192 FOUR YEARS IN THE WHITE NORTH [Sept. 



snow, can be made surprisingly comfortable and warm. 

 The mast, boom, and sails of our boat were applied to 

 the roof of our house with excellent results, giving us a 

 tight roof and one which retained all the heat generated 

 within. 



The 14th was a beautiful day. The bay was fairly 

 alive with the heads of seals. Unfortunately, a slight 

 swell rendered accurate shooting from a kayak impos- 

 sible. That six were secured under such conditions was 

 the cause of congratulations. Shots were heard from 

 across the bay in the evening, indicating the nearness 

 of our hunting-ground to that of the Eskimos of Ig-loo- 

 de-houny, some twelve miles to the northeast. 



A tremendous surprise awaited us on the early morn- 

 ing of the 15th. The cry of "Fire!" or even of "Mur- 

 der!" could never have startled us more than the awful 

 yelling which issued from Arklio's tent. A few seconds 

 convinced us that something was coming. "Putter . . . 

 putter . . . putter," could then be faintly heard — a motor- 

 boat! I could hardly believe my blinking eyes until 

 the glad cry came from Jerome: "Doctor Hovey is 

 here! The ship is at Umanak!" 



The long-looked-for relief had come. My heart went 

 into my boots; although I was barefooted at the time. 

 Within a few minutes Doctor Hovey shouted: "How is 

 it for going home.'^" This was my last wish. No, I 

 couldn't and wouldn't go home, with so many plans 

 for another year. But how happy I was for the men, 

 many of whom had no real reasons for remaining! 

 Ekblaw, Tanquary, Green, and Allen were already on 

 board and ready for the start; Hunt, the day previous 

 to Hovey's arrival, had departed with the Eskimos for 

 the northern hunting-grounds. 



