118 FOUR YEARS IN THE WHITE NORTH [Sept. 



and Jot to start north the next day with Oo-bloo-ya 

 and Arklio. 



In the mean time our younger Eskimo boys were con- 

 tinually bringing in from the hills hare and ptarmigan, 

 the skins of the former being valued highly for our 

 winter stockings. Kai-we-ark-suah preferred the use of 

 his .22-cal. rifle to the shot-gun. Surprised at this, 

 I learned, through questioning, that a few days previous 

 he had pulled both triggers of the shot-gun at the same 

 time. "Plenty powder, plenty kill!" It nearly did. 



Tanquary reached home on the 10th, followed by 

 Jot staggering along the shore of the fiord with drooping 

 arms, declaring that for the last sixteen days he had not 

 seen a blessed thing but a snow-bunting! His vivid 

 description of the country through which they had 

 traveled was such that I imagined it to be similar in 

 its characteristics to the Grand Canon of the Colorado. 

 It was certainly good to have Jot return from one of his 

 trips. He declared that he was going indoors for the 

 winter! The Eskimos, however, reported nineteen cari- 

 bou killed, a very good two weeks' work. 



It is most remarkable, indeed almost incredible, how 

 a man will increase in weight following a hard trip in 

 the Arctic regions. A pound a day is a common occur- 

 rence. In seven days Tanquary put on nine and one- 

 half pounds, while Hunt added six pounds in three days ! 



The harbor had now frozen over. With the retreating 

 sun the days were gradually decreasing in length. On 

 October 24th the sun appeared for the last time. There 

 was no weeping on the part of our Eskimos. There 

 never is. The coming of the great night is a part of 

 their life and is looked forward to with pleasure. It is 

 the time of companionship and visiting. Mothers see 



