AND KAYAK 181 



As I lay in the dark under the sail I could 

 hear the rhythmic creaking of the boards under 

 the feet of the captain, as he stood at my head 

 rolling his heavy sculling-oar, and I could hear 

 the steady thump of the oars against the 

 thole -pins, and the swish and drip of the 

 water ; and, lulled by the measured sounds 

 and rocked by the gentle roll, I fell asleep. 

 I woke in the dark hour before the dawning, 

 and heard the sound of singing ; it was Daniel s 

 voice, crooning a favourite hymn. Presently 

 the others took up the song and sang, so softly, 

 so as not to wake me up, but keeping time 

 to the plashing of their oars. Hymn after 

 hymn they sang to pass the night away. 



Soon after sunrise we reached the open 

 water that narrows towards Nain, and then 

 up went the sail and in came the oars, and 

 with the water hissing past us and the ropes 

 groaning and the mast creaking under the 

 strain of the wind we raced into Nain Harbour. 

 The people were waiting on the jetty. They 

 shouldered the bags and boxes ; Daniel and 

 the other boatmen stowed away the sails and 

 oars and anchored the boat, and then went 

 home to sleep, smiling and good humoured to 

 the end. 



The Eskimos are wonderful boatmen, they 

 seem to love the sea with all its dangers, and 



