THE FRIENDLY ARCTIC 433 



them to run, not by forbidding them to ride, but by urging them 

 to get off so that they could make better speed. The Eskimos did 

 and ran for a while but presently sat down on the sled again, prob- 

 ably not because they were tired but merely because they saw Gon- 

 zales riding and it appeared to them to be the correct thing to do 

 as their host did. 



Gonzales now supposed that they were doing this in direct dis- 

 obedience of his wishes whereas they, as a matter of fact, knew 

 nothing about them. The Captain, who did not fully realize that 

 his jargon was incomprehensible, spoke to them two or three times 

 but they only grinned back at him in the most friendly way. This 

 he took to be insolence so he jumped off the sled and upset it, 

 throwing the two men into the snow. The first time this occurred 

 they took it for a joke and scrambled back on the sled again, 

 whereupon the Captain tipped it over a second time and apparently 

 made it clear to them by gestures that he was angry and meant 

 to be obeyed. 



Pikalu and Emiu, pretty thoroughly frightened, tried to explain 

 to the local Eskimos that these were the peculiar ways of white 

 men and that they must not mind. The Eskimos, however, became 

 moody and dropped behind on the trail. In the evening when camp 

 was made they did not arrive until supper had been nearly cooked. 

 Gonzales, who was hospitable and who felt sorry about what had 

 happened, invited them to eat. Pikalu and Emiu again tried to 

 explain the situation but, while the local men answered politely, 

 it was clear that their minds were not at ease. During the night 

 they talked to each other and slept little. The next morning they 

 packed in their bags the things they had purchased from us at our 

 camp and started off ahead. Gonzales himself was worried now 

 but there was nothing that could be done. He tried to induce them 

 to camp with him the following night but they refused, saying that 

 they would probably go all the way home. In ordinary course this 

 was about a four days' journey. Our Eskimos urged them to stop 

 on the way at Illun's hunting camp, telling them that they would 

 be well treated. Later when the Captain's party arrived at Illun's 

 camp, it was found that they had not been there. They had evi- 

 dently struck overland, making a straight course for home. 



As I have said, this story worried me, for it appeared that our 

 amicable relations with these people would be at an end. Taken 

 together with the probability that Kullak's wife would die, it now 

 seemed that they would have at least two serious grievances 

 against us. 



