MURDOCK. } KAIAKS. 331 
with a blind stitch, like the seams already described on the waterproof 
boots, from the inside. These seams are nearly 2 inches wide. The 
longitudinal seam is sewed in the same way from the outside, but 
not so broadly lapped, with the edge turned over into a roll. There 
are two pieces of stout thong stretched across the deck, one forward 
of the cockpit and the other aft, which serve to fasten articles to 
the deck. The thong passes out through a hole in the gunwale, one- 
half inch from the upper edge and 6 inches from the cockpit, on the 
starboard side forward and on the port side aft, and is secured by 
a knot in the end inboard. The other end passes in through a cor- 
responding hole in the other gunwale and is loosely knotted to the deck 
beams, so that the line can be slackened off or tautened up at pleasure. 
Three feet from the bow is a becket for holding spears, ete., fastened 
into two little holes bored diagonally outward through the edge of the 
gunwales. It is of two parts of seal thong, one part twisted round the 
other, but is broken in the middle, so that only one-half of it is left. 
The weight of this kaiak in its present dry condition 1s 32 pounds. 
This is about the ordinary pattern of kaiak used at Point Barrow, 
and is a medium-sized one. These boats are made to fit the size of the 
owner, a youth or small man using a much smaller and lighter kaiak 
than a heavy adult. They are never made to carry more than one per- 
son, and I have never heard of their being used by the women. In 
carrying the kaiak across the land from lake to lake, it is held hovri- 
zontally against the side with the bow pointing forward, by thrusting 
the forearm into the cockpit. We never saw them carried on the head, 
in the manner practised at Fury and Hecla Straits.! 
In entering the canoe the man takes great care to wipe his feet clean 
of sand and gravel, which would work down under the timbers and 
chafe the skin. The canoe is launched in shoal water, preferably 
alongside of a little bank, and the man steadiesit by sticking down his 
paddle on the outer side and holding it with his left hand, while he bal- 
ances himself on his right foot,and with his free hand carefully wipes 
his left foot. He then steps with his left foot into the kaiak, and still 
balancing himself with the help of the paddle, lifts and wipes his right 
foot before he stepsin with that. He then pushes his feet and legs for- 
ward under the raised deck, settles himself in a proper position for 
trimming the boat, and shoves off. As elsewhere, the kaiak is always 
propelled with a paddle. 
No. 89246 [539|, Pig. 340, is the paddle which belongs to the kaiak 
just described. It is 7 feet long. The shaft joining the blades is 
elliptical in section, with its greatest width at right angles to the plane 
of the blades so to present the greatest resistance to the strain of pad- 
dling. The shape of the blade, with rounded tip and thin rounded 
edges is admirally adapted to give the blade a clean entry into the 
‘Lyon, Journal, p. 233. See also Capt. Lyon's figure in Parry’s 2d Voy., pl. opposite p. 274. 
