HUNTING WALRUS 181 



plunging him into the sea, and a wave ran over the 

 main ice. 



Tukshu seemed lost, but in some manner he suc- 

 ceeded in reaching the edge of the main ice and was 

 hauled upon it. The other Eskimos began at once 

 to beat the water, quickly forming into ice, out of 

 his bearskin trousers, while he pulled off his wet 

 kuletar and donned a kopartar. 1 Then I gave him a 

 small drink of whiskey from my flask, and he began 

 running up and down to warm himself. 



I do not know whether it was the whiskey, or the 

 excitement attendant upon his narrow escape, but 

 suddenly Tukshu went problokto, and nearly two 

 hours elapsed before he was sufficiently recovered for 

 us to begin our retreat. 



The excitement on the ice floe, the escape, and the 

 peril of Tukshu had made me forget the cold. Now 

 with wet feet, freedom from mental strain, and in- 

 activity, it seemed that I should freeze. Even the 

 exercise of travel was of small avail in overcoming 

 the thorough chilling that I endured. 



We headed straight for land, and when the ice 

 foot was reached and mounted, made a brief halt to 

 enable Sipsu and Oxpuddyshou to climb a mountain 

 for a look at the ice ahead. Tukshu took advan- 

 tage of the delay to roll into deerskins, and was soon 

 asleep. I set up my two oil stoves, after much 

 trouble, put over two kettles of snow to melt for tea, 

 and attempted to thaw out some deer's meat which had 

 frozen as hard as a rock. 



*A fox skin garment. 



