AT ANNOOTOK 55 



ble to get it in place again. At length, only par- 

 tially clothed, I had to climb out on the roof, to hold 

 that in place until it could be secured, and in the 

 process was half frozen. Then, as the last straw, the 

 fire went out. The only way then to get warm was 

 by retreat to my sleeping-bag, and so the night was 

 passed. 



There was no abatement of the wind next day, and 

 traveling was impossible; but good use was made of 

 the time in piling rocks and bags of coal against the 

 front of the house to strengthen it against the blast, 

 and in securing and weather-proofing the roof. 



On the twenty-seventh, however, the wind so far 

 abated that we made another start for Annootok. 

 Repairs were made on the boat, and after fifteen 

 hours' rowing against a head wind, we had the satis- 

 faction of arriving. 



Here I had expected to find a fairly comfortable 

 house the one occupied by Dr. Cook during the 

 previous winter; but the shack, built of boxes, was 

 dripping with moisture, dirty and altogether unin- 

 habitable. There was but one way to clean it, air 

 it properly and dry it take it down and rebuild it 

 on another spot. And the next morning I set about 

 the work. As I dismantled the old hut I had the 

 Eskimos carry the boxes and barrels out of which 

 it was constructed to a dry, level place two hundred 

 yards farther south, and there I laid the foundation 

 for a new structure. The old house was eighteen 

 by fourteen feet; my new one, by inside measure- 

 ment, twelve feet three inches by ten feet two inches. 



