44 ADVENTURES IN THE NORTHERN SEAS. 



less liable to damage from the ice and the tusks of 

 the walruses than a clinker-built boat, as well as 

 much easier to repair if actually damaged ; these 

 boats have a very thick and strong stem-piece and 

 stern-piece, to resist concussions with the ice. Each 

 man rows with a pair of oars hung in grummets to 

 stout single thole-pins: the steersman directs the 

 boat by also rowing a pair of oars, but rowing with 

 his face to the bow ; and as there are six thwarts, 

 each thirty inches apart, he can, if necessary, sit 

 and row like the others. This mode of steering a 

 boat has great advantages over either a rudder or 

 a single steering oar as used by the whalers, for it 

 not only turns the boat much quicker than either, 

 but it economizes the entire strength of a man in 

 propelling the boat. The advantage of each man 

 rowing a pair of oars is, that the boat can be turn- 

 ed much quicker, and the oars, being short, are less 

 in the way among ice. The harpooner always 

 rows the bow oars, and is, of course, the command- 

 er of the boat ; he alone uses the weapons and the 

 telescope; the strongest man in the boat usually 

 sits next to the harpooner, to hold and* haul in the 

 line when a walrus is struck, and it is also his duty 

 to hand the harpoons and lances to the harpooner 

 as required. 



There is a deep notch cut in the centre of the 

 stem-piece, and three others in a piece of hard wood 

 on each side of it ; these are for the lines running 

 through, and great care is requisite to prevent them 



