Two Arctic Hare from Pond’s Inlet.
It is quite wonderful to know that with these very primitive weapons which they [[152]]made themselves they were able to kill the huge sperm whales. Yet of course they did, for their houses are surrounded with the bones. And in the old times these waters surely were just full of whale, walrus, seal and narwhal.
Timbury and the two other constables, Murray and Dunn, went with us in the afternoon hunting for Arctic hare. We saw one but couldn’t get near enough because one of the dogs had followed and would chase it every time we got in sight. Ed shot one duck and I shot two on a little lake about two miles from the settlement. We didn’t know how to get them so Ed took off his clothes and waded out in the icy water up to his armpits and got them.
Here at Pond’s Inlet, by the way, is the most northerly radio station in the world. Both the Police and H. B. C. have a short wave receiving set, and the Police also have a low power sending set, which I guess doesn’t [[153]]work very well. In Mr. Gall’s house we were interested to see our old friends the Eveready Batteries which he uses entirely. Dad arranged with them to have a special program, for a few minutes anyway, on the Eveready hour later in November, if it could be fixed up. That is, he wanted to have part of a program of broadcasting in New York arranged so that it would be directed right at Pond’s Inlet and they up there could hear Dad in New York talking to them.
When we left the settlement it was so windy and rough that we stopped at Albert Harbor again. Art and Ed and I went ashore on the steep rocky island to look for hares. We climbed the first hill and saw a lot of sign but no hares.
“There’s one!” All of a sudden Art called out. “Over there by the big rock. Dave, you sneak over behind that pile of rocks and Ed and I will stay here and attract his attention.” [[154]]
I crept slowly toward the side of the hill and when I was out of sight of the hare I ran for all I was worth and then slowed down and looked carefully over the top. There he was, about sixty yards away, looking at Art and Ed.
I aimed in a hurry and shot and he tumbled right over in his tracks. The twenty-two bullet went right through his shoulders and into his heart and out the other side. We saw that his back was a light greyish color and that he was a lot bigger than the largest American rabbits. In winter, I’m told, they get pure white.
We chased another all over the place and almost lost him. Just by luck I had gone around the other way from the others and saw his ears sticking up a long way off. I whistled to make him stand up, but when he did I missed and he started running. I shot at him on the run and with a lot of luck got him right through the hips and backbone. He [[155]]was larger than the first one, and pure white.