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CHAPTER XVI.

Snow-blindness.—Month of May.-Ship released from her Ice-fetters.—A spirited Scene- Sledge-dogs at full Speed.—"Bob," the Angeko.—Falling Igloos.—Anecdote of Bob.—Terrific Encounter with a Bear.—A Toss in the Air.—A powerful Innuit.—The aged Woman, Ookijoxy Ninoo.—Tookoolito Interpreter.—Important Information.—Traditions relating to White Men very many Years ago.— Ships with many People had arrived.—Two Innuit Women taken away.—Five Innuits killed by White Men.—Five White Men among the Innuits. Written History confirmed by Oral Tradition. — Barrow's History of Arctic Discovery.— Relics of the White Men to be found.—Wood, Coal, Brick, Iron.—Innuits must possess the Truth concerning Franklin's Expedition.—More Information.—The Dreaded Land.—Preparations for Summer Work.—Illness of Tookoolito.—Exploration at Head of Field Bay.—Dangerous Traveling on the Ice.—Pools of Water formed.—Arrive on Land.—Extensive View.—A beautiful Grassy Plain. —Comparison with Greenland.—Lands behind the Coast, at this Part, very fertile.—Reindeer numerous.—Return to the Ship.

Directly after my arrival on board, on April 29th, 1861, I had a good wash, which I stood much in need of. I then found that snow-blindness had come upon me. During the journey I had felt some difficulty in sighting the way, but did not experience any pain. Now, however, my face burned as if on fire, and my eyes were intolerably painful. My cheeks were much the color of tanned hide, and all about my features gave unmistakable evidence of exposure to severe weather.

That night I again enjoyed the luxury of taking off my skin dress, which I had not been able to do for the previous eight days. But my snow-blindness, which is attended with most excruciating pain, allowed me little rest, and the next morning found me so bad that I could hardly do any thing.

It was now the last day of April, 1861, and many symptoms of a change from winter to summer (the only real changes during the year in arctic climes) were observable. True, a heavy snowstorm was prevailing, but the weather was much milder than it had been, and the ice was beginning to yield. In the morning the ship was released from her ice-fetters, and had lifted herself up full two feet, showing how much lighter she had become through the consumption of stores since the period of freezing in.

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On the 3d of May, which was a beautiful and warm day, Ebierbing and Tookoolito arrived, with all their effects, intending to stay with me until I was ready, as previously arranged, to leave for King William's Land. They were well, and had got through the interval since I had last seen them in the usual precarious manner, sometimes with, sometimes without success in sealing, so alternately with or without food.

The following morning we had another snow-storm, which continued with slight intermissions for several days.

On the 6th of May, Captain B, wishing the dogs to be well fed previous to being employed in transporting the whale-boats, stores, etc., over to the whaling depot at Cape True, asked several of the Innuits to take them over to Oopungnewing, where there was plenty of walrus skin and meat; but one and all refused. They said "the weather was too bad;" whereupon I volunteered to go with any Innuit that would accompany me; but, finally, the gale having abated, Captain Bhimself determined to go, taking with him two of the Esquimaux, who at last consented to accompany him.

There were twenty-five dogs, and these we had harnessed to a sledge by the Innuits Charley and Jim Crow, who were ready to start. Captain B― went ahead, and I, following with the sledge, soon overtook him, but not until I had seen a good specimen of dog-driving.

At the beginning it was slow work to get the dogs under way, but, once on the start, away they went, pell-mell together, and swiftly, over the fair white snow. It was amusing to see my Greenland dogs, with the others, weaving and knitting, braiding and banding their traces into knots and webs that apparently would defy human devices to unravel. One dog would leap over the backs of a dozen others; another dog, receiving the snap of the thirty-feet lash in the driver's hands, thinking it the work of his nearest neighbor, would seize him, as if to repay it by a ten-fold severer snap; then the rest would join in the fray, till all became involved in a regular dog-fight. It was a picture to see these twenty-five dogs flying almost with the speed of wind over the frozen surface of the deep snow. But, after joining the captain and resigning to him my place, it was not quite so pleasant for me to return. I had but light garments on, and the weather was still severe. However, the distance was not far, and I reached the ship without much difficulty.

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Captain B, to my astonishment, returned on the following day at about 10 P.M. He had duly arrived at Oopungnewing; was hospitably received in Bob's igloo for the night; and, having supplied himself with a load of walrus meat—indeed, he might have had half a dozen loads, so abundant was the supply at that time—and preferring to return rather than stay where the igloos were about tumbling down, owing to the moist weather, he came back in the midst of the continuous storm. The labor of getting over the Bayard Taylor Pass was very severe to him, especially at the steep ascent on the other side. He could only make two or three steps before he was obliged to rest, each step carrying him thigh deep into the soft snow.

