HOW WE PASSED THE WINTER. 209 



little harbor jutting into the shore of Mar- 

 ble Island, and I will tell you the way in 

 which the whalers prepare themselves for 

 their stay in these vessels during the long 

 Arctic winter. In the fall of the year, 

 just before it gets so cold that the ice 

 forms, they huddle their ships together as 

 closely as possible, and each ship puts 

 down two anchors, one at the bow and one 

 at the stern, and these hold them from 

 striking against the shore or one another 

 until the ice forms around them and freezes 

 them in solidly. Then the anchors and 

 rudders are taken up, and, with lumber 

 which they have brought from home, the 

 whalers build a rude but substantial house 

 over the ship. After that has been com- 

 pleted they get the Eskimo to build them a 

 sort of snow-house or igloo over the wooden 

 house again ; so, with all this covering to 



