BY ESKIMO DOG-SLED 121 



drives it all away to the open ocean, there to 

 wash to and fro and slowly melt away. Then 

 the Eskimos help one another to push their 

 boats down the beach to the water, and the 

 women are all a-bustle to get things ready 

 for the summer's fishing. The sleds that have 

 been so busily going to and fro all the winter 

 and spring are turned upside down and put 

 upon the housetops ; the harness is hung up 

 among the rafters of the roof, where the 

 hungry dogs cannot reach it ; the dogs them- 

 selves are idle. Perhaps the dogs are happier 

 during the working days of winter, because 

 they are better fed : in summer, when they 

 have no work to do, they must take care of 

 themselves, and you may actually see them 

 a-fishing on the beach, perching on the stones 

 and pouncing on the frog-fish that flap lazily 

 about in the pools. The Eskimos go to and 

 fro on their sleds as long as the ice will bear 

 them ; but there comes a time when the ice 

 is too broken and too dangerous even for an 

 Eskimo, and then the people shrug their 

 shoulders and say that travelling is " Ajorkok " 

 (cannot be done). But even in such times it 

 may happen that a boat comes threading 

 between the pieces of the broken ice ; and 

 so it was that four men came toiling into Okak 

 Bay one bright July morning. They pushed 



