"All who saw my patient on the morning of the 25th gave me great
hopes; she could swallow easily, and was even strong enough to turn
or sit upright without assistance, and in the forenoon slept very
soundly. At noon, the sister of the deceased, Ootooguak, with her
husband and son, came to visit me. She had first gone to the Fury,
and was laughing on deck, and, at her own request, was taken below,
not caring to hurry herself to come to the house of mourning. Even
when she came to the Hecla she was in high spirits, laughing and
capering on deck as if nothing had happened; but, on being shown to
my cabin, where Shega, having heard of her arrival, was sitting
crying in readiness, she began with her niece to howl most wofully.
I, however, put a stop to this ceremony, for such it certainly was,
under the plea of disturbing the child. The arrival of a pot of
smoking walrus-flesh soon brought smiles on all faces but that of
Takkeelikkeeta, who refused food and sat sighing deeply; the others
ate, chatted, and laughed as if nothing but eating was worth
thinking of. Dinner being over, I received thanks for burying the
woman in such a way that 'neither wolves, dogs, nor foxes could dig
her up and eat her,' for all were full of the story of Keimooseuk,
and even begged some of our officers to go to Igloolik and shoot
the offending dogs.
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