58 HUNTING WITH THE ESKIMOS 



forced us to turn back to its entrance to find the 

 main lead from which it branched and through which 

 we were working our way. 



During the day the wind rose, and in spite of 

 our manoeuvring, a pan of ice was driven against 

 the boat, a hole knocked through the side, and it 

 began to leak so badly we were forced to tie up 

 alongside a heavy pan, where, with much improvis- 

 ing, we finally succeeded in patching the hole with 

 ham fat and a piece of tin. Thence we proceeded 

 to Littleton Island, where I found it necessary to go 

 ashore to warm my feet. 



Here the Eskimos had a number of caches of 

 ducks and duck eggs. The ducks were killed in 

 June and were half rotten, while many of the eggs 

 had young ducks in them. Both the decayed ducks 

 and the half hatched eggs they ate raw, and with a 

 seeming relish. I was not hungry enough to join 

 them in the feast, and my civilized sensibilities were 

 shocked to such an extent that it made me nearly sick 

 to watch them. 



It was a short run from Littleton Island to Etah, 

 and upon our arrival we set about at once making 

 everything snug for the winter, and getting in read- 

 iness our boat's cargo for the trip back to Annootok, 

 which promised to be a journey of hazard and dif- 

 ficulty in the face of an influx of floes from the north- 

 ward, and of rapidly forming young ice. 



