194 BY ESKIMO DOG-SLED 



inquisitive. " Hello, Tomas, what sort of a 

 window are you making ? " " Ah," says 

 Tomas, " new sort, very fine ; see, it opens on 

 hinges." " Piovok (that looks good) : teach 

 me how to do it ; I must have a window like 

 that." 



Yes, the Eskimos would imitate ; that was 

 the secret. And they imitate so thoroughly, 

 too : you may see it even in the children's 

 games. One day there had been a funeral, 

 and after it was all over I heard the sound of 

 singing. It was the funeral hymn over again ! 



I looked out, and saw a group of boys, all 

 standing round a long hole in the snow, and 

 singing lustily. When their singing was 

 finished they heaped snow into the hole, and 

 built it into a mound, and very deliberately 

 patted it smooth and then walked off two by 

 two towards the village. I could not help 

 laughing at the young rascals, for I suppose 

 all children play at funerals. But these little 

 Eskimos were doing things properly, for after 

 the mock-mourners had all gone the mound 

 gave a great heave, and a small boy poked 

 his head up and crawled out, shaking the snow 

 out of his shaggy hair as he ran to join his 

 mates. 



Yes, the Eskimos would imitate. If Moses 

 had dug up the sodden mud floor of his hut, 



