THE ARCTIC FOX. 75 



Concealing the prey. 



at the bottom, and thus tumbled the whole down, 

 or one of them climbed up, and with incredible 

 artifice and dexterity threw down what was 

 upon it. 



" They watched all our motions, and accom- 

 panied us in whatever we were about to do. If 

 the sea threw up any animal, they devoured it 

 before we could arrive to rescue it from them: 

 and if they could not consume the whole at once, 

 they trailed it in portions to the mountains ; 

 where they buried it under stones before our 

 eyes, running to and fro as long as any thing re- 

 mained to be conveyed away. While this was 

 doing, others stood on guard, and watched us. 

 If they saw any one coining at a distance, the 

 whole troop would combine at once and begin 

 digging altogether in the sand, till even a beaver 

 or sea-bear in their possession would be so com- 

 pletely buried under the surface, that not a trace 

 of it could be seen. In the night-time, when we 

 slept in the field, they came and pulled off our 

 night-caps, and stole our gloves from under our 

 heads, with the beaver coverings, and the skins 

 that ^e lay upon. In consequence of this, we 

 always slept with our clubs in our hands ; that if 

 they awoke us we might drive them away, or 

 knock them down. 



" When we made a halt to rest by the way, 

 they gathered around us, and played a thousand 

 tricks in our view; and when we sat still, they 

 approached us so near that they gnawed the 



