The first time that Oumauk saw his companion jump from a shelving rock into the sea and start to swim out from shore, he was much frightened and ran to his father crying that Whitie would be drowned.
But Eiseeyou hastened to inform his young son that Whitie's ancestors had all been good swimmers and that Whitie could swim in the water almost as well as Oumauk could walk on the land.
He did not have to be taught to swim either, as a boy would. He simply kept his head up and his feet paddling. He was not afraid, and that was more than half the battle.
Whitie was very fond of fish, but he did not like them dried.
When they cleaned the great cod, he would lie nearby watching for the heads which Oumauk would throw to him.
Finally in July the sun came northward and stayed with them for about two months. So then they had to go inside the cloth tents and sleep for a certain part of each twenty-four hours, even though the sun was shining. But they did not need as much sleep then as they did when the days and nights were more apparent.
One day Eiseeyou took Oumauk and Whitie with him in his large boat to the fishing ground. Oumauk was all excitement to see how the fish were caught. But Whitie finally concluded it was very dull sport and lay down on the bottom of the boat and went to sleep. Or at least they thought he was sleeping soundly, but he finally aroused himself enough to spoil one of the best cod by gnawing into it.
At last the long day ceased and the short nights came for an hour or two each day. Then there came a chill in the air and frosts during the nights. So since they had laid in a good supply of dried fish and eider ducks' down, not to mention eggs and dead birds, the inhabitants of Eskimo Village began to think of returning to Eskimo Town which was always their winter quarters. But they usually waited until the first slight snowstorm made the komatiks pull easier. This generally came late in September.