w 



OUR RETURN i 59 



as frozen hard, that I would not attempt to unpack 

 at present. Thus for the second time we slept in the 

 choom. 



We were not so tired now, and noticed the discom- 

 forts more. I was, I must confess, not well content ; 

 for the edges of the choom were many inches from the 

 ground, nor could we find any form of packing to keep 

 out a cutting wind ; for while there were women and 

 children on the other side of the choom, I could not 

 put in any claim to the reindeer skins, which were 

 bundled there. The skins, too, were reduced in number, 

 for some we had taken with us to sit on in the sleiohs, 

 and these were now wet or frozen from the passage of 

 the streams. 



But sleep at last we did ; and the last thing I saw 

 was old Sailor creeping round in a half-guilty way, to 

 find himself a comfortable position close to Hyland's 

 head. 



