The cinema : 1952 (1952)

124 THE GINEMA We began to search hard everywhere upon the shores, and the search took many days and we did not find much. But we found some buried in the sand. It was old and not too strong, but it was driftwood just the same. And we killed more seals, and my wife was careful when she skinned the seals. We found also some bones and we saved the bones, even those which were very small, and the time came and though we had only half enough I started to build the omiak. 'There will never be enough wood to build this omiak,' someone said. And then one would find more driftwood. And then I kept on to build more of the omiak, until there was no more wood, and at last everyone said : ' There will be no omiak.' And for many days there was only half an omiak and no one knew wrhat to do. We had used all the bones of our kills, all the wood we could find and even my ivory snow knife for a part of a rib. And then one day I heard sounds from my wife and our children, and when I looked down they were on the shore and they were digging up sand. 'The bones of a whale,' they were yelling, 'the bones of a whale.' 'The bones of a whale.' I could not believe what I was hearing. The bones of a whale. And they were good bones, these bones of a whale, and they were big bones, and I finished the omiak. Then everyone came and we sat down around it, and we laughed. 'It is a funny omiak,' everyone said. We lowered it down by the traces of the dogs (all tied in one) over the edge of the steep cliffs and we put it in the water, and someone said: 'Now it looks more funny still.' Some of us climbed in, but, even so, with few of us in it, it was shaking all over. ' It will never carry us,' said my wife. 'No never,' said everyone. 'Yes,' I said, 'it will carry us.' And I said to my wife: ' Get me a roll of your good sealskin line, and the bladders of the seals I told you to save.' All around the omiak I fas