86 MY ARCTIC JOURNAL 



making the skins pliable. Chewing the skins is very hard 

 on the women, and all of it is done by them ; they cannot 

 chew more than two deerskins per day, and are obliged to 

 rest their jaws every other day. 



Kyo, Ikwa's brother, and Annowkah come in occasionally 

 and scrape some of the skins after they have been chewed. 

 Kyo especially tries to make himself useful. He presents 

 rather a comical appearance in his bearskin nanookics and blue 

 guernsey given him by one of the boys. Every time he sees 

 any shavings or other trash on the floor he seizes the broom, 

 made by him out of the wings of eider-ducks, and sweeps 

 it up. Mr. Peary and the boys are carpentering from morn- 

 ing till night, and every day we assure one another that we do 

 not mind the Arctic night at all; but I don't think that any of 

 us will object to seeing the sun again. 



Thursday, December lO. A whole week has passed since 

 I wrote in my journal. We have had one or two very dis- 

 agreeable days, the wind making it too unpleasant for my 

 daily walk. 



We have been busy working on the fur outfits. I have suc- 

 ceeded in getting satisfactory patterns for Mr. Peary ; Mane 

 and M'gipsu are sewing. The former is a poor sewer, but 

 M'gipsu is very neat as well as rapid, and I have suggested to 

 Mr. Peary that he offer her an inducement if she will stay and 

 sew until all the garments are completed. She understands 

 us and we understand her better than any of the other natives, 

 including Ikwa and Mane, although they have been with us 



