FROM ICY CAPE BACK TO CIVILIZATION 371 



My natives had started under protest, and stopped when we 

 came to a place where the wind had broken the ice away from 

 the shore. It was just near a cape, and on the other side of it 

 the surface would be splendid. 



It was still blowing, but with two men at the sledge we 

 managed to get along without capsizing, that is, as far as the 

 water, for beyond that neither good words nor cursing would 

 make them go. Then I told them that I would walk all the 

 way to Point Hope, as I was thoroughly tired of the life in the 

 native camp, and started over the broken ice along the icefoot. 

 The natives remained, as they were sure that I would return. 

 For about a mile I jumped from floe to floe or crawled on hands 

 and knees on the narrow icefoot, hooking on with my hands, 

 digging my toes into every little fissure to prevent myself from 

 being blown into the water by the violent whirlwinds. But on 

 the cape itself, where the water was washing the black rocks, 

 I was stopped and could go no further. It was impossible to 

 force a passage, so I gave it up and returned with the others to 

 the houses. 



The people I stayed with were very nice indeed a better host 

 or hostess could nowhere be found but I was longing feverishly 

 to be off, and my enforced stay tried my patience severely. The 

 natives laughed at me. Why all that hurry ? The weather 

 would be fine once more, and then I could go, but why chafe 

 with impatience now, when it was so perfectly useless ? They 

 are true philosophers, these natives. Mother Nature had taught 

 them patience, and they talked about these white men, who in 

 their opinion were such queer people. At last they thought they 

 had solved the riddle, that they knew why I was in such a desperate 

 hurry to go, and they asked me teasingly whether a girl in the 

 white man's country was drawing me, whether she had written 

 for me to come and come quickly. I protested, but it was of 

 no use ; they thought they had found the one reasonable 

 explanation, and the women asked me many questions as to the 

 looks, the age, and behaviour of their fair sister. 



At last, on December 7, I left them for good. It was still 

 blowing a little, but they did not think travelling impossible, and 

 so we started, followed by the good wishes of these kind 

 people. 



We made fine headway until we came to the open water and 



B B 2 



