136 SPORT, TRAVEL, AND ADVENTURE 



seals are hunted in entirely different ways at different 

 times of the year. 



During the entire winter season they keep holes 

 open through the shore ice, but because of the depth 

 of the snow are not seen until the warm spring sun 

 exposes their hiding-places. The Eskimo has, however, 

 a way of finding them out before this. He harnesses 

 a dog that has been trained for the work, and, armed 

 with his seal harpoon, leads him out to the snow- 

 covered field, where the two walk in a zig-zag course, 

 until the sagacious animal catches the scent of the 

 seal and takes his master straight to its secret abode. 

 Here, under the hard-crusted snow, it has formed for 

 itself quite a commodious dwelling, but, unlike the 

 Eskimo snowhouse, its doorway opens into the water 

 instead of into the air. This doorway, which is in 

 the form of a round hole, just large enough to admit 

 the seal, is kept from freezing up by the wary animal, 

 which ever keeps itself in readiness, upon the slightest 

 suspicion of danger, to plunge into it. 



Usually upon the arrival of the hunter, the seal, if 

 at home, hearing footsteps above, quickly vacates the 

 premises. The Eskimo then, taking advantage of its 

 absence, ascertains the exact locality of the hole in the 

 ice, by thrusting his long, slender spear down through 

 the snow. .When the exact position of the hole is 

 found, its centre is marked by erecting a little pinnacle 

 of snow directly above it. 



This done, a long and tedious wait follows, during 

 which time the patient hunter often suffers much from 

 the cold, for he is obliged to remain quite still, not 

 uncommonly from early morning until evening. In 

 order to keep the feet from freezing", while thus remain- 



