THE KAYAK OF THE GREENLANDER. 29 



centre, and is dipped in the water alternately to right 

 and left. The boat is graceful as a duck and light as 

 a feather. It has no ballast and no keel, and it rides 

 almost on the surface of the water. It is therefore 

 necessarily top-heavy. Long practice is required to 

 manage it, and no tight-rope dancer ever needed 

 more steady nerve and skill of balance than this same 

 savage kayaker. Yet, in this frail craft, he does not 

 hesitate to ride seas which would swamp an ordinary 

 boat, or to break through surf which may sweep com- 

 pletely over him. But he is used to hard battles, 

 and, in spite of every fortune, he keeps himself up- 

 right. 



I watched their movements with much interest as 

 they collected about the schooner. Among the bene- 

 fits which they had derived from civilization was an 

 appreciation of the value of rum, coffee, and tobacco ; 

 and they were not overly modest in their demands 

 for these articles. Most of them had, however, some- 

 thing to trade, and went home with their reward. 

 One old fellow who had managed to pick up a few 

 words of English, without being particularly clear as 

 to their meaning, was loud in his demands for a 

 "pound rum, bottle sugar," offering in exchange a 

 fine salmon. 



I had intended to remain at Proven only a single 

 day, and then to hasten on with all possible speed ; 

 but our stay was prolonged by circumstances to which 

 I was forced to submit with as good a grace as possible. 

 It was idle for me to leave without a supply of dogs, for 

 my plans and preparations were entirely based upon 

 them ; and the prospect of accomplishing my design 

 m this respect appeared, from the first, very feeble 

 In order to save time, Sonntag had gone to the vil- 



