104 HUNTING WITH THE ESKIMOS 



and sit on the komatik wrapped in deerskin. The 

 Eskimos lightened one of the sledges that the dogs 

 might haul me over rough places, but riding under 

 these conditions was anything but a pleasant 

 experience. 



For two days I was unable to make entries in my 

 journal, but it was the same story of intermittent 

 rough and smooth going, miserable camps, and un- 

 varying cold. 



Words cannot express my relief when one night 

 after dark we reached Annootok, and the little box 

 shack, warm and cozy, seemed to me the most com- 

 fortable place it had ever been my experience to 

 enjoy. 



My feet were so badly swollen that one boot could 

 only be removed by cutting it away. Both feet were 

 blistered and some flesh pulled off, but I was thank- 

 ful to find that the toes were uninjured. 



Thus ended my first bear hunt in the Arctic, un- 

 successful and disappointing, but certainly eventful. 



