218 OUR HUMBLE HELPERS 



other material, as wood is one of the rarest things 

 in this country where there is not enough vegeta- 

 tion to furnish even a broomstick. All the wood in 

 use is washed ashore by the sea, from far countries, 

 at the time of heavy storms. So the Eskimo has not 

 always at his disposal the two narrow strips neces- 

 sary. He uses instead two long whalebones, chosen 

 for their shape and curvature. If bones are lacking 

 there remains one last resort. With the intestines 

 of the seal or thongs of skin he ties large fish in two 

 bundles, makes them of the desired shape, and ex- 

 poses them to the frost, which hardens them like 

 stone until summer comes again. Those are the two 

 runners, the two chief pieces of the sled." 



i ' What a queer country, where the people use bun- 

 dles of frozen fish for runners ! " Emile could not but 

 exclaim. 



"But the runner has not yet played out its part. 

 After it has slidden all winter over the snowy plain, 

 it thaws out with the return of warm weather and 

 the fish composing it are popped into the bag of 

 boiling water to cook. ' ' 



"The people eat them?" 



"Why, certainly, my friend; they eat the frame- 

 work of the demolished sled." 



"Once more, I say, if ever those people invite me 

 to dinner I shall decline. I shouldn't relish their 

 licking the food to clean it, nor should I care for fish 

 that had been dragged about for months, nobody 

 knows where." 



"Now that you know about the sled, let us speak 



