1.Have you ever seen a seal？He has a pretty，round head and bright eyes，and his skin is covered with smooth hair.He can swim as well asa fish.But on land he can only crawl very slowly.
2.The Eskimos of the frozen North eat his flesh and make clothes of his skin，while his fat，melted into oil，gives them light and warmth in their snow huts.
3.If the seal could always stay under water like a fish，the Eskimo would not catch himeasily.But he has to come up to the surfacenow and again to breathe.
4.When the sea is frozen over，the seal makes a hole in the ice，where he may put up his head for a breath.The Eskimo hunter is very glad when he finds one of these holes，for he knows that a seal will soon come up there.So he sits down to wait，for he means to take that seal home with him.
5.If the wind is very cold，he will make a little wall of snow to keep it off him.He takes great care to make no noise，for the seal can hear very well.Sometimes the hunter ties his knees.together to preventhis clothes from rustling .
6.At last the seal‘s head comes up through the water.The Eskimo quietly raises his spear ，and drives it with all his might into the seal.
Then he fixes a rope to its body，and drags it home behind him.
7.When he comes home there is great joy，for his wife and children have perhaps had no food for some days，and no oil in their lamps.Without it，they could not even melt the snow for water to drink.
8.But now they feast merrily on the seal.
Most of it is eaten raw，for the Eskimo does not care for cooking his food.They will all feast and sleep as long as any of the seal’s flesh is left，and will never think of going out to hunt again until forced by hunger.
