_AN ESKIMO ENCAMPMENT._
Contrast to Delgezie’s fears the wind played no pranks with them that
night, but after coquetting around all points of the compass, suddenly
died out altogether.
Still it was with a grunt of disgust that he threw back his blankets
next morning, for a heavy rime was falling and everything appeared white
and cold to his gaze. Glancing up at that celestial clock—the North
Guards—and finding its tail pointing well toward the south, he arose
and set about building a fire. But the kindlings were coated with rime
and he experienced much difficulty in persuading them to ignite. However
after much patient coaxing the mass was at last got into a blaze, and,
unceremoniously awakening his assistant with a dexterous kick, he
proceeded to prepare breakfast. Thus rudely awakened Minnihak
reluctantly drew himself from his warm robes—he had no objection to the
intense cold, but a decided antipathy to early rising.
Hearing the men astir, Roy arose also and shook his bedding clear of the
cloying rime before packing it away in his bag. To take a hasty
breakfast, “ice” the _com-it-uks_, lash the loads, and harness the dogs
was the work of fully an hour, for the morning was intensely cold, and
everything unpleasantly chilly and icy to the touch; falling on exposed
parts of the warm person, the rime at once became damp, then froze,
clogging the eyebrows and eyelashes, and any hair on the face, with icy
particles. It was one of the coldest mornings of that winter, and the
tenacious clinging of the rime accentuated its chill.
Roy and Delgezie completed their disagreeable task of harnessing the
dogs as quickly as possible, then jumped into camp to warm their
benumbed fingers, while Minnihak followed more leisurely, smiling and
unperturbed.
“_Ik-ki-mai_” (It is very cold), he said laconically.
Roy in his haste to lash the sled had inadvertently touched the head of
an axe with his naked hand, thereby “burning” his fingers, and he now
stood nursing them with a rueful countenance, making, because of this, a
brief pause at the fire. But soon a start was made, and by the time the
sun had thrown its cheering rays over the desolate wilderness, the
trippers were well on their journey.
Their course for some distance followed the river, then branched off
sharply and ran along a little creek, at the mouth of which Minnihak was
seen to stop, turn aside, and walk across to a partly built _iglo_,
which, from its appearance, Roy judged to be the one in which Oulybuck
had hanged his father and brother, and when his dogs got abreast of it,
he stopped them and walked across to view this primitive gallows.
The walls of this _iglo_ apparently remained as they had been first
built, but the gruesome paraphernalia was missing, the crossbar and line
being probably buried with the defunct Eskimos, and the block of snow
from whence they had launched themselves into eternity thrown aside and
drifted over. Deep imprints on the snow walls told that death had come
only to the suicides after desperate struggles, and two distinct mounds
of snow a little to one side and close together clearly marked the
suicides’ graves. A fox had been digging at one of them, and the
excavations had left the handle of a saw exposed to view; for the
belongings of the deceased Eskimos had been buried with their bodies,
after the custom of their race.
Shortly after leaving the ill-omened spot the travellers came in sight
of Acpa’s encampment. This consisted of several _iglos_ grouped together
with an unusually large one in the centre. The smaller _iglos_ were of
the ordinary kind, but the big one bore unmistakable signs of its
owner’s quality and importance. Not only was it larger than the others,
but it had two protuberances instead of one: the one, as in the usual
case, being the kitchen, as a wreath of blue smoke ascending from it
testified; and as Acpa held the proud position of a trusted trader, the
other without doubt was used by him as a storehouse, a room where the
trader bartered with his brother Eskimos.
A number of dogs were running in and out of the _iglos_, and these at
once gave the alarm; promptly several rough, shaggy figures dragged
themselves through the tunnels leading to their various abodes and stood
watching the approaching dog trains. The moment the _com-it-uks_ arrived
at the encampment busy hands, with the characteristic readiness of the
Eskimo to assist, caught at the dogs while others carried the bundles of
merchandise away.
While the unharnessing and unloading were taking place still other
Eskimos were engaged erecting a snow-house for Roy and the old
Chipewyan, for the trader invariably despatched his Eskimo guide to
sleep with a friend on these occasions.
Eskimo etiquette compelled the guest of honor to wait in Acpa’s abode
till his own was pronounced ready for occupation, and in compliance with
this rule Roy dragged himself through the low entrance, followed by a
number of old men, women and children.
He got to his feet in the kitchen and went forward, picking his way
among the skulking dogs, which, like the Irishman’s pig, were on terms
of equality with their master, to the large room in the centre, and once
there he gave a sigh of relief, for the air was less stifling, albeit
the ventilation still left much to be desired.
