Page:Life with the Esquimaux - 1864 - Volume 2.djvu/38

Rh most of what were to me the important notes that I had taken on this trip would be useless, owing to the break in my narrative which the loss of these would occasion. My hope of recovering them was indeed slight, for my record had been kept on a few small oblong leaves of paper, slightly stitched together, which the wind might speedily scatter away. Still, I determined to go back and search for them, Ebierbing agreeing to accompany me. We made our way back over rugged ice and snow by following our own tracks; but the wind, then from the southeast, blew at right angles, and made it less likely that we should succeed. Ebierbing went ahead, a little on one side, and I kept straight on the course by which we had come. Thus we retraced our steps for some three miles, when, to my great joy, I heard Ebierbing shout, "Ni-ne-va-ha! Ni-ne-va-ha!"—I have found it! I have found it! And, sure enough, there, in his hands, I saw my little note-book, which he had just picked up. The distance we had traversed was three and a half miles, so that, in returning to the spot from which we had set out, we had walked full seven miles. This, however, was not of much account in comparison with the value of my note-book. I had directed Koodloo to proceed with the sledge; but before we had reached him a furious gale from the north-east broke upon us, accompanied with much snow. This threatened an end to our day's travel, and I therefore determined to encamp as soon as possible. We traced Koodloo by the sledge-tracks down Allen Young's Bay, near some sheltering land, and there found him, on the lee side of the sledge, flat on the snow, asleep! yes, sound asleep, and covered with drift, while the gale was beating around, and roaring almost with a voice of thunder. So thick and fast did the snow come down that we could not see a dozen yards before us. Yet here did Koodloo—as most