From the polar bear, too, the Innuits learn much. The manner of approaching the seal which is on the ice by its hole basking in the sunshine is from him. The bear lies down and crawls by hitches toward the seal, "talking" to it, as the Innuits say, till he is within striking distance, then he pounces upon it with a single jump. The natives say that if they could "talk" as well as the bear, they could catch many more seals.
The procedure of the bear is as follows: He proceeds very cautiously toward the black speck far off on the ice, which he knows to be a seal. When still a long way from it, he throws himself down on his side, and hitches himself along toward his game. The seal meanwhile is taking its naps of about ten seconds each, ultimately raising its head and surveying the entire horizon before composing itself again to brief slumber. As soon as it raises its head the bear "talks," keeping perfectly still. The seal, if it sees anything, sees but the head, which it takes for that of another seal. It sleeps again. Again the bear hitches himself along, and once more the seal looks around, only to be "talked" to again, and again deceived. Thus the pursuit goes on till the seal is caught, or till it makes its escape, which it seldom does.
In Chapter xv. of this volume there occurs a description of the manner in which a young seal is often used to lure the mother within striking distance of the hunter. This is copied by the Innuits from the habits of the polar bear. This animal finds by his keen scent where a seal's igloo has been built under the snow. He then goes back a little distance, runs and jumps with all his weight upon the dome, breaks it down, and immediately thrusts in his paw and seizes the young seal. Then, holding it by one of its hind
through perhaps eighteen to twenty-four inches depth of snow. When now he hears the seal, he raises his spear, and strikes unerringly through the snow to the seal's head. The animal at once dives, and runs out the full length of the line, one end of which is fast in the hand of the sealer. He proceeds to cut away the deep snow, and to chisel the ice so as to enlarge the top of the seal hole, from which he soon draws forth his prize.
