62 



TiiE Last ckuise of the miranda. 



theless, he persevered, and produced his ribbons in the midst 

 of many a virtuous household. But when an ethnologist of 

 the party, learned in Eskimo lore, explained to him the 



significance of the wearing of 

 the green, he immediately re- 

 turned to the Miranda, where 

 he might blush unseen. 



While the green ribbon 

 does not render its wearer a 

 social pariah and outcast, as 

 did the flaming scarlet letter 

 in the days of the Puritans, 

 still on the other hand it is 

 not a badge of social distinc- 

 tion, and its wearers are not 

 regarded as the leaders of 

 Sukkertoppen's "four hun- 

 dred." But then there are 

 no social leaders in this primi- 

 tive settlement, and no color 

 line is drawn ; so blue ribbon 

 and green ribbon and red 

 ribbon and black ribbon 

 mingled together without 

 thought of caste. 



Men and women dress so 

 much alike that, were it not for 

 the top-knots and ribbons of the gentler sex, it would be hard 

 to distinguish them. The upper garment is a " timiak " — a 

 vest of birdskin — and over this is worn a kind of cotton jersey 

 called " anorak." On the legs are worn breeches of sealskin 

 or of reindeer skin. The women's breeches are shorter than 

 the men's, but to make up for this they wear longer boots, 

 called '^ kamics," which reach above the knee. The men's 



A JUVENILE. 



