WHEN THE ESKIMOS LEFT US 269 



mos spoke no English. He was as greatly astonished 

 to meet a white man here as I was to meet him. 



The three men were sights to behold. Human be- 

 ings could not be more unkempt. They were half 

 starved and very thin, terribly dirty, and Dr. Cook, 

 like the Eskimos, had long hair reaching to his shoul- 

 ders. For many months they had been without dogs 

 and had hauled a sledge a long distance from the 

 southward. Open water had prevented their taking 

 a direct course across Smith Sound from Cape Sabine, 

 and they had been forced to make a long detour to 

 the northward to accomplish the passage. In the 

 very rough ice they abandoned the sledge, and made 

 their course direct for Annootok, which at this time 

 could be seen plainly in the distance. 



It was most interesting to witness the Eskimos' 

 greeting. Ahwelah and Etukishuk standing to- 

 gether, Tukshu, Sipsu and Ilabrado facing them at 

 a little distance, they gazed at each other for a few 

 moments, and then all together began talking very 

 fast and a great deal. 



After a short delay we turned back to camp, Dr. 

 Cook on the sledge with Ilabrado and me, Ahwelah 

 with Tukshu, who I learned was his brother, and 

 Etukishuk with Sipsu. In camp the hungry men en- 

 joyed a good hot meal, then slept for several hours, 

 after which Sipsu and Etukishuk, with a team made 

 up of Sipsu's dogs and several of Ilabrado's, went 

 back on the ice and late in the day brought in the 

 abandoned sledge. 



