THE KAYAK. 



64 THE LAST CRUISE OF THE MIRANDA. 



from the birch-bark canoe of the North American Indian, and 

 is remarkably well adapted to the uses required of it. It is built 

 of a frame of wood or bone, about twenty feet in length and 

 two and a half in breadth. A covering of sealskin, perfectly 



water- 



- ■•"-" '-' " '" — - „,. . .,^...,.^—, proof, is 



tightly 

 stretched 

 over the 

 I' r a m e , 

 and in 

 the mid- 

 dle of the 



top there is a hole just large enougli to permit the 

 kayaker to get his body in and take his seat on the bottom 

 of the boat with his legs stretched out in front of him. He 

 wears a sealskin coat with a hood over his head, and the coat 

 fits tightly around a rim round the aperture of the kayak, 

 so that it is impossible for any water to get into the boat. A 

 double paddle flaring at both ends is used, and the kayak is 

 sent over the water with great swiftness. It is wonderful to 

 see these little fellows go skimming over the water in their 

 canoes. They can perform all kinds of antics with the 

 ease of an acrobat, and are rather fond of showing off their 

 skill. They can turn complete somersaults in the water, 

 turning over and righting themselves with the greatest ease ; 

 and another form of sport is to spurt the boat forward and to 

 jump completely over the bow of another boat. In these 

 little canoes they hunt the seal and walrus, and all game to be 

 found above or under the water, and the boats are equipped 

 with various ingenious implements of the chase. There are 

 different kinds of fishing tackle, and a bird-spear of wood, 

 pointed with a bone spear-head, and a circle of barbed bone 

 lance-heads contrived so as to give a whirling motion to the 



