheld our guests making up the worst
possible faces, and spitting it out anywhere, everywhere,--on deck,
against the bulwarks, overboard, just as it happened. The most of them
immediately threw away the candy; though _We-we_ and _Caubvick_, out
of consideration for our feelings perhaps, quietly tucked theirs into
their boot-legs. There was an awkward pause in the hospitalities.
Clearly, candy wouldn't pass for a delicacy with them.

"Try 'em with cold boiled beef!" exclaimed the captain.

Luckily, as it occurred, Palmleaf had lately boiled up quite a
quantity. It was cut up in small pieces, and distributed among them;
and, at the captain's suggestion, raw fat pork was given the men. This
latter, however, was much too salt for them: so that, on the whole,
our refreshments were a failure. It is doubtful if they liked the
cooked meat half so well as they did the raw, reeking flesh of the
bear.

By way of making up for the candy failure, we gave them each two
common tenpenny nails, and two sticks of hardwood the size we burned
in the stove. With these presents they seemed very well pleased,
particularly with the wood. But, on finding we were disposed to give,
the most of them were not at all modest about asking for more. A
general cry of "_Pillitay_" ("Give me something") arose. We gave them
another stick of wood all round; at which their cries were redoubled.
In short, they treated us very much as some earnest Christians do the
Lo