Bellows Falls times. [volume] (Bellows Falls, Vt.) 1856-1965, 1872-01-19
Life in Greenland.

tnOntns lnc sun ueNei eebo thiouShOpt
the twenty-tour hours, he is seen describ-
ing his brilliant circuit in the northern
skies. In July, you watch his descent
toward the horizon till he seems to dip
his golden edge into the sea then, SEEM
ing to pause in his course for moment,
he mounts again into the heavens
While we were there, month later, the
sun disappeared for less than four hours,
| had watched his setting at ten p. NJ,
covering sea and sky with gold and pur-
pie but the heavens remained bright
with mellow light, by which read dur
ing the brief night; and at one A. NJ, he
re-appeared in glory. This was novel
ty, and | felt free from the slavery OF
hours, but that prolonged day brought
with it strange excitement. / knew not
when to retire, when to rise. Bells call
ed US to breakfast, lunch and dinner =
bells called us to repose and aroused US
from our fitful slumber.
This heightened day is followed BY an
equally long night, which brings mental
depression. Men are moping, testy, i'm
aginative, and appear colorless as potato
sprouts growing in dark cellar. Even
the dogs suffer from the prolonged dark
ness. Yet Greenland is not without
some bounties of Providence. During
the brief summer, the valleys are green
with moses. Some flowers have been
found as far north as 500. OF course
there are no forests, but, as substitute,
quantities of drift-wood, from North
American rivers, are gathered on the
coast and used for timber But if Da-
ture is scanty in hersupply of vegetation
she is abundant in her supply of fish,
fowl and beast. The waters abound in
salmon, Goldfish, sturgeon, whales, the
walrus and the seal. The very air is
sometimes darkened with ducks, geese
and quail But the reindeer, the walrus
the seal and the beaver are of the great
est value to the Esquimaux, both for
food and raiment. What the cocoanut-
palm, that tree of hundred uses, is to
the people of the Indies, and the olive
tree is the inhabitants Of Palestine, the
reindeer is to the people of Greenland.
The flesh, the tongue, the marrow in the
bones are delicacies; the blood is nour-
ishing beverage; the skin not only fur
nishes clothing impervious to the cold,
but also tents and bedding; and out oi
the bones and horns are made all neces-
sary household utensils. When an Es-
quimaux catches a reindeer, he has, on
four legs larder we'll filled, wardrobe
: well supplied, house we'll furnished.
Next to the deer, the walrus is Of most
: value to Greenlanders. It was on a
; bright August day, when for the first
time | saw herd of these immense
: beasts. The largest was not less than
= twenty feet long, and weighed two thous.
A and pounds. The neck was short and
j, thick, the head small, the tusks long, and
4 the feet resembled broad, fn-like pad
dies. When on land their movements
are slow and awkward, but in the water
, they move with great rapidity and pow
: er. When pursued by the hunter they
. display almost human intelligence. When
in winter the walrus comes out of the
water, he breaks up the ice with an ex.
y plosive puff which may be heard fol
> miles. In the meantime the hunter i,
! lying on the ice awaiting the favored
:, moment. His instrument of attack is 8
: large harpoon, to which is fastened 8
f strong line, of many fathoms in length
). made of walrus-hide. The other end o.
. the line is attached to a rod of bont
:, pointed with iron, to be driven into the
! ice. The moment comes. The walrui
rises breast-high above the ice, and look
= around as if half suspicious that some
\ foe is nigh. In an instant the hunter il
on his feet, and the harpoon is buried
a under the fipper of the breast. With des
4 peration the walrus plunges beneath tht
= water, and the hunter drives the iron
! pointed rod into the solid ice, which
r. holds the line securely. Finding himsel
/. fast, the wounded beast comes to the sur
= face again, looks around, observes wher,
|, the stick is that holds tight the line
again descends, comes up and breaks th,
ice Just wherethe staff had been planted
but knowing the cunning of the walru1
a the hunter has hauled in his line ant
a planted his stick in another place. Auc
ID thus the struggle goes on between skill
,e and force, till the beast is exhausted ant
. the game secured. But with all hi
strength and cunning, the walrus is n,
match for the polar bear Iu August th
of walrus makes his way to the shore, draw
, his huge body upon the rocks and ther
re basks in the sunshine. Ever watchini
to for his prey, the bear mounts the over
e. hanging cliffs, aud lifting a large rocl
with his forepaws, and calculating th
ee distance and the curvature with the &C