The Snow Baby: A true story with true picturesPeary, Josephine Diebitsch
General
The Snow Baby: A true story with true pictures
Peary, Josephine Diebitsch
Arctic regions -- Juvenile literature; Eskimos -- Juvenile literature; Peary, Marie Ahnighito, 1893-1978
The sun did not set at all now, and at any time AH-NI-GHI´-TO could see
his big face shining down upon her. This was very pleasant, for although
it was quite cold AH-NI-GHI´-TO, wrapped in her furs, spent most of her
time on deck watching the gulls that were circling about the ship, and
the seals that kept popping up their black heads to gaze in open-eyed
astonishment at the big black ship that came rushing through the water
toward them. These seals are funny little creatures, so full of
curiosity that when they see anything coming toward them they keep their
heads above water until the object is close to them; then they quickly
dive, but come up again at a safer distance to resume their gazing. They
are often harpooned by the natives, who fasten a white sail across the
front of the kayak (skin boat) in such a way as to make it look as if a
white piece of ice were floating along. In this sail a tiny hole is made
through which the hunter watches his chance. The seal’s curiosity gets
the best of him, and he does not dive in time to dodge the harpoon which
is thrown from behind the white cloth. The Eskimos are very fond of seal
meat, and the skins are used for their clothing.
AH-NI-GHI´-TO thought it very strange to have bedtime come when the sun
was shining brightly. She declared it would be quite impossible to sleep
at night if there was no night; so her mother made night for her in
their little stateroom by taking a big soft felt hat belonging to her
father and pushing it into the port hole through which the light came.
AH-NI-GHI´-TO was now quite satisfied, and slept soundly until breakfast
time. When it was time to rise, the hat was pulled out, and lo! the room
was flooded with sunlight. In a little while AH-NI-GHI´-TO would call,
“Mother, it is daylight, time to get up.”
A bright fire was kept burning in the cabin, and Laura thought it
wonderful that she should be quite comfortable beside a fire in
midsummer; but when she awoke one morning and found it snowing hard, she
said this was surely the most extraordinary thing she had ever known.
Snow in August! “Why, if I tell this to my home folks, they won’t
believe me, but will think I am joking,” she said.
[Illustration: “_It is no Wonder the Snow Baby is so Tall_”]
[Illustration: “_Another Boat-load of Eskimos came aboard_”]
[Illustration]
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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