h which the stone
is fastened to the short shaft of wood or bone. The bones which are
used for food are finely crushed with this implement against a stone
anvil or a whale's vertebra, and then boiled with water and blood,
before being eaten. At first we believed that this dish was intended
for the dogs, but afterwards I had an opportunity of convincing
myself that the natives themselves ate it, and that long before the
time when they suffered from scarcity of provisions. The hammer is
further of interest as forming one of the stone implements which are
most frequently found in graves from the Stone Age. That the hammer
was mainly intended for kitchen purposes appears from the
circumstance that the women alone had it at their disposal, and were
consulted when it was parted with. Along with such hammers there was
to be found in every tent an anvil, consisting of a whale's vertebra
or a large round stone with a bowl-formed depression worn or cut out
in the middle of it.

[Illustration: STONE HAMMERS AND ANVIL FOR CRUSHING BONES.
(One-sixth of the natural size.) ]

During winter a great portion of the inhabitants of Yinretlen,
Pitlekaj, and as far as from Irgunnuk, came daily on board to beg or
buy themselves provisions, and during this period they were fed
mainly by us. They soon accustomed themselves to our food. They
appeared specially fond of pea-soup and porridge. The latter they
generally laid out on a snow-drift to freeze, and then took it in
the frozen form to the tents. Coffee they did not care for unless it
was well sugared. Salt they did not use, but with sugar they were
all highly delighted. They also drank tea with pleasure. Otherwise
water forms their principal drink. They were, however, often
compelled in winter, in consequence of the difficulty of melting
over the train-oil lamps a sufficient quantity of snow, to quench
their thirst with snow. On board they often asked for water, and
drank at once large quantities of it.

Spirits, to which they are exceedingly addicted, they call, as has
been already stated, in conversation with Europeans, "ram," the
pronouncing of the word being often accompanied by a hawking noise,
a happy expression, and a distinctive gesture, which consisted in
carrying the open right hand from the mouth to the waist, or in
counterfeiting the unintelligible talk of a drunken man. Among
themselves they call it fire-water (_akmimil_). The promise of it
was the most efficient means of