454 



THE POLAR WORLD. 



BARBEKARK AND THE REINDEER, 



held to be a great delicacy, the Innuits never eat that or the head of the bear ; 

 nor, if they can prevent it, will they suffer their dogs to do so. 



The Innuit dogs also sometimes hunt the reindeer. Hall's dogs one day 

 gave chase to a deer, and one of them, Barbekark, sprung at its throat, and bit 

 through skin, windpipe, jugular, and tongue, taking out the piece as clearly as 

 though it had been cut with a knife. Barbekark was brought to the United 

 States by Mr. Hall, and died there. His stuffed skin showed him to be a noble 

 beast of unusual size. 



The walrus enters largely into the supplies of the Innuits. They manifest 

 much courage and skill in harpooning these ungainly beasts. The hunter goes 

 out armed with a lance and a peculiar harpoon made for that purpose. A long 

 hide-rope is attached to the 

 head of the harpoon, and coil- 

 ed around the neck of the 

 hunter, who crawls along un- 

 til he comes within striking 

 distance of the walrus, who 

 lies basking upon the ice. The 

 walrus dives at once ; the hun- 

 ter slips the coil off from his 

 neck, and fastens the end of it 

 to a spear driven into the ice ; 

 thus tethering the animal. As 

 soon as the walrus comes up 



he is dispatched with a long head of reindeer. 



