THE ESQUIMAUX SEAL-DOG. 



243 



CHAPTER XIY. 



Visited by more Innuits. — Ebierbing and Tookoolito. — The Seal-dog. — Perils on 

 the Ice. — Innuits carried out to Sea. — Starvation. — Dogs eaten. — Three Months 

 away from Land. — Return of the Party, mere Skeletons. — Thrilling Incidents. — 

 An Innuit carried down by a Whale and afterward saved. — A Man's Leg snap- 

 ped off. — Suzhi's Husband killed by an Avalanche. — Incidents of White Men's 

 Perils and Escapes. — Kindness of the Natives. — Another Man nearly frozen to 

 Death. — Heavy Snow-storm. — Danger to Mate Rogers and his Innuit Guide. — 

 Dog Barbekark saves them. — Commencement of Spring. — Author's Occupations. 

 — Makes some Instruments for his Use in exploring. — Plans. — Strange Informa- 

 tion gathered from the Natives.— Tradition concerning White Men.— Frobisher's 

 Expedition. 



For several days after the search which was made for poor 

 Brown on the 17th of March, I was much troubled with boils, the 

 result of eating the ship's salt meats, which caused great prostra- 

 tion, and rendered me unable to do any thing but take a few ob- 

 servations and register the weather. It was noticed by every one 

 that I had considerably decreased in weight ; indeed, my whole 

 frame showed signs of hard usage, and that I was getting emaci- 

 ated ; but, having a good constitution, I soon recruited, and after 

 a short period of rest I was able to get about my work again. 



On the 20th of March several of our Innuit friends arrived 

 from various places where they had been hunting and sealing, 

 thus striving to find means of subsistence. 



The Innuits are, as I have frequently said, most persevering 

 sealers, and will go, with their dogs, even in the very coldest of 

 weather, and under most dangerous circumstances, to hunt for 

 seal-holes. The sagacious dog, on snuffing the air and finding it 

 charged with seal odor, follows it to the windward till he leads 

 his master to the very spot where a seal has its hole. The man 

 then proceeds prospecting with his spear through one to three feet 

 depth of snow, until he finds the small opening in the ice leading 

 to the main seal-hole. The hole found, the long spindle shank of 

 the spear is withdrawn, carefully avoiding all disturbance of the 

 snow. Then the sealer remains silently and patiently listening 

 for a seal's "blow." 



On hearing the second or third "puff," the spear is forcibly 



