172 



SECOND VOYAGE FOR THE DISCOVERY 



1822. wor k f a sea ] an( j that it was probable the animal was about to complete his 



February r r 



v^v^/ hole and to come up on the ice, in which case the man would endeavour to 

 kill him. We watched the man at the hole, however, with a glass, for more 

 than half an hour, observing him constantly putting his head down towards the 

 ice, as if in the act of listening for the seal, but without otherwise changing 

 his position ; after which, he followed us on board without success. 



If, however, a man has any reason to suppose that a seal is at work beneath, 

 he immediately attaches himself to the place, and seldom leaves it till he has 

 succeeded in killing the animal. For this purpose, he first builds a snow- 

 wall about four feet in height, to shelter him from the wind, and, seating him- 

 self under the lee of it, deposits his spear, lines, and other implements upon 

 several little forked sticks inserted into the snow, in order to prevent the 

 smallest noise being made in moving them when wanted. But the most 

 curious precaution to the same effect consists in tying his own knees together, 

 with a thong, so securely as to prevent any rustling of his clothes which 

 might otherwise alarm the animal. In this situation, a man will sit quietly 

 sometimes for hours together, attentively listening to any noise made by the 

 seal, and sometimes using the keip-kuttuk, an instrument hereafter described, 

 in order to ascertain whether the animal is still at work below. When he 

 supposes the hole to be nearly completed, he cautiously lifts his spear, to 

 which the line has been previously attached, and as soon as the blowing of 

 the seal is distinctly heard, and the ice consequently very thin, he drives it 

 into him with the force of both arms, and then cuts away with his panna the 

 remaining crust of ice, to enable him to repeat the wounds and get him out. 

 The neitiek is the only seal killed in this manner and, being the smallest, is 

 held, while struggling, either simply by hand, or by putting the line round 

 a spear with the point stuck into the ice. For the oguke, the line is passed 

 round the man's leg or arm ; and for a walrus, round his body, his feet being 

 at the same time firmly set against a hummock of ice, in which position these 

 people can from habit hold against a very heavy strain. Boys of fourteen or 

 fifteen years of age consider themselves equal to the killing of a neitiek, but 

 it requires a full-grown person to master either of the larger animals. 



Sun, 17. On the 17th, a number of the Esquimaux coming before the church service, 

 we gave them to understand, by the sun, that none could be admitted before 

 noon, when they quietly remained outside the ships till divine service had been 

 performed. We then endeavoured to explain to Iligluik that every seventh 

 day they must not come to the ships, for, without any intention of offending, 



