BELIEF JOURNEY. 



493 



left her. The bedding was extremely scanty. Over her limbs 

 was naught but an old sealskin jacket, over her body and shoul- 

 ders the shreds of a tuktoo skin and piece of an old blanket. As 

 I turned back the covering from her shoulders, I saw that she 

 was reduced to { skin and bones.' As I looked upon her tattooed 

 face, it was youthful and fair ; even a smile was there, as if the 

 King of Cold had fastened upon her at the very moment when 

 her spirit welcomed the white-winged angel from heaven. 



"I know not how long I tarried in this that had been her liv- 

 ing tomb, and was now the tomb of that only which is earthly. 

 But at last I raised myself through the opening in the dome by 

 which I had made my entrance, and, with the assistance of my 

 Innuit friend, proceeded to cut out snow-blocks and place them 

 over the excavated place in the igloo. Having secured it as well 

 as we could, thus reburying, as it were, the dead, we turned our 

 faces to the sledge and dogs, and were soon on our way to the 

 ship." 



On Saturday, March 1st, news arrived by Koodloo of the ill 

 success attending him and Ebierbing on their seal-hunts at Too- 

 koo-li-to Inlet, and of the starving condition of their families. I 

 thereupon determined to return with Koodloo and carry food to 

 relieve them, and also to effect arrangements to have Koodloo 

 and Ebierbing, with their families, remove to Field Bay. We 

 started with eight dogs attached to our sledge, but the deep yield- 

 ing snow made our progress at first very slow. Our course for 

 the first four miles was nearly due north, when we struck the 

 land on the east side of Grrinnell Mount ; thence, for a distance of 

 fifteen miles, our journey was inland, first traversing a chain of 

 lakelets embosomed amid mountains. When about three miles 

 inland on our way, we came across an igloo nearly buried in 

 snow ; it was one that had been made a half-way house by Ebier- 

 bing and his party in going up. After this our way wound in 

 and out among the mountains, up and down the steep sides, the 

 sledge often nearly running over the dogs, till we came to Too- 

 koolito Inlet, where we expected to find Ebierbing, his wife, and 

 Koodloo's family. 



"Isaiah," the little son of Koodloo, was seen coming out to 

 meet us, and soon afterward we reached the igloos. Tookoolito 

 gladly welcomed us, her husband being out over a seal-hole. The 

 next day, March 3d, finding that Ebierbing had not yet come in, 

 Koodloo and I went in search of him with dogs and sledge. 



