ARCTIC FOX, 
275 
digging altogether in the sand, till even a beaver 
cr sea-bear in their possession, would be completely 
buried under the surface, that not a trace of it 
could be seen. In the night-time, when we slept 
in the field, they came and pulled off our nights 
caps, and stole our gloves from under our heads, 
with the beaver-coverings, and the skins that we 
lay upon. In consequence of this, we always 
slept with our clubs in our hands, that if they 
awoke us we might drive them away or knock 
them down. 
When we made a halt to rest by the way, they 
gathered around us, and played a thousand tricks 
in our view ; and when we set still, they approach- 
ed us so near that they gnawed the thongs of our 
shoes. If we lay down as if intending to sleep, 
they came and smelt at our noses, to find whether 
we were dead or alive. On our first arrival, they 
bit off the noses, fingers, and toes of our dead, 
while we were preparing the grave ; and thronged 
in such a manner about the infirm and sick, 
that it was with difficulty we could keep them 
off. 
“ Every morning we saw these audacious animals 
patrolling about among the sea-lions and sea-bears, 
lying on the strand ; smelling at such as were 
asleep, to discover whether some of them might 
not be dead ; if that happened to be the case, they 
proceeded to dissect him immediately, and soon 
afterwards all were at work in dragging the parts 
away. Because the sea-lions sometimes in their 
sleep over-lay their young, the foxes every morn- 
ing examined the whole herd of them, one by one, 
as if conscious of this circumstance ; and im- 
mediately dragged away the dead cubs from their 
dams. 
<c As they would not suffer us to be at rest either 
by night or day, we became so exasperated against 
