Page:Life with the Esquimaux - 1864 - Volume 2.djvu/201

182 but one seemed reluctant to undertake it; the one I shall always remember, as he seemed rather anxious than otherwise to be my attendant; it was Shevikoo, an Innuit that I like more the more I see of him. The rest of the crew were to remain with the boat, taking it, if they chose, to hunt duck and seal. "Shevikoo and I started. The first quarter of a mile was over a plain of fresh-water ice that had been formed by springs bubbling up and spreading their waters about. This passed, we commenced our ascent of the rugged hill that lay between us and the mountain proper that I desired to visit. A few minutes' walk up this incline decided what kind of work we had before us for the next two or three hours. I started from the boat with my tuktoo jacket and trousers on. Climbing rough rocks covered with soft, treacherous snow created a boiling heat; I therefore divested myself of the said clothing, reserving only my civilization dress. "Resuming our walk—or rather our leaping, plunging, and tumbling, for this was the nature of our motions during the five hours we were absent from the boat—our progress up was slow—slow indeed, for the way was really rugged, though not so in appearance. Had there been no snow we could have got along very well, but as it was, the travelling was terrible. This may be believed when I state that nearly the whole distance is covered with sharp and boulder rocks—rocks upon rocks—and over these a covering of snow that made all look fair, but, on attempting to make passage over it, down through soft snow we went till our feet rested on stones, which sometimes proved firm and sometimes proved man-traps. Now and then we sunk thigh deep, our feet dropping into chinks, and becoming quite firmly wedged therein. As we wound our zig-zag way up the steep mountain, I was expecting every moment that my volunteer companion would refuse to go farther, but in this I was happily mistaken. He was a match for me. "I was rejoiced to find, as we drew near the top, that the snow became sufficiently hard to bear us up, thus enabling