656 



THE WORLD 8 WONDERS. 



then cut away the snow, two feet in depth, covering the seal-hole, 

 and removing still more with my spear, he chiseled away the ice- 

 lining just above the hole. Soon the seal came up to breathe, 

 and then the death-blow was given to it by a thrust of the spindle 

 of the spear directly into the thin skull. The prize was drawn 

 forth a larger seal than either Ou-e-la's or Ar-mou's. Again 

 the air resounded with shouts and joyous laughter. It was the 

 first case among them of a white man's success in harpooning." 

 Another method of killing seals is to place a screen of canvas 

 on a sledge, and cautiously push it toward the wary animals unti'l 



SHOOTING SEALS FROM BEHIND A SCREEN. 



within range, and then shoot them through a hole near the 

 center of the screen, made for that purpose, the hunter remain- 

 ing concealed behind the screen. 



HUNTING THE POLAR BEAR. 



As the Polar bear is as great a seal-hunter as the Esquimaux, 

 one of the usual methods employed by the latter to catch 

 bears is to imitate the motions of the seal by lying flat, on the ice 

 until the hear approaches sufficiently near to insure a good aim ; 

 but a gun is necessary to practice this stratagem with success. 

 The Esquimaux have another ingenious mode of capturing the 



