en to hold on by and check its speed. A sort of
anchor was made by which it could be stopped at any moment, and two
stout poles, with iron claws at the end of them, were prepared for
scraping over the snow and checking the pace.

Next day all was ready. A trial was made and the thing found to work
admirably. The trial trip over, they bade their comrades farewell, and
away they went due south, in the direction where the native village was
supposed to be.

It was this remarkable tow-horse that had filled Captain Harvey and his
companions with so much surprise. The appearance of the sledge
immediately after, with a shout and a cheer from Dicey and the men,
explained the mystery.

Being so near the Eskimo camp they at once returned to it, in order to
allow the newly arrived party to rest, as well as to load their sledge
with as much fresh meat as it could carry; for which supplies the
captain took care to pay the natives with a few knives and a large
quantity of hoop-iron--articles that were much more valuable to them
than gold. As the wind could not be made to turn about to suit their
convenience, the kite was brought down and given to Davy to carry, and a
team of native dogs were harnessed to the sledge instead. On the
following day the united party set out on their return to the brig,
which they reached in safety.

Tom Gregory's account of the Eskimos who accompanied them to their
wooden home is amusing. His journal runs thus:

"The amazement of our visitors is very great. Myouk, his wife and baby,
and his son Meetek, are now our guests. When they first came in sight
of the brig they uttered a wild shout--the men did so, at least--and
tossed their arms and opened their eyes and mouths. They have never
shut them since. They go all round the vessel, staring and gaping with
amazement. We have given them a number of useful presents, and intend
to send them home loaded with gifts for their friends. It is necessary
to make a good impression on them. Our lives depend very much on the
friendship of these poor people. We find that they are terrible
thieves. A number of knives and a hatchet were missed--they were found
hidden in Myouk's sledge. We tried to prevail on Oomia to sell her long
boots. To our surprise she was quite willing to part with _one_, but
nothing would induce her to give up the _other_. One of the men
observed her steal a knife out of the cabin and hide it in the leg of
her boot. The re