234 Our North Land. 



They are exclusively hunters and fishers, and derive nearly the 

 whole of their subsistence from the sea. They use no vegetables, and 

 live exclusively upon the flesh of animals and fish. The seal and 

 other oil-bearing animals, the reindeer, the polar bear, supply them 

 with food, clothing, fuel and light, and frequently also, when drifts 

 wood is scarce, the material for various articles of domestic economy. 



The shuttle-shaped kayak, covered with hairless seal-skin, 

 stretched on a wooden frame, is sometimes made on a frame of bones 

 from the walrus, or horns from the reindeer. I have fully described 

 the kayak in another part of this volume. The Eskimo in this 

 kayak is generally covered with a water-proof entrail dress, tightly 

 fastened round the mouth of the hole in which he sits ; so that, should 

 the craft overturn, which sometimes happens, not a drop of water 

 will enter. A skilful kayaker can turn a complete somersault, 

 kayak and all, through the water. 



The umiak is a flat-bottomed skin luggage boat, open at the top, 

 generally rowed by women. I have seen as many as twenty of these 

 people, men, women and children, in one of these peculiar vessels, 

 They have also the sledge, made of two runners of wood or bone, 

 united by cross bars tied to the runners by walrus thongs, and 

 drawn by from four to eight dogs harnessed abreast. 



Some of their weapons are specimens of great ingenuity. This is 

 particularly the case with the harpoon, with the point detachable 

 after it has struck the seal, narwhal, or white whale. The line to 

 which the harpoon is fastened, with the inflated seal-skin at the end, 

 which tires out the prey, besides marking its course, and buoys it up 

 when dead ; the bird spear, with bladder attached, is a curious con- 

 trivance ; so also is the rib bow. 



They sometimes cook their food, especially wild fowl, but this is 

 done only on rare occasions, and this in stone kettles over the stone 

 lamp with an oil fire. They scarcely ever cook the flesh of the oil- 

 bearing animals, but eat the flesh and drink the oil with a keen relish. 

 They are enormous eaters. Two Eskimos will dispose of a whole seal 

 at one meal. They eat no imported food whatever — no vegetables. 

 Their rations will consist, in scarce times, generally of two and a half 

 to four pounds of flesh with blubber, and, in season, one pound of fish 



