am quite sorry we shall pass it in the dark. We are getting more into
the open sea as evening advances, and there are icebergs to be seen
here and there.

Come into the captain's cabin and look at this little budget of
letters. They are notes from Eskimoes at our southern stations to
their relatives and friends in the north. Some are funny little
pencilled scraps folded and oddly directed, e.g. "Kitturamut-Lucasib,
Okak." That means "To Keturah (the wife) of Lucas or Luke, at Okak."
Our Eskimoes seem to have a talent for phonetic spelling;
"ilianuramut" is evidently "To Eleanor," and "Amaliamut-kuniliusip,
Okak," is meant for "Amalia (the wife) of Cornelius at Okak." Some are
very respectable epistles, and I doubt not the Christian tone of most
would please us could we read the Eskimo language, with its strange
long words. Here is a good-sized letter folded and directed in a bold
clear hand, "Sosanemut-Andoneb, Hibron" (To Susannah, the wife of
Antony at Hebron). It is not sealed, so, as we shall scarcely
understand a word of its contents, we will venture to open it and
glance at them. It is a well-written letter, covering three pages of
blue foolscap paper, so it must be conveying a good deal of news to
Antony and Susannah. The writer names himself at the commencement,
"Boas-Kedoralo." "Lo" is Eskimo for "and," and "Kedora" is another
phonetic version of Keturah. He closes his long epistle with "Amen."

The Eskimoes also write the names of their missionaries with
considerable variations as to spelling. "Pinsilamut" might be the
address of a letter to Mr. Bindschedler, and I have seen "Karizima"'
stand for Mr. Kretschmer. The natives have no idea of such titles as
Mr. or Mrs., and they still call the majority of their missionaries by
their Christian names.

[Illustration: ICE AGROUND.]

_Wednesday, August 29th._--5 A.M. The sun just rising. We are between
Lundberg Island and the Saddle, so named from its shape. Its
"stirrups," two little rocks, are supplemented by a great, white berg.
To the south-west Kiglapeit is still visible, and to the west are the
hills on Okak Island, including "Smith Hill," so called after Tiger
Schmitt[A] of South African fame. I did not know before that the good
man had also been a missionary in Labrador. How ready our forefathers
were to go anywhere, everywhere, if only they could "win one soul for
the Saviour!" The grandest mountain in the landscape is Cape Mugford.
Yes, it does look