_Kaip-puks_ were brought by members of the family and spread on one of
the elevated platforms or bed-steads for Roy to sit upon, and he seated
himself with an inward hope that his claim on their hospitality might be
of the shortest duration.
The bundles of merchandise he had brought for Acpa were now lying in the
small room adjoining, which, as he conjectured, was used specially for
such purposes. The one in which he sat was large and dome-shaped, while
several pieces of comparatively transparent ice had been let into the
walls to afford the necessary light. The storehouse and kitchen were lit
in like manner, but in the latter a few sticks of driftwood were
smouldering on some flat stones, the smoke from these travelling to the
roof in the most erratic manner, occasionally darkening the larger room
in its wanderings.
A number of men and women soon sauntered in, and, squatting down at a
little distance from Roy, sat silently watching him, while friendly
smiles suffused their greasy faces; infants clothed only in a hood, or
perchance a tobacco pipe, were produced with startling suddenness from
the capacious hoods of the women’s coats.
Grouped among the throng were old and feeble Eskimos with the wrinkled
faces, projecting cheekbones and lantern jaws peculiar to the very aged,
and young wives with yellow complexions and bright, intelligent faces,
their hair ornamented in a fashion peculiar to themselves, with a kind
of pigtail formed from the hair over each ear neatly braided, the ends
decorated with beads and deer-teeth, and bands of brass worn across the
forehead. Sprinkled among the group were children of various ages, and
probably of both sexes, though their costumes were so exactly alike that
it was impossible to distinguish to which sex each belonged. Altogether
this close scrutiny was oppressive, and when Acpa appeared some minutes
later, Roy’s face brightened perceptibly. “_Ay-hoo_-_ee-la?_”
(Finished?) he asked with the best attempt at indifference he could
muster.
“_Ay-hoo_” (short for It is finished), replied the old man.
Roy slowly arose, intending to make a dignified exit, but even a
fur-trader’s powers of endurance have their limits, and he stumbled
quickly across the kitchen and precipitated himself through the low exit
into the fresh air, and, with feelings of grateful relief, filled his
lungs with the crisp oxygen. His confinement in the smoky _iglo_ had
made him quite ill.
Entering the one erected for him by the hospitable Eskimos, Roy found
Delgezie awaiting his return and supper prepared.
The old Indian was smiling. “They’re giving a dance,” he observed,
glancing at the trader with eyes that twinkled.
“The deuce they are; and they’ll expect me to attend, I suppose,”
grumbled Roy.
“Expect so,” said Delgezie drily.
Further comment was stopped by the appearance of Acpa, who approached
with a face which radiated cheerfulness and goodwill. He squatted down
and partook of the food handed to him with apparent relish, for
intercourse with the white man had given him a taste for bread, tea and
sugar, and even coffee.
After finishing the meal he proffered his unwelcome invitation in this
wise: “The Innuit are happy,” pause. “They are glad to see you,” pause
and a smile. “Innuit will dance,” another pause and smile, then
ingratiatingly, “The ‘master’ will come?” Here an expansive smile spread
over his heavy features and broadened into a laugh.
Roy received the invitation with an assenting nod, and forced a smile to
his lips. He inwardly shrank at the thought of having again to enter
Acpa’s odorous and smoky abode, yet he dissembled, for he knew that his
presence at the dance was a thing of course.
Presently the soft tap-tap of a drum was heard, and Acpa got slowly to
his feet, while Roy arose with assumed alacrity and followed his host to
the scene of revelry.
Since the trader’s last visit a number of young men had returned from
the hunt, and these were now seated in a circle eating ravenously of
frozen meat, raw and unsightly.
For this occasion the _iglo_ was lit by candles of home manufacture,
these being tapering pieces of dry moss and balls of grease. The bands
of brass across the foreheads of the women shining brightly in the
subdued light; the circle of hungry Eskimos devouring their food like as
many ravenous animals; the shadowy, indistinct figures of the old folk
seated on the outskirts of the throng, and the bright faces of the
children watching the assembly with keen and earnest eyes, all combined
to make the scene grotesquely weird. And the tap-tapping of the drum
went steadily on.
When the circle of hunters had satisfied their rapacious appetites, it
slowly dissolved. Then, snickering and joking, the women formed
themselves into a circle and the ball was opened by Acpa, who stepped
into the centre of the ring, carrying a drum in his hand.
