HOME LIFE IN THE IGLOOS 123 



were loaded, dogs harnessed, and away we dashed to 

 the northward. 



Five miles from Annootok the track of a very large 

 bear, turning in upon the land, was crossed. The 

 dogs took the scent and for several miles we followed 

 it. On land, however, sledging was so bad with a 

 covering of soft snow on the ice, that the animals 

 were soon completely fagged out and the bear's trail 

 had to be abandoned. 



A long, hard pull of many hours, with heavy drifts 

 through which we had to help the dogs haul the 

 komatiks, brought us to Cape Leiter. Here under 

 the shadow of a towering bluff a halt was called. I 

 threw up some blocks of snow for a windbreak and 

 in their lee started my oil stoves and put over tea 

 and several pieces of hare to thaw out for all hands, 

 while the Eskimos built a snow igloo for our camp. 



While thus busied, we were treated to the most 

 brilliant meteoric display I have ever witnessed. 

 The whole heavens seemed filled with shooting 

 "stars," crossing each other in every direction, many 

 of them leaving long streaks of light behind. It 

 was as though a million rockets of great size and 

 power had been set off at the same moment with 

 other millions following in quick succession. 



But inactivity in the intense cold had chilled me 

 through and through, and when supper was eaten 

 I was ready enough to relinquish the beauty of the 

 night and shooting stars for the igloo and my sleep- 

 ing-bag, in a vain endeavor to get warm. I was so 

 completely chilled in fact, when I did get into my 



