1916] BACK ACROSS ELLESMERE LAND 259 



Back again toward Victoria Head we plodded, almost 

 doubling on our tracks. 



Looking ahead, I saw the boys running toward a 

 black object on the ice, make a hasty examination, then 

 mount a pressure ridge, sprint back to their sledges, 

 and drive off like mad. In a few minutes there appeared 

 in front of them a small white animal, which I thought 

 must be a wolf. It proved to be a polar-bear cub weigh- 

 ing about forty pounds, which was captured and lashed 

 to the sledge. 



In about an hour Arklio jumped to his feet, standing 

 upon his sledge, and declaring that he could see a dog 

 off in the distance. Two teams were sighted, and I 

 knew that Ak-kom-mo-ding-wa and Ak-pood-a-shah-o 

 had not forgotten that I had requested them to leave 

 home and come to me when the little auks arrived from 

 the south. Living newspapers when met on the trail! 

 We eagerly gathered around them to absorb every 

 word: 



"In-you-ta has been drowned. Capsized in his ka- 

 yak, harpooning a narwhal. Line caught. He cut it 

 and got out of the hole. He was found floating feet 

 up. No, I don't know who is to have his wife. 



" Toi-tee-a shot a boy at Kah-na. An accidental dis- 

 charge of his rifle. The bullet entered the hip and 

 passed up through the stomach and intestines. 



"Panikpa and Koo-la-ting-wa shot one bear on their 

 return. Ak-pood-a-shah-o and Ak-kom-mo-ding-wa got 

 two." This makes us a total of twenty for our spring 

 trip. 



"Ka-ko-tchee-a and Kae-we-ark-sha have both shot 

 caribou at Etah. 



"Au-duck-a-shing-ya is married, thank goodness! 



