I30 MY ARCTIC JOURNAL 



some without, but there is invariably at least one sledge with 

 every party. This year the travel has been unusually brisk, 

 owing to the American settlement, which all were anxious to 

 visit. Where a family has a sledge and two or three dogs, 

 they load it with a piece of raw walrus or seal (enough to last 

 them from one village to the next), anything and everything 

 that can be scraped together for trade, one or two deerskins 

 for bedding, and the smallest child that has outgrown the 

 mother's hood. The rest of the family then take turns in rid- 

 ing, one at a time, while two push the sledge. 



On our arrival at the igloos we were immediately sur- 

 rounded by the natives ; two very old women in particular 

 were led to me, and one of them, putting her face close to 

 mine — much closer than I relished — scrutinized me carefully 

 from head to foot, and then said slowly, " Uwanga sukinuts 

 amissuare, koona immartu ibly takoo nahme," which means, 

 " I have lived a great many suns, but have never seen any- 

 thing like you." 



We had brought our things up to the igloos and intended 

 to get our supper on the hill, but the native odor, together 

 with that of /^.?.y/ pussy (seal) and awick (walrus) lying about, 

 was too strong, and I suggested that we return to the sledge. 

 The two old women who first greeted us, despite the fact that 

 they could not walk alone, were determined to accompany us, 

 and they were helped down the hill to the sledge. They 

 looked as old and feeble as women at home do between eighty 

 and eighty-five. Never having .seen such a .sight, they could 



