HOME LIFE IN THE IGLOOS 133 



little delicacies I could find for a feast. A bottle 

 was opened, and I drank the health of all my friends 

 and family at home. 



It should be said in this connection that the 

 dweller in the Arctic must avoid excessive use of 

 spirituous liquors, if he is to endure the cold and 

 hardships incident to the life. In my experience I 

 found that even one drink of whiskey, when on the 

 trail, would make me logy and drowsy ; I tried it once 

 or twice under severe hardships, hoping that it would 

 stimulate me to endure them, but found it only in- 

 creased the hardship, making endurance doubly hard. 

 For a moment it does stimulate, but almost imme- 

 diately there is a reaction, leaving one weak and in- 

 capable. This applies, no matter how small the dose 

 may be. 



In further celebration of my birthday, I opened 

 for the Eskimos a bucket of candy, which Mr. Peary 

 had left with me for such distribution as I saw fit, 

 and gave each one in the settlement some of it. This 

 was a great treat for them, and their pleasure was 

 unbounded. After much difficulty I made them un- 

 derstand that I gave it to them in honor of my birth- 

 day, and that I expected nothing from them in re- 

 turn. Yet in a little while after I had distributed 

 the candy and returned to my shack, two women came 

 over from the igloo, and one presented me with a 

 little ivory kayak, or boat, the other with an ivory 

 komatik with six ivory dogs attached to it a beau- 

 tiful exemplification of the sentiment that is a part 

 of the Eskimo nature, for the things were given me 



