GATHERING UP FRAGMENTS 329 



Every birthday in Mr. Peck's diary contains 

 some special note. We will take April 15, 1902, 

 as a sample : 



" Tuesday, A pril 15. My birthday. (Fifty-two to- 

 day.) And this is how I spent it. Blacklead Island 

 was now seventeen miles away,our stock of provisions 

 very low, so it was necessary to get to our journey's 

 end as quickly as possible. The weather, however, was 

 far from favourable. The wind was right ahead, and 

 snow was driving heavily. My Eskimo friends were, 

 however, confident that they could find their way. 

 So we started. But to start was one thing, to get 

 on was quite another. Our dogs were weak, the 

 storm increased, and nothing at times could be seen 

 On we went for some five hours. A lull in the storm 

 then brought to our view an island. This island was 

 about eight miles from Blacklead Island. We had 

 travelled some nine miles in five hours certainly not 

 express speed. Tired and hungry, we made a kind 

 of shelter with large blocks of snow. These we 

 placed on the windward side of our sledge. My hearty 

 companions hauled out a large piece of seal's meat. 

 This they chopped up with an axe, and attacked 

 with evident relish and delight. Got under the lee 

 of one of the men, and in the midst of driving snow 

 munched away at some biscuit which I had close 

 at hand. On we went again. Had not gone far 

 when a dog belonging to Tooloakjuak's sledge 

 dropped down dead. He, poor fellow, has only 



