Page 334

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334

tone. [It seemed that] The walrus can only
be caught at their holes or in temporary
cracks when the sea is completely frozen
and such is now the case. This method
of taking the walrus is called utok
it required great care and skill to
enter the harpoon and often fails from
the loss of the line, as the animal
fails to return to the same spot.
It was only the day before Hans' arrival
that they had thus failed. Upon his explaining
they gladly accepted
his offer to accompany them and
shoot his cone ball into the harpooned
animal before he made good his
retreat.

I have not time to detail Hans'
adventurous hunt, equally important
to the scurvied sick of Rensselaer and
the starving residents of Leiper Bays.
Mitek (the Eider Duck) speared a
medium sized walrus and Hans
gave him no less than five Marston
balls before he gave up his struggles.
The beast was carried back in
triumph, and all hands fed as
if an hour before they had not known
famine. It was a regular feast and
the Kabloonak interest was exalted
to the skins. Miserable yet happy
wretches who take no care for the
future, fight against care when it
comes, and enjoy to the full of
their scanty measure of the present.
As a beast the Esquimaux is a
most sensible beast. He is worth a
thousand Calibans, and is certainly
ahead of his cousin the Polar Bear
from whom he borrows his pantaloons.

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