102 NEW LAND. 



still keep to the old customs I have already described, such as 

 the game of 'exchanging wives,' the 'drum dance,' and other 

 pastimes of the kind, which of course have long since disappeared 

 from Danish Greenland. 



Herewith I turn the matter over to Fosheim, making an extract 

 from his account of the visit : 



' As I was standing at the turning-bench in the 'tween decks, on 

 March 18, the doctor came running in through the door, radiant 

 with delight, and exclaimed, "We have got a visitor! There 

 is an Eskimo outside by the smithy." I ran out to look, and, sure 

 enough, there he was, with his dogs and sledge and the usual 

 gear, surrounded by a ring of curious spectators. They soon came 

 on board, Sverdrup first, and the Eskimo after him, with short 

 elastic steps. 



'At dinner our unusual visitor sat at the end of the table, 

 handling his knife and fork in a more civilized fashion than might 

 have been expected. He was short in stature, but well-knit and 

 unusually well proportioned, and looked very intelligent consider- 

 ing that he was a "savage." His little dark eyes shone with 

 understanding and good humour. His nose was slightly aquiline, 

 and on his upper lip was a thin, black moustache. His skin was 

 of the dark red-skin type, with a slight tinge of sallowness, and 

 his face was surrounded by a thick mane of coarse, glossy black 

 hair, which fell far down on his shoulders, and quite hid his eyes 

 and the adjoining parts of his face. When he bent his head, it 

 fell over his eyes in a thick veil. 



' That the man was from the east side of Smith Sound we found 

 out at once ; but from what particular part he came, or whither 

 he was bound, we did not so readily discover. We showed him 

 some pictures in Astrup's book, among others the one depicting 

 the author and Kolotengva bear-shooting in Melville Bay. Our 

 friend at once pointed to Astrup's companion, and then to himself, 

 exclaiming proudly, " Eh, Kolotengva ! Eh, Kolotengva ! " So he 

 was the well-known Hurragut himself ; the first Eskimo to cross 

 Inglefield Gulf in a kayak, and the daring hero of so many 

 exciting adventures bear-shooting and walrus-catching ! 



' By the help of a map, with which he seemed as much at 



