174 The Kom-mongs Falling in. [May, ises. 



the head and brains of a deer ; his companions delighted themselves 

 with the worms found under the skin. A severe gale sm*prising the 

 party after they had lashed their boats on the sleds to return, they 

 halted, and Hall cooked a large quantity of deer-meat and treated the 

 company to so much hot punch that they began to utter confused sen- 

 tences, and retired at 8 p. m. 



On the 16th, Ou-e-la w^ith mucli tact pushed forward the heavily- 

 loaded sleds, and, although he lost several dogs, at last brought up the 

 boats on the ice of the Wager, launched them for a sail of two hours 

 on its open water, and then again sledded them over to their latest 

 encampment, reaching it at midnight of the 18th. On their route 

 they had visited Ar-lig-ouk-lig, a place which has the appearance, on 

 approaching it from the north or west, of an inverted whale-boat. A 

 ''tablet" was found here, 50 feet in height and 25 feet in w^idth. The 

 place is considered sacred by the Innuits, who made at this time a 

 deposit there, with an address and a solemn farewell. In a crevice 5J 

 feet from the ice a lead ball was now placed, marked "Hall, 1865." 

 On the crest of a hill, some distance further on, were found six circles 

 of stones which Ou-e-la said were the remains of the tii-piks of Innuits 

 long since dead ; and that here they made their stopping-place when 

 passing from Noo-wook to Oo-koo-ish-ee-lik. 



Tlie rapid advance of the warm season again required a change 

 c*^ residence. The kom-mongs, or half-snow houses, w^ere untenantable 

 ]jy the snow-drippings. When broken down, their remains, mixed up 

 with musses of blubber, broken and uncouth native utensils, and filth, 

 presented a stroller contrast to the beautiful arched and solid domes as 

 described by Hall in the previous autumn.* 



• Ca])tnin Lyou, in his journal kopt during Parry's second voyage, 1821-'23, says of a like 

 BCfiii- : " I h;wl ntveral times in niy rambles through the world seen huts which I imagined could 



