198
LIFE WITH THE ESQUIMAUX.
the 25th a great many of the natives came on board to pass the evening with our foremast hands. They spent some time in singing and dancing to whistling and the music of an instrument called the "keeloun."[1] The sport served an excellent
PLAYING THE "KEELOUN."
purpose in keeping all in good spirits and helping to pass away the long night.
- ↑ The "keeloun" is an instrument made by stretching a thin deerskin, or the skin of the whale's liver, upon a wooden or whalebone hoop about thirty inches in diameter, forming something not very unlike the tambourine known in this country. It is held, however, by a handle, and the player strikes, not the skin, but the hoop, accompanying his music by an uncouth sort of dance.
