ESKIMO PATIENCE. 135 



do some wonderfully neat sewing with 

 these needles, considering the nature of 

 the implements and the coarse thread of 

 reindeer sinew which they use. This 

 sinew is stripped from the reindeer's 

 back in flat pieces about eighteen inches 

 long and two inches wide. The Eskimo 

 woman's spool of thread consists of a 

 bundle of these strips of sinew, hung up 

 in the igloo, from which she strips a 

 thread whenever she needs one. It is 

 very strong, and will cut through the 

 flesh of one's ringers before it can be 

 broken. The Eskimo braid it into fish- 

 lines, bow-strings, whip-cord, and nearly 

 always have a ball of it on hand in the 

 house braided up and ready for use. 



Before the Eskimo became acquainted 

 with white men, and learned to use their 

 better implements, many household arti- 



