The
most interesting article, however, was a kind of bowl, exactly
similar to that obtained by Captain Lyon from the natives of
Hudson's Strait, being hollowed out of the root of the musk-ox's
horn. As soon as I took the cup in my hand, the boy who was our
first companion, and had since been our constant attendant,
pronounced the word _oomingmuk_, thus affording an additional
confirmation to that obtained on the former voyage, of the musk-ox
being the animal described by the natives of the west coast of
Greenland as having occasionally, though rarely, been seen in that
country.
As soon as the Esquimaux became a little more familiar with us,
they repeatedly asked for _sowik_ (iron), in answer to which we
gave them to understand that they must accompany us to our boats if
they wished to obtain any of this precious article. Accordingly,
the whole group set off with us on our return, the males keeping up
with us, and the women a short distance behind. The whole of the
children carried bundles of the branches of ground willow, which
we had just before seen them bring in for their own use, and
which they seemed to consider an article of barter that might be
acceptable to us. As we returned I noticed a quantity of the _ledum
palustre_, and, having plucked some of it, gave it to the boy to
carry; after which, though he very much disliked its smell, he
gathered every root of it that we came to, and deposited it at our
tents.
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