OLD TUGLAVI 



at Ramah, only 150 miles away, gather barrelfuls 

 with the greatest ease. Killinek is the coldest, most 

 dismal, and barest of all the Labrador coast but 

 it is the best seal and walrus hunting place of all. 

 The people overcome their difficulties somehow or 

 other. One old woman told me that she remembered 

 how the men used to travel as far as Okak, 300 miles 

 away, to fetch long trees for making sledges and 

 kajaks. Now they rely on the Mission, and on 

 chance trading or whaling ships, for an occasional 

 plank, or, greatest prize of all, a stick of tough 

 juniper wood or even an old baluster rail to make 

 a paddle. 



My visit to Killinek would not be chronicled 

 completely if I said nothing about old Tuglavi. I 

 saw him many a time as I wandered about among 

 the rocks and the tents ; a weird, wild-looking old 

 man, with a childish smile on his face. He used 

 to follow me by hours at a time, muttering strangely 

 to himself, and answering all my questions with 

 only a broadening of his constant smile. Poor old 

 Tuglavi ! I gave up trying to draw any information 

 out of him after I had tried to take his portrait. 

 I armed myself with a ship's biscuit, and went in 

 ; search of Tuglavi. I found him near his iglo, and 

 j offered him the biscuit. 



He took it with a most delighted " Thank you " : 

 " Nakome-e-e-ek," he said, " nakomek." 



" Adsiliorlagit-ai " (let me take your photograph). 



" Sua ? " (what ?) 



" Will you let me make a likeness of you ? " 



"Atsuk (I don't know). May I eat the 

 ! biscuit?" 



"Yes, presently ; just stand over here." 



39 



