168 HUNTING WITH THE ESKIMOS 



able jam, rising to a height of sixty or seventy feet. 

 This turned us back and compelled us to cross the 

 steep mountain lying south of Annootok. Its sides 

 were so smooth and slippery that no firm foothold 

 could be had. At one point we were able to ascend 

 the rise only twelve or fifteen feet when, in spite of 

 everything, we would slide back again. Knives were 

 brought forth, and steps cut in the snow which was 

 as hard and solid as ice. Komatiks were then un- 

 lashed, and the loads carried to the top of the steep 

 incline on our backs, to enable the dogs to haul the 

 empty sledges up. 



We halted briefly at Littleton Island while the 

 Eskimos opened a cache made the previous summer, 

 and filled two bags with eider duck eggs. These 

 eggs were frozen as hard as rocks, and it puzzled 

 me to know how they were to be eaten. This was soon 

 solved. An Eskimo placed an egg in his mouth, and 

 in a little while it thawed sufficiently for him to re- 

 move the shell. This done the icy substance was 

 sucked like candy. 



Fourteen and a half hours' journey brought us 

 to the closed shack at Etah, where we were to halt 

 and rest; but to my chagrin I found that the storms 

 had blown the stovepipe down, torn a great rent in 

 the canvas roof, and drifted the place nearly full of 

 snow. I had been looking forward to a warm fire, 

 a hot meal, and a cozy rest. Now it required more 

 than one hour to clean out the snow, and even then 

 we had difficulty in keeping the pipe in position, 



