376 NEAREST THE POLE 



Imagine, then, the arrival of a box — which most 

 probably in a civilised community, would be looked 

 upon as a cartload of rubbish. Placed within the 

 vision of the unspoiled Eskimo, it becomes transformed 

 into D antes 's grotto filled with " such stuff as dreams 

 are made of." With fox-like inquisitiveness, the ob- 

 ject is approached. Each article is touched, felt and 

 examined; and later, as the "village gossips" get to- 

 gether, we listen to the cheery verboseness of " Sairy 

 Gamp" and Megipsu, discussing the riches of the 

 Kohlunah (white man). 



In a country where men, women and children exist 

 in complete isolation, where vegetation, mineral mat- 

 ter and even so common a thing as salt are unknown 

 — the people's capacity for imitation would ordinarily 

 be wholly a matter of conjecture ; but when brought in 

 contact with my expedition the Eskimos have shown 

 wonderful characteristics of Oriental imitation and 

 adaptation. If given a gun, a hatchet, or a knife as 

 a model they will reproduce these in miniature, in 

 walrus ivory, with a faithfulness and accuracy that 

 seems almost startling in view of their tools and pre- 

 vious lack of training. The men also pick up with 

 great ease and celerity the use of the tools of the black- 

 smith and the carpenter. 



In 1897, an Eskimo boy was brought to New York, 

 partly because of his unquenchable thirst for novelty 

 and adventure, and also because we had here a good 

 opportunity for studying the effects of outside 

 influence upon primitive innocence. Within a compar- 

 atively short period, this lad acquired a good under- 

 standing of the English tongue; and, in studies as 



