While Kudlah was entertaining us, Tawanah and the two women came out of the igloo. The latter were very much interested in me, and wanted to know if there were any more women like me at Redcliffe. When told that there were not, but that they were plentiful in the American country, they asked, “Are they all so tall, and so white, and have they all such long hair? We never have seen women like you.”
Our driver had been refreshing himself with seal and blubber, and Mr. Peary now called to him to untangle the dogs, as we wished to continue our journey. This he did not like, and said the people were all gone, and there was no use in going any farther up the gulf. The snow, he said, was very deep, and the dogs would not be able to pull the load; but Mr. Peary was firm in his decision to push on to the head of the gulf, if possible, in order to complete his surveys. Accordingly, at four A. M. we started again, and to our surprise Kudlah and Tawanah accompanied us. When questioned as to their destination, Tawanah said they had a lot of sealskins and young seals at Nanatochsuahmy which he wanted to give Mr. Peary, and they were going as far as his igloo with us.
In about three hours we came to a small island, and here we pitched camp. After a hearty supper of Boston baked beans, corned beef, and stewed tomatoes, with tea and crackers, we turned in, and what a delightful sleep we had! The sun shone warm, and that peculiar stillness which is found only in the Arctic regions was conducive to long sleep.
After supper we explored the little island and found the plateau covered with the tracks of deer and ptarmigan, but we could descry no living creature. The view from the summit was very fine. We could see down the sound as far as Herbert Island, and almost up to the head of Inglefield Gulf; on the right the eye took in the greater part of Academy Bay, and on the left in the distance towered Mts. Putnam, Daly, and Adams.
Arriving at Nunatochsoah, we spent about an hour in skirmishing about the place, Tawanah taking us to various caches containing sealskins, both tanned and untanned, and two caches containing young seals, about twenty-two in all. Kudlah, too, had a few seals and skins, and both men were anxious to barter their possessions with Mr. Peary for a knife and a saw.