1916] THE WINTER OF 1915-16 221 



declared it to be perfectly safe. We drove on at once 

 to Nerky and remained three nights. 



On the return trip we spent a few days at Kah-gun 

 in the snow houses of Tung-we and Teddy-ling-wa. 

 With the constant breaking away of the sea ice they had 

 had no opportunity of hunting wahus or seal, and con- 

 sequently had but little food. In one of the igloos 

 rock weed (Fucus) was being boiled for the children, a 

 food which is never resorted to until all other sustenance 

 is practically gone. 



In the ascent of the Clements Markham Glacier on 

 the 7th my big king-dog dropped down a crevasse. 

 Fortunately for us both, his trace and harness were 

 strong enough to sustain his weight until pulled back 

 to safety. A much too valuable dog to lose. His price 

 had been five gallons of oil and a three-burner stove. 

 But a dozen stoves or a hundred gallons of oil wouldn't 

 buy him now! Nale-gark-suah was the largest dog in 

 the whole Northern tribe, and, although one of the 

 oldest, he was still one of the very best. He was a 

 noted bear-hunter and yet as affectionate as a child. 

 When he placed his great paws on my shoulders his face 

 was on a level with my own. 



We directed our course to Etah by the most direct 

 way, a bee-line to Brother John's Glacier; but when in 

 sight of land a heavy mist rolled up from open water, 

 obliterating all familiar marks. It was a question now 

 as to which course to follow. The glacier (Brother 

 John's) might be dangerous at this time of year. The 

 Sonntag Pass was too far to the southwest and was 

 lost in the mist. Before us to our left stretched the 

 boulder-strewn plateau, the summit of the great hills 

 above Etah. We knew that the Eskimos sometimes 



