130 HUNTING WITH THE ESKIMOS 



parent is transmitted to the child, minus the "nerves," 

 the petulance, and the waywardness born of our con- 

 ventional civilized life, I cannot say. 



Eskimos are optimists. Pessimists have no place 

 in the Arctic, or any far wilderness for that matter, 

 where to-day's dangers and difficulties are real and 

 sufficient unto themselves. Doing his best with to- 

 day, and providing so far as circumstances will per- 

 mit for the future, the Eskimo gives no other thought 

 to to-morrow than a buoyant reliance that it will take 

 care of itself just as yesterday did. A pessimist 

 who constantly worries about the morrow would pos- 

 itively hypnotize himself to death in these lands in a 

 very short time. Pessimism has been the real cause 

 of many casualties among Arctic explorers. 



Kulutinguah was enjoying great success in trap- 

 ping foxes during this dark period, while he re- 

 mained at Annootok. I accepted an invitation to 

 accompany him one day on his visitation of his traps. 

 It was bitterly cold, very dark and with the snow 

 drifted badly and not hard enough to hold the 

 komatik, traveling was extremely tiresome and dif- 

 ficult. Two miles from the first traps we left the 

 komatik, and our walk, in thick darkness, was tough 

 indeed. One blue fox rewarded our effort. We 

 reached camp after a cold and weary trip, and then 

 for the first time I realized that it was December 

 first, and my birthday. Of course I had to cele- 

 brate; excuses for celebrations come too infre- 

 quently in the Arctic to let a birthday pass unnoticed. 

 I searched around my stores, and dug out all the 



