1916] BACK ACROSS ELLESMERE LAND 247 



The three Eskimo boys, cheerful as usual, put on their 

 heavy caribou coats and disappeared into the swirling 

 drift in search of hare, caribou, or musk-oxen. Within 

 a few hours they were back, white with snow and nearly 

 blind with drift. Alas! they were empty-handed! 



April 21st was a continuation of the 20th — wind and 

 heavy drift. Reluctantly I ordered thirty-nine pounds 

 of the precious pemmican fed to the dogs. There was 

 nothing to do but forget my hopes and ambitions, hum, 

 sing, tell stories, and enjoy my Eskimo companions. 

 I got out the cards, made the boys a checker-board, and 

 played the harmonica until my mouth was sore. One 

 incident of the day caused me considerable anxiety. 

 Arklio was seated beside me on the bed platform re- 

 pairing a dog harness. Inserting the keen-edge blade 

 of his pocket-knife in a loop, he endeavored to pull it 

 through by main strength. The loop suddenly burst, 

 releasing the knife, which buried itself deeply in his face 

 between the inner corner of the left eye and his nose. 

 With a whispered "A-tew!" he pulled it out and blinked 

 at me through the flowing blood. "His eye is gone!" 

 was my first thought, at the same time fearing that the 

 blade had penetrated the thin cavity wall to the brain. 

 But with a small strip of adhesive Arklio was quickly as 

 good as new. 



By noon of the 22d I had made my decision; I would 

 return east that day, following a round of angles from 

 the hills and a run down the coast south. We built a 

 cairn, inclosed a record of our visit, took sights with the 

 sextant for longitude, latitude, and azimuth, and broke 

 camp. Within a half -hour we were heading home in a 

 heavy snowstorm. What kaleidoscopic changes we ex- 

 perience in the Northland ! How uncertain are the con- 