With the captain came "Bob" and his wife "Polly;" but this time Bob came in a professional capacity. He was a doctor, or, rather, an angeko, and now came to visit the sick mother of Sharkey.

The following day I chanced to witness him engaged at the work. I was walking among the ruined igloos, which, having fallen down, had been nearly all replaced by skin tents, when I heard the peculiar sound of ankooting close by. It was near the tupic of Ar-tung-ung, mother of Sharkey; but I did not enter, for generally no one but the family is allowed to be present on such occasions; and, though one can not help pitying the superstitious feeling that directs them to this, yet why should any of us make light of it? They are earnest in the matter, and only follow the customs of their fathers for generations before them. Possibly, however, it may yet be the honor of our country, through some noble-hearted Christian philanthropist, to bring them to a knowledge of the one true God.

The Innuit Bob was a man that every one of us highly esteemed. I have before alluded to him in warm terms, and I will now mention a circumstance which belonged to the romantic incidents of his life.

In the winter of 1854-5, he and a companion, with some dogs, attacked a large polar bear. His companion's name was Se-niktoo—"Moose," as called by the whalers. He afterward, in 1858, died at Allen's Island, leaving a widow—the Puto whom I have frequently named.

Moose fired at the bear, when it rushed toward them. Bob stood his ground until he too had fired, and then immediately turned and ran; but the next moment the bear was upon him,

and, seizing his left shoulder in its jaws, threw him high over its head, as if he had been a mere bag of feathers! Bob fell about four fathoms off, and was getting up, when the bear again laid hold of him, this time by the leg, and gave him another toss. The dogs, however, now managed to keep the animal at bay; and Moose coming to Bob's aid, they bravely renewed the attack, until at length these courageous Innuits succeeded in conquering the brute. Unfortunately, they lost him after all their trouble, for the ice broke, and the tide swept their prize away.

I saw the scars of the wounds inflicted by this monster, Bob taking off his reindeer dress in the main cabin to gratify me. Captain B said that the laceration was terrible, for he had seen it a few days after the occurrence, and administered such relief as was in his power. Bob was undoubtedly a powerful man, muscular, full-breasted, of great nerve, and firm as iron. When he stripped I had a good opportunity to see this, and he allowed me to take the measurement of his body.

On the 10th of May Ebierbing's grandmother, the aged Ookijoxy Ninoo, arrived with him from Cornelius Grinnell Bay, where he had been to fetch her to his home. I was anxious for a conversation with her, as she could give me much information, from native traditions and personal observation, about the Frobisher expeditions of 1576-8; but it was not until the next day that I had the opportunity.

Next morning I went on shore at Cooper's Island, a small island near the George Henry in Rescue Harbor, where Ebierbing, Tookoolito, and Ookijoxy Ninoo lived in tupics. Our conversation commenced by my leading the way, through Ebierbing, his wife acting as interpreter, which, aided by my own increasing knowledge of the language, enabled me to quite understand the old lady's narrative.

Ebierbing said that "he well recollected, when a boy, seeing, on an island near Oopungnewing, oug (something red, which I inferred, from his subsequent explanation, to mean bricks) and coal. At that time he knew not what those things were, but when he visit ed England in 1855, he there saw bricks, and understood their use for the first time. Coal he had seen on board an English whaler previous to that, but not until years after his noticing these things on the island. He said he used to play with these bricks, piling them up in rows and in various forms, as children often do, and also marked stones with them, and was delighted to see

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the red strokes. He also remembered Innuit women using the bricks, whenever they could be obtained, for polishing the brass ornaments worn on the head. Likewise he could well remember how some of his aged people told him that many—a great many years ago, ships came into the Bay Tin-nu-jok-ping-oo-se-ong" (Frobisher Bay). This was Ebierbing's statement. I now proceed to that of his grandmother. But, before doing this, let me describe the scene as it was at the time of my receiving the following important communication from her:

Her tupic was very small—only large enough to hold herself comfortably in a sitting or reclining posture—but I managed to squeeze in beside her, seating myself at her right side. Tookoolito was outside by the entrance, facing the old lady and myself.

The position of Ookijoxy Ninoo was usually a reclining one, she resting her elbows on the pillow-place of her bed, and her chin upon her hands. By her side was her little kood-lin (lamp), and in front of that was a small board, on which was a handful of baked beans given to her by some one from the ship, and also