THE KAYAK 51 
harpoon and at the other to an inflated bladder, 
the lance, and other weapons and instruments, to 
which in modern times the rifle has been added, 
are all within easy reach of the kayaker and are 
held in place by pieces of hide stretched across 
the deck. The white linen at the bow of the 
kayak shown in Fig. 20 is believed to be mis- 
taken by seals for a block of ice. A small flat piece 
of wood suspended underneath near the bow 
serves as a drift-rudder and helps to keep the boat 
straight when paddled against a strong wind or 
when it is forced backwards by the recoil of the 
kayaker’s rifle. Narrow pieces of the bones of a 
whale are attached to the keel at both bow and 
stern as protection against ice or the rough ground 
on a beach. At the butt of the harpoon-shaft is a 
bone knob or two bone ‘wings’: bone is used for 
the fore-shaft of both harpoon and lance, also for 
the barbs of the bird-dart as well as for buttons 
and other small accessories. The fore-shaft of the 
harpoon ‘and lance is held by a very ingenious 
arrangement of thongs of hide to the main shaft, 
which keeps it in place and at the same time allows 
the fore-shaft to be loosened and detached without 
being broken as it yields to the sudden jerk given 
by the diving harpooned seal. Walrus and Nar- 
whal tusks, as well as whale-bone and in recent 
years Reindeer antlers, supply the bone used in 
the construction of certain parts of the kayak and 
its accessories. The two rather narrow blades of 
the paddle have strips of bone on the edges and at 
the ends, the chief use of which is to prevent the 
4-2 
