For many days after the ship’s departure the work of completing the fort went forward with the utmost rapidity, and not until the houses and stores were rendered weather-tight and warm did Stanley consider it advisable to send out hunting and fishing parties into the mountains. Now, however, the frosts continued a great part of the day as well as during the night, so it was high time to kill deer and fish, in order to freeze, and so preserve them for winter’s consumption.
Up to this time no further traces of Esquimaux had been discovered, and Stanley began to express his fears to Frank that they had left the neighbourhood altogether, in consequence of the repeated attacks made upon them by Indians. Soon after this, however, the fur-traders were surprised by a sudden visit from a party of these denizens1 of the north.
It happened on the afternoon of a beautiful day towards the close of autumn, that charming but brief season which, in consequence of its unbroken serenity2, has been styled the Indian summer. The men had all been dispatched into the mountains in various directions, some to fish, others to shoot; and none were left at the fort except its commandant with his wife and child, and Oolibuck the Esquimau. Stanley was seated on a stone at the margin3 of the bay, admiring the vivid alterations4 of light and shade, as the sun dipped behind the mountains of the opposite shore, when his eye was attracted towards one or two objects on the water near the narrows. Presently they advanced, and were followed by several others. In a few minutes he perceived that they were Esquimau canoes.
Jumping hastily up, Stanley ran to the fort, and bidding his wife and child keep out of sight, put two pair of pistols in his pockets and returned to the beach, where he found Oolibuck gazing at the approaching flotilla with intense eagerness.
“Well, Oolibuck, here come your countrymen at last,” said Stanley. “Do they look friendly, think you?”
“Me no can tell; they most too quiet,” replied the interpreter.
Esquimaux in general are extremely noisy and full of animated5 gesticulation on meeting with strangers, especially when they meet on decidedly friendly terms. The silence, therefore, maintained by the natives as they advanced was looked upon as a bad sign. The fleet consisted of nine kayaks, and three large oomiaks full of women and children; and a curious appearance they presented at a distance, for the low kayaks of the men being almost invisible, it seemed as if their occupants were actually seated on the water. The oomiaks being much higher, were clearly visible. On coming to within a quarter of a mile of the fort, the men halted to allow the women to come up; then forming in a crescent in front of the oomiaks, the whole flotilla advanced slowly towards the beach. When within a hundred yards or so, Stanley said, “Now, Oolibuck, give them a hail.”
“Chimo! Chimo! Chimo-o-o!” shouted the interpreter.
The word acted like a talisman6.
“Chimo!” yelled the Esquimaux in reply, and the kayaks shot like arrows upon the sand, while the women followed as fast as they could. In another minute a loud chattering7 and a brisk shaking of hands was taking place on shore.
The natives were dressed in the sealskin garments with which arctic travellers have made us all more or less acquainted. They were stout8 burly fellows, with fat, oily, and bearded faces.
“Now tell them, Oolibuck, the reason of our coming here,” said Stanley.
Oolibuck instantly began, by explaining to them that they had come for the purpose of bringing about peace and friendship between them and the Indians; on hearing which the Esquimaux danced and shouted for nearly a minute with joy. But when the interpreter went on to say that they intended to remain altogether among them, for the purpose of trading, their delight knew no bounds; they danced and jumped, and whooped9 and yelled, tossed up their arms and legs, and lay down on the sand and rolled in ecstasy10. In the midst of all this, Mrs Stanley rushed out of the house, followed by Edith, in great terror at the unearthly sounds that had reached her ears; but on seeing her husband and Oolibuck laughing in the midst of the grotesque11 group, her fears vanished, and she stood an amused spectator of the scene.
Meanwhile, Stanley went down and stepped into the midst of one of the oomiaks, with a few beads12 and trinkets in his hands; and while Oolibuck entertained the men on shore, he presented gifts to the women, who received them with the most childish demonstrations13 of joy. There was something irresistibly14 comic in the childlike simplicity15 of these poor natives. Instead of the stiff reserve and haughty16 demeanour of their Indian neighbours, they danced and sang, and leaped and roared, embraced each other and wept, with the most reckless indifference17 to appearances, and seemed upon all occasions to give instant vent18 to the feelings that happened to be uppermost in their minds. As Stanley continued to distribute his gifts, the women crowded out of the other oomiaks into the one in which he stood, until they nearly sank it; some of them extending their arms for beads, others giving a jolt19 to the hoods20 on their backs, which had the effect of bringing to light fat, greasy-faced little babies, who were pointed21 to as being peculiarly worthy22 of attention.
