272 AN ESQUIMAU FEAST. 



Although they are surrounded by reindeer, venison is 

 a luxury which they rarely enjoy, as they possess no 

 means of capturing the animals. They have not the 

 bows and arrows of the Esquimaux of some other 

 localities. Without waiting for it to be cooked, Kalu- 

 tunah commenced a vigorous attack upon the raw, 

 frozen flesh. His wife and children were not slow to 

 follow his example, crowding round it where it lay on 

 the dirty floor ; and, without halting for an invitation, 

 Mrs. Myouk joined in the feast. And I have never 

 witnessed a feast which seemed to give so much satis- 

 faction to the actors in it, not even hungry aldermen 

 at a corporation banquet. Kalutunah was grinning 

 all over with delight. He was eminently happy. His 

 teeth were unintermittingly crushing the hard kernels 

 which he chipped from the frozen " leg," and a steady 

 stream of the luscious food was pouring down his 

 throat. His tongue had little chance, but now and 

 then it got loose from the venison tangle, and then I 

 heard much of the greatness and the goodness of the 

 .Nalegaksoak. The man's enjoyment was a pleasant 

 thing to behold. 



But if the reindeer-leg gave satisfaction, the oil 

 gave comfort. The hut was dark and chilly, not hav- 

 ing yet become thoroughly thawed out. Kalutunah 

 now thought that he could afford another lamp, and 

 in a few minutes after we had entered a fresh blaze 

 was burning in the corner. I have before explained 

 that the Esquimau lamp is only a shallow dish, cut 

 out of a block of soap-stone. The dried moss which 

 they use for wick is arranged around the edge, and 

 the blaze therefrom gives their only light and heat. 

 Over the lamps hung pots of the same soap-stone, and 

 into these Mrs. Kalutunah put some snow, that she 



