stefansson-wrangel-09-25-006-051

- 51 -

January 13th: "Did not move to-day. Crawford took a
walk out to the lead but no chance for sealing.”

January 14th: ’’Stayed in camp. Blowing a fresh breeze
from the west.”

January 15th: "Broke camp at 9 A.M. and started ashore
bound for the main camp. About half a mile offshore a gale with drifting snow
from the north hit us in the face and was extremely unpleasant. We got the
beach and started west, but the wind shifted to northwest nearly in our faces.
Traveled until about 12:30 through very soft snow, making poor time, and the
wind became so bad that we decided to go ashore and camp. We are camped a
mile or so east of Rodger’s Harbor. Crawford and I each froze our faces badly
and, as I am rather unwell, I think I felt the cold more than I ordinarily
would. We hope to make home to-morrow. This is the first blow we have had all
year from the west and, naturally, it had to come as we were going home in a
hurry. Oh, Well!

January 16th and 17th there was no traveling because of a
stiff head wind. Their camp had been improperly built and, accordingly, on
January 18th, "we decided to erect a snow ring and cover it with the tent and
tarpaulin. Now we are nice and warm and swilling tea like a couple of English-
men. Feeding the dogs a sealskin and blubber."

Knight does not say how much sealskin he fed but, as to
quality, the ration was no worse than if it had been meat and fat. Most Eskimos
consider the skin as rather a luxury when compared to meat and seldom eat it
simply because it has a greater value for clothing. From the dietetic point
of view the skin is largely protein and, therefore, with fat makes a complete
or balanced ration. The ordinary European prejudice againtt eating skin has
nothing to do with the chemistry of the food and, consequently, nothing to do
with its nutritive effect on dogs, for they have no prejudices. It is interest-
ing that in his whole diary Knight comments only twice upon food as being