6. For Hunting Sea-Game.

Sacred-Texts Asia
  

p. 132

6. For Hunting Sea-Game.¹

 This is an incantation for (hunting) sea-game. When hunters, having gone out in a boat, have found a herd of walrus sleeping on the ice, and the ice is not solid, (so that) the boat makes a noise striking against small pieces of ice floating around, but the walrus are sleeping; oh, one makes (the following) incantation, and says, —

 "O walrus! I put your ears on a (broad) iron pan, lest you [the walrus] should be able to hear the rapping-noise [the sleeping walrus]." Then the hunters are (able) to approach, and catch all (of the herd).

Told by Vịyênto´ the Blind, a Maritime Chukchee man, at Mariinsky Post, October, 1900.

Footnotes

p. 132

¹ Compare Vol. VII of this series, p. 498, No. 3.