CHAPTER IV 



An Eskimo sled My first sled journey Sled dogs and their queer 

 ways The passenger The end of the journey. 



AS soon as the winter was fairly established 

 /-\ I began to think of visiting some of the 

 other stations by sled. With this idea in 

 mind I consulted Jerry and Julius, the two 

 men who made it their business to fetch our 

 drinking water, and asked them about a sled. 

 There was a respectable-looking sled about the 

 premises, a year or two old, maybe, but good 

 enough for us to take on our occasional trips 

 about the bay, and I asked the men whether 

 this would do for a trip to Hebron. 



They were unanimous and very emphatic. 

 " Piungitoarluk " (it is awfully bad), they 

 said, and besought me to let them make me 

 a good sled. " Very well," I told them, " you 

 shall make me a good sled, and I will take 

 you with me to Hebron." They were delighted, 

 beaming and chuckling with glee, and could 

 hardly be persuaded to finish filling the water 

 tanks, so eager were they to be at work on 

 the new sled. They were prepared to take 



53 



