Aug. 1857. SEAL-SHOOTING. 43 



at seal-shooting, he is so anxious to secure them 

 for our dogs ; he says they must be hit in the 

 head ; "if you hit him in the beef that is not 

 good," meaning that a flesh-wound does not 

 prevent their escaping under the ice. Petersen 

 and Christian practise an Esquimaux mode of 

 attracting the seals ; they scrape the ice, thus 

 making a noise like that produced by a seal in 

 making a hole with its flippers, and then place 

 one end of a pole in the water and put their 

 mouths close to the other end, making noises in 

 imitation of the snorts and grunts of their 

 intended victims ; whether the device is success- 

 ful or not I do not know, but it looks laughable 

 enough. 



Christian came back a few days ago, like a 

 true seal-hunter, carrying his kayak on his head, 

 and dragging a seal behind him. Only two 

 years ago Petersen returned across this bay 

 with Dr. Kane's retreating party ; he shot a seal 

 which they devoured raw, and which, under 

 Providence, saved their lives. Petersen is a 

 good ice-pilot, knows all these coasts as well as 

 or better than any man living, and, from long 

 experience and habits of observation, is almost 

 unerring in his prognostications of the weather. 

 Besides his great value to us as interpreter, few 

 men are better adapted for Arctic work, — an 



