136 CONQUERING THE ARCTIC ICE 



he ought to be ashamed of himself for being ruled like that by 

 his wife, and finally we ordered Tullik and her husband to 

 leave the boat and to bring the skins on board the very same 

 day, or they must look upon themselves as being in disgrace. 

 The skins were brought down within one hour, Uxra looking 

 rather shamefaced, and Tullik so angry that she could hardly 

 speak. But Tullik was a woman with a purpose. She was 

 envious of Sachawachick's position, and wanted to push her 

 own slow, easygoing husband so much ahead that he would 

 outshine the other in wealth as well as in popularity. 



As to wealth she will probably succeed, since they are young 

 and Sachawachick is old, but as to popularity they will have a 

 hard fight, as there is not a family in the neighbourhood to 

 which Sachawachick has not done some good turn oj other. 

 Douglamana was fully aware that Tullik was fighting for 

 supremacy, and it was a treat to hear those two women speak 

 about each other, each of them trying to lower the other in our 

 eyes. Douglamana was very pleased with this last escapade 

 of Tullik's, and was likewise clever enough to see that it would 

 be some time before she came to occupy the same position in 

 our opinion which she had held before. 



Dr. Howe and Thuesen returned on the igth of December, 

 with a tale of woe to relate. The weather had been against 

 them, and they had had many gales. They had failed to find 

 Cross Island, and after they had travelled about for a week, 

 looking for it, they had given it up and returned to Pole Island, 

 where for eight days they took tide observations. Although 

 we should have liked very much to get tide observations from 

 Cross Island, we had to satisfy ourselves with what we had, 

 and with the thought that they both returned as strong and 

 healthy as when they went out. 



Christmas week was ushered in by our usual violent storms, 

 and we could not leave the ship. For three days we were con- 

 fined to our cabin while the wind and snowdrifts raged outside, 

 making every live thing seek shelter where it could be found. 

 The storms of Flaxman Island are violent, and it is not wise 

 even to walk ashore in order to read the thermometer. 

 Sachawachick told us how the inhabitants of the ruined igloos 

 on the west end of the island had perished in a storm. It was 

 an old chief from Point Barrow who had been forced to leave 



