172 HUNTING WITH THE ESKIMOS 



going on Child's Glacier carried us to the glacier's 

 face. Here a perpendicular wall of ice dropped 

 down about a hundred feet, to end our road. 



The Eskimos held a conference, and presently un- 

 did their harpoon lines and harpoon shafts from the 

 sledges. The dogs were unhitched a hundred yards 

 from the precipice, and I was left to guard them 

 while the Eskimos cautiously cut steps in the steep 

 and slippery ice slope to the very brink. Here a 

 number of harpoon lines were tied together and 

 passed three or four times around Sipsu, and he was 

 cautiously lowered by the others over the face of the 

 ice wall, cutting steps as he descended. This done, 

 Oxpuddyshou tied a harpoon line about me, and, 

 while I took advantage of the steps cut by Sipsu, 

 they lowered me. 



Sipsu was then hauled to the top, and the sledges 

 lowered to me. Then came the dogs, four at a time. 

 The poor brutes objected strenuously, but were un- 

 ceremoniously pushed over the brink, and reached the 

 bottom at the end of the lines in safety. One by one 

 the Eskimos followed until Sipsu, the last to come, 

 passed the Jjne around a block of ice, and with its aid 

 joined us at the bottom. 



Three hours were thus consumed in descending 

 to the ice foot. We had then been traveling about 

 twenty-eight hours without rest or food, and I felt 

 that I had reached the limit of my endurance. But 

 the only reply I could get to an appeal to build an 

 igloo was, "witchchow" [by and by]. 



When a smooth bit of ice was reached where we 



