356 HUNTING WITH THE ESKIMOS 



the day suddenly began to grow dark. In a short 

 time it was almost as dark as night. Examining 

 the sun through smoked glasses I discovered that an 

 eclipse was in progress, and that it was almost total, 

 the period of darkness continuing for perhaps fifteen 

 minutes. Every Eskimo in the place came running 

 down to camp, all greatly excited. The women hid 

 themselves in the shack and refused to come out of 

 doors until the eclipse had passed. It was a phe- 

 nomenon which they could not understand and which 

 terrified them. 



Kulutinguah came hurrying into camp the day fol- 

 lowing the eclipse to tell me he had heard a narwhal 

 blow a short distance out in the open water. We im- 

 mediately collected the other Eskimos, Kulutinguah 

 got out his kayak while the others loaded my whale- 

 boat upon three sledges, that it might be hauled to 

 open water a considerable distance from land, and in 

 an exceedingly short time we were afloat. Kulutin- 

 guah in his kayak followed the edge of the floe and 

 ran now and again into open leads in search of the 

 narwhals, while we in the whaleboat took to the 

 broader water. At length snow began to fall thick 

 and fast, blotting out the land, and, unsuccessful, 

 we were driven back to camp with only some water 

 fowl to reward us. The Eskimos were greatly dis- 

 appointed at our failure, for they prize the narwhal 

 highly, not only for the food qualities of its flesh 

 and the abundance of oil which it contains, but for 

 the sinew found in the animal's back and utilized as 

 thread for sewing skins. 



