564 THE CENTRAL ESKIMO. 



off the bit close to the lips. They all smack their lips in eating. 

 The Eskimo drink a great deal of water, which is generally kept in 

 vessels standing near the lamps. When the men have finished 

 their meal the women take their share, and then all attack the frozen 

 meat whicli is kept in the storerooms. The women are allowed to 

 participate in this part of the meal. An enormous quantity of meat 

 is devoured every night, and sometimes they only siispend eating 

 when they go to bed, keeping a jjiece of meat within reach in case 

 they awake. 



After dinner the seals, which liave been placed behind the lamps 

 to thaw, are thrown upon the floor, cut up, and the spare meat and 

 skins are taken into the storerooms. If a scarcity of food prevails 

 in the village and a hunter lias caught a few seals, every inhabitant 

 of the settlement receives a piece of meat and blubber, which he takes 

 to his hut, and the successful hiiuter invites all hands to a feast. 



The dogs are fed every second day after dinner. For this purpose 

 two men go to a place at a short distance from the hut, taking 

 tlie frozen food with them, which they split with a hatchet or the 

 point of the spear. While one is breakiiii;- the solid mass the other 

 keeps the dogs ofp by means of the wliiii. but as soon as the food is 

 ready they make a rush at it, and in less tliaii half a minute have 

 swallowed their meal. No dog of a strange team is allowed to steal 

 anything, but is kept at a distance by the dogs themselves and by the 

 whip. If the dogs are very hungry they are harnessed to the sledge 

 in order to prevent an attack before the men are ready. They are 

 unharnessed after the food is prepared, the weakest first, in order to 

 give him the best chance of picking out some good pieces. Sometimes 

 they are fed in the house; in such a case, the food being first prepared, 

 they are led into the hut singly; thus each receives his share. 



All the work being finished, boots and stockings are changed, as 

 they must be dried and mended. The men visit one another and 

 sjjend the night in talking, singing, gambling, and telling stories. 

 The events of the day are talked over, success in hunting is com- 

 pai-ed, the hunting tools requiring mending are set in order, and the 

 lines are dried and softened. Some busy themselves in cutting new 

 ivory implements and seal lines or in carving. They never spend the 

 nights (|uiti' alone, but mi-i-t for social entertainment. During these 

 visits llic heist ]ihiccs a lar.i^c lump of frozen meat and a knife on the 

 side Ix'iicli hchinil the lamp and every one is welcome to help himself 

 to as much as he likes. 



The first comers sit down on the ledge, while those entering later 

 stand or squat in the. passage. When any one addresses the whole 

 assembly he always turns his face to the wall and avoids facing the 

 listeners. Most of the men take off their outer jacket in the house 

 and they sit chatting until very late. Even the young children do 

 not go to bed early. 



