Wichita eagle., 1889-03-29

/. always try to get near fresh-water lake
' not frozen to the bottom, and dig through
its thick glacial covering to get water, for
otherwise they would have to melt snow or
ice, = and draw heavily on their supply of
seal and walrus oil for fuel
d As have said, to the boys often falls this
work, and as its performance is interesting
Twill describe it as often saw it done on
our long slecge journey of year in length,
py the two Eskimo boys had in my party.
In the first place imagine two heavy fish
ing poles only ten or twelve feet long. On
the end of one is attached ladle holding
about twice as much as soup ladle, while
on the other is a sharp but small chisel or
sharpened spike. These are taken every
where that an Eskimo family moves.
After going into camp, and while the 9TH
er folks are building the snow-houses for
the nights abode, two boys with ice-chisel
and ice-ladle in hand wander out on the ice
Of the lake whose shores they have selected
. for the camp, and look for good place to
dig an ice well.
Z The man requirement is that the lake
J shall not be frozen 10 the bottom at the
point selected, and if it be lake on the
course of a river with slight current flow
ing through it, they may also try 10 getn
best point TO catch fish, many meal OF
which is often drawn through the narrow
well.
To see if the ice has reached the bottom
they will extend themselves at full length
Oh the ice, and put their eyes close to some
clear, crystal place, and try TO peep down
{. ipto its depths.
Although it may be eight feet through
once saw eight feet SIX incheS-they seldom
make mistake as to there being water I'M
derneath, but when they unfortunately do,
so extremely good-natured and patient are
they, that after grinning at each other over
their ill success, they at once start on an
other at some near point
The boy with the ice~chisel digs a hole
about six to eight inches deep and about a
foot In diameter, the depth being the great
est distance he can thrust the chisel into
the mass of broken ice. and then the boy
with the ice-scoop removes this with his in
strument
It will be seen that with each change
from one boy to the other they have
sunk the well from six to eight inches, and
this alienation of cutting and scooping out
is kept going until the water is reached, and
the boys work is done as far as the ice-wen
is concerned, unless they are required to
get their fishing tackle and catch a mess of
fish through the well, an occupation which
probably the majority of boy readers will
seriously oppose being called labor.
The hook is bent piece of metal, usually
sharpened nail or piece of copper wire,
as small boys use a p'n-hook sometimes
and like the small boy with the bent pin,
they depend on not losing the hooked fish
bv pulling it in so rapidly that 1t can not
get off the hook
Their bait is one or two bright ivory
balls made from the tusks Of the walrus,
and about the size of common marbles.
4 Most of the Arctic fish are of that kind that
are sttracted more by bright-looking bats,
than by something really good TO eat.
The line is made from braided slnew from
the reindeer, and is much stronger than
any we have Of the same size To fish with
this tackle the boy lowers the hook with
= IVORY balls below the under surface OF the
ice. and hobs" them up and down until he
gets bite, which is nearly always the
quick. rushing kind never repeated, and he
must be correspondingly active To be sure
of his fish Occasionally bait is used OF
reindeer meat, and then they may have the
same ..nibble" that electrines the nerves CT
our youth in lower climes
In catching their fish the mcst difficult
part TO overcome is not any thing IN their
art of angling, however rude II may be,
but in the raids of the ravenous dogs that
hang in circle arounu the young Usher
man but a few feet away, and watch every
opportunity TO make q rush like pack of
E.starving wolves and steal the fish before he
can make effectual resistance.
Sometimes they upset him in their i'm
{petuous rush, and splash water all over him
(from the well before he can get up, while
some big dog, with fish in his mouth, car
res off his fishing-line wound in a snarl
around his hind leg.
The feeding Of these dogs. not in the