44 TUSKI HUTS: 



four hours, during which my companion had his 

 face shghtly frost-nipped, we arrived at Kaygwan, 

 where our conductor resided, and were scarcely 

 permitted to look round, so eager was he to press 

 upon us the hospitable shelter of his roof. Kaygwan 

 is a very small place ; I cannot even call it a hamlet, 

 since it consisted only, if my memory serve me 

 risht, of five huts, of which that of our entertainer, 

 though greatly larger than the others, was not of 

 extraordinary dimensions. 



As the huts of the Tuski are all of similar form 

 and materials, and differ only in size, cleanliness and 

 convenience, I shall here describe them generally, 

 noting peculiarities in their proper places. Around, 

 and resting upon one or two props, are ranged at 

 equal distances ribs of the whale, their number and 

 the area of the hut or tent, which is mostly cu'cular 

 or oblong spheroidal in shape, depending upon the 

 dimensions. Over these, tightly stretched and neatly 

 sewn, is drawn a covering of walrus skin, so beau- 

 tifully cured and prepared as to retain its elasticity, 

 and to be semilucent ; some of these skins are of 

 an enormous size ; I saw one in the roof of Metra's 

 tent at Wootaii% which could not have contained 

 less than between seventy and eighty square feet, and 

 the whole clear as parchment. So much light being 



