152 BY ESKIMO DOG-SLED 



No Eskimo would dream of trying to pack 

 a whole walrus on his sled ; for one thing it 

 would roll off at the first lurch, and, for 

 another thing, I hardly think that any sled 

 could stand the strain. Gustaf grinned and 

 shook his head at this idea of mine. " My 

 sled stand anything," he said ; " got no nails 

 in it, only fine seal-hide thongs ; very strong " ; 

 and though Gustaf may have overrated his 

 sled, I have seen him drive his twenty dogs 

 up to the Mission house with a load of drinking 

 water, two great puncheons of it, full half a 

 ton in weight, and that should be a fair test 

 of workmanship. But another reason for 

 cutting up a walrus at the sina is that an old 

 Eskimo custom says it must be so. 



And the custom is that every one who sees 

 the capture of a walrus must have a share. 

 The lucky hunter skins his huge catch, and 

 chops it into lumps and hands the pieces 

 round. If you were there yourself upon a 

 pleasure trip you would get a great piece of 

 the red raw meat thrust upon you ! You might 

 like to eat it ; certainly the Eskimos smack 

 their lips over it and say " piovok " good ; 

 and the tenderer parts of the flesh are quite 

 palatable when your table lacks fresh meat ; 

 but really to enjoy Eskimo food you must 

 have good Eskimo teeth, made for chewing 



