134 VIKINGS OF TO-DAY 



With much perseverance and labour the brethren 

 at each station raise a few potatoes, cabbages and 

 flowers, but when trees are cut down for wood they 

 do not replace themselves in a man's lifetime. It 

 is impossible in these pages to recount all the in- 

 cidents of this part of the trip. At each station I 

 had numerous patients Eskimo and white. In the 

 former cases my dear friend and whilom companion, 

 the Rev. P. Hansen, interpreted. At each station 

 also we gathered daily for prayer and exhortation, 

 and for me the time passed all too quickly. Now, 

 however, the approach of winter was making itself 

 felt. Schooners were flying south before every 

 favourable breeze, and in so small a boat as the 

 Princess May no unnecessary delay was advisable. 

 On the 8th of September we again reached Hope- 

 dale, and were surprised to find the Albert still 

 there. 



A terrible tragedy had occurred in a neigh- 

 bouring inlet. It appeared some men fishing, from 

 an island called East Turnavik, had gone up 

 to boil their tea-kettle at a solitary house on a 

 promontory of Kipekok Bay. On entering they at 

 first found no one at home, but during the process 

 of tea-making came across two women lying on the 

 floor of the passage covered over with a counter- 

 pane. At first they thought they were merely en- 

 joying an afternoon sleep, but soon found both were 

 dead ; hereupon they at once beat a hasty retreat 

 to their own island, and next day came back with 



