Dr King on the Industrial Arts of the Esquimaux. 131 



this instrument is secured the Cilleky or line of thong, of 

 which every man has, when sealing, a couple of coils, each 

 from four to six fathoms long, hanging at his back. These 

 are made of the skin of the ozuke as in Greenland, and are 

 admirably adapted to the purpose, both on account of their 

 strength, and the property which they possess of preserving 

 their pliability even in the most intense frost. To the end 

 of the dllek, when the animal pursued is in open water, they 

 attach a whole seal-skin, inflated like a bladder, for the pur- 

 pose of tiring it out in its progress through the water. The 

 akliak, a lighter kind than the former, also ivory-headed, with 

 the siatko attached, is used for the large seal, and has a 

 bladder fastened to it, and a loose head with a line attached ; 

 this being darted into an animal, is instantly liberated from 

 the handle which gives the impetus. The oonak used for the 

 small seal is of the same make as the former, but wants the 

 bladder. 



When a seal is seen, the siatko is taken from a little leath- 

 ern case, in which, when out of use, it is carefully inclosed, 

 and attached by its socket to the point of the spear ; in this 

 situation it is retained by bringing the allek tight down, and 

 fastening it round the middle of the staff by a slipknot, which 

 may instantly be disengaged by pulling on the other end of the 

 line. As soon as the spear has been thrown and the animal 

 struck, the siatko is thus purposely separated, and being slung 

 by the middle, now performs very effectually the important 

 office of a barb, by turning at right angles to the direction 

 in which it has entered the orifice. This device is, in its 

 principle, acknowledged to be superior even to our barb ; for 

 the instant any strain is put upon the line, it opposes its 

 length to a wound only as wide as its own breadth. 



The nuguit, for striking birds, young animals, or fish, has 

 two forms ; the first has two prongs like a fork at the extre- 

 mity, and three other barbed ones in the middle, diverging 

 in different directions, so that if the end pair should miss, 

 some of the centre ones should strike. The second has no 

 diverging prongs in the middle, but three instead of two at 

 the extremity, and may be teraied, by way of distinction, 

 the trident spear. Sir John Ross, in his account of the 



