Norwich bulletin., 1909-09-21

 spring In the fall, when the harmon izing influence of the sun is with drawn, there begins a battle of the clements which continues it's smoky agitation until stilled by the hopeless frost of early night.
 At this time, though field work was painful the needs of our venture fore ed us to persistent action in the chase of walrus. seal. narwhal and white whale We harvested food and fuel.
 Before winter ice spread over the hunting grounds. ptarmigan, hare and reindeer were sought to supply the table during the long night with deli cacies, while bear and fox pleased the palates of the Eskimos, and their pelts clothed all
 Many long journeys were made to secure an important supply of grass to pad boots and mittens and also to secure moss, which serves as wick Tor the Eskimo lamp. The months or September and October were Gfleed important periods of anxious seeking for reserve supplies.
 Aid from the Eskimos.
 There was a complex activity sud denly stimulated along the Greenland coast. which did not require general supervision. The Eskimos knew what was required without a word from us. and knew better than we did where to find the things worth while. An outline of the polar campaign was sent from village to village, with lew general instructions.
 Each local group of natives was to fill an important duty and bring to- gether the tremendous amount of ma terial required for our house and sled equipment Each Eskimo village has as a rule. certain game advantages. In some places foxes and hares were abundant Their skins were Tn great demand for coats and stockings, and Eskimos must not only gather the ! greatest number possible, but must prepare the skins and make them in- to properly fitting garments.
 In some places reindeer was abundant This skin was very much 1 in demand for sleeping bags, while the sinew was required for thread Tn | still other places seal was the luck or the chase and it's skin was one of our most important needs. Of it boots were i ordered and an immense amount of | line and lashings was prepared. Thus in one way or another every man. woman and most of the children | of this tribe of 250 people were kept | tus, in the service of the eNpedltion- 1 The work was we'll done and with much better Knowledge of the fitness 1 of things than could be done by any | UOSEiBlC tAitS CA Use of the NarwhaI.
 The quest of the walrus and the mar whaI came in our own immediate plan of adventure. The unicorn. or mar whal does not often come under the eye of the white man. though one or | the first animals to leave our shores. l It gave for a brief spell good results i in sport and useful material. The | blubber is the pride of every house. keeper, for it gives a long. hot flame ! to the lamp with no smoke 10 spot the igloo finery. The skin is regarded as quite a delicacy.
 Cut into squares it looks and tastes l like scallops, with only a slight aroma of train oil.
 ! The meat dries easily and is thus prized as an appetizer or as lunch to | be eaten en route in sled or kayak. | In this shape it was an extremely useful thing for us, for it took the place of pemmican for our less urgent journeys.
 The narwhal. which. apart from it's usefulness, is most interesting to deni- | zens of the Arctic deep, played in schools far off shore. usually along | the edge of large ice. Its long ivory tusks rose under spouts of breath and | spray.
 l When this glad sight was noted ev- cry kayak about camp was manned and the filter of skin canoes went l like birds over the water. Some of the
 Eslximos rose to the ice fields and de- | iivered harpoons from a secure footing. 1 Others hid behind floating fragments | of heavy ice and made a sudden rush | as the animals passed
 i Still others came up in the rear for | the narwhal cannot easily see back
 ward and does not often turn to watch | cn
 that it can easily Keep ahead of other | troublesome creatures.
 Hunting the Narwhal.
 The harpoon is always delivered at
 close range. When the dragging float
 marked the end of the line in tow of | the frightened creature, the line of skin I canoes followed The narwhal is timid
 by nature. Fearing to rise for breath.
 he plunged along until nearly strangu-
 iated. When 1t did come up there were | several Eskimos near with drawn
 lances. which inflicted deep gashes. ! Again the narwhal plunged deep | down with but one breath and hurried | along as best it could. But it's speed | slackened and a line of crfmsoni mark ed it's hidden path. Loss of blood and 1! want of air did not give it chance to I fight. Again it came up with spout
 Again the lances were hurled.
 The battle continued for several hours, with many exciting adventures, | but in the end the narwhal always succumbed, offering d prize of several | thousands of pounds of meat and blub- Der. Victory as a rule was not gained
 until the hunters were far from home also far from the shore line. But the Eskimo is a courageous hunter and an intelligent seaman.
 To the huge carcass fran kayaks
 were hitched in a long line Towing
 is slow. wind and sea combining to make the task difficult and dangerous One sees nothing of the narwhal and
 very little of the kayak, for dashins seas wash over the little craft, but the double -bladed paddles see-saw with the regularity of a pendulum.
 Homecoming takes many hours and
 engenders a prodigious amount of hard work, but there is energy to spare, for
 a wealth of meat and fat is the cul- imitation of all Eskimo ambition
 Seven of these ponderous animals were brought in during five days. mak- ing a heap of more than forty thOu-
 sand pounds of food and fuel. Then the narwhal suddenly disappeared and we saw no more of them.
 l Three white whales were also ob- / tained in similar way at Etah al
 about the same time.
 (The fourth instalnnent of Dr.. Cooks story vii. be printed in The Bulletin