192 THE GETIMAN ARCTIC EXPEDITFON. 



about the room. But a number of these stumps dis- 

 appeared at once. I could not conceive where, and told 

 him so; when he grinningly opened his wide mouth, 

 pointing to either side, where, between teeth and cheeks, 

 lay a store. Hence the reason that the Greenland men 

 have such great swellings in the lower jaw. 



We gave up our intention of starting the next day, 

 at the special request of our hosts. They affirmed that 

 by Cape Egede, which we must pass, there was a great 

 deal of ice, and gave it as their opinion that the north wind 

 now blowing would in a day or two open up a path. In 

 the evening, Missionary Starick and Mr. Hildebrandt 

 rowed up the Narksamiut. They went to a place in the 

 centre of the Fjord, where about eighty women and 

 children were busy with the herring fishery. The Green- 

 land herrings, the " Angmaksatten " as the natives call 

 them, are for them as important as the seal ; they form 

 their chief nourishment. If the draught is bad, famine 

 is at hand. Like our herrings, these small smelt-like 

 fishes {Mallotus arcticns, Fabr.) rush into the Fjords in 

 great numbers in the evening, and are taken out of the 

 water in sack-nets by women and children. Without 

 either cleaning or opening they are then simply laid on 

 the grass until the sun has dried them sufficiently ; they 

 are then collected into an old skin sack, or stowed in any 

 other way for the winter, and eventually consumed after 

 being dipped in oil. As they became aware of the presence 

 of the boats, the women broke into a howl of terror; 

 some even fled to the tent. At last they saw their friend 

 Starick, and became somewhat calmer, soon quite con- 

 fiding ; and the boys paddled their canoes in emulation 

 round the boats. They promised the home-returning 



