AND KAYAK 123 



for Nain at six o clock to-morrow morning ? : 

 &quot; Yes,&quot; said Daniel, without a moment s 

 hesitation, and no more perturbed than if I 

 had asked him to do one of the everyday 

 things at which he is so handy. &quot; Yes,&quot; he 

 repeated, and turned and went home. 



When I walked down the jetty in the morn 

 ing the four Nain men were at their places : 

 the tallest, chosen captain by his mates, was 

 in the bows with a pole, scrutinising the ice 

 field ; the others were leaning over their oars, 

 smoking and chatting and exchanging gossip 

 with the people who had gathered to see us 

 off. Stroke oar was vacant ; but even as I 

 looked about for Daniel, the man himself came 

 lurching along hugging a big stone. 



&quot; Aksuse,&quot; he said, and dropped the stone 

 gently into the boat. The others took no 

 notice, beyond the usual &quot; Ah,&quot; and Daniel 

 ambled off again. For fully five minutes he 

 went on with his task of collecting stones, and 

 at last I asked him, &quot; Are these for ballast ? : 

 Daniel grinned and twinkled. &quot; Me cook,&quot; 

 he said, and settled to his oar. &quot; Taimak, 

 hai ? &quot; said the captain. &quot; Taimak,&quot; I answered 

 from my place by the rudder, and we were off. 



I really think that the first few miles out of 

 Okak were the slowest that I have ever travelled, 

 not even excepting soft-snow-travclling on a 



