their faces was
peculiarly emphatic. The joyous shout, too, as they discovered a new
scene that pleased their eyes, while they roved hand in hand through the
ravines, or the shrinking glance of fear as they found themselves
unexpectedly on the edge of a precipice, was sufficiently intelligible
to the trio. The little friends presented a striking and grotesque
contrast. It would have been difficult to say whether the little
Esquimaux were boys or girls. If anything, the costume seemed more to
indicate the former than the latter. Like their mothers, they wore
loose deerskin shirts with the hair on the outside, which gave them a
round, soft, burly appearance--an appearance which was increased by
their little boots, which were outrageously wide, and quite as long as
their legs. The frocks or shirts had hoods and tails, which latter,
according to fashion, were so long that they trailed on the ground. The
inconvenience of the tail is so great that the women, while travelling
on a journey, get rid of it by drawing it between their legs, and,
lifting up the end, fastening it in front to a button sewed to their
frock for the purpose. In travelling, therefore, Esquimau women seem to
be destitute of this appendage; but, on arriving at camp, they undo the
fastening, and walk about with flowing tails behind them!

Edith's costume consisted of a short frock made of dark blue cloth, and
a head-dress peculiar to the Indian women among the Crees. It was
preferred by the little wearer to all other styles of bonnet, on account
of the ease with which it could be thrown off and on. She also wore
ornamented leggings and moccasins. Altogether, with her graceful
figure, flaxen curls, and picturesque costume, she presented a strong
contrast to the fat, dark, hairy little creatures who followed her by
brook and bush and precipice the livelong day.

One morning, about two weeks after the arrival of the Esquimaux, Edith
went down to the camp after breakfast, and found her two companions
engaged in concluding their morning meal. The elder, whose name was
Arnalooa, was peering with earnest scrutiny into the depths of a
marrowbone, from which she had already extracted a large proportion of
the raw material. The younger, Okatook, seized a lump of raw seal's
flesh, as Edith entered their hut, and, cutting therefrom a savoury
morsel, put it into her mouth as she rose to welcome her visitor.

"Oh! how _can_ you?" said Edith, with a look of