HOW AN ESKIMO SAILED THROUGH STORM 87 



and making sure of our lives even at the cost of losing 

 the boat and her cargo. He admitted later, however, 

 that we would not have been sure of our lives even had 

 we made this attempt. Roxy always maintained that in 

 addition to the other advantages of actually rounding 

 the point in safety, we had by saving the boat escaped 

 a whole winter of being told by Sten how valuable his 

 boat had been and what a sacrifice it had been to him 

 to encourage us to beach and smash it. Roxy's saying 

 this was mainly Eskimo humor, for Sten really was a 

 very generous man. 



For a landsman this was something of an adventure 

 and, indeed, all the adventure I cared for in that line. 

 It gave me one more reason to be glad when the freeze- 

 up came a few days later to give us a safe bridge over 

 what had previously been treacherous water. 



The Penelope might have been able to get into the 

 harbor behind Shingle Point, although that is debatable 

 as she drew about as much as the estimated depth of 

 the channel. However that may be, Sten had not tried to 

 take her into the harbor. Through the great gale that 

 nearly drowned us she had ridden at anchor safely, al- 

 though the people ashore had been in continual fear of 

 her breaking loose. Now the freeze-up came unexpect- 

 edly (October 2nd), and she was fast in the ice nearly 

 half a mile from shore. This looked bad. But Sten and 

 Roxy told of several instances where ships had lain for 

 a whole winter in such exposed situations safely. I had 

 a friendly interest by now in her Eskimo owners, and 

 a personal interest in the ship for she might carry me 

 on some adventure next summer if our own Duchess 

 failed to come. So I hoped the optimists were right and 

 that the Penelope was safe in her berth in the ice. 



