LITTLE BOREAS' S PLAYTHINGS. 6 1 



a stone, which acts as a weight and 

 keeps both strings taut. 



Some member of the playing party 

 then puts up something as a prize a 

 pair of walrus's tusks, or perhaps, a rein- 

 deer coat. The players, who stand in a 

 circle around the perforated ivory cyl- 

 inder, arm themselves with long, sharp- 

 ened sticks, with points small enough to 

 enter the holes (such as seal spears with 

 the barbs removed, or iron ramrods), 

 and are then ready to commence ; and 

 as the prize-giver gives a sudden shout 

 of " Yi ! Yi ! " they all begin jabbing at 

 the holes. Finally, some lucky fellow 

 succeeds in thrusting the point of his 

 stick, spear, or ramrod through one of 

 the holes, when he loudly shouts " Yi ! 

 Yi ! " and pushes the cylinder aside to 

 skew that he is winner, and the jabbing 



