382 HUNTING WITH THE ESKIMOS 



boat out of the water, and for a little while I feared 

 it would be smashed to pieces in spite of anything we 

 could do. 



As I have said before, however, one cannot feaze 

 the Eskimos. They seem able to meet all emergen- 

 cies and to surmount all obstacles. So it was in this 

 instance. They set themselves at once to rigging up 

 an improvised pulley, and by fastening their lines to 

 a large boulder some distance back from the shore, 

 soon and with apparently little difficulty had the boat 

 high and dry and out of reach of the battering waves. 



All of our belongings, including my guns, am- 

 munition, and bed were packed in the boat, and we 

 walked back to camp, very fortunate to have post- 

 poned the expedition, for a terrific northeast gale was 

 soon sweeping the sea. 



Until this time much ice had held fast in the har- 

 bor. Now it broke loose, and was driven out before 

 the gale. One pan, perhaps two miles long and one 

 mile wide, passed down close to shore, grinding and 

 smashing against the rocks with terrific force and 

 thunderous hammerings, which combined with the 

 roar and shriek of wind to create a noise that was 

 deafening. For more than an hour I stood and 

 watched the driving pan and all the mighty forces 

 of nature performing in awful grandeur before me. 

 It was fascinating beyond description, and the wild 

 beauty of sea and land held me entranced. 



Though still some ice remained at the head of the 

 harbor, the greater part of it passed out, transform- 



