54 A SUMMER IN GREENLAND 



umyak to offer a birthday greeting to the Director 

 of the Station, and, as there were few rowers, dogs 

 were employed to tow the boat. 



On one occasion we had an interesting and 

 exciting demonstration of the sea- worthiness of the 

 kayak and of the courage and skill of a Green- 

 lander. Our motor-boat, with a broken shaft, was 

 under sail off the rocky coast of the north of Disko 

 Island: there had been a strong breeze all day; we 

 attempted to reach a place where there was a good 

 harbour, but as the wind shifted we steered towards 

 a Settlement on the mainland which on nearer view, 

 seemed to be blocked by ice, or at least there was 

 too much ice for the safe navigation of a boat 

 under sail. We then returned to our starting- 

 point, the small Settlement of Ujaragsugssuk, 

 where there is very little shelter. The wind had 

 meanwhile increased to a hurricane. As we tacked 

 about off the rocks, large pieces of turf were torn 

 off the roofs of the native houses and carried up 

 in a spiral before being flung out to sea. Our two 

 anchors were powerless to hold the boat and there 

 was a danger of the off-shore wind carrying us 

 across the Vaigat on to the rocks of the unin- 

 habited shore on the other side. It was impossible 

 to use our small dinghy, and attempts were made 

 by the excited natives on the beach to get a rope 

 to us by means of inflated seal-skins, but these 

 were blown wide of the mark. Eventually the local 

 catechist (who is seen in the photograph (Fig. 21) 

 standing with his wife behind a half-completed 

 kayak which he was building) launched a kayak 



