222 HUNTING WITH THE ESKIMOS 



and gave her a good meal of biscuits and all the hot 

 tea she could drink to warm her up. Then she walked 

 over to her igloo quite comfortable and happy. 



Sipsu and Tukshu, who were now stopping at 

 Etah, came in just as I lay down to sleep, to pay me 

 a visit. They were the noisiest Eskimos of the whole 

 tribe, and rest was out of the question with them 

 around, so I arose, made ready my supplies, loaded 

 the sledges and turned back to Annootok at once. 



It was on this return trip, which was a very good, 

 though cold, one, that I noted the first bird life, with 

 the exception of a few ptarmigans, that I had seen 

 since the sun left us. Three ravens were observed, 

 and it was pleasant indeed to see them. One who 

 has never wintered in the Arctic can scarcely realize 

 what the returning light and life means here to the 

 exile. Steadily and rapidly the light of dawn was 

 lengthening out, and I remember when I saw these 

 black messengers from the outer world how I calcu- 

 lated that in another twenty days the good old sun 

 would show us the glory of his upper limb. A few 

 days later I saw other ravens, and Kulutinguah 

 caught one alive in a trap. I never saw a more 

 heavily feathered bird, and its coat was beautiful and 

 glossy. A hare that he also caught had been partly 

 devoured, apparently by some kind of hawk. 



We arrived at Annootok in time to say good-by to 

 Kudlar, who was leaving with his family for Etah, 

 on his way still farther southward. He was one of 

 the first of my friends to finally leave the settlement, 

 and it gave me a pang of regret to see the fine old 



