54 A SUMMER IN GREENLAND 
umyak to offer a birthday greeting to the Director 
of the Station, and, as there were few rowers, dogs 
were employed to tow the boat. 
On one occasion we had an interesting and 
exciting demonstration of the sea-worthiness of the 
kayak and of the courage and skill of a Green- 
lander. Our motor-boat, with a broken shaft, was 
under sail off the rocky coast of the north of Disko 
Island: there had been a strong breeze all day; we 
attempted to reach a place where there was a good 
harbour, but as the wind shifted we steered towards 
a Settlement on the mainland which on nearer view 
seemed to be blocked by ice, or at least there was 
too much ice for the safe navigation of a boat 
under sail. We then returned to our starting- 
point, the small Settlement of Ujaragsugssuk, 
where there is very little shelter. The wind had 
meanwhile increased to a hurricane. As we tacked 
about off the rocks, large pieces of turf were torn 
off the roofs of the native houses and carried up 
in a spiral before being flung out to sea. Our two 
anchors were powerless to hold the boat and there 
was a danger of the off-shore wind carrying us 
across the Vaigat on to the rocks of the unin- 
habited shore on the other side. It was impossible 
to use our small dinghy, and attempts were made 
by the excited natives on the beach to get a rope 
to us by means of inflated seal-skins, but these 
were blown wide of the mark. Eventually the local 
catechist (who is seen in the photograph (Fig. 21) 
standing with his wife behind a half-completed 
kayak which he was building) launched a kayak 
