Told of the Red Indian Whalers 31 



Having selected his crew, the Eskimo owner 

 looks after the charms and amulets which he and 

 his men are to carry afloat to insure success. 

 The skin of a raven, the skull of a wolf, and the 

 incisor teeth of a mountain sheep are all valued 

 for the luck they are supposed to bring to whalers. 

 So, too, is a stone image of a whale; but nothing 

 else is prized quite as highly for this purpose as a 

 bunch of feathers from a golden eagle, or a few 

 hairs from the tip end of the tail of a red fox. 



When open water is seen offshore, the umiak 

 is loaded on one sled and the gear upon another. 

 Dogs drag the sleds across the ice to the water, 

 and the women go along to guide it and push. 

 Having launched their boats the crews go cruis- 

 ing, and as it is by that time perpetual day, they 

 remain afloat as long as they can endure the 

 work, eating and sleeping as they can. The 

 women bring food to the edge of the open water 

 from time to time. 



The attack upon the whale is made by a rush 

 of all the boats, as was that of the Indians of 

 Long Island, though the Eskimo must now be 

 much more cautious than in other days, because 



