LOST IN THE MACKENZIE DELTA 119 



For several days all of us had been taking turns pulling 

 on the sleds. After stopping feeding the dogs, we still 

 had fish enough for three or four days for ourselves at a 

 little more than half rations. 



Some fifteen miles from Tuktuyaktok we came upon 

 a new sled trail. When the dogs got the strong smell 

 from the fresh tracks of the men and dogs, they inter- 

 preted it to mean food and began to pull with such energy 

 that we were able to let go our hauling straps. When at 

 last the houses came in sight the people there soon saw us 

 and began to shout, and upon hearing this the dogs 

 speeded up so that we had to run to keep up with them. 



When we got within about half a mile of the house ten 

 or fifteen people came running out to meet us. At their 

 head was Ovayuak who welcomed all of us cordially and 

 me even more effusively than the others. He was espe- 

 cially cordial when Roxy told him that I had come to 

 spend the rest of the winter with him because his people 

 still lived in the old Eskimo fashion. 



