CHAPTER VI 



Building a snow-house Feeding the dogs Adventures with snow- 

 houses Evening prayers Our hard beds A wolf among the 

 dogs. 



WE had not often the good fortune to 

 reach a nice warm house and a com- 

 fortable fireside for our night's rest ; 

 many times on our journeys evening came upon 

 us while we were still miles from the nearest 

 dwelling, and then I was thankful to do as the 

 Eskimos have always been happy to do spend 

 the night in a snow-house. I got quite used to 

 seeing Johannes work himself up to snow-house 

 pitch. When the afternoon light began to grow 

 dull, he pulled out one of the big snow knives 

 that he kept under the lashings of the sled. A 

 fearsome-looking knife it was, with a bone 

 handle and a blade a yard long. Brandishing 

 this, he trotted from side to side, prodding 

 here and jabbing there. He was " finding 



snow." 



Soon Julius stopped the sled, and they held 

 a consultation. 

 Then the building began. It was generally 



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