ESTABLISHING OURSELVES 37 



By Saturday morning our habitation was under cover, the 

 stove put up temporarily, with the stovepipe through one of 

 the spaces left for a window, and a fire made from the blocks 

 and shavings that had escaped the flood. The house was 

 soon comparatively dry, — at least it did not seem damp when 

 compared with the interior of the tent, — and Mr. Peary was 

 carried in and placed on a bed composed of boxes of pro- 

 visions covered with blankets. Although we had no doors or 

 windows in place, we felt that it might rain and storm as 

 much as it pleased, and it would not interfere with finishing up 

 the house and getting the meals, two very important items 

 for us just then. 



Gradually our home began to have a finished appearance : 

 the inside sheathing was put on, and the doors and windows 

 put in place. We had no more violent wind-storms, but it 

 rained every day for over a week. At last, on August 8, 

 there was no rain ; and, as it was Matt's birthday, Mr. Peary 

 told the boys after lunch to take their rifles and bring in a 

 deer. One of the rules of our Arctic home was that each 

 member's birthday should be celebrated by such a dinner as 

 he might choose from our stock of provisions. Before going 

 out Matt chose his menu, which I was to prepare while the 

 hunters were gone. The plum-dufif, however, he mixed him- 

 self, as he had taken lessons from the cook on board the 

 "Kite." After every one had gone, Mr. Peary surprised me 

 by saying he intended to get up and come into the room 

 where I was preparing the dinner. Only the day before the 



