330 



THE POINT BARROW ESKIMO. 



Every 

 an obliq 



alternate deck beam is braced to the gunwale at each end by 

 ue lashing of whalebone, running from a transverse hole in the 

 beam about 1 inch from the gunwale to a corresponding 

 hole in the gunwale, three-quarters inch from the lower 

 edge. The lashing makes three or four turns through 

 these holes and around the lower edge of the gunwale, and 

 the end is wrapped spirally round these turns for their 

 whole, length. Above these beams a narrow batten runs 

 fore and aft amidships from cockpit to stem and stern, 

 mortised into the two beams at the cockpit, and lashed 

 to the others with whalebone. The coaming of the cock 

 pit is made of a single flat piece of wood, 1J inches broad 

 and one-quarter inch thick, bent into a hoop with the ends 

 lapping about (i inches and &quot;sewed&quot; together with stitches 

 of whalebone. Round the upper edge of this, on the out 

 side, is fitted a &quot;half-round &quot; hoop, which appears to be 

 made of willow, three-quarters by one-third inch, with its 

 ends lapped about 4 inches, this lap coming over the joint 

 of the larger hoop. It is fastened on by short stitches of 

 whalebone about 5 or (&amp;gt; inches apart, leaving room enough 

 between the two hoops to allow a lacing of fine whalebone 

 to pass through. The coaming is put on over the edge of 

 the skin cover, which is drawn up tight inside of the coam 

 ing and over its upper edge and fastened by a lacing of 

 whalebone, which runs spirally round the outer hoop and 

 through holes about one-half inch apart in the edge of the 



The coaming fits over the crown of the arch of the for 

 ward deck beam and rests on the middle of the thwart aft, 

 and is secured by lashings of whalebone, which pass through 

 holes in the coaming and over its upper edge. The forward 

 lashing makes three turns, which pass round the beam with 

 the end wrapped spirally round the parts between beam 

 and coaming; the after lashing, four similar turns, which 

 pass through a hole in the thwart and around its forward 

 edge. On each side is a stout vertical brace of wood 3^ 

 inches long, \ inch wide, and one-half inch thick, with 

 rounded edges and corners. The ends are cut out paral 

 lel to the breadth, so that one end tits on to the upper 

 edge of the gunwale, while the other receives the lower 

 edge of the coaming, protruding on the outside through a 

 hole in the cover. 



The cover is of six sealskins, put together heads to tails, 

 so that there is only one longitudinal seam, which runs 

 irregularly along the deck. The transverse seams, which 

 run obliquely across the bottom are double and sewed 



