HOW I LEARNED TO HUNT SEALS 277 



sees danger in the exposed nature of this breathing place. 



Whether the snow covering the air hole is four inches 

 or four feet, it is granular and porous and the seal is able 

 to suck in air through it to breathe. 



My Eskimo friend had now discovered one of these 

 breathing holes. He knew it was only one of several. 

 If there were only one breathing hole to each seal, the 

 hunter would be bound to get him in a few minutes; but 

 there are many holes and it is a matter of chance whether 

 the seal is using just the one you have discovered. In 

 our case, he was evidently using some other hole for we 

 stood there half the day and nothing happened. We were 

 both so warmly dressed that although the temperature 

 was about 40 ° below zero we did not feel cold even 

 when standing still. 



I got tired of standing still, however, and my Eskimo 

 friend said it would be all right for me to walk around if 

 I would go a hundred yards off. He himself stood 

 motionless on the leeward side of the hole (for the seal 

 has a very keen sense of smell). Under his feet he had 

 a pad of fox skin to give added protection from the cold. 

 In his hand he held his sealing harpoon. Like all Eskimo 

 harpoons, this had a detachable head to which there was 

 attached a strong line — in this case braided caribou sinew, 

 but strong leather thongs are sometimes used. 



We had been there several hours waiting for our seal 

 to rise when another Eskimo came up who had not had 

 luck finding a breathing hole. With his dog the new- 

 comer started searching around in about a fifty-yard 

 circle. Finally his dog found another of our seal's 

 breathing holes. He then took his dog and tethered 

 him over by our dog about a hundred yards away from 

 either hole. The newcomer then set his indicator exactly 



