AND KAYAK 127 



steerman's eyes once more took on their 

 dreamy stare ; the men in the bows scraped 

 and filled their pipes, and returned to their 

 chatting ; and Daniel turned to his fire with 

 a chuckle, and said, " Now, me cook." He 

 seemed to have everything at hand, for he 

 produced a kettle and a keg of water from 

 apparently nowhere with the unconcern of a 

 professional conjuror, and then he foraged in 

 the provision-box for the tin of tea. Oh, 

 Daniel ! where did you learn to make tea ? 

 I am thankful that the Eskimos like their tea 

 weak, for Daniel's method was to put a pinch 

 of tea in the kettle, fill it up with cold water, 

 and set it on the fire. In a quarter of an hour 

 or so Daniel was doling the boiling tea into 

 tin mugs, and we were stirring in the molasses 

 to suit our fancy. I smiled as I drank my 

 tea and watched Daniel bending, with grave 

 face, over the smouldering fire in his heap of 

 stones ; but I think we were all of us thankful 

 for the cheery presence of the man, and for 

 the comfort of his cookery. 



Towards evening we once more entered the 

 ice field, and steered slowly between the heavy 

 pans as they edged to and fro with the gentle 

 swell ; and at dusk we made our anchor fast 

 among the stones of an islet at the foot of 

 Cape Kiglapeit, and with half our journey 



