28o CONQUERING THE ARCTIC ICE 



Uxra, and by their united efforts the house was soon made 



habitable. 



While they were building on shore, Hicky and Fiedler, helped 



by Eskimos, kept on pumping in order to have a place to live 



in, at least until the house was ready. 



On April 8 the house was so nearly finished that the ship 



could be abandoned and 

 j^r^i quarters taken up on 



shore. It was high time, 

 for the water in the ship 

 had risen so much, in 

 spite of all efforts, that 

 planks had to be placed 

 on the cabin floor so as 

 to prevent the men from 

 walking in water. 



As soon as the services 

 of the natives could be 

 dispensed with, they left 

 the island to go up 

 to Koogoora Kook. A 

 rumour had arrived that 

 cariboo were plentiful on 

 the river, and that the 

 people living there were 



SACHAWACHICK AND UXRA. i i , 



having a high time, eating 

 meat and fat and doing nothing but feast. 



On April 15, while the Doctor was sitting in the house, he 

 heard some one driving up outside who spoke English to the 

 dogs. It was a strange voice, and he hurried out to see who it 

 might be. He saw a dirty man with a great beard, and was 

 quite surprised when this stranger shook hands with him as with 

 an old friend and called him by name. It was Mr. Stefansson, 

 who had come to Herschel Island, and, hearing that we were 

 wintering at Flaxman Island, had collected a team and started 

 for our winter quarters. He had a native with him, a man who 

 answered to the name of " Cape York." He was a worthless 

 fellow, as we found out later on, but he had been a good 

 travelling companion and Mr. Stefansson liked him. 



His purpose in coming down to us was to ask about our 



