354 



POINT 1?ARR()W ESKIMO. 



fully 1 lout 

 is csliinatt' 

 IKMiii.ls, In 

 ...miil.Tl.al; 



Ulliv.TSMlly 



It, 



■III!) 



\ sliof of cIcMr ice, as loug as the runner, and 

 inihcs thick. The sledge with these ice runners 

 ,. even when unloaded, upwards of 200 or 300 

 rs that the smoothness of running more than 

 ^tra weight. At any rate these shoes are almost 

 on the sleds which uialic the long journey from 

 the rivers ill tiie siniiig with heavy loads of meat, fish, and skins. One 

 iiati\(", ill l-"i'^'N sliod Ids sledges with salt-water ice in this way before 

 starting for the limiting grounds. As these ice shoes are usuaUy put 

 on at tFie rivers, 1 had no opportunity of seeing the process, though I 

 have seen the sledges thus shod after their return to the \dllage. 

 Lieut. Kay, who saw the process, describes it as follows: 



"From the ice on a pond th.-it is free from fracture they cut the pieces the length 

 of 11 .sled runner, 8 inches thick and 10 inches wide; into these they cut a groove 

 deep enough to receive the sled runner up to the beam; the sled is carefully fitted 

 into the trroove, and secured by pouring in water, a little at a time and allowing it 

 to freeze? Great care is taken in this part of the operation, for should the workman 

 apply more than a few drops at a time, the slab of ice would be split .and the work 

 all to do over again; after the ice is firmly secured the sled is turned bottom np and 

 the ice-shoe is carefully rounded with a knife, and then smoothed by wetting the 

 naked hand aud passing it over the surface until it becomes perfectly glazed." ' 



Til traveling they take great care of these runners, keeping them 

 smooth and jiolislieil, and iiieiidiiig all cracks by pouring in fresh water. 

 Th(^y are also caretiil to shade them from the noonday sun, which at 

 this season of the year is warm enough to loosen the shoes, for thi.s 

 purpose hanging a cloth or skin over the sunny side of the sled.^ 



We were unfortnnately not able to bring home specimens of either style 

 of large sled. The rail sled (kflmoti) isusually about 8 or 9 feet long, and 

 2| to 3 feet wide, and the rail at the back not over 2^ feet high. The 

 thick curved runners, about 5 or 6 inches wide (see diagram, Fig. 356, 



.■iniong the "Netsohillik," of 

 ^iriptiira is somewhat obarure 

 ice. Trenches the length of 

 lome two or threB inches, yet. 



