44 G. Holm. 



many other things, the Greenlanders travel in the ice-filled waters 

 where a rushing stream often grinds the ice-floes against each 

 other; where one has on one side the ice-fiUed , or, as it may be, 

 rough open sea, without the shelter of islands or rocks, and on the 

 other a steep rocky coast, where they can only land at certain 

 spots, which occur few and far between, just where the coast 

 flattens out sufficiently to allow baggage to be landed and boats 

 to be hauled on shore. 



Skin-boats, however, have in these waters great advantages over 

 other boats. In the first place, they hold a good deal on account 

 of their flat-bottomed form. They are easily hauled up on land, or, 

 as it may be, onto the ice; they are light to carry; and in case of 

 injury, for instance, a hole in the skin — which may very easily 

 happen, when the ice is sharp and compact — the damage can 

 immediately be redressed by stopping a piece of blubber in the 

 leak, and it can be quickly repaired with needle and thread. Even 

 if the boat is crushed between the ice so that some of the frame- 

 work breaks, it can still be used, if only the skin keeps tight. The 

 Greenlanders manage their frail umiaks with admirable ingenuity 

 and endurance even under the most adverse conditions. 



Both umiaks and kaiaks, and also to some extent the tents are 

 each spring provided with new skins. 



In winter the umiaks are laid with the bottom upwards on 

 heavy wooden props, or on stones, which raise them high over the 

 ground. Under the boats are kept kaiaks, hunting implements, 

 skins, and provisions which they have taken from the provision 

 chambers for household use (figs. 84, 85). 



The "List of the inhabitants of the East coast of Greenland" 

 (part III) shows the number of tents, umiaks, and kaiaks they pos- 

 sessed, compared with those of the West coast. 



Sledges. — In winter they use sleds driven by dogs both for 

 travelling and hunting. The sleds are long and narrow, with broad 

 uprights at the back. The separate parts of the sled are lashed 

 together by rawhide cords, and under the runners they have a 

 bone tire (figs. 36, 71, 72). 



The dimensions of a sled of average size are: 



Lengtii 5^4 feet 



Breadth at tlie bottom VI2 — 



Height Ч2 to 3|4 _ 



The runners diverge from each other outwards. The height of 

 the uprights is 2 feel, and the breadth at the upper edge of the 



