DUCK SHOOTING 381 



been discarded as past usefulness. The weather, 

 however, was now so warm that birdskin shirts and 

 fur outer garments which I had been wearing, were 

 too uncomfortable, particularly around camp, and I 

 felt compelled to provide something more suitable. 



Several of the Eskimos were exceedingly anxious 

 to return to Littleton Island to make caches of ducks 

 and eggs, and camp idleness was so irksome that I 

 consented to accompany and assist them. For two 

 days, however, high seas forbade launching the boat, 

 and after the sun came out, while we waited favor- 

 able conditions to get away, I joined Kulutinguah in 

 netting little auks and watched him skin them with 

 lightning rapidity. I tried my hand at skinning 

 them for a little while, but was slow and clumsy, 

 and my neck and arms grew very tired. 



When at length the sea became less boisterous, we 

 packed our outfits and made the start for Littleton 

 Island three Eskimos and myself. Upon reaching 

 Ohlsen Point, however, a long line of heavy ice cut 

 off our advance, and this, with a strong and increas- 

 ing north wind, decided us to retreat to Etah and 

 await more favorable conditions. 



Upon turning about, we soon discovered that so 

 strong a tide was running against us that with our 

 utmost efforts we could not gain a foot of headway, 

 and nothing remained for us to do but make the best 

 possible landing upon the nearest rocks. This we 

 accomplished, but in so unfavorable a position that 

 our combined strength was not sufficient to haul the 



