Page:A Wild-Goose Chase - Balmer - 1915.djvu/264

250 strange party now came from their igloos wearing building mittens. An old man, who seemed to possess authority or at least to be entrusted by the others with the direction of the housing of the strangers, discussed with Eric and Koehler where the dwellings for the kabluna should be erected. Meanwhile other Eskimos who had been in the escort to the village spoke to their women; these advanced now, smiling and curious, to closer, friendly inspection of the strangers and then retreated to their houses where cooking was commenced.

The Eskimo who had been talking with Eric and Koehler chose a spot at one end of the crescent of the village where the builders began cutting blocks for the new igloos. Eric returned to the others of his party.

"They will not let us help with the building," he said. "They will put up two houses for us; and they have invited us to go to the houses where meat is now cooking for dinner. They have been apologising for having little fresh meat; they have been depending recently upon the last of the frozen caribou meat saved after the fall hunting; but some of them have caught