178 HUNTING WITH THE ESKIMOS 



I could make nothing of it. At length, however, in a 

 moment of calm, Oxpuddyshou told me that the ice 

 we were on had shaddacood; that is, gone adrift. 



The situation was serious. We were in imminent 

 danger of being swept to sea, and should this occur 

 it meant certain, or at least probable, death. Pres- 

 ently we reached the widening lead of green-black 

 water that cut us off from the main body of ice, and 

 mile after mile raced along its edge, looking for a 

 bridged passage. But no means of escape presented 

 itself. With each mile traversed the excitement of 

 the Eskimos increased. The dogs began to tire and 

 lag under the unusual strain. I became very nerv- 

 ous myself as a full realization of our precarious 

 position forced itself upon me. 



At length the men grew desperate, as the situation 

 began to look hopeless. They ceased to follow each 

 other and rushed off in different directions, and for 

 several hours, widely separated, dashed hither and 

 thither in vain endeavor to find a means of escape. 



This was the condition of affairs when we heard 

 a shout from Sipsu, who was far to the northward. 

 We ran in his direction, and when we reached him 

 found he had discovered a point where the crack 

 which separated our floe from the main ice was not 

 so wide as elsewhere, while several small pans of 

 floating ice between the two larger bodies offered a 

 possible, though uncertain route to safety. It was 

 a desperate chance, but we decided to attempt the 

 passage. 



