226 PROCEEDINGS OF THE CANADIAN' INSTITUTE. 



than others. The men in the.se wealthy families, as might be sii])posetl, 

 were either physically stronger or better hunters than their fellows. 



Very few Eskiu.o who had become useless by age or accident were 

 met with and those that were seen appeared to be a great burden 

 upon tlieir people, and although they were treated with great kind- 

 ness wjiile food was plentiful it required no great prophet to predict 

 their death by starvation at any time when food was scarce. 



Early in spring, when for many days we had not been visited by 

 an Eskimo, and supposing they had left this part of the coast, I 

 wandered over to a deserted village and entering an igloo was sur- 

 prised to find an old woman and her son apparently dying from starva- 

 tion, and from them learned that a crip}>led man and his child wei"e 

 ^n the same condition in another igloo near by. Here was a worse 

 case than the first, for witli a little strengthening food we were en- 

 abled to move the woman and her son to an igloo near the station, 

 but the man was too far gone, nor would he allow his child to be 

 taken from him. Each day food, and a large piece of snow was put 

 by his side, and although unal)le to use his arms, his child, a little 

 girl three years old, fed him. Days went by and little improvement 

 could be noticed in his condition, and one afternoon when it had 

 been thawing I walked over to the igloo. Calling as usual as I ap- 

 proached, I received no answer, and coming nearer found the roof of 

 the igloo had fallen in, and there he lay with marbled face, his eyes 

 now fixed and turned to space, and his child lay sleeping by him. 

 Wrapped in his bedding we placed the body between a crevice in the 

 rock and covered it with stones, this being the usual mode of burial 

 with the Eskimo. The child was given in charge of tlie woman and 

 sou, and for some time all were dependent upon us for food. Througli 

 neglect the child soon died, and this recalls to my mind a sad scene, 

 but it is needless to relate it here. 



Eskimo opinions upon theological questions are not easily obtained 

 and undoubtedly their faith in all their beliefs is extremely weak, for 

 when asked to explain they would laugh and would tell you they 

 only pei'formed any of their rites because other Eskimo did so. 

 Another difiiculty to contend with is their extreme shyness or fear of 

 being laughed at, for on this point they are most sensitive. 