This peculiar instrument consisted of a piece of parchment stretched
tightly across a wooden hoop with a straight handle attached. The
parchment was dampened before each performance, a tuning process as
novel as simple. Acpa struck the rim of the drum, the top and bottom
alternately, against a stick, held in the left hand, while shuffling his
feet in a semblance of step dancing, then striking the drum in the
centre a few times, he threw back his grand old head and gazed up at the
top of the _iglo_—seemingly for inspiration—then fell to shouting, the
shouts diminishing in volume as they increased in rapidity. “_Oh-ee,
oh-ee, oh-ee, oh-ee-ee, oh-ee-ee, oh-ee-ee!_” This was the cue for the
women’s chorus, and they now rocked themselves backwards and forwards,
repeating in high-pitched voices: “_Ya-ya, ya-a-ya, ya-ya_,” while the
old man composed his song as he went along. The sentiments were at times
poetic. He first thanked the “master” for coming to see him and
expressed a wish that he would be satisfied with his trip. Then he spoke
of his work and the work of the other Eskimos of the encampment and many
other things in the daily lives of himself and companions. Occasionally
he lapsed into the monotonous _Ya-ya_ of the chorus, or fell to shouting
_Oh-ee, oh-ee_, but the drum beating was continuous.
Afterwards several other men followed in this unique individual dance
and then came the turn of the perspiring chorus to disport themselves.
But the women’s _rôle_ was the exact opposite of that of the men, for
they danced two at a time and at first were as silent as nuns, and they
used no drum. Staring each other straight in the eyes they shuffled
their feet, repeating queer words wheezily at the back of their throats,
all accompanied by a peculiar indrawing of the breath. Many gestures
accompanied this uncanny performance, such as pointing derisive fingers
at each other, this meaning “I think very little of you,” pointing
upwards and downwards (the significance of which seemed in doubt) and
lustily slapping their cheeks and patting their breasts. Evidently this
was a dance of endurance, but at last the final pair fell panting and
exhausted, and, taking advantage of this respite, Roy hastened to shake
hands with all present and to leave the _iglo_.
The gleam of dawn spread in one golden glow of morning, and the day rose
radiant over the world. The _com-it-uks_ were “light” and the dogs
travelled quickly, and the sun was still high when our little party got
back to the camp they had made on the previous day, and, the wind being
in the same direction as when the camp was constructed, it was ready for
their use and their labors were thus lightened.
Supper over, Minnihak went to inspect a trap he had set when they were
there before. Roy stretched himself on the outside of his bedding and
lay dozing, while Delgezie occupied himself making “cakes” for the
morrow. He had been employed in this manner for some time when he heard
a slight crunching sound as of something moving over the snow. He
thought it was the Eskimo returning from his quest and did not lift his
eyes. But as the moments went by and no Eskimo appeared, he raised
himself slowly and looked around. A large wolf stood before him on the
very edge of the camp.
It was watching Delgezie with a wicked snarl that left bare its ugly
fangs. The hair along its backbone stood up stiffly and its eyes gleamed
threateningly. It looked fiercely hungry and Delgezie expected it to
spring at him, but it stood motionless and the old man’s eyes searched
the camp for a gun, but he could see no weapon, and then he remembered
that the guns had been left outside. He uttered a grunt of
indignation—that a lone wolf should invade his camp, seemingly as the
aggressor, was, for the old Indian, a new experience. Keeping his eyes
fixed on the wolf, Delgezie stealthily reached for a billet of wood. The
animal watched him furtively; its long white fangs snapped and it
crouched as if about to spring, but something in the old man’s
unperturbed pose and steady eye seemed to awe the beast and hold it
aloof. Delgezie felt cautiously for the billet, a particular piece of
green wood which as he knew lay beside the fire. He dared not withdraw
his gaze, and could only grope blindly.
Suddenly he uttered a terrific yell and came upright with a bound.
Feeling for the billet, he had missed that which he sought and grasped
one that was burning. At the sudden and unexpected loud noise the wolf
wheeled quickly and fled away.
Delgezie’s yell brought Roy sharply to his feet.
“What in the world’s the matter, man?” he demanded.
“Wolf in camp,” replied Delgezie, nursing his injured fingers.
“Why didn’t you waken me? I could have shot it,” demanded Roy.
“Guns outside,” said the old man drily.
Whipping a revolver from his hip-pocket, Roy said: “I keep this little
thing for occasions like that.” Then observing that Delgezie was in
pain, he added, “But what have you done to your fingers?”
Delgezie explained, and his adventure caused much amusement during the
rest of the evening.
On the following morning, Delgezie, with Minnihak as guide, left the
track in order to get a load of meat from a cache some distance from the
camp and off the direct route to the Fort, and sitting on the sled
smoking idly while the dogs ran briskly to the sound of jingling bells,
Roy returned to the Fort alone.