80 HUNTING WITH THE ESKIMOS 



up my vocabulary. One evening six of the young 

 boys ranging from six to eight years of age came 

 over to camp and sang several of their songs. They 

 were very amusing indeed, and some of the young- 

 sters had good voices and kept excellent time. 



Another incident occurred at this time that may 

 be interesting. Dropping into Kulutinguah's igloo 

 I found a feast in progress. The people were eat- 

 ing some kind of meat with great relish. It was 

 very nice, clean looking meat indeed. I was out of 

 fresh meat and this looked good to me. They offered 

 me a piece with their usual hospitality. Observation 

 had taught me caution, and before accepting it I 

 inquired its origin. It was dog meat and, unfortu- 

 nately, conventional prejudices against eating dog 

 meat compelled me to decline. 



During these periods of waiting I never tired of 

 watching the women constructing native skin gar- 

 ments. Their work on skins is marvelously fine. 

 The stitches are so evenly and exactly made that if 

 one had not actually seen them at work he might sup- 

 pose the stitching to have been done by machinery. 

 The thread used is animal sinew, usually that of the 

 reindeer or narwhal. Kudlar's kooner made me some 

 miniature Eskimo clothes to take home with me. 



Early in October the women began to show much 

 uneasiness at the long absence of the hunting party 

 that had gone to Humboldt Glacier. It was expected 

 that the hunters would have returned before this, and 

 fears were entertained for their safety. It seemed 

 to me, however, from the general appearance of the 



