s 



A SNOW HOUSE 



collect into a bunch and sit on their haunches, 

 wistfully eyeing the preparations for their supper, 

 and uttering a queer whistling sound. Julius needed 

 only to trail the whip lash behind him as he walked, 

 and the dogs nearest to it would slink off to the 

 other side of the group. Meanwhile Johannes was 

 chopping a frozen seal into fragments. He spread 

 the pieces on the snow, and called " Taimak " (ready). 



There was a pricking of ears and a lolling of 

 tongues : Julius quietly moved to one side, and with 

 a mighty pounce the dogs were on top of their food. 

 Yelping, snapping, snarling, gulping, the wise ones 

 bolted the frozen meat, bones and all, as fast as they 

 could pick it up. Some showed a little more 

 refinement, but the dog that picked up a chunk and 

 andered aside to eat it at leisure got only a poor 

 are. It was evident that the only way to get 

 enough was to be quick ; and it was marvellous how 

 soon that frozen seal was demolished. It was the 

 work of a few seconds. One of the drivers always 

 stood by to see fair play, while the other carried the 

 load off' the sledge and piled it inside the snow 

 house. 



I was generally cook on these occasions, and by 

 the time the dogs were fed my kettle was boiling 

 over a fire made in a hole in the snow, and I was 

 trying to thaw some bread. 



The men did not mind their bread and meat 

 frozen: "ko-ak," they called it, and said it was 

 " ananak " (splendid) ; but my teeth would not tackle 

 it. I used to make blocks of toast, and stuff them 

 in my pockets, and even then they were usually 

 frozen in the middle. However, though it was 



rather different from dining at a high-class hotel, we 



165 