At length Stanley broke from them and leaped ashore23, where he was soon followed by the entire band. But here new objects—namely, Mrs Stanley and Edith—attracted their wondering attention. Approaching towards the former, they began timidly to examine her dress, which was indeed very different from theirs, and calculated to awaken24 curiosity and surprise. The Esquimau women were dressed very much like the men—namely, in long shirts of sealskin or deerskin with the hair on, short breeches of the same material, and long sealskin boots. The hoods of the women were larger than those of the men, and their boots much more capacious; and while the latter had a short stump25 of a tail or peak hanging from the hinder part of their shirts, the women wore their tails so long that they trailed along the ground as they walked. In some cases these tails were four and six inches broad, with a round flap at the end, and fringed with ermine. It was, therefore, with no little surprise that they found Mrs Stanley entirely26 destitute27 of a tail, and observed that she wore her upper garment so long that it reached the ground. Becoming gradually more familiar, on seeing that the strange woman permitted them to handle her pretty freely, one of them gently lifted up her gown to see whether or not she wore boots; but receiving a somewhat prompt repulse28, she began to caress29 her, and assured her that she did not mean to give offence.
By this time Frank and some of the men had joined the group on the shore, and as it was getting late Stanley commanded silence.
“Tell them I have somewhat to say to them, Oolibuck.”
The interpreter’s remark instantly produced a dead silence.
“Now ask them if they are glad to hear that we are going to stay to trade with them.”
A vociferous30 jabbering31 followed the question, which, by Oolibuck’s interpretation32, meant that their joy was utterly33 inexpressible.
“Have they been long on the coast?”
“No; they had just arrived, and were on their way up the river to obtain wood for building their kayaks.”
“Did they see the bundle of presents we left for them at the coast?”
“Yes, they had seen it; but not knowing whom it was intended for, they had not touched it.”
On being told that the presents were intended for them, the poor creatures put on a look of intense chagrin34, which, however, passed away when it was suggested to them that they might take the gifts on their return to the coast.
“And now,” said Stanley, in conclusion, “’tis getting late. Go down to the point below the fort and encamp there for the night. We thank you for your visit, and will return it in the morning. Good-night.”
On this being translated, the Esquimaux gave a general yell of assent35 and immediately retired36, bounding and shouting and leaping as they went, looking, in their gleesome rotundity, like the infant progeny37 of a race of giants.
“I like the look of these men very much,” said Stanley, as he walked up to the house with Frank. “Their genuine trustfulness is a fine trait in their character.”
“No doubt of it,” replied Frank. “There is much truth in the proverb, ‘Evil dreaders are evil doers.’ Those who fear no evil intend none. Had they been Indians, now, we should have had more trouble with them.”
“I doubt it not, Frank. You would have been pleased to witness the prompt alacrity38 with which the poor creatures answered to our cry of Chimo, and ran their kayaks fearlessly ashore, although, for all they knew to the contrary, the rocks might have concealed39 a hundred enemies.”
“And yet,” said Frank, with an air of perplexity, “the Esquimau character seems to me a difficult problem to solve. When we read the works of arctic voyagers, we find that one man’s experience of the Esquimaux proves them to be inveterate40 thieves and liars41, while another speaks of them as an honest, truthful42 people—and that, too, being said of the same tribe. Nay43, further, I have read of a tribe being all that is good and amiable44 at one time, and all that is bad and vile45 at another. Now the conduct of these good-natured fellows, in reference to the bundle of trinkets we left at the mouth of the river, indicates a degree of honesty that is almost too sensitive; for the merest exertion46 of common-sense would show that a bundle hung up in an exposed place to public view must be for the public good.”
“Nevertheless they seem both honest and friendly,” returned Stanley, “and I trust that our experience of them may never change. To-morrow I shall give them some good advice in regard to procuring47 furs, and show them the wealth of our trading store.”
When the morrow came the visit of the Esquimaux was returned by the entire force of Fort Chimo, and the childish delight with which they were received was most amusing. The childishness, however, was only applicable to these natives when expressing their strong feelings. In other respects, particularly in their physical actions, they were most manly48; and the thick black beards and moustaches that clothed the chins of most of the men seemed very much the reverse of infantine. The children were so exactly like to their parents in costume that they seemed miniature representations of them. In fact, were a child viewed through a magnifying glass it would become a man, and were a man viewed through a diminishing glass he would become a child—always, of course, excepting the beard.
Bryan became a special favourite with the natives when it was discovered that he was a worker in iron, and the presents with which he was overwhelmed were of a most extraordinary, and, in some cases, perplexing nature. One man, who seemed determined49 to get into his good graces, offered him a choice morsel50 of broiled51 seal. “No, thankee, lad,” said Bryan; “I’ve had my brickfust.”
