140 THENORTHPOLE 



side up over each stove, and the hinged cover of the 

 wooden box is closed. On reaching camp, whether tent 

 or snow igloo, the kitchen box is set down inside, the 

 top of the box is turned up and keeps the heat of 

 the stove from melting the wall of the igloo or burning 

 the tent; the hinged front of the box is turned down 

 and forms a table. The two cooking pots are filled 

 with pounded ice and put on the stoves; when the ice 

 melts one pot is used for tea, and the other may be 

 used to warm beans, or to boil meat if there is any. 



Each man has a quart cup for tea, and a hunting 

 knife which serves many purposes. He does not 

 carry anything so polite as a fork, and one teaspoon 

 is considered quite enough for a party of four. Each 

 man helps himself from the pot — sticks in his knife 

 and fishes out a piece of meat. 



The theory of field work is that there shall be two 

 meals a day, one in the morning and one at night. As 

 the days grow short, the meals are taken before light 

 and after dark, leaving the period of light entirely 

 for work. Sometimes it is necessary to travel for 

 twenty -four hours without stopping for food. 



The Cape Richardson party returned on the even- 

 ing of the 19th, and was sent out again on the 21st, 

 nineteen Eskimos and twenty-two sledges, to take 6,600 

 pounds of dog pemmican to Porter Bay. MacMillan, 

 being still under the weather with the grip, missed this 

 preliminary training; but I felt certain that he would 

 overtake the experience of the others as soon as he 

 was able to travel. When the third party returned, 

 on the 24th, they brought back the meat and skins 

 of fourteen deer. 



