ESTABLISHING OURSELVES 39 



bringing in a deer. Oh, I must get out ! " So out he hobbled, 

 and to the corner of the house, where he had a good view of 

 the returning hunters. As soon as he saw them he said, "Get 

 me my kodak. Quick ! " and before the boys had recovered 

 from their surprise at seeing Mr. Peary, whom they had left 

 confined to his bed, standing on three legs at the corner of 

 the house, the first hunting-party sent out from Redclifife had 

 been immortalized by the ever-present camera. The boys 

 were jubilant over their success, and brought back appetites 

 that did justice to the dinner which was now nearly ready. 

 At six o'clock we all sat down at the rude table, constructed 

 by the boys out of the rough boards left from the house, and 

 just large enough to accommodate our party of seven. We 

 had not yet had time to make chairs, so boxes were sub- 

 stituted, and we managed very nicely. We had no table-cloth, 

 and all our dishes were of tin, yet a merrier party never sat 

 down to a table anywhere. Three days afterward we repeated 

 the feasting part of the day, with a variation in the bill of 

 fare, in honor of the third anniversary of our marriage, and 

 this time we sampled the venison, which we found so de- 

 licious that the boys were more eager than ever to lay in 

 a stock for the winter. 



The next day, August 12, Mr. Peary sent all the boys, ex- 

 cept Matt, in one of our whale-boats, the "Faith," to search 

 Herbert and Northumberland Islands for an Eskimo settle- 

 ment, and if possible to induce a family to move over and 

 settle down near Redclifife House. The man could show us 



