DOWN TO THE SEA 



the southward. Still I vigorously waved the red handker- 

 chief, and finally, much to our delight, the sails flapped 

 loosely in the wind, then in a moment were refilled by the 

 strong breeze and the boat swept in toward us. 



The appearance of a sailboat in Chesterfield Inlet, and 

 especially at this late season of the year, puzzled us much, 

 and as it drew nearer we watched it intently. It had the 

 appearance of being a large whale-boat, and was evidently 

 well manned, but by whom we could not tell. Whoever they 

 might be, perhaps they could be hired to take us dovsm the 

 coast of the bay to Churchill, and if so we might be saved 

 weeks of hard travel on a very exposed and dangerous coast. 

 We sincerely hoped that the strange mariners, or at least 

 their boat, might be available for the voyage. When they 

 had approached suiSciently near we could see that there were 

 Eskimos on board, and a moment later their anchor was cast 

 out, and several of them, making a sort of raft out of three 

 kyacks they had in tow, paddled in to the rocky shore where 

 we stood. In vain did we look for the face of a white man. 

 They were aU natives, and as we gazed at each other in 

 mutual amazement, I broke the silence with the question, 

 " Kudloonah petehungetoo?" (Is there no white man?) 

 " Petehungetoo" (There is none), was Ihe reply, so the 

 whole party, which consisted of several families, men, women 

 and children, were Eskimos, and with them in their boat they 

 had their dogs and other necessary hunting and camping 

 equipments. They informed us they were moving up into the 

 interior from the coast to spend the winter, so it was not 

 surprising that nothing we could offer would induce them to 

 consider the question of taking us down to Churchill or of 

 selling their boat to us. We offered what to them would have 

 been fabulous wealth, but to no purpose. There they were 

 with all their belongings on their way to the westward, and 

 westward they were determined to go. 



167 



