BY ESKIMO DOG-SLED AND KAYAK 145 



I will wake you up," taking it for granted 

 that if I went at all I would do it in a proper 

 Eskimo style. As this was more or less of a 

 pleasure trip I made a sort of compromise 

 with good Gustaf's ideas on the subject, and 

 the clock was well on towards five before I 

 met him on the doorstep. 



I was fortified with a good breakfast of 

 bacon and eggs eggs kept in waterglass since 

 the ship brought them last summer but 

 Gustaf would have none. " No," he said, 

 " I shall eat by and by " ; and from what I 

 had seen of Eskimo mealtimes I imagined him 

 disposing of several pounds of seal meat and 

 a pint or two of weak tea when the day's work 

 was done. 



Nevertheless I saw that he was chewing, 

 pensively chewing with a steady champ, champ, 

 champ, as he disentangled the dogs from one 

 another. 



" What are you chewing ? " said I. 



" Koak " (frozen), answered Gustaf ; and 

 he went on to tell me that he had got a mouth- 

 ful of frozen raw seal meat : that was plenty, 

 it was the custom of the people. " Splendid," 

 said Gustaf, " this makes me warm : this 

 gives me sinews," and he smiled as he chewed 

 at his leathery mouthful. I envied him his 

 warmth, for on those cold Labrador mornings 



