February, I,s(i6. 



New Year''s Day. 



219 



by long- yarn-spinning, chatting, and smoking. The dance and the 

 masquerade ball were not infrequent. 



The first month of the new year had closed with a celebration of 

 a unique character. Hall had announced to them the opening of the 

 year by passing round through the connected snow-houses and shout- 

 ing its coming with so loud a voice and at such an hour as even to 

 frighten the people. They seemed to have reciprocated his atten- 

 tions with interest. The whole day was busily spent in preparing for 

 the masquerade and the dance; and when the ball opened, the most 

 grotesque costumes imaginable provoked loud and continued laughter 



IXNirr HKAD-OHNAMKNT— SKAI, TEKTH ; BKADS I'ltOM DU. 1!AK. 



from all the company; for the garments had been hastily patched 

 up from all the second-hand articles of clothing, such as pants, shirts, 

 drawers, remnants, and pieces of cloth, cahcoes, and stuff which had 

 been picked up at times from the whalers; and these were put on by 

 men, women, and children, even the smallest, with a studied care to 

 make themselves ridiculous. The masks were of reindeer-skin. The 

 performance came off in the triplet igloo of ''Nu-ker-zlioo, Ar-goom-oo- 

 too-lik, See-gar & Co.," where dancing to a late hour was accompanied 

 by the key-low-tik, with monotonous singing, and a ciieoi-ful, tuneless 



