at on earth are you
cutting up like that for?" Checking himself for a moment, he pointed to
my companion and said, "Alleesame _walrus_," and went off into another
paroxysm of laughter, rolling about and roaring. At intervals all the
evening he would break out again, and when we sat down to eat it
overcame him once more and he rushed outside where he could give vent to
his mirth with less offence.

The boy was straightforward and conscientious. We were camped over
Sunday once, and Roxy had noticed many marten tracks in the
neighbourhood. He had brought a few traps along with him to set out as
we went and pick up on his return, and he wanted to know if I thought he
might set some that day, although it was the day of rest. Careful not to
interfere in any way with the religious instruction any native has
received from any source, I told him that was a matter for him to decide
himself; that each man was responsible for his own conduct. The boy
thought awhile--and he did not set his traps. Now that young man had
never received any instruction at a mission; all his teaching had been
from other Esquimaux. This same question of working on Sunday was the
cause of some of the difficulty between the missionary at Long Beach and
the miners at Shungnak. The sluicing or "cleaning-up" season is short,
and mining operators generally consider that they cannot afford to lose
an hour of it. The Kobuks employed by these miners quit their work on
Sunday, and that brought the operations to a standstill. There was
something to be said on the miners' side, but I rejoiced that the
Esquimau boys showed such steadfastness to their teaching. "If you
cannot use them six days in the week, if it has to be seven or none,
then do as the miners on the Yukon side do, consider the country
uninhabited, and make your arrangements as though there were no Kobuks."
That was my advice, and this may be read in connection with Mr.
Stefanson's caustic comments on the same rigidity of observance.

We left Long Beach with a grateful feeling for the hospitality with
which we had been received and with a substantial respect for the
earnest missionary effort that was being put forth there. We were able
to replenish our grub supply and also to exchange our two toboggans for
one large sled, for we were out of the toboggan country again and they
had already become a nuisance, slipping and sliding about on the trail.
Our host was up early with a good breakfast for us, and