It
has none of the flavor, however, of ice-cream, but, as Lieutenant
Schwatka says, may be more likened to "locust sawdust and wild honey."
The first time I partook of this dainty I had unfortunately seen it in
course of preparation, which somewhat marred the relish with which I
might otherwise have eaten it. The confectioner was a toothless old
hag, who mixed the ingredients in a wooden dish dirtier than anything I
ever saw before, and filled with reindeer hairs, which, however, were
not conspicuous when well mingled with the half-churned grass and moss.
She extracted the oil from the blubber by crunching it between her old
gums, and spat it into the dish, stirring it with her fingers until the
entire mass became white, and of about the consistency of cottage
cheese. I ate some, merely to say I had eaten it, and not to offend my
entertainers, but I cannot say I enjoyed it.
We left camp at a quarter past one o'clock the following day, our
starting having to conform somewhat to the state of the tide, as at
high tide we cannot reach the ice. The sledging was simply awful, and
poor Toolooah was having a hard time of it and without a murmur or
discontented look. I expected he would urge us to abridge our search,
as there seemed to be imminent danger of the ice breaking up. But he
constantly told us to go on and search as much as we thought necessary,
and leave the sledging to him; he would do the best he could.
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