DOG BARBEKARK. 



105 



her son (the daughter not arriving till next day), hastened to the 

 ship. Sorrowfully, and with tears in her ej^es, did the poor Es- 

 quimaux widow, Kok-er-jab-in, enter our cabin. As she looked 

 at us, and then at the chest where Kudlago had kept his things, 

 and which Captain Budington now opened, the tears flowed fast- 

 er and faster, showing that Nature is as much susceptible of all 

 the softer feelings among these children of the North as with us 

 in the warmer South. But her grief could hardly be controlled 

 when the treasures Kudlago had gathered in the States for her 

 and his little girl were exhibited. She sat herself down upon the 

 chest, and pensively bent her head in deep, unfeigned sorrow ; 

 then, after a time, she left the cabin with her son. 



The following day I again went on shore for an excursion up 

 the mountains, "'Captain," a lad about fifteen years of age, accom- 

 panying me. My dogs had been landed immediately upon our 

 arrival, and now greeted me with much joy. Poor creatures, how 

 they liked once more to bury their shaggy, panting bodies beneath 

 the snow ! They skip, they run, they come and look, as if grate- 

 ful, in my eye, and then bound away again in the wildest exuber- 

 ance of animal spirits. 



I have before mentioned some particulars of these dogs, and I 

 now relate an anecdote concerning them during our passage 

 across from Greenland. 



One day, in feeding the dogs, I called the whole of them around 

 me, and gave to each in turn a capelin, or small dried fish. To do 

 this fairly, I used to make all the dogs encircle me until every 

 one had received ten of the capelins apiece. Now Barbekark, a 

 very young and shrewd dog, took it into his head that he would 

 play a white man's trick. So, every time he received his fish, he 

 would back square out, move a distance of two or three dogs, and 

 force himself in line again, thus receiving double the share of any 

 other dog. But this joke of Barbekark's bespoke too much of the 

 game many men play upon their fellow-beings, and, as I noticed 

 it, I determined to check his doggish propensities ; still, the cun- 

 ning, and the singular way in which he evidently watched me, in- 

 duced a moment's pause in my intentions. Each dog thankfully 

 took his capelin as his turn came round, but Barbekark, finding 

 his share came twice as often as his companions', appeared to 

 shake his tail twice as thankfully as the others. A twinkle in 

 his eyes, as they caught mine, seemed to say, " Keep dark ; these 

 ignorant fellows don't know the game I'm playing. I am con- 



