A bold cut down the belly, and a few
touches here and there where the ligatures still bound the hide to the
body, and the animal was flayed.
`What a splendid plan!' cried the boys. `But why should it do it?'
`For a most simple and natural reason,' I replied. `Do you not know
that the skin of an animal is attached to its flesh merely by slender
and delicate fibres, and that between these exist thousands of little
bladders or air chambers; by forcing air into these bladders the fibres
are stretched, and at length, elastic as they are, cracked. The skin
has now nothing to unite it to the body, and, consequently, may be
drawn off with perfect ease.
`This scientific fact has been known for many years; the Greenlanders
make constant use of it; when they have killed a seal or walrus they
distend the skin that they may tow the animal more easily ashore, and
then remove its hide at a moment's notice.' The remaining animals were
subjected to the same treatment, and, to my great joy, in a couple of
days the skins were all off, and being prepared for use.
I now summoned the boys to assist me in procuring blocks of wood for my
crushing machine, and the following day we set forth with saws, ropes,
axes and other tools. We soon reached the tree I had selected for my
purpose, and I began by sending Fritz and Jack up into the tree with
axes to cut off the larger of the high branches so that, when the tree
fell, it might not injure its neighbours.
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