MrRDOTlI.) 



WALRUS HARPOONS. 



229 



ing the float is made either by tying a carrick bend with the end stopped 

 back to the standing part (Fig. 220, Xo. 

 50707 [531]), or by splicing (Fig. 221, Xo. 



The loose shaft varies very little in shape, 

 though it is sometimes rounded off at the 

 butt without a shoulder, but the line which 

 secures this to the foreshaft is put on differ 

 ently on each of the six spears. Five of 

 them have the end simply passed through 

 the hole in the loose shaft and spliced to 

 the standing part, but two (the type figured 

 and Xo. 5070S [532 1) have the other end 

 carried down and hitched round the tip of 

 the shaft: another has it passed through a 

 hole in the foreshaft. taken U turns round 

 this and knotted (Xo. 50771 [535]); another 

 has a loop as long as the foreshaft with the 

 short end passed under the first turn of the 

 shaft lashing before it is spliced, and the 

 long end secured as on the first mentioned; 

 and the fifth has the end passed through a 

 hole in the foreshaft and carried down and 

 wrapped round the shaft lashing. The 

 sixth has one end passed through a hole 

 in the smallest part of the foreshaft and 

 knotted at the end, the other end carried 

 up through the hole in the loose shaft and 

 down to a second hole in the foreshaft close 

 to the first, then up through the loose shaft, 

 and down through the first hole, and tucked 

 under the two parts on the other side. 



The foreshaft is made of walrus ivory or 

 the hard bone of the walrus jaw and varies 

 little in f&amp;lt;;-:ii and dimensions. It is some 

 times ornamented by carving, as in No. 

 50772 [530], or by incised patterns, as in 

 Fig. 222, Xo. 50538 [()], and generally has 

 one or two deep longitudinal notches in the 

 thickest part, in which the lines can be 

 drawn snugly down. It usually is joined 

 to the shaft by a stout, wedge-shaped tang, 

 which fits into a corresponding cleft in the 

 shaft, and is secured by wooden treenails 

 and a wrapping of seal thong or sinew braid, 

 sometimes made more secure by passing 



Fl0 



221 w &quot; Ir u ||&amp;gt;nKMi imi, with 



