The
uniformly white surface of the snow, on which, at this season, the
sun's rays have to act, or, rather, leaving them nothing to act
upon, is much against the first efforts to produce a thaw; but our
former experience of the astonishing rapidity with which this
operation is carried on, when once the ground begins to be laid
bare, served in some measure to reconcile us to what appeared a
protraction of the cold of winter not to have been expected in our
present latitude.
CHAPTER VIII.
A Journey performed across Winter Island.--Sufferings of the Party
by Frost.--Departure of Some of the Esquimaux, and a separate
Village established on the Ice.--Various Meteorological
Phenomena.--Okotook and his Wife brought on board.--Anecdotes
relating to them.--Ships released from the Ice by sawing.
Our intercourse with the Esquimaux continued, and many occasions
occurred in which they displayed great good humour, and a degree
of archness for which we could have scarcely given them credit.
On the 12th Okotook came, according to an appointment previously
made, with a sledge and six dogs, to give me a ride to the huts,
bringing with him his son Sioutkuk, who, with ourselves, made up a
weight of near four hundred pounds upon the sledge.
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