320 Knud Rasmussen, 



duck turned suddenly from their course as a mark of respect on 

 sighting us. Even the gulls came sailing idly down the air to look at 

 us, while solitary hares, or a pair of small ptarmigan, forgot their joy 

 of spring in momentary fright on seeing us advance along their silent 

 coast. 



We were now in the midst of the arctic spring, and it cheered our 

 hearts to see. This was real country, with food abounding in case any 

 unexpected obstacle should bar our progress round by the northward, 

 and force us to winter here. 



The weather too was fine and clear ; our only trouble was the ice, 

 which had responded to the warmth of the sun by forming small fine 

 sharp needles everywhere, which cut up the dogs' paws. We were there- 

 fore obliged to halt, and make kamiks (small skin boots) for all the 

 dogs, and each dog having four legs, it will be easily understood 

 that it was no light task to shoe them all each time we moved. After 

 we had passed Brønlunds Fjord, however, the ice improved consider- 

 ably, and as the dogs at the same time began to feel the effects of 

 all the good feeding and find their old energy and spirits once more, 

 we began to believe in the possibility of making short work of the 

 Peary Channel, and doing a rapid run home, according to the plan we 

 had decided on when at the cairn. 



Ever since the end of May we had had first rate weather, with 

 a high sun, and the ice in Independence Fjord had suffered greatly in 

 consequence. Real progress was only possible along by the shore ; here, 

 however, the going was all that could be desired, as long as the dogs 

 had their kamiks on. Save for these, they would certainly have had 

 their feet cut to ribbons, which would have taken months to heal, as 

 it is a most difficult thing to make a dog lie still and give a wounded 

 paw a chance to get well within a reasonable time. 



These Eskimo dog kamiks may possibly be new to most arctic 

 travellers. I will therefore give a brief description of them, as they are 

 really indispensable. There are two kinds, one is sewn like a bag, into 

 which the dog's foot is placed, when it is fastened a little above the 

 joint. The best material to use is the skin of ataq or bottle-nosed seal 

 with the hair on. This bag-shaped kamik is most useful in winter, 

 when it is dry underfoot, and not in the spring, when there is water 

 forming on the ice, as the stitches would soon burst with the wet. For 

 travellers having no sealskin available I should imagine that ordinary 

 duck might serve the purpose. 



The kamiks we used in Independence Fjord, however, were of 

 quite another sort. Each consisted of a flat round piece of sealskin, 

 with lacing eyelets all round the edge, through which twine, or better, 

 thin leather lashing is run, so that the whole can be drawn tight round 

 the paw like an old-fashioned purse. Kamiks of this sort are used on 

 the spring ice, when covered with water. Great care must be taken, 



