ESKIMO PATIENTS 



said. "Ai-ai, kappe, it is a man: he sits still: he 

 must be kannimajok " (a sick one). 



Off they ran to help the sledge over the 

 hummocks, and to make things as easy as possible 

 for the poor fellow who sat there, anxious and weary, 

 wedged tightly between two planks lashed on the 

 sledge. This was in January, the coldest part of 

 the winter. 



As I helped the people to carry the sledge bodily 

 into the hospital I asked young Jerry, " Are you very 

 cold?" 



" No," said he, simply. " I am wrapped in a 

 reindeer skin but the jolting, ai-ai, it has hurt my 

 leg." 



Another that I shall not easily forget was a man 

 from Nain, who had even a worse experience than 

 young Jerry. He made the journey of ninety miles 

 without a stop, suffering incessant agony from a 

 huge abscess, grey with pain, but urging his drivers 

 on and on. He set out on a fine morning, but the 

 second day was stormy, no day for travelling at all. 

 The poor fellow could not bear to wait. " On, on," 

 he said, and the drivers, plucky fellows, never 

 stopped to camp, but plodded on through the night 

 and all through the blustering snowstorm of the 

 second day. It means something to trudge ninety 

 miles without a rest, and with never a warm bite or 

 sup no food, in fact, but dried fish and frozen 

 seal meat. Late at night they reached Okak, when 

 all the village was in bed and no one had any 

 thought of travellers ; and I opened the door to 

 their knocking, and saw the two travel-worn, snow- 

 powdered figures bearing the sick man between 

 them. 



277 



