ARRIVAL AT OKAK 



small shock-headed men, clad in corduroy trousers 

 and oily blanket smocks. 



Their little restless eyes gazed about with won- 

 derment, the while they gabbled strange words with 

 great volubility. 



As fast as one paused for breath, the other took 

 up the tale, and I could not help smiling at their ob- 

 vious earnestness about something. The missionary 

 sat gravely listening to their speeches, occasionally 

 giving a laconic " Ahaila " (yes) ; and at the end they 

 seemed mightily pleased, for they went out grinning, 

 with many a sly nudge at one another, and 

 " Nakomek " (thank you) to the company generally. 

 Then we got the explanation. "Those are the 

 two men that I told to go to Hebron, and they have 

 been to ask whether they need go, now that the ship 

 has come. I expect there will be feasting in Ramah 

 to-day, for their next question was whether they 

 might eat the provisions I had given them for the 

 journey." 



It came out later in the day that one of the men 

 had eaten his pork and biscuits as soon as he got 

 them, I suppose as a sort of foundation for his 

 journey. Actually on the road, he would have been 

 content to chew an unpromising slab of tough dried 

 fish ; but I think he must have felt rather relieved 

 when the missionary gave him permission to demolish 

 the pork. 



The ship did not dally in Ramah ; we only 

 stayed one day, because of the lateness of the season ; 

 and on the morning of the 7th of November, 1903, 

 we dropped our anchor in Okak Bay, in sight 

 of the biggest of the Eskimo villages ; and there, at 

 the old settlement of Okak, among the dull little 



49 D 



