nds in the bow with his harpoon, or iron spear, which is stuck on a
shaft one or two fathoms long, and is provided with a leathern thong
of considerable length, to which are attached from five to ten
bladders of seal skin. If the whale be struck he immediately dives to
the bottom of the sea, where he remains till he is quite exhausted,
when he again comes to the surface of the water to breathe; in the
meanwhile the boat's crew observe all its motions, and are in
readiness with their lances to complete the business, during which,
the person who first struck the fish, falls down on his face in the
fore part of the boat, and prays that Torngak would strengthen the
thongs that they may not break; another of the crew allows his feet to
be bound, as a symbol of what he desires, then attempting to walk,
falls down and exclaims, "Let him be lame!" and a third, if he
observes that the whale is dying, calls out, "Now Torngak is there,
and will help us to kill the fish, and we shall eat his flesh, and
fare sumptuously, and be happy!" But if the whale appears likely to
escape, the first continues lying on his face crying out with
vehemence, "Hear yet, and help us!" If the whale get off, some of
their conjurors inform them that Torngak was not there, or he did not
hear, or he was otherwise employed! Seals are more abundant, and are
the chief dependance of the natives, their flesh serving for food,
their skins for clothes and covering to their tents and boats, and
their blubber for oil or for exchange. Catching the seal was formerly
a tedious and laborious process, but now they are generally taken in
nets, which the natives have adopted from the Europeans.

Salmon and salmon-trout are caught in every creek and inlet; they
remain in the rivers and fresh-water lakes during the winter, and
return to the sea in spring. The Esquimaux about Okkak and Saeglak,
catch them in winter under the ice by spearing. For this purpose they
make two holes in the ice, about eight inches in diameter, and six
feet asunder, in a direction from north to south. The northern hole
they screen from the sun by a bank of snow about four feet in height,
raised in a semi-circle round its southern edge, and form another
similar bank on the north side of the southern hole, sloped in such a
manner as to reflect the rays of the sun into it. The Esquimaux then
lies down, with his face close to the northern aperture, beneath which
the water is strongly illuminated by the