HUNTING WALRUS 185 



was left behind. Another, a fine young fellow, was 

 lashed upon Awhella's sledge so tightly that it seemed 

 to me it could scarcely survive. The Eskimos, how- 

 ever, assured me it was all right. 



We pushed along at a good pace for ten miles or 

 so, when Sipsu, well in the lead, stopped and began to 

 shout. We were far from land, and with the remem- 

 brance of our recent experience still in mind, and 

 fearing that we were again adrift, the other Eskimos 

 immediately became greatly excited. 



When we overtook Sipsu, however, our fears were 

 dispelled. He was down on hands and knees care- 

 fully scrutinizing the snow, and I discovered that he 

 was examining two sledge tracks headed to the south. 

 Presently he informed me that the tracks must have 

 been made within the past two days, otherwise they 

 would have been covered with snow. Other Eskimos 

 were not far off, and we would follow them. 



The dogs' traces were hurriedly untangled, the 

 Eskimos held a few minutes' conversation among 

 themselves, little of which I could understand, and 

 we were away, trailing the komatiks that had gone 

 before, and pointing for Cape Robinson. Round- 

 ing the Cape, we turned toward the head of a deep 

 cove, where we soon came upon an Eskimo settle- 

 ment of three stone, and two snow, igloos, inhabited 

 by ten natives, men, women and children. 



My cheeks and nose slightly frozen, my feet numb 

 with the cold, and aching in every limb, I retreated 

 to one of the stone huts while the Eskimos built a 

 snow igloo for our party. The igloo which I en- 



