d suffer him to land and reprove the Esquimaux for their
conduct, that I at length consented, and the more readily, on seeing
that the young chief who had acted in so friendly a manner was amongst
the number on the beach. By the time that Augustus reached the shore,
the number of Esquimaux amounted to forty, and we watched with great
anxiety the animated conversation he carried on with them. On his return
he told us that its purport was as follows:--"Your conduct," said he,
"has been very bad, and unlike that of all other Esquimaux. Some of you
even stole from me, your countryman, but that I do not mind; I only
regret that you should have treated in this violent manner the white
people who came solely to do you kindness. My tribe were in the same
unhappy state in which you now are, before the white people came to
Churchill, but at present they are supplied with every thing they need,
and you see that I am well clothed; I get all that I want, and am very
comfortable. You cannot expect, after the transactions of this day, that
these people will ever bring goods to your country again, unless you
show your contrition by returning the stolen goods. The white people
love the Esquimaux, and wish to show them the same kindness that they
bestow upon the Indians: do not deceive yourselves, and suppose that
they are afraid of you; I tell you they are not, and that it is entirely
owing to their humanity that many of you were not killed to-day; for
they have all guns, with which they can destroy you either when near or
at a distance. I also have a gun, and can assure you that if a white man
had fallen, I would have been the first to have revenged his death."

The veracity of Augustus was beyond all question with us; such a speech
delivered in a circle of forty armed men, was a remarkable instance of
personal courage. We could perceive, by the shouts of applause with
which they filled the pauses in his harangue, that they assented to his
arguments, and he told us that they had expressed great sorrow for
having given us so much cause of offence, and pleaded, in mitigation of
their conduct, that they had never seen white people before, that every
thing in our possession was so new to them, and so desirable, that they
could not resist the temptation of stealing, and begged him to assure us
that they never would do the like again, for they were anxious to be on
terms of friendship with us, that they might partake of the benefits
which his