Page:The open Polar Sea- a narrative of a voyage of discovery towards the North pole, in the schooner "United States" (IA openpolarseanarr1867haye).pdf/307



KALUTUNAH RETURNS.—AN ESQUIMAU FAMILY.—THE FAMILY PROPERTY.—THE FAMILY WARDROBE.—MYOUK AND HIS WIFE.—PETER'S DEAD BODY FOUND.—MY NEW TEAMS.—THE SITUATION.—HUNTING.—SUBSISTENCE OF ARCTIC ANIMALS.—PURSUIT OF SCIENCE UNDER DIFFICULTIES.—KALUTUNAH AT HOME.—AN ESQUIMAU FEAST.—KALUTUNAH IN SERVICE.—RECOVERING THE BODY OF MR. SONNTAG.—THE FUNERAL.—THE TOMB.

Kalutunah came back after a few days, according to his promise, and brought along with him the entire Kalutunah family, consisting of his wife and four children. It was a regular "moving."

The chief had managed in some manner to get together another team of six good dogs, and he came up in fine style, bringing along with him on his small sledge every thing that he had in the world, and that was not much. The conveniences for life's comforts possessed by these Arctic nomads are not numerous; and it is fortunate that their desires so well accord with their means of gratifying them, for probably no people in the world possess so little, either of portable or other kind of property. The entire cargo of the sledge consisted of parts of two bear-skins, the family bedding; a half-dozen seal-skins, the family tent; two lances and two harpoons; a few substantial harpoon lines; a couple of lamps and pots; some implements and materials for repairing the sledge in the event of accident; a small seal-skin bag, containing the family wardrobe (that is, the implements for repairing it, for the entire wardrobe was on their backs);