concussions with the ice. The oars hang in rope grommets 
to stout single thole-pins, and the steersman directs the boat 
by rowing with his face to the bow. The boats are invari¬ 
ably painted white, to make them inconspicuous as possible. 
“Each boat is provided with harpoons, ice-picks, ice an¬ 
chor, and telescope; a compass, a keg of water and biscuit 
are also included in the boat’s appurtenances, and are par¬ 
ticularly essential, since the sudden dense fogs of these re¬ 
gions often obscure the ship so completely, even at a short 
distance, that it is an easy matter to get lost in the laby¬ 
rinth of ice. 
“As the boat approaches the seal, the hunters kneel in 
the bow, with nothing visible but their white-capped heads; 
the oarsmen lie flat, and even the steersman, whose white 
coat makes him less distinguishable from the surrounding 
ice, rows in a crouching position.” 
It is difficult to shoot a seal; that is, to shoot him in such a 
way as to get possession of him when shot. Unless the bul¬ 
let hits the head and kills instantly, the seal flops from the 
ice into the water and, though he may be mortally wounded, 
usually does not rise again, for even after death the carcass 
of seal will not float. Seal holes are to be found only where 
there is bay or shore ice, or far in on large ice fields. On 
the floes the seal invariably lies near the edge. 
Our seal were brought on board, so that we might see 
them, and then flensed. 
Ordinarily, however, when the seal is killed the boat is 
anchored to the floe, and the flensing done on the ice while 
the body is still warm. The skin is washed; then, on deck, 
the crew have the greasy task of “making-off” blubber. 
“Making-off blubber” is the process by which the layer of fat 
is separated from the skin. The skins are hung blubber side 
up on a wide board frame mounted at an angle of about 
sixty degrees, which is placed on deck when to be used. One 
or two men, clad in oil-skins and armed with large knives 
sharp as razors and slightly curved along the edge, stand 
behind the frame. By a short, sweeping stroke they slice 
off the blubber, which rolls away of its own weight, like a 
thick, oily blanket. It really looks quite appetizing, and after 
seeing it, one can better understand why the Eskimos regard 
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