Supposing that the broiling52 had something to do with the blacksmith’s objection, the Esquimau hastily cut off a slice of the raw blubber and tendered it to him.
“D’ye think I’m a haythen?” said Bryan, turning away in disgust.
“Ah, try it, Bryan,” cried La Roche, turning from an Esquimau baby, in the contemplation of which he had been absorbed—“try it; ’tis ver’ goot, I ’sure you. Ver’ goot for your complaint, Bryan. But come, here, vitement.—Just regardez dat hinfant. Come here, queek!”
Thus urged, Bryan broke away from his host (who had just split open the shinbone of a deer, and offered him the raw marrow53, but without success), and, going towards La Roche, regarded the baby in question. It was a remarkably54 fine child, seemingly about ten months old, with a round, rosy55, oily face, coal-black hair, and large, round, coal-black eyes, with which it returned the stare of the two men with interest. But that which amused the visitors most was a lump of fat or blubber, with a skewer56 thrust through it, which its mother had given to the child to suck, and which it was endeavouring to thrust down its throat with both hands.
“Come here, Oolibuck; pourquoi is de stick?”
“Ho, ho, ho!” laughed Oolibuck. “Dat is for keep de chile quiet; and de stick is for no let him choke; him no can swallow de stick.”
“Musha! but it would stick av he did swallow it,” said Bryan, turning away with a laugh.
In the course of the day Stanley and Frank conducted the natives to the fort, and having given them all an excellent dinner and a few gifts of needles, scissors, and knives, led them to the store, where the goods for trade were ranged temptingly on shelves round the walls. A counter encompassed57 a space around the entrance-door, within which the natives stood and gazed on wealth which, to their unsophisticated minds, seemed a dream of enchantment58.
Having given them time to imbibe59 a conception of the room and its treasures, Stanley addressed them through the interpreter; but as reference to this worthy individual is somewhat hampering60, we will discard him forthwith—retaining his style and language, however, for the benefit of his fellow-countrymen.
“Now, you see what useful things I have got here for you; but I cannot give them to you for nothing. They cost us much, and give us much trouble to bring them here. But I will give them for skins and furs and oil, and the tusks61 of the walrus62; and when you go to your friends on the sea-coast, you can tell them to bring skins with them when they come.”
“Ye vill do vat63 you vish. Ye most happy you come. Ye vill hunt very mush, and make your house empty of all dese t’ings if ye can.”
“That’s well. And now I am in need of boots for my men, and you have a good many, I see; so, if you can spare some of these, we will begin to trade at once.”
On hearing this, the natives dispatched several of their number down to the camp, who soon returned laden64 with boots. These boots are most useful articles. They are neatly65 made of sealskin, the feet or soles being of walrus hide, and perfectly66 waterproof67. They are invaluable68 to those who have to walk much in ice-cold water or among moist snow, as is the case in those regions during spring and autumn. In winter the frost completely does away with all moisture, so that the Indian moccasin is better at that season than the Esquimau boot.
For these boots, and a few articles of native clothing, Stanley paid the natives at the rates of the regular tariff69 throughout the country; and this rate was so much beyond the poor Esquimau estimate of the relative value of boots and goods, that they would gladly have given all the boots and coats they possessed70 for what they received as the value of one pair.
Overjoyed at their good fortune, and laden with treasure, they returned to their camp to feast, and to sing the praises of the Kublunat, as they termed the fur-traders.
