A SNOW HOUSE 



Another great advantage which I gaine by 

 jtaking the same two drivers on all my journeys, was 

 [that I never needed to be anxious about a night's 

 (shelter . " What will you do if we cannot reach 

 home?" I asked Johannes one afternoon, as we 

 laboured through the drifting snow in the teeth of 

 |an Arctic storm. 



" Stop and build a snow house," said he. 

 " Will you be able to find good snow in this 

 weather ? " 



" Sua (what) ? " said Johannes, with a look of 

 urprise. " Find good snow ? I can always find 



snow." 



Johannes has plenty of faith in himself and I 

 lave never known him fail. He was not bragging ; 

 ic made a matter-of-fact statement, like the thorough 

 (Eskimo he is. He succeeds because it is his nature, 

 and because he always keeps his eyes open. 



Some people are not so happy in their drivers. 

 One good man set out to travel with two inex- 

 perienced young Eskimos. When the time came to 

 3uild the snow house, they made the alarming dis- 

 covery that the snow knives had dropped off the 

 ledge somewhere on the road, and " Ajornarmat " 

 it cannot be helped) said the Eskimos. The traveller 

 n that instance might have lost his life if he had 

 lot been an unusually careful man. He had a little 

 ;ent among his travelling paraphernalia. He had 

 i >ften been teased for " making the dogs drag a tent 

 it round after them," and he confessed that he did not 

 hink he would ever use it. But it saved his life. 

 Is it was, he found it too cold for sleep, and spent 

 1 \, miserable night shivering in his sealskin sleeping- 



161 L 



