LABRADOR JOFRXAL 67 



Work. Charles and llaiiies walked tlieir paths, but 

 got uothiiig. 1 looked at iii\ traps down the river, 

 and then proceeded to Ln'ou Head, where I visited 

 mv Indian ' friends in tlieir snowhouse; with 

 which I was greatly pleased. This curious habita- 

 tion was hollowed out of a drift bank t)f snow, in 

 form of an oven; the length is about twelve feet, 

 the width ten, and the height seven. Across the 

 farther end was raised a platform of snow. On 

 this were laid some boards, Avhere the whole fam- 

 ily slept u])on bedding, composed of a consider- 

 able numl)er ol' deerskins; which are both soft 

 and warm. There was a curious window in the 

 roof, fronting the bed; which was nearly three feet 

 square, and made of a piece of transparent ice, 

 sha^'ed to a proper substance. It admitted a per- 

 fectly good light, and was secured in its 2:)lace by 

 strewing the edges with snow, and sprinkling that 

 snow with watei-. On each side was a small ]^ed- 

 estal of snow, f(n' the su])])ort of a couple of lamps, 

 which gave a sufficient light by night, and added 

 so much heat to that occasioned by the breath of 

 the Indians, as to make the liouse entirely wai'm: I 

 was even oldiged to o})en my waistcoat for a wliilc 

 This heat also tha\ved the roof and sides suffi- 

 ciently to enable the external frost, and naiui-al 

 coldness of the snow, 1o form iiunnn(M'able small 

 icicles. These diffei'cnt concretions fi'om I lie i*(>- 

 flection of the lam])S made the apartment glitter 

 with the ap})earance of radiant diamonds, or lunn"- 



' EHkimo. It iiniHt bf> rompmborotl th.'it Cartwriftht frecjucntly usch 

 the word Iiifiiaii for Ewkiuiu. 



