Essex County herald. [volume] (Guildhall, Vt.) 1873-1964, 1885-07-24

I
places cut in his hide so as to secere more
lines, and by means of working at alter
nate ends he is placed above the water,
or far enough at least to allow them to
begin cutting him up. This is done into
ten or twelve divisions of about one hun.
bred and fifty pounds each, one side of
each huge cube being the skin. These
pieces are folded over so that the edges
of the skin come together, when they
arc sewed with lashing, and each bun
die, therefore, has only the skin outside,
and in this condition can defy the teeth
of anything in the world, so tough is
the hide. The head, one fore-fipper
and one hind one falls to the man who
struck the walrus, and the rest is divided
among the hunters, to be again divided
and divided and divided with each new
party they may encounter until is is eaten
up. These bundles of meat are taken
to the nearest island-for Walrus island
is submerged at the highest tides
and each bundle covered with huge stones
to prevent the depredations of polar
bears, wolves and other Arctic carnivo-
rae. In the spring time, when the ice
hOO oblll 10 dlOHS anu
Gus cakes of ice are to be seen floating
everywhere. the walrus prefers these
readily accessible places to the smooth
granite slope of $5e islands, and at this
time his pursuit and capture is nearly
the same as before. In the winter time,
however, when the intensely cold weather
is upon them and they would not dare to
launch kiak, or boat, as the ice would
form around it as fast as the water
touched it anywhere, the method of pur-
suit varies, and on the side of excite
ment, too. Not less than two hunters
are essential for a capture, and when
they have succeeded in crawling within
few hundred feet of their victim
through the rough, hummocky ice for
at these times the walrus keeps very near
the water, so near that the merest motion
is enough to throw him into the water,
for he cannot remain away from it long
in the intense cold.
The harpoon is buried in the hide, and
as the animal rolls in the water, there
being no boat to throw in after him, the
two hunters must keep a firm hold on
the line. AS he pulls away they slowly
pay out the line with a constantly in
creasing resistance until the walrus gives
way to it little, when they take in all
the slack with lightning like rapidity,
and this playing backward and forward,
like an angler with huge game fish on
his light line and pole, is kept up until
the animal is so exhausted that he allows
himself to be pulled up alongside and
killed with thrust from a lance or a
shot through the head or neck. If fire.
arms are used, however, he may be shot
at any stage of the proceedings when he
is quiet enough for an aim. The greatest
danger in this chase is from the line
being cut over the sharp edge of the ice
where the wounded beast may drag it,
and to avoid this and to pay out and pull
in the line properly is an art in Eskimaux
hunting craft that only reaches perfection
in the most expert and strongest hunters
of the tribe. Alongside of it the method
with the float attached, in the summer
time, is as mere child's play, and all
struck are secured, with very few ex-
ceptions, while by the latter way the
numbers secured are much less, and
worst of all to the Innuit mind when o
walrus is lost so is his line. Much care
and attention is put on this part of the
weapon as upon ltsrunning out smoothly
without snarls or twists depends no little
of the safety of the hunter who has it
wound around his neck until completely
paid out. The walrus has about an inch
and half to two inches of blubber di-
rectly under his skin, and this is used by
the natives to get oil for their lamps
while they devour large quantities of
the blubber especially during the severe
cold of winter. The meat and blubber
are eaten both cooked and raw. The
tough hide cut into strips about foot
long are used as dog food, and is the
best material in the Arctic regions for
that purpose, half dozen to dozen Of
these tid-bits given to dog every other
day being sufficient to keep him in fine
condition right along whatever kind of
work he may be doing. Sometimes the
natives cook it for day or two in their
simmering kettles and it becomes friable,
but otherwise it is as tough as sole
leather, and to eat it it must be cut in
small bits that can be swallowed at
once, as chewing it would have no more
effect than it would on a trade dollar.
In fact, the Russians used to take warus
hide and. cutting it into little bits, coined
it into money, and found it as service.
able as metal. AS the writer lived on
little pieces of walrus hide for nearly 6
week, his observations were very practi
cal, and, combined with those of the
man in the West who recently swallowed
the trade dollar, considerable informa
ton might be obtained by the congress
sional committee on minis and coinage al
to future currency. Combined with
the sharp bristle hairs, walrus hide i.
about as palatable as a wire hair brush
Lieutenant ScbWatka. IN NeO Yorl
World. T..