304 



CONQUERING THE ARCTIC ICE 



the island, and when we came out with our boat we found quite 

 a flotilla of umiaks. 



There was Uxra with Tullik sitting on a great pile of furs, 

 while the "Artful Dodger" had come out with one poor 

 cariboo skin, not so much because he wanted to sell anything, 

 but in order to have an excuse for coming. Ujarajak and 



DIGGING FOR ETHNOGRAPHICAL SPECIMENS. 



Igloorook were paddling about with all their children ; and old 

 Ujarak had got hold of an old boat which held Sukareinna and 

 Nanegera bailing. The natives from Point Barrow were also 

 there with their flashy umiak and white sail. They followed 

 us about, all talking and laughing, happy in the thought that 

 the steamers were at last coming, bringing all sorts of good 

 things to eat, which they could not get from us. And the great 

 black hulk came nearer and nearer ; now we heard the engine- 

 room bell, the men were standing ready to throw us a line, and 

 a minute later we scrambled over the railing as glad and as 

 pleased as the Eskimos. It was our old friend S.S. Belvedere, 

 Captain Cottle, and besides letters he brought us the good news 

 that the additional provisions which we had asked for had been 

 supplied by our backers. Mrs. Cottle was also on board, and 

 for the first time for more than a year and a quarter I felt 

 disagreeably conscious that a luxuriant growth of beard on my 

 chin did not improve my looks. 



