114 HUNTING WITH THE ESKIMOS 



the animals to the utmost speed of which they were 

 capable. One poor dog could not keep the pace, and 

 Tukshu halted long enough to beat it to death, cut 

 the traces and leave it on the ice. 



Thus well inland we proceeded at an exciting pace 

 for several hours, when a steep but short hill was 

 climbed and from its summit we were treated to a 

 magnificent view of the frozen ocean. As far as 

 vision could reach the ice masses were broken and 

 drifting steadily southward. A full and brilliant 

 moon illuminated the panorama. The frost-en- 

 crusted ice glinted and sparkled in the moonlight on 

 every side, and the expanse of wild, frozen country, 

 and the ocean with its masses of moving ice at our 

 feet, formed a spectacle never to be forgotten. 



A ten minutes' conference was held among the 

 Eskimos, in which they became greatly excited. 

 Suddenly they called to me to get on a sledge, and 

 I scarcely had time to seat myself securely before 

 they were whipping up the dogs, and we were dashing 

 down the steep grade at tremendous and hair-raising 

 speed. It was, in fact, all I could do to hang on, ex- 

 pecting every moment that a lurch of the sledge 

 would pitch me off ; but I managed to keep my place 

 and finally the south edge of the glacier was reached 

 in safety. 



Here we turned down to the ocean, where the ice 

 was found to be very rough, and so intersected with 

 deep fissures that I feared to get off the sledge. 

 Three of Sipsu's dogs fell into one of these cracks, 



