WINTER QUARTERS 107 



We were anxious to be home, and as soon as we had come to 

 our own island we started off. Halfway to our house we met 

 Mr. Lemngwell, who had been out training his dogs for the 

 long " mush " to Herschel Island, and they all, except one, 

 seemed to work well. Mr. Lemngwell would be ready to start 

 in a few days, or at any rate as soon as the ice became solid 

 enough to bear travellers. There was no reason to hurry yet, 

 as the ice was so thin that we could force a boat through it. 



The work on board had been performed to our entire satis- 

 faction, and Mr. Storkersen had proved in more ways than one 

 that he was very well able to work independently. He had got 

 the food and coal ashore, put everything into shape for the 

 winter, and had piled up driftwood for use when everything 

 else would be covered with snow, and in case the amount of 

 coal required for heating the ship should be larger than we had 

 counted on. He had also, under Mr. Leffingwell's direction, 

 got the ship housed in, using spars from the rigging to make 

 the frames, and covering them with our larger sails, so that 

 there now was a large and spacious room on deck. 



An easterly gale had been blowing almost ever since we left, 

 and the ship had been pounding so hard that it had been 

 necessary to tie up the lamps in order to prevent them from 

 falling down. The stern anchor had dragged, the ship had 

 swung up to the head moorings, and had thereby come into 

 rather shoal water. However, the pounding had not done her 

 any harm at all ; she was not leaking, and our confidence in the 

 strength of our vessel increased considerably. 



The tidal and meteorological observations had been dis- 

 continued for some days, partly because the weather had been 

 too hard to send any one ashore, and partly because the ice 

 was too great a hindrance to let a boat pass through every 

 hour. Regular observations on shore would have to wait till 

 the ice became strong enough to bear our weight. 



Sachawachick and his family had arrived at the island a few 

 days after our departure, and knowing that white men are 

 usually eager to get cariboo meat, he had brought down a large 

 piece unasked. He did not want payment for it, and shortly 

 afterwards he brought a couple of seals for our dogs, also with- 

 out payment. Possibly he thinks it good policy to be on good 

 terms with so powerful a neighbour, but, whatever his motives 



