1914] IN SEARCH OF CROCKER LAND 67 



ever, and shelter we must have. Our clothes were 

 driven completely full of snow. 



At last, to our relief, E-took-a-shoo prodded with his 

 whip-stock down into the snow and announced it suit- 

 able for building purposes. Our igloo up, the next 

 thought was for our dogs, which were now nearly buried 

 in the white drift. A lee was lacking in this wind-swept 

 area; therefore we constructed a semicircular wind- 

 break from snow blocks, and the tired dogs huddled 

 close up to it and were soon sound asleep. We pounded 

 the snow out of our bearskin pants and out of our sheep- 

 skin coats with the snow-beater as well as we could 

 under the circumstances. Once inside of an igloo, the 

 door tightly closed with a snow block and the stove 

 humming, there is a feeling of perfect contentment 

 which comes to a man after a long day's march. We 

 decided to remain here for a few days. Our dogs must 

 have fresh meat, and the dogs of our supporting party, 

 which was doing its best to catch us, were depending 

 upon it. 



At noon the next day there was every promise of 

 clear weather. The boys harnessed their dogs and were 

 off to the westward to look for a passage through the 

 island and for musk-ox tracks. At midnight they were 

 back. Sure of their success, I yelled out through the 

 peep-hole in the front of the igloo, "How many.?" 

 ** Ah-meg-you-loch-suitr was the immediate reply — "a 

 great many." But hoV many I did not know until 

 E-took-a-shoo, who could not count more than twenty, 

 indicated by holding up his fingers that they had killed 

 thirty -five! Like savages they had slaughtered the 

 whole herd for the pure love of killing, although they 

 knew that we could not possibly use so many. 



