"Good! let us hear what it is, Willis."

"It is the seal of the Esquimaux; they live upon its flesh, and they
drink its blood."

"I scarcely think," said Jack, "that I should often feel thirsty under
such circumstances."

"The skin furnishes them with clothes, tents, and boats."

"Of which our canoe and life-preservers are a fair sample," said
Fritz.

"The fat furnishes them with fire and candle, the muscles with thread
and rope, the gut with windows and curtains, the bones with arrow
heads and harness; in short, with everything they require."

"True, Willis, in so far as regards their degree of civilization,
which is not very great, when we consider that they bury their sick
whilst alive, because they are afraid of corpses; that they believe
the sun, moon, and stars to be dead Esquimaux, who have been
translated from earth to heaven."

Whilst chatting in this way, the party had imperceptibly arrived at
Falcon's Nest, wherein they had not set foot for a fortnight
previously.

Fritz went up first, and before the others had ascended, came running
down again as fast as his legs would carry him.