1915] THE WINTER OF 1915-16 197 



slope of a hill, grabbing out with both hands and pulling 

 as if her life depended on it. She missed her hold, fell 

 over backward, and, rolling the whole length of the 

 slope, landed abruptly in a seated position on the sand 

 beach, with bewilderment predominant in every feature 

 of her young face. 



During the next week we were busy hunting walrus 

 and seal up and down the coast from Nerky to Sul- 

 wuddy, caching our meat under the rocks for use during 

 the dark period. But I worried considerably over the 

 fact that our house and all of our equipment and col- 

 lections were left unprotected by the departure of the 

 men. If any one quality can be attributed to an Es- 

 kimo, it is that of carelessness. Doctor Kane's Advance 

 and Peary's Anniversary^ Lodge were both burned short- 

 ly after the departure of the men southward. If our 

 house should burn, what then.^^ An irreparable loss, 

 and a death-blow to all future work! 



Every day but accentuated my fears. The summer 

 season had closed. The nights were dark. Fields of 

 ice, lately broken from the inner bays in the far North, 

 were strewn the length of the coast. New ice was 

 forming. I looked at our somewhat battered twelve- 

 foot, flat-bottomed punt, the pride of our fleet, and 

 wondered if she could do the forty-eight miles. When- 

 ever I thought of our house and food and clothing, I 

 would walk to the beach and examine the punt; then 

 some new phase of the daily work would divert my at- 

 tention and the house and equipment would be for- 

 gotten; but not for long. 



On the 23d (September) a drizzling rain fell all day. 

 There was not a breath of wind; the dark, lead-colored 

 sea was as smooth as a pond. Here was my oppor- 



