10 CRUISE OF THE NEPTUNE 



The whaling operations are carried on in a similar manner 

 at all of the stations. At each, there are one to three white men 

 in charge, but the actual work is done by the natives. The 

 whales are taken by harpooning them from boats cruising among 

 the broken ice, at the edge of the solid floe. Each station has 

 from four to six boats ; consequently nearly every able-bodied 

 native is employed in them during the whaling season. They 

 and their families, at such times, are fed with biscuit,' coffee 

 and molasses from the supplies of the station, but supply their 

 own animal food. The men are paid irregularly for their work, 

 usually in tobacco, ammunition and clothing, and they receive 

 extra pay when a whale is captured. Of course the pay alone 

 does not at all represent the value of the whale, but the expense 

 of the station, and the few whales killed prohibit a large ex- 

 penditure. On the whole, the whalers may be taken as 

 beneficial to the Eskimos, and now that the latter have long 

 been dependent upon the whalers for guns, ammunition and 

 other articles of civilization, there is no doubt that many would 

 perish should the whaling stations be closed without other provi- 

 sion being made for the accustomed supplies. 



Having obtained a pilot at Blacklead, we crossed, the next 

 morning, to Kekerten, which is situated on one of a group of 

 small islands forming a harbour a few miles from the mainland 

 of the north side of the gulf. Owing to the rocks, cargo can 

 only be landed here at high water; the harbour is open to the 

 south, so that the anchorage is not safe during the continuation 

 of winds from that quarter. 



A tEree-masted Norwegian schooner was found at anchor, 

 discharging supplies, and loading the oil, whalebone and skins 

 taken during the -past year. 'The captain of the schooner and 

 Mr. Noble, the son of the owner of the station, from Aberdeen, 

 boarded us shortly after arriving ; from Mr. Noble we learned 

 that two whales had been taken in Cumberland gulf during the 



