THE WORLD OF ICE. 157

jit of a finger or two, and most o’ them had two or
three toes off, an’ there wos wan poor fellow who lost
the front half o’ wan fut an’ the heel o’ the other,
an’ two inches o’ the bone was stickin’ out, Sure
it's truth I’m tellin’ ye, for I seed it wid me own. two
eyes, I did.”

The earnest tones in which the last words were
spoken convinced his comrades that O’Riley was tell-
ing the truth, so having a decided objection to be
placed in similar circumstances, they danced and beat
each other until they were quite in a glow.

“Why, what are you at there, Meetuck ?” exclaimed
Fred, pausing.

“Igloe make,” replied the Esquimau.

“ Ig—what ?” inquired O'Riley.

“Qh, I see!” shouted Fred, “he’s going to make a
snow-hut—igloes they call them here. Capital :—1
never thought of that. Come along; let’s help him !”

Meetuck was indeed about to erect one of those
curious dwellines of snow in which, for the ereater
part of the year, his primitive countrymen dwell.
He had no taste for star-spangled bed-curtains, when
solid walls, whiter than the purest dimity, were to he
had for nothing. His first operation in the crection
of this hut was to mark out a circle of about seven
feet diameter. From the inside of this circle the
snow was cut by means of a lone knife in the form of
slabs nearly a foot thick, and from two to three fect
long, having a slight convexity on the outside. These
slabs were then so cut and arranged that, when they