266 



taking with him a number of Polar Eskimos on board the ship, 

 in order to make use of their powers and cleverness in hun- 

 ting and managing the sledges. 



He employed the same procedure in 1905—06 and 1908 — 09. 

 On the first of these expeditions ca. 70 Polar Eskimos or one- 

 third of the whole tribe were taken on board. On the return- 

 journey late in August 1906, 8 of the Eskimo families became 

 discontented over a slight, compulsory reduction in the day's 

 rations and left the ship in Lady Franklin Bay. These families 

 passed the winter in the region by Lake Hazen west of the 

 Robeson Channel. In the following spring, they journeyed over 

 the sea-ice down to the Etah country, where Knud Rasmussen 

 shortly after found them in the best of condition and health 

 after the long journey, which owing to the lack of dogs had 

 for a great part to be made on fool4 



In August 1907 the American Whitney's hunting expedition, 

 with Frederick A. Cook on board, came to the district about 

 Smith Sound. Cook passed the winter in Anoatok north of 

 Etah and started from there on his journey. His main inter- 

 rest for us here, however, is that he showed the Polar Eski- 

 mos the way to the musk-ox hunting grounds on the west 

 coast of Ellesmere Land discovered by Sverdrup. In May 1909 

 he again left the Polar Eskimos and journeyed southwards over 

 Melville Bay. 



From April 1903 to late in January 1904 the Danish, so- 

 called "Literary-Expedition" under L. Mylius-Erichsen , Grev 

 Harald Moltke and Knud Rasmussen lived among the Polar 

 Eskimos, for the most of the time on Saunders Island. In 

 recognition of the support received by the Expedition from the 

 natives, the Danish Government sent them valuable presents of 

 guns, ammunition, tools etc., which were brought to the Polar 

 Eskimos in the beginning of August 1906 by Captain H. Schouby, 



R. Peary: Nearest the Pole. London 1907, p. 253. — Knud Rasmussen: 

 Berlingske Tidende, Nr. tSl. København 1908. 



