34 HUNTING WITH THE ESKIMOS 



value, and much sought after by traders, though of 

 little use to the natives, who hunt the narwhal for its 

 food qualities alone. 



Presently we were pushing northward en route to 

 Etah, halting only to indulge in another walrus hunt 

 near Northumberland Island. At midnight on Au- 

 gust twelfth the Erik steamed into Etah and tied 

 up alongside the Roosevelt, which had preceded us 

 and was engaged in landing stores. She had im- 

 proved very much in appearance and cleanliness since 

 we had last seen her. The dogs had been cleared from 

 her decks and placed upon a small island a quarter 

 mile above, and the decks had been washed down and 

 generally cleaned up. 



Here we found Rudolf Franke, who had been left 

 by Dr. Cook in charge of provisions. The poor fel- 

 low was suffering from scurvy, and was in pretty 

 bad shape physically. Dressed in furs, hair hanging 

 to shoulders, a heavy tangled beard, and generally 

 unkempt, he more nearly resembled my ideas of the 

 prehistoric man than any individual I have ever seen. 



It is a great hare country around Etah, and our 

 party took advantage of the opportunity to hunt them. 

 We found them very wild, however, and with my .22 

 rifle I succeeded in bringing down only three. They 

 are pure white, with just a small tip of black on each 

 ear. The largest one killed weighed twelve and a 

 quarter pounds. The flesh is very toothsome indeed, 

 and the fur fine and warm. The Eskimos cure the 

 pelts, and out of them make socks, wearing the fur 



