292 Knud Rasmussen. 



This is done by dipping snow in water, and plastering it over the 

 hide ski, where it soon turns to ice. Great care must be taken to 

 avoid laying on the snow in too large lumps at one time; as soon as 

 they are placed on the runner they should be smeared down along 

 its surface with a skin glove, preferably a piece of bearskin with long 

 fur. This prevents air bubbles from forming in the mass and lessening 

 its strength and solidity. To make the snow lie clean and firm in a 

 compact mass in something of an art in itself. 



When this ice sheathing has attained a thickness of 4 — 5 cm., the 

 work is finished, and with runners treated in this way, the dogs will 

 trot and gallop easily with loads they otherwise could scarcely haul 

 at a foot pace. This ice sheathing will, on walrus hide, last out four 

 or five days sledging without being renewed, provided the snow is 

 not too hard. At the end of that time the ice is smooth and polished 

 like glass; moreover, the work of repairing after a few days journey, 

 consists merely of patching up the worst worn places with new ice, a 

 matter of a couple of hours. 



This Eskimo ice-sheathing as here described is used on ground 

 where there is plenty of snow, and no screw ice, as the hard ice would 

 soon splinter the sheathing and render it useless. It is also impossible 

 to use it over snow with a hard and brittle surface, where the ice 

 layer would soon be worn away. On snow such as one encounters on 

 the inland ice, away from the boundary zones, "ihis "qârsaneq", as the 

 Eskimos call it, is invaluable where rapid and easy progress is re- 

 quired. If fresh blood is available, a little niv^y be mixed with the 

 water used to dissolve the snow used for the shoeing; this renders the 

 ice of the sheathing less brittle and tougher in wear. 



As a protection against the weather in the many snowstorms 

 which we knew we should have to encounter, we had brought a tent: 

 in case of a continued spell of rough weather, however, it was our 

 intention to build snow huts in the Eskimo fashion,. the incomparable 

 advantages of which cannot be too highly estimated under such con- 

 ditions. 



It takes as a rule about an hour and a half to build a snow hut 

 capable of housing four or five men, making a matter of a couple of 

 hours or so before one has moved in and is ready to set about pre- 

 paring food and drink. This is of course no inconsiderable time to 

 spend in setting up one's quarters ; it is worth while, however, for the 

 rest gained by getting out of one's clothes and lying down in a thor- 

 oughly warm shelter is worth many times that which can be obtained 

 when one's teeth are chattering with cold, even though the latter be 

 of far longer duration. 



It is no easy matter to build one of these snow huts; they are 

 not made by simply piling a number of blocks of snow one above the 

 other. The work has to be done according to a certain definite plan. 



