428 



in the Qord ice, and to watch patiently hour by hour for the 

 favourable moment when the animal stuck its nose up through 

 the hole to breathe — for the last time, before the Eskimo 

 buries his harpoon in its head. 



The two stools, which are complete, are essentially of a 

 pattern. Each of them has three loose short legs for sticking 

 in the holes in the under side of the seat. The one of the 

 stools is thereby lifted about 10 cm above the ground; the 

 other a little less. As the holes narrow conically upwards, 

 the pointed ends of the legs, when thrust home into them, 

 are caught in a tight grip. 



The form of the stool is flat, with a broadly curved outline, 

 like an imperfect half-moon, or a rough triangle with one 

 concave and two convex sides. The measurements are as 

 follows: — ■■' 



Inv. Amd. 65: 39'5 cm, direct length from corner to corner, 

 23*5 cm, breadth between the centres of the 

 concave and the convex sides. 



Inv. Amd. 66: 42 cm length, 

 24 cm breadth, 

 3 cm thickness. 



Each of the seats is carved out of a piece of wood (red 

 fir or larch, with the probability in favour of red fir). 



They have evidently been made out of a section of the 

 stem of a big tree; the broad log of wood has been cut in 

 two and dressed so as to peel off the bark (the convex side) 

 and remove the marrow (the concave side). It must have been 

 an enormous labour to produce these large objects of carved 

 wood with primitive stone implements; they testify to a highly 

 developed skill in wood-working. 



Instead of a handle for carrying the stool there is just in- 

 side the middle of the concave edge a semi-circular cutting, 

 the curved side of which is bevelled off" conically, so that the 

 section is larger on the under side than on the upper side of 



