THE LIFE AT TUKTUYAKTOK 149 



Those who perspired most would take handful after 

 handful of excelsior, rub themselves with it towel fashion, 

 and then throw each handful away. 



In some respects the Eskimos are less cleanly than we 

 but in other respects more cleanly. Many of us wipe 

 frequently with the same towel; in later years when our 

 towels became fashionable among the Eskimos they 

 learned from white men to use each towel several times 

 and eventually became much worse than almost any of 

 us in using filthy towels. But of their native excelsior 

 they never used a handful more than once, throwing it 

 into a waste pile to be burned eventually. 



Not really to get relief from the heat, but rather for 

 pleasant stimulation (as we take cold showers after a 

 turkish bath) one or another of the perspiring people 

 would run out and stand for a few minutes outdoors, 

 naked but for the knee breeches. I never knew of any 

 bad results from this practice — why should there be, if 

 we escape injury who like to finish off a warm bath with 

 a cold shower? 



An hour or two after the afternoon meal was over the 

 house would cool down to the normal temperature of 

 75° or 80 °, at which those are comfortable who are used 

 to it. 



