326 HUNTING WITH THE ESKIMOS 



trophies immediately, and arranged with the Eski- 

 mos that as soon as men and dogs were rested, we 

 should turn southward. Accordingly, with only a few 

 hours' delay, sledges were loaded, dogs harnessed, 

 and we were off. 



How different a journey this was from those tedi- 

 ous ones over the same course during the dark period, 

 when we were beset by gale and blizzard and bitter, 

 life-sapping cold, with hardships innumerable. Now 

 the Arctic spring was at hand. Ice was breaking up, 

 snow was rapidly disappearing, and many streams of 

 water were pouring down the hillsides. 



Large numbers of little auks were everywhere, 

 ducks dotted the water, while snow-bunting and a 

 sweet singing sparrow abounded on land, and clouds 

 of gulls hovered over Littleton Island. It was glori- 

 ous to see this returning life! It was a connecting 

 link with the great outside world. It broke the 

 silence that had brooded over the dead world for so 

 long, and it brought joy and lightness to our hearts. 

 Fourteen hours were consumed in making the jour- 

 ney, but every hour was filled with interest. 



Upon arriving at Etah I found that the Eskimos 

 had moved into the tupeks l and abandoned the igloos. 

 The majority of the people were still at Nockme and 

 other points farther south, hunting walrus and seals. 

 Tongwe and her mother were here and they set to 

 work at once upon my musk-ox trophies, which I 

 placed in one of the deserted stone igloos out of 

 reach of the sun's rays, where I hoped that by careful 



i Skin tents. 



