380 CONQUERING THE ARCTIC ICE 



Laughter and talk sounded everywhere, but the laughing 

 and talking ceased whenever I came by in my worn-out furs, 

 followed by my weary and footsore dogs, and when I had passed 

 I could hear them say to each other " Who is he ? " " Where 

 to hell has he blown in from?" "Wonder whether he has 

 made a strike?" "He has travelled far, look at his torn 

 kamicks ! " and one wound up with the remark, " I say, boys, 

 I am going to find out who he is." 



I had come to civilization at last, and it was Christmas. 

 I could get what I wanted, and what I wanted most was a bath 

 and shave. The bath-room was most elegant, and it was a 

 delightful sensation once more to stretch myself in a bath tub, 

 and after the many days of toil and dirt to feel the warm water 

 round my body. 



There was an hotel in Candle, a very fine place considering 

 its locality. A bed with sheets looked very tempting, and 

 I was very tired, but I wanted something to eat before I 

 turned in. 



I hallooed. A man came in, bowing and smiling, to inquire 

 what I wanted. My answer, " Something to eat," was not 

 sufficient ; they had all sorts of things, and he gave me a 

 dinner-card. There were soup and fish, there were poultry and 

 veal, there were two or three different desserts, and coffee. 

 I ordered it all ; the waiter bowed respectfully and disappeared. 

 But shortly afterwards he returned with a clean tablecloth 

 (which I dared not touch with my greasy and dirty furs), 

 unchipped china, and a napkin. 



And he brought papers new from the outside world, only two 

 months old, and papers from Nome, which seemed almost 

 damp from the press, as they were only two weeks old. Yes, 

 surely I had reached civilization ! What a change those few 

 miles had wrought ! Only fifty miles further up the line I had 

 been squatting on the floor, eating off the same plate with 

 three others ; I had revelled in frozen fish, eaten doughnuts 

 with molasses, and had drank black and bitter coffee. And 

 now the first dish came, others followed in rapid succession, 

 and I ate and ate, looking casually at the many people who 

 filed by my table, still wondering who I might be, still wonder- 

 ing what I might tell when I had had my fill and would be 

 looking round for a smoke and perhaps a drink. Through the 



