Toolooak, who now considered himself as quite privileged to find his way into the cabin without a conductor, and was not backward in thus practising his newly-acquired art of opening and shutting the door, sat with me for a couple of hours on the 18th, quietly drawing faces and animals, an occupation to which he took a great fancy; and we often were reminded, by this circumstance, of a similar propensity displayed by his amiable countryman, our lamented friend John Sackhouse.  We soon found that Toolooak possessed a capacity equal to anything he chose to take an interest in learning; and could he, at his present age, have been voluntarily removed from his companions, and his attention directed to the acquirement of higher branches of knowledge than that of catching seals, he would have amply repaid any pains bestowed upon his education.  I had always entertained great objection to taking any such individual from his home, on the doubtful chance of benefiting himself, or of his doing any service to the public as an interpreter.  My scruples on this head had hitherto been confined to the consideration due to the individual himself, and to the relatives he leaves behind.  In our present case, however, not the smallest public advantage could be derived from it; for it had long ago become evident that we should soon know more of the Esquimaux language than any of them were likely to learn of English in any reasonable period of time.  I was therefore far from desiring to receive from Toolooak an answer in the affirmative, when I to-day plainly put the question to him, whether he would go with me to Kabloona noona (European country).  Never was a more decisive negative given than Toolooak gave to this proposal.  He eagerly repeated the word na-o (no) half a dozen times, and then told me that if he went away his father would cry.  This simple but irresistible appeal to paternal affection, his decisive manner of making it, and the feelings by which his reply was evidently dictated, were just what could have been wished.  No more could be necessary to convince those who saw it, that these people may justly lay equal claim with ourselves to these common feelings of our nature; and, having once satisfied myself of this, I determined never again to excite in Toolooak’s mind another disagreeable sensation, by talking to him on this subject.

Besides the toys and models I have mentioned above, as articles of barter with these people, we also employed them more usefully in making wooden shades for the eyes, after their own method, as the time was fast approaching when some such precaution would become necessary to guard the eyes from the excessive glare of reflected light.  There was also a considerable trade established in mittens, which being made of prepared sealskin, and nearly water-tight, were particularly serviceable to our men when constantly handling the leadlines in the summer.  In this manner we contrived to turn our new acquaintance to some little account.