n her eyes at all, her cheeks are so fat. The captain is trying, by
the language of signs, to get our host to understand that we are much in
want of fresh meat. Sam Baker is making himself agreeable to the young
people, and the plan he has hit upon to amuse them is to show them his
watch, and let them hear it tick. Truly, I have seldom seen a happier
family group than this Eskimo household, under their snowy roof!

"There is to be a grand walrus-hunt to-morrow. We shall accompany them,
and see whether our endurance on a long march, and our powers with the
rifle, cannot impress them with some respect for us. At present they
have not much. They seem to think us a pale-faced set of helpless
creatures.

"_Wednesday night_.--We have just returned from the hunt; and a
tremendous hunt it was! Six walrus and two bears have been killed, and
the whole village is wild with delight. Cooking is going on in every
hut. But they have no patience. Nearly everyone is munching away at a
lump of raw walrus flesh. All their faces are more or less greasy and
bloody. Even Myouk's baby--though not able to speak--is choking itself
with a long, stringy piece of blubber. The dogs, too, have got their
share. An Eskimo's chief happiness seems to be in eating, and I cannot
wonder at it, for the poor creatures have hard work to get food, and
they are often on the verge of starvation.

"What a dirty set they are! I shall never forget the appearance of
Myouk's hut when we entered it this evening after returning from the
hunt. The man's wife had made the wick of her stone lamp as long as
possible in order to cook a large supper. There were fifteen people
crowded together in this hive of snow, and the heat had induced them to
throw off the greater part of their clothing. Every hand had a greasy
lump of bear or walrus meat in it; every mouth was in full occupation,
and every fat face, of man, woman, and child, was beaming with delight
and covered with dirt and oil!

"The captain and I looked at each other and smiled as we entered, and
Sam Baker laughed outright. This set all the natives laughing, too. We
did not much relish the idea of supping and sleeping in such a place--
but necessity has no law. We were hungry as hawks, desperately tired,
and the temperature outside is 35 degrees below zero. The first duty of
the night is now over. We have supped. The natives will continue to
eat the greater part of the night. They eat till