The going had been good and they had done a splendid
day's work.
Before unharnessing the dogs, which would have immediately attacked
and destroyed the goods upon the sledge had they been released, the
Eskimos went about building an igloo.
A good bank of snow was selected and out of this Akonuk cut blocks as
large as he could lift and placed them on edge in a circle about seven
feet in diameter in the interior. As each block was placed it was
trimmed and fitted closely to its neighbour. Then while Matuk cut more
blocks and handed them to Akonuk as they were needed, the latter
standing in the centre of the structure placed them upon edge upon the
other blocks, building them up in spiral form, and narrowing in each
upper round until the igloo assumed the form of a dome. When it was
nearly as high as his head, the upper tier of blocks was so close
together that a single large block was sufficient to close the
aperture at the top. This block was like the keystone in an arch, and
held the others firmly in place. Akonuk now cut a round hole through
the side of the igloo close to the bottom, and large enough for him to
crawl through on his hands and knees.
When the Eskimos began building the snow house Bob commenced unloading
the komatik, but Matuk called "Chuly, chuly,"--wait a little--to him,
and said "tamaany,"--here--a suggestion that he would be more useful
in helping to chink up the crevices between the blocks of snow on the
igloo after Akonuk placed them This he did, and in half an hour from
the time they halted the igloo was completed and was so strongly built
a man could have stood on its top without fear of breaking it down.
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