DOI Page / Citation link:
https://doi.org/10.11588/diglit.70302#0335
ACCOUNT OF THE ARCTIC FOXES.
299
mean time, stood on guard and watched us. If they
saw any one coming at a distance, the whole troop would
join, and begin digging altogether in the sand, till a
beaver or a sea-bear would be so completely buried under
the surface, that not a trace of it could be seen. In the
night time when we were asleep, they came and pulled
off our night-caps, and stole our gloves from under our
heads with the beaver-coverings, and the skins that we
lay upon. In consequence of this, we always slept with
sticks by our sides, that if they awoke us, we might
drive them away, or knock them on the head.
When we made a halt to rest by the way, they
gathered round us, and played a thousand tricks in our
sight, and when wTe sat still, they approached so near as
to gnaw the thongs of our shoes. If we lay down, as
if intending to sleep, they came and smelt at our noses,
to discover whether we were dead or alive; if we held
our breath, they gave us such a tug by the nose, as if
they would have bitten it off. On our first arrival, they
actually devoured the noses, the fingers, and the toes of
the dead, while we were preparing the grave, and
thronged in such a manner about the sick and infirm, that
it was with difficulty we could keep them off.
Every morning we saw these audacious animals pa-
troling about among the sea-lions and sea-bears lying on
the strand, smelling at such as were asleep, to discover
whether some one of them might not be dead; if that
happened to be the case, they proceeded to dissect him
immediately, and soon afterwards all fell to work to drag
the parts away. As the sea-lions sometimes in their
sleep overlay their young, the foxes, as if conscious of
this circumstance, every morning examined the whole
herd one by one, and immediately dragged away the
dead cubs from their dams.
Q Q 2 A
299
mean time, stood on guard and watched us. If they
saw any one coming at a distance, the whole troop would
join, and begin digging altogether in the sand, till a
beaver or a sea-bear would be so completely buried under
the surface, that not a trace of it could be seen. In the
night time when we were asleep, they came and pulled
off our night-caps, and stole our gloves from under our
heads with the beaver-coverings, and the skins that we
lay upon. In consequence of this, we always slept with
sticks by our sides, that if they awoke us, we might
drive them away, or knock them on the head.
When we made a halt to rest by the way, they
gathered round us, and played a thousand tricks in our
sight, and when wTe sat still, they approached so near as
to gnaw the thongs of our shoes. If we lay down, as
if intending to sleep, they came and smelt at our noses,
to discover whether we were dead or alive; if we held
our breath, they gave us such a tug by the nose, as if
they would have bitten it off. On our first arrival, they
actually devoured the noses, the fingers, and the toes of
the dead, while we were preparing the grave, and
thronged in such a manner about the sick and infirm, that
it was with difficulty we could keep them off.
Every morning we saw these audacious animals pa-
troling about among the sea-lions and sea-bears lying on
the strand, smelling at such as were asleep, to discover
whether some one of them might not be dead; if that
happened to be the case, they proceeded to dissect him
immediately, and soon afterwards all fell to work to drag
the parts away. As the sea-lions sometimes in their
sleep overlay their young, the foxes, as if conscious of
this circumstance, every morning examined the whole
herd one by one, and immediately dragged away the
dead cubs from their dams.
Q Q 2 A