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448
The Cape York Ironstone.
ancestors of the Arctic Highlanders with the iron for
their knives in return for the simple labor of clipping
off fragments from the main mass.
On the 9th of August, 1818, Capt. J no. Ross, R.N.,
imprisoned with his two ships, the Isabella and Alexan-
der, in the Arctic ice-pack off the desolate northern
shore of Melville Bay, some twenty-five or thirty miles
to the eastward of Cape York, was "surprised by the
appearance of several men on the ice
drawn on
rudely fashioned sledges by dogs, which they continued
to drive backwards and forwards with wonderful
rapidity."*
After a great deal) of manœuvring, for a detailed
account of which see Ross's original narrative of his
voyage, communication was established with these
individuals of a hitherto unknown tribe of Hyper-
boreans, and they were induced to come on board the
ships.
Among the scanty possessions of these natives were
crude bone knives with cutting edges of iron. The
discovery of this metal in the hands of these isolated
aborigines, who had never seen white men before, and
had no idea of the existence of human beings beyond
their own tribe, naturally excited comment. It was
supposed that the metal had been obtained from some
fragments of wreckage, and Ross's armourer thought
the knives were made from pieces of iron hoop or flat-
tened nails. A little later, however, it was understood
from the natives that the iron was procured from a
mountain near the shore, and that they cut off it with
* Voyage of Discovery, &c., &c., by Jno. Ross, Capt. R.N., London, 1819-
4to, page 80,
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"ocrText": "448\nThe Cape York Ironstone.\nancestors of the Arctic Highlanders with the iron for\ntheir knives in return for the simple labor of clipping\noff fragments from the main mass.\nOn the 9th of August, 1818, Capt. J no. Ross, R.N.,\nimprisoned with his two ships, the Isabella and Alexan-\nder, in the Arctic ice-pack off the desolate northern\nshore of Melville Bay, some twenty-five or thirty miles\nto the eastward of Cape York, was \"surprised by the\nappearance of several men on the ice\ndrawn on\nrudely fashioned sledges by dogs, which they continued\nto drive backwards and forwards with wonderful\nrapidity.\"*\nAfter a great deal) of manœuvring, for a detailed\naccount of which see Ross's original narrative of his\nvoyage, communication was established with these\nindividuals of a hitherto unknown tribe of Hyper-\nboreans, and they were induced to come on board the\nships.\nAmong the scanty possessions of these natives were\ncrude bone knives with cutting edges of iron. The\ndiscovery of this metal in the hands of these isolated\naborigines, who had never seen white men before, and\nhad no idea of the existence of human beings beyond\ntheir own tribe, naturally excited comment. It was\nsupposed that the metal had been obtained from some\nfragments of wreckage, and Ross's armourer thought\nthe knives were made from pieces of iron hoop or flat-\ntened nails. A little later, however, it was understood\nfrom the natives that the iron was procured from a\nmountain near the shore, and that they cut off it with\n* Voyage of Discovery, &c., &c., by Jno. Ross, Capt. R.N., London, 1819-\n4to, page 80,"
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