202 



ARCTIC RESEARCH EXPEDITION. 



my furs and blankets. During the early part of the night my 

 feet were almost frozen. I tried all I could to keep them warm, 

 but in vain. At last a smooth low voice reached my ear : 

 " Are you cold, Mr. Hall ?" 



I answered, " My feet are almost frozen. I can not get them 

 comfortable." 



Quick as thought, Tookoolito, who was distant from me just 

 the space occupied by little Punnie (that is, Punnie slept in the 

 middle), got down to the foot of her bed ; thence she made pas- 

 sage for her hands directly across to my feet, seizing them and 

 drawing them aslant to her side. My modesty, however, was 

 quieted when she exclaimed, 



"Your feet are like ice, and must be warmed Innuit fashion!" 



Tookoolito then resumed her place beneath her tuktoo furs, in- 

 termingling her hot feet with the ice-cold ones of mine. Soon the 

 same musical voice said, 



"Do your feet feel better?" 



I responded, " They do, and many thanks to you." 

 She then said, " Well, keep them where they are. Good-night 

 again, sir." 



My feet now were not only glowing warm, but hot through the 

 remainder of the night. When I awoke in the morning, as near 

 as I could guess, there were no less than three pairs of warm feet 

 all woven and interwoven, so that some difficulty was experienced 

 to tell which were my own. 



Ebierbing and Koodloo did not return until the next evening, 

 bringing with them some black skin and krang — all the success 

 attending them — which was obtained from a cache made the pre- 

 vious fall by the natives when our ship was in the bay. The 

 black skin was compelled to be our food, as nothing better could 

 be had ; and at supper I ate heartily of the raw frozen whale hide. 



The following noon a very heavy snow-storm came on, and con- 

 tinued throughout the next and two following days, confining us 

 almost entirely to the igloo, myself obliged to live on black skin, 

 krang, and seal. 



On Sunday, the 20th of January, ten days after leaving the 

 ship, we found ourselves in a sad state from actual want of 

 food. The weather continued so bad that it was impossible to 

 procure any by hunting, and all we had hitherto obtained was 

 now consumed, except a very small portion held in reserve. I 

 bad intended sending Koodloo back to the ship for supplies, but 



