THE WONDERFUL COLLECTION 107 



In spite of all their hardships, the people worked on 

 with indomitable will, and looked forward to better 

 times. 



It came about in the later days of January that 

 the news of the hard plight of the folk in our village 

 of Okak came to the ears of the people of Nain, 

 just ninety miles away. A chance traveller, maybe, 

 had carried the story ; no seals at Okak, no seals at 

 all. At once there was a great mass meeting of the 

 men of Nain. 



"We are sorry for our neighbours at Okak," 

 they said ; "they have no seals. As for ourselves, 

 we men of Nain have fared better ; we have not 

 plenty, yet we have some seals, and so we are better 

 ofi. Let us make a collection to help our brethren." 



" Taimak " (It is good), said the people, " so let 

 it be." 



So the leaders of the men in the village of Nain 

 took up a collection, surely the queerest collection 

 that ever was made. Not money no ! There was 

 something that was better than money to an Eskimo 

 in those days of leanness. Each man as he was able 

 brought a lump of blubber to this wonderful col- 

 lection, and when all the men had given there were 

 three great barrels full. They lashed the barrels 

 upon sledges, they chose the strongest dogs, and 

 three men of Nain drove the sledge-teams over the 

 lonely mountain passes and across the frozen bays 

 and rivers, ninety miles to Okak. 



I remember the coming of those sledges. In the 

 dark of the evening the dogs of the village began to 



