Page:Life with the Esquimaux - 1864 - Volume 1.djvu/291

270 was almost fatal to them. Esquimaux dogs are often unmanageable when it is attempted to force them in the teeth of a storm, and so it proved now. The leader of the team, a dog belonging to the Innuit Charley, lost his way, and confused all the rest. The snow-storm was upon them in all its fury, and men, as well as dogs, were becoming blinded. Presently the leading dog directed the team towards some islands near the head of the bay; but, on approaching them, it was seen that Barbekark was struggling to make a different route, and these islands convinced the two human minds that dog sagacity, when known to be true, was best when left to itself in such emergencies. Accordingly, Barbekark was allowed to have his own way, and in a short time he led them direct to the ship. I asked Mr. Rogers what they had intended to do if the vessel could not be found. His reply was, that when it became dark, Koojesse had once proposed to stop for the night on the ice, and, to insure as much safety as possible, they were to throw themselves among the dogs, cover themselves with the two bearskins they had, and thus try to preserve life until daylight would help to show them where they were. The end of this adventure was, that Koojesse remained so far blind for days that he could not see to do anything; and Mr. Rogers's face, in its uncovered portions, had actually turned to a deep dark red, while the shielded parts were perfectly white, thus showing what contrasts these Northern storms can paint in one short day.

A lesson to be gathered from this, as I then thought, and still believe, is to allow the natives to do what they consider best in such times. They thoroughly understand the way to prepare for and withstand the warring elements of their own regions, and it is well for white men always to heed their advice, however unreasonable it may seem to be at the time. On the 8th of April the cooking apparatus and other material were moved up from below, where they had been during the whole winter, and thus what we might call symptoms of