THE FRIENDLY ARCTIC 453 



could be followed and that we could do nothing but wait for that 

 hour to come. 



That afternoon and evening we worried much over what might 

 be happening to Emiu. He had been lightly clad and had with 

 him no snow knife except his short hunting knife. He was not yet 

 skilful in snowhouse-building, still we thought he would be able to 

 erect a shelter for himself. The question was whether he might 

 become so panic-stricken as not to do the sensible and obvious 

 things. 



The second morning dawned clear. By now we had come to 

 the conclusion that Emiu probably had done what Alingnak and 

 I agreed either of us would have done under the circumstances, 

 A snowhouse located on the sea ice is the most inconspicuous of 

 bases and difficult to find in a blizzard. But the black bulk 

 of a ship, especially with the masts pointing skyward, is one of 

 the easiest things found in dark weather. On his trip with Thom- 

 sen Emiu had been at the Star and must have known that she lay 

 about twenty miles to the northward. I took it for granted that 

 she was on the coast of the mainland and expected that any one 

 following that coast would find her. It seemed most likely tc us 

 that Emiu when he realized he could not find camp had proceeded 

 to the Star. Accordingly, I struck out for the Star while Guninana 

 and the girl maintained the camp, and Alingnak again took up the 

 sledge trail. 



That day was beautiful until noon and for the first time since 

 October I saw the sun just clearing the horizon at midday. I 

 did not walk directly towards the Star but zigzagged about, spend- 

 ing a good deal of time on ice hummocks looking around with the 

 field glasses. In the early afternoon the weather suddenly changed 

 into the beginning of a steady snowfall. I estimated that I was still 

 some twelve or fourteen miles from the Star and now started di- 

 rectly towards her, walking rapidly. But the darkness came with 

 strides more rapid than mine and I was still seven or eight miles 

 away from where I supposed the ship to be when it became so dark 

 that even cutbanks along the coast could not be discerned at more 

 than ten or fifteen yards. I advanced and the weather got even 

 thicker, and eventually one could scarcely speak of visibility at 

 all, except that now as in any blizzard there was hope of seeing a 

 body conspicuous as to its height, for no matter how heavily the 

 snow may be blowing along the ground it is only in the most 

 violent gales that it flies very thick at fifty or a hundred feet 

 above the surface. My expectation now was to come in sight 



