The Telegraph-courier. [volume] (Kenosha, Wis.) 1888-1946, 1891-02-05

ful Tekel, who knew a little OF the Ian
guage Of the Tchouktchis, and answered at
random:
'sToroma!"
From their miserable looks more than
their gestures, the fugitives understood
what they wanted, and, although tie sup
ply of provisions was approaching the
end, the two poor Wretches had for supper
enough to furnish the two meals of the
next day, and that succeeding, for their APP
petites seemed immense, their hunger in
satiable.
The type Of these natives recalled the
Monaghan type of the old world, combined
with the type of the Indians Of the north of
America-of Behring's Strata field of solid
ice for a part of the year serving as bond
of union between the two races as between
the two continents.
The man wore several reindeer skin
blouses; his head was covered with hairy
hood which also covered his shoulders be-
meath his outside garment His shoes were
made of bear skin with the hair on the ex-
terror. His wife, who was covered with a
number of tunics, tied at the hem SO as TO
form pantaloons and with sleeves open at
the wrists, had her face tattooed with stripes
Of dark blue.
Despite the hunger which tortured him,
the Tchouktchis seemed deeply impressed
by Nadege's beauty which was altogether
new to him. He could not take from her
his admiring and curious eyes, and, as he
examined her, he entered INTO talk with
his wife in which the word kamakay was
often repeated. CA kamakay is chief OF a
tribe)
Then, after having noticed M. Lafeur's
hi:rpoon in a corner, the Tchouktchi SEEM
ed astOnished that he had not been given
slices of seal fat to eat M. Laf1eur made
him understand by gestures that he had
tried to capture seals, but without success.
At this, the native, designating himself by
striking his chest and pointing to the har-
poon and dogs, promised to give, as soon as
day dawned, lesson to the Partisan whom
he took for Russian.
The next day, in fact, the native was not
long in harpooning seal Guided by the
dogs, he reached a breathing-hole Of these
creatures. Then, he sounded the snow with
the harpoon to the depth of two or three
feet for the seal cuts its breathing-hole
through the ice, but stops at the coating of
snow The little opening found, the fisher
man waited patiently and in silence until
second or third breath, the harpoon. swiftly
penetrating the snow, plunged into the head
OF the animal.
The seal dived, and drew out to its full
length the line prepared in advance, which
was fifteen yards long. This line is fasten-
ed to the iron Of the harpoon and the other
extremity is in the hand of the harpooner
The breathing-hole Of the seal, Immediately
cleared of the snow which covered 1t, was
enlarged so as to permit the passage OF the
body Of the animal when it should become
exhausted. The native speedily drew the
seal from the hole and carried it to their
hut.
There, after the lesson in fishing, took
place the lesson in cooking.
While the man cut up the seal, the woman,
in order to be useful, made oil for the lamp
by chewing pieces of the fat Of the animal.
She toiled so arduously at her singular work
that she soon filed wooden jar with Oil OF
her manufacture.
The seal cut up, the. natiye,wby way Of
example, stretched himself upon his back
to be fed by his wife with pieces of the fat,
which she stuffed in his mouth as one stuffs
g. chicken.
cts all overt" cried M. LaAeur, after par
taking Of the seal fat. ''You no longer need
be uneasy about my food, my friends AS
long as there are ice and seals, shall not be
a burden to you and will abandon to you my
share of everything else:"
Yermac, who had allowed to be piled up
before him seal steaks, raw liver, and slices
of fat. hesitated what to do. He had not
tasted of the deer strangled by Wab, and
for very many days his food had been ter
ribly lacking both in quality and quantity.
At length, he decided to taste the seal
flesh, and followed the example OF the Paris
ian.
The Tchouktchi, having met with success,
no longer hesitated about swallowing all
the SNces of the seal within his reach. He
ate pounds and pounds of it, and, when he
had reached the la&t stages of repletion,
threw himself fiat upon the floor of the hut,
abandoning himself to the gigantic work Of
digestion.
The next day, the natives, revictualled for
a time. departed without ceremony, carrying
away the remains of the seal and stealing q
small and curiously worked skin bag liz
which matches were kept.
The fugitives soon had reason to repent
of the kind reception they had given them,
M0anWnll0, M. 1dl1SuE pIOuU6d ny CuSII
teachings One day, after having harpooned
seal, he drew it out of its hole AS he
knelt upon the ice, he felt himself Familiarity
tapped upon the shoulder and thought that
Ladislas had come up behind him. He
pulled the harpoon from the flesh Of the an
imal, but the hand upon his shoulder grew
heavier The Partisan turned and nearly
fell backward on perceiving huge white
bear which had watched the details OF the
narpooning and shamelessly claimed the
animal captured. The bear, taking advant-
age Of the Difference shown it by M. LAT
leur, who yielded place to it, as may readily
be Believed, seized upon the seal and carried
it OF, without as much as growl of thanks,
in the direction of its den. From that mo-
ment, M. Lafeur no longer went harpoon-
ing unless armed with his gun.
The chief of police had, it seems, acquired
taste of seal flesh. After having followed
the Partisan once or twice, he borrowed ms
harpoon and succeeded in capturing superb
seal, the best cuts of the fat of which ne