ODD CUSTOMS 69 



somewhat with the size of the owner and maker, will 

 average between twenty and twenty-four inches in 

 width by sixteen or eighteen feet in length. It carries 

 one man only. I may have helped the Eskimos a little 

 in perfecting it, by giving them more suitable material 

 for the framework, but the canoe is original with 

 them. 



It will scarcely be considered strange that I have 

 grown to love this childlike, simple people, as well as to 

 value their many admirable and useful qualities. For 

 it must be borne in mind that for nearly a quarter of 

 a century they have been more thoroughly known to 

 me than any other group of human beings in the world. 

 The present generation of able-bodied Eskimos has 

 practically grown up under my personal observation. 

 Every individual member of the tribe — man, woman, 

 and child — is known to me by name and sight as 

 thoroughly as the patients of an old-fashioned family 

 physician are known to him, and perhaps the feeling 

 existing between us is not so very different. And the 

 knowledge of individuals gained in this intimate way 

 has been priceless in the work of reaching the Pole. 



Take, for example, the quartet of young Eskimos 

 who formed a portion of the sledge party that finally 

 reached the long-courted "ninety North." The oldest 

 of the four, Ootah, is about 34 years of age. This young 

 man is one of the sturdiest of the tribe. He stands 

 about 5 feet 8 inches and is a fine hunter. When I 

 first saw him he was a young boy. Egingwah, another 

 of the group, is about 26 years old, a big chap weigh- 

 ing about 175 pounds. Seegloo and Ooqueah are 

 about 24 and 20 respectively. All four of them have 



