The life and work of the among the Eskimos . rue,but it is not our fault. Then, too, how rapacious is the Eskimo dog. Ihave known, writes Mr. Peck, one of them diefrom the effects of eating a dishcloth. Another, on acertain occasion, actually made a good meal of adress belonging to Mrs. Pecks servant, a girl wehad at our first station, Fort George. The dress hadbeen hung out to dry. We now glance at the hunter. He has to searchfor his chief game, the seal, over the frozen neighbourhood of his prey is indicated by ahole in the ice. While the ice is still thin the sealmakes ho
The life and work of the among the Eskimos . rue,but it is not our fault. Then, too, how rapacious is the Eskimo dog. Ihave known, writes Mr. Peck, one of them diefrom the effects of eating a dishcloth. Another, on acertain occasion, actually made a good meal of adress belonging to Mrs. Pecks servant, a girl wehad at our first station, Fort George. The dress hadbeen hung out to dry. We now glance at the hunter. He has to searchfor his chief game, the seal, over the frozen neighbourhood of his prey is indicated by ahole in the ice. While the ice is still thin the sealmakes holes for breathing, and he keeps them openby repeated visits during the winter. Having discovered a hole (and each seal hasseveral) the hunter builds a wall of snow to shelterhimself from the piercing wind, and patiently sitswatching, hour after hour, with his harpoon readyfor use, until a peculiar, unmistakable blowingsound announces the arrival of the seal. Silently, stealthily he rises, poises his harpoonover the breathing hole—which in the winter. w o 8 J;< o s o H OS Jtd ao ESKIMOS AT HOME AND AT WORK 63 time is not larger than a crown piece—and driveshis deadly weapon down through the hole. If he is fortunate enough to have struck the seal(and they really make comparatively few misses),he clears away the ice round the tiny orifice with histok (ice chisel) until the hole is large enough to haulthe seal through on to the surface of the frozensea. If the hunter possesses a sledge and has it withhim, he loads his game upon it, and with the Eskimoequivalent for Now then, away with you ! tohis dogs, he is soon tearing homewards with a ten-pound-weight-of-seal-meat appetite. If he has nosledge with him, he secures his harpoon line to thegame, and with the line over his shoulder he haulshome his catch. It is not at all an uncommon thing for an Eskimo,sheltered only by his wall of snow, to wait a wholeday, and even through the night, at a seal-holewhile the temperature is ra
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