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1
denizens
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| n.居民，住户( denizen的名词复数 ) | |
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serenity
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| n.宁静，沉着，晴朗 | |
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margin
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| n.页边空白；差额；余地，余裕；边，边缘 | |
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alterations
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| n.改动( alteration的名词复数 )；更改；变化；改变 | |
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animated
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| adj.生气勃勃的，活跃的，愉快的 | |
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talisman
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| n.避邪物，护身符 | |
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chattering
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| n. （机器振动发出的）咔嗒声，(鸟等)鸣，啁啾 adj. 喋喋不休的，啾啾声的 动词chatter的现在分词形式 | |
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whooped
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| 叫喊( whoop的过去式和过去分词 )； 高声说； 唤起 | |
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ecstasy
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| n.狂喜，心醉神怡，入迷 | |
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grotesque
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| adj.怪诞的，丑陋的；n.怪诞的图案，怪人（物） | |
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beads
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| n.（空心）小珠子( bead的名词复数 )；水珠；珠子项链 | |
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13
demonstrations
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| 证明( demonstration的名词复数 )； 表明； 表达； 游行示威 | |
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14
irresistibly
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| adv.无法抵抗地，不能自持地；极为诱惑人地 | |
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simplicity
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| n.简单，简易；朴素；直率，单纯 | |
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haughty
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| adj.傲慢的，高傲的 | |
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indifference
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| n.不感兴趣，不关心，冷淡，不在乎 | |
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vent
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| n.通风口，排放口；开衩；vt.表达，发泄 | |
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jolt
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| v.（使）摇动，（使）震动，（使）颠簸 | |
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hoods
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| n.兜帽( hood的名词复数 )；头巾；（汽车、童车等的）折合式车篷；汽车发动机罩v.兜帽( hood的第三人称单数 )；头巾；（汽车、童车等的）折合式车篷；汽车发动机罩 | |
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pointed
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| adj.尖的，直截了当的 | |
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worthy
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| adj.(of)值得的，配得上的；有价值的 | |
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ashore
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| adv.在(向)岸上，上岸 | |
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awaken
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| vi.醒，觉醒；vt.唤醒，使觉醒，唤起，激起 | |
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stump
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| n.残株，烟蒂，讲演台；v.砍断，蹒跚而走 | |
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entirely
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| ad.全部地，完整地；完全地，彻底地 | |
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destitute
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| adj.缺乏的；穷困的 | |
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repulse
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| n.击退，拒绝；vt.逐退，击退，拒绝 | |
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caress
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| vt./n.爱抚，抚摸 | |
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vociferous
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| adj.喧哗的，大叫大嚷的 | |
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31
jabbering
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| v.急切而含混不清地说( jabber的现在分词 )；急促兴奋地说话；结结巴巴 | |
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interpretation
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| n.解释，说明，描述；艺术处理 | |
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utterly
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| adv.完全地，绝对地 | |
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chagrin
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| n.懊恼；气愤；委屈 | |
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assent
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| v.批准，认可；n.批准，认可 | |
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retired
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| adj.隐退的，退休的，退役的 | |
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progeny
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| n.后代，子孙；结果 | |
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alacrity
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| n.敏捷，轻快，乐意 | |
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concealed
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| a.隐藏的，隐蔽的 | |
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inveterate
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| adj.积习已深的，根深蒂固的 | |
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41
liars
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| 说谎者( liar的名词复数 ) | |
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truthful
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| adj.真实的，说实话的，诚实的 | |
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nay
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| adv.不；n.反对票，投反对票者 | |
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44
amiable
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| adj.和蔼可亲的，友善的，亲切的 | |
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45
vile
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| adj.卑鄙的，可耻的，邪恶的；坏透的 | |
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exertion
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| n.尽力，努力 | |
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47
procuring
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| v.（努力）取得， （设法）获得( procure的现在分词 )；拉皮条 | |
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48
manly
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| adj.有男子气概的；adv.男子般地，果断地 | |
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49
determined
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| adj.坚定的；有决心的 | |
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50
morsel
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| n.一口，一点点 | |
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51
broiled
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| a.烤过的 | |
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52
broiling
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| adj.酷热的，炽热的，似烧的v.（用火）烤（焙、炙等）( broil的现在分词 )；使卷入争吵；使混乱；被烤（或炙） | |
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53
marrow
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| n.骨髓；精华；活力 | |
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54
remarkably
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| ad.不同寻常地，相当地 | |
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55
rosy
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| adj.美好的，乐观的，玫瑰色的 | |
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56
skewer
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| n.（烤肉用的）串肉杆；v.用杆串好 | |
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encompassed
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| v.围绕( encompass的过去式和过去分词 )；包围；包含；包括 | |
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58
enchantment
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| n.迷惑，妖术，魅力 | |
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59
imbibe
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| v.喝，饮；吸入，吸收 | |
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hampering
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| 妨碍，束缚，限制( hamper的现在分词 ) | |
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61
tusks
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| n.（象等动物的）长牙( tusk的名词复数 )；獠牙；尖形物；尖头 | |
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62
walrus
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| n.海象 | |
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63
vat
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| n.(=value added tax)增值税，大桶 | |
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64
laden
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| adj.装满了的；充满了的；负了重担的；苦恼的 | |
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neatly
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| adv.整洁地，干净地，灵巧地，熟练地 | |
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66
perfectly
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| adv.完美地，无可非议地，彻底地 | |
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67
waterproof
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| n.防水材料；adj.防水的；v.使...能防水 | |
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invaluable
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| adj.无价的，非常宝贵的，极为贵重的 | |
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69
tariff
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| n.关税，税率；(旅馆、饭店等)价目表，收费表 | |
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possessed
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| adj.疯狂的；拥有的，占有的 | |
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