Harbour, I
suggested that, despite the storm, we might make a start. But the
skipper exclaimed:

"Dear eyes! an' start in this gale! No, no, th' dogs could ne'er face
un, sir."

And as George and our drivers thought likewise, we spent the day
resting with the old skipper and his wife, warmly housed and faring
sumptuously on wild duck, while the storm outside seemed to shake the
world to its very foundations.

On May 2d the snow had almost ceased falling and the wind had somewhat
subsided, when at eleven o'clock we parted from the quaint old skipper
whose "Dear eyes!" continued to lend emphasis to his remarks up to the
last that we saw of him. Rounding a point of land soon after leaving
Seal Islands, we came suddenly upon two runaway dogs from a team that
had been stormbound at Seal Islands like ourselves. The runaways were
thoroughly startled by our sudden appearance, and took to their heels,
with our teams, composed respectively of ten dogs and twelve dogs,
after them. The ice we were on had been swept clear of snow by the
wind, the hauling was easy, and our dogs almost flattened themselves
out in their effort to get at the strangers and chew them up. The pace
became terrific, but there was nothing to do but hold on tight and
trust to luck. For perhaps five miles our wild ride lasted, and then,
the strange dogs turning to the snow-covered land, our teams abandoned
the race and condescended to pay some heed to their masters' excited
observations. Fortunately the chase had carried us in the direction
for which we were bound.

Early in the afternoon we reached a cache of cod heads, and stopped
while the dogs were fed one each. Poor brutes! they had had nothing to
eat since Friday night--this was Monday--and I imagine a rather scant
meal even then; for at this time of the year the stock of salt seal
meat and fat and dried cod heads and caplin that the natives put up in
the summer and fall for dog food is nearly exhausted, and what remains
is used very economically. Often the dogs receive only one scanty meal
every other day. Our drivers had intended to feed their teams at Seal
Islands, but on account of the scarcity of dog food none could be
purchased.

At four o'clock in the afternoon we reached Norman Bay, where we found
a miserable hut unoccupied save by an abundance of filth, two cats, and
one hen. As there were no tracks visible in the snow, the people
evidently had been away since the storm began on