62 THE NORTH POLE 



man's tools, the labors of the arctic traveler would 

 be tremendously increased and the size of his expedi- 

 tion would have to be enlarged to limits that might 

 be found unwieldy in the extreme. 



My own observations of this interesting people 

 have taught me to repose no confidence whatever in 

 the tales of barbaric craft and cruelty which I have 

 heard of them. On the contrary, taking into consider- 

 ation their uncivilized state, they must be ranked 

 as a humane people. Moreover, they have always 

 been quick to grasp the purposes that I have had in 

 view and to bend their energies toward achieving the 

 ends for which my expeditions have been striving. 



Their humanity, as has been indicated, takes a 

 form that would delight a socialist. They are generous 

 and hospitable in a crude way, almost without excep- 

 tion. As a general rule, good and bad fortune are 

 shared. The tribe shares in the proceeds of good luck 

 on the part of the hunters and, as their existence 

 depends on hunting, this accounts in large measure 

 for the preservation of the tribe. 



