262 



learnt on further conversation, that she and her family belonged 

 to a party of western Eskimos, who had come over Smith 

 Sound "4 or 5 years before, and these were the only survivors. 

 They had introduced the use of the bow and arrow" Ч 



The husband of this woman was indeed Itsukusuk (pro- 

 nounced Itukusuk), as Knud Rasmussen, using the Danish- 

 West Greenland mode of writing, calls him — the American 

 authors write the name E-took'-a-jeu — and her little son then 

 was Panigpak (Pun'-e-pai. 



The "4 or 5 years before", given as the time for the last 

 immigration, must certainly not be taken literally. There are 

 other inaccuracies also in Budington's information; thus, he 

 states, that they passed over Smith Sound in a woman's boat 

 and 5 kayaks, whereas IMerkrusàrk narrates, what is certainly 

 correct, that they came over the frozen Strait, thus on dog- 

 sledges, bringing their kayaks on these. Merkrusàrk's report 

 gives one tlie impression of being correct on the main points. 



The narrative of the expedition shows, however, that the 

 departure under the leadership of the old Kridlarssuark must 

 have taken place before 1872, since Itsukusuk with his family 

 alone remained. We may likewise conclude, that Merkrusàrk 

 and the few others, who were saved on the eventful return- 

 journey, had not yet come back again to the Polar Eskimos. 

 If we now calculate, that they could have returned at the ear- 

 liest shortly after the departure of the "Polaris" Expedition 

 from the Life-Boat Cove in June 1873, and make use of Mer- 

 krusàrk's statement of the 5 years as given above, the depar- 

 ture on the return-journey to the American side must have 

 occurred at the earliest in 1868 and at the latest on the spring- 

 ice of 1872. The time for the first immigration must therefore 

 lie between 1862 and 1866; but I believe that the first year 

 mentioned is nearest the mark. 



1 С H. Davis: Narrative of the North Polar Expedition U. S. Ship "Polaris", 

 Captain C. F. Hall commanding. Washington 1876, pp. 450— 451. 



