230 WAGES OF NATIVE BUILDERS. Chap. XII. 



On the 1st of March, we halted to encamp at 

 about the position of the magnetic pole — for no 

 cairn remains to mark the spot. I had almost 

 concluded that my journey would prove to be 

 a work of labour in vain, because hitherto no 

 traces of Esquimaux had been met with, and, in 

 consequence of the reduced state of our provi- 

 sions and the wretched condition of the poor 

 dogs — six out of the fifteen being quite useless 

 — I could only advance one more march. 



But we had done nothing more than look 

 ahead ; when we halted, and turned round, great 

 indeed was my surprise and joy to see four men 

 walking after us. Petersen and I immediately 

 buckled on our revolvers and advanced to meet 

 them. The natives halted, made fast their dogs, 

 laid down their spears, and received us without 

 any evidence of surprise. They told us they had 

 been out upon a seal hunt on the ice, and were 

 retiu-ning home : we proposed to join them, and 

 all were soon in motion again ; but another horn- 

 brought sunset, and we learned that their snow 

 village of eight huts was still a long way off, 

 so we hired them, at the rate of a needle for 

 each Esquimaux, to build us a hut, which they 

 completed in an hour ; it was 8 feet in diameter, 

 5i feet high, and in it we all passed the night. 



