OFF TO ELLESMERE LAND 283 



The traveling was much improved, the drivers 

 pushed the dogs as rapidly as possible, and progress 

 was good. On an island that we passed I killed three 

 Arctic hares with my .22 automatic rifle, and Oxpud- 

 dyshou killed five, a welcome variety to our diet. 



I shall never forget the feast that those Eskimos 

 had when we next halted. I made a careful note of 

 what the six men consumed within three hours seven 

 hares (these weigh from ten to fourteen pounds each 

 before they are dressed) ; one seal; about a bucket- 

 ful of dried walrus meat prepared by Dr. Cook for 

 dog food while he was at Annootok; and two large 

 cups of tea and four biscuits per man. A good part 

 of the seal and all of the hare meat they ate raw, 

 like hungry dogs. I trained my camera upon them, 

 but these Eskimos had a decided objection to being 

 photographed while they eat, and out of respect to 

 their wishes I desisted. 



The drivers had been urging their dogs forward 

 with unusual speed, and now the reason developed. 

 They were anxious to reach a cache made by Dr. 

 Cook more than a year before when he crossed Elles- 

 mere Land. Kulutinguah, who was with him at the 

 time, had told my party that he believed some tobacco 

 had been left in the cache and the desire to get this 

 made them doubly anxious. We found the cache 

 on the side of a steep hill with the cases containing 

 the supplies covered with rocks. Camp was pitched 

 a few hundred yards from land. I insisted that all 

 should be made snug before the cache was opened, 

 and every one worked with feverish haste. None 



