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of ill concealed spite which shows in the brutal sullen way they go about with lowering brows as though ready to perform some vile treachery at a moments notice. The whalers are afraid to offend them and are continually giving them presents which the natives rather look upon as their right and as we saw on one or two occasions it required only a slight contradiction or any denial of a demand to give their faces a hideously ugly expression through they were helpless & had to submit with as good grace as possible. Should a small party of men be set down here for a winter near these rascals they would be forced to lead a most miserable existence for not only would they lose their property by constant pilfering or outright robbery but their lives would lie in the hands of any desperado (of which every place along the coast boasts a few) whose whims should lead him to organize a treacherous attack (Sir Sherard Osbornes "North-West Passage" for Maguires account of these people and I can ouch for their not having improved in any way except to have better arms since then).

The whalers have up to date kept the people here supplied with breech loading rifles & fixed ammunition and though there was no whiskey to be seen yet it is a common thing for the whole settlement to be on a grand drunken bout in summer. Winchester rifles are common