BOAS.] TRAVELING BY SLEDGE. 535 



Particularly in crossing cracks the weight must be as near the head 

 as possible, for if the jump should be unsuccessful a heavy weight 

 at the hind part would draw the sledge and the dogs into the water. 

 The load is fastened to the sledge by a long lashing (naqetarun). 

 This is tied to the first cross bar and after passing over the load is 

 drawn over the notch of the next bar, and so on from one notch, over 

 the load, to a notch on the opposite side. After having been fastened 

 in this way it is tightened. Two men are required for the work, one 

 pulling the lashing over the notch, the other pressing down the load 

 and lifting and lowering the thong in order to diminish the friction, 

 thus making the pulling of the other man more effective. The end 

 is fastened to the brow antler. Implements which are used in trav- 

 eling are hung upon the antlers at the back of the sledge. In spring, 

 when the snow is melting and water is found under it, the travelers 

 frequently carry in their pouch a tube for drinking (Fig. 489). 



J 



Fin. 48(1, Tube for (IriiikiTig. (National JIuseum, Wa-shington. 10383.) } 



When the sledge has been loaded the dogs are hitched to it and 

 the driver takes up the whip and is ready for starting. The handle 

 of the whip is about a foot or a foot and a half in length. It is 

 made of wood, bone, or whalebone and has a lash of from twenty 

 to twenty-five feet in length. The lash is made of walrus or ground 

 seal hide, the lower end being broad and stiff, thus giving it greater 

 weight and a slight springiness near the handle, which facilitates 

 its use. A broad piece of skin clasps the handle, to which it is tied 

 with seal thongs. Another way of making the lower part heavy is 

 by plaiting ground seal lines for a length of a foot or a foot and a half. 



When starting the driver utters a whistling guttural sound which 

 sounds like h! hi, but cannot exactly be expressed by letters, as there 

 is no vowel in it, and yet on account of the whistling noise in the 

 throat it is audible at a considerable distance. The dogs, if well 

 rested and strong, jump to their feet and start at once. If they are 

 lazy it requires a great deal of stimulating and lashing before they 

 make a start. If the load is heavy it is difficult to start it and the 

 Eskimo must use some strategy to get them all to pull at once. The 

 sledge is moved backward and forward for about a foot, so as to 

 make a short track in which it moves easily. Then the driver 

 sings out to the dogs, at the same time drawing the traces tight 

 with his hands and pulling at the sledge. The dogs, feeling a 

 weight at the traces, begin to draw, and when the driver suddenly 

 lets go the traces the sledge receives a sudden pull and begins to 

 move. If assistance is at hand the sledge may be pushed forward 

 until it gets under way. 



