52 ARCTIC PALATES. Chap. IV. 



beef of sheep." He says a Danish captain, who had 

 acquired the taste, provided some for his guests, and they 

 praised his mutton ! after dinner he sent for the skin of the 

 animal, which was no other than a large red dog ! This 

 occurred in Greenland, where his Danish guests had resided 

 for many years, far removed from European mutton. Baked 

 puppy is a real delicacy all over Polynesia : at the Sandwich 

 Islands I was once invited to a feast, and had to feign great 

 disappointment when told that puppy was so extremely 

 scarce it could not be procured in time, and therefore 

 sucking-pig was substituted ! 



igt/i. — A heavy southerly gale has increased the ice 

 movements ; happily we are undisturbed. As Young was 

 seated under the lee of a hummock, watching for seals to 

 pop up for breath, the ice under him suddenly cracked and 

 separated ! He escaped with a ducking, and was. just able 

 to reach his gun from the bank ere it sank through the 

 sludgy mixture of snow and water. 



Yesterday we were all out ; I saw only one seal, but was 

 refreshed by the sight of a dozen narwhals. It is a positive 

 treat to see a living creature of any kind. The only birds 

 which remain are dovekies, but they are scarce, and being 

 white are very rarely observed. 



The dogs are fed every second day, when 2 lbs. of seal's 

 flesh— previously thawed when possible — is given to each j 

 the weaker ones get additional food, and they all pick up 

 whatever scraps are thrown out ; this is enough to sustain, 

 but not to satisfy them, so they are continually on the look- 

 out for anything eatable. Hobson made one very happy 

 without intending it ; he meant only to give him a kick, 

 but his slipper being down at heel, flew off, and was in- 

 stantly snapped up and carried off in triumph by this 

 lucky dog, who demolished it at his leisure, away amongst 

 the hummocks. 



