56 HUNTING WITH THE ESKIMOS 



I arranged it for a very low roof, that it might be 

 more easily heated and kept warm. 



Mr. Peary, as I have said, had left his boatswain 

 and a young Newfoundlander named Billy Pritchard 

 in charge of the supplies unloaded from the Roose- 

 velt, and when I had my new home well under way 

 the boatswain came to my assistance. I never worked 

 harder in my life, and when I was ready to turn in 

 for the night had the satisfaction of seeing the walls 

 of the house in place and the frame ready for the 

 roof. 



Five hours' work the next day, and I was rewarded 

 with a very comfortable looking dwelling, though 

 there were many cracks to admit the wind. A few 

 strips of boards were still on hand unused, but the 

 boatswain advised reserving them for firewood. 

 Upon consideration, however, I decided that the 

 boards would produce more warmth by shutting out 

 the wind and snow than by burning in the stove, and 

 therefore nailed the strips over the cracks as far as 

 they would go. I had only canvas to cover the re- 

 maining openings, but these openings were low on 

 the sides, and dirt and snow banked against them 

 would serve to keep the storms out. That this was 

 good judgment was proved that very night when a 

 snow storm set in, accompanied by a northerly gale 

 and sudden drop in temperature. It was so cold that 

 a cup of water set down for a few minutes was 

 found to be covered with ice. 



That was a wild night, indeed, outside. Ice was 

 passing south through Smith Sound at a rapid rate. 



