Part 9 (1/2)
Concerning the conspiracy, Mr. Rock thus testified: Sipsu had for a long time counseled the tribe not to visit nor sell food to the white men, holding that they could not kill the bear, walrus, and seal, and would soon starve, and so all the coveted things would fall into Esquimo hands. Kalutunah, on the other hand, held that their ”booms”--guns--could secure them any game, and that our poverty of food was owing to a dislike of work.
There had arisen, too, a jealousy about the presents we gave. Sipsu's let-alone policy caused his wife to complain that she only of the women was without even a needle. This drove him to a reluctant visit to us in which he got but little, so the matter was not bettered.
Besides this, the condition of apparent starvation, in which the visitors found us from time to time, finally gave popularity to Sipsu's position, and Kalutunah yielded to the older and stronger chief.
When Petersen and G.o.dfrey arrived at Netlik, Kalutunah went fifty miles to inform Sipsu at his home of the good occasion offered to kill them.
Sipsu was to lead the attack, and Kalutunah follow. The arrangement was as we have stated, but failed on account of Sipsu's fear of the ”auleit”--pistol. Having failed, his chagrin and anger led to the hot pursuit, in which he intended to set the dogs upon our men. But this failed when he saw how near he must himself venture to the ”_boom_.”
This story agreed so well with what Petersen and G.o.dfrey saw and suspected that we fully believed it.
Mr. Rock left us in the morning, and that evening eleven natives, one of whom was Kalutunah, called upon us on their way from Akbat to Netlik.
The Angekok was full of talk and smiles. He gave us a quarter of a young bear, for which we gave him one of Petersen's hoop-iron knives. He was not pleased with it, for he had learned before the difference between iron and steel. He attempted to cut a piece of frozen liver with it and it bent. He then bent it in the form of a U, and threw it spitefully away, grunting, ”No good.” We satisfied him with a piece of wood to patch his sledge.
Among our guests were two widows having each a child. One of the little ones was stripped to the skin, and turned loose to root at liberty. It was three years old, and plainly the dirt upon its greasy skin had been acc.u.mulating just that length of time.
One of the hunters was attended by his wife and two children--a girl four, and boy seven years old.
The fat fires of the several families were soon in full blaze, which, added to the heat of nineteen persons, warmed our hut as it was never warmed before. The heat set the ceiling and walls dripping with the melted frost-work, and every thing was wet or made damp. Besides, the air became insufferable with bad odors. It was now Fort Misery.
But the frozen meat at which we had been nibbling was soon thrown aside for hot coffee, steaming stew, and thawed blubber. Strips of blubber varying from three inches to a foot in length and an inch thick circulate about the hut. Strips of bear and walrus also go round. These strips are seized with the fingers, the head is thrown back, and the mouth is opened, one end is thrust in a convenient distance, the teeth are closed, it is cut off at the lips, and the piece is swallowed quickly, with the least possible chewing, that dispatch may be made, and the process repeated. The seven-year-old boy stood against a post, astride a big chunk of walrus, naked to the waist, as all the guests were. He was sucking down in good style a strip of blubber, his face and hands besmeared with blood and fat, which ran in a purple stream off his chin, and from thence streamed over the s.h.i.+ning skin below. Our disconsolate widow supped apart, as usual, on her supply of sea-fowls.
Four, each about the size of a half-grown domestic hen, was all she appeared to be able to eat!
We all ate, and had enough. Then followed freedom of talk such as is wont to follow satisfied appet.i.tes, and jokes and songs went round.
G.o.dfrey amused the women and children with negro melodies, accompanied by a fancied banjo. Dr. Hayes and Kalutunah try to teach each other their languages. Bonsall looks on and helps. The chief is given ”yes”
and ”no,” and taught what Esquimo word they stand for. He tries to p.r.o.nounce them, says ”ee's” and ”noe,” and inquiringly says, ”_tyma?_”
(right?) Dr. Hayes nods, ”tyma” with an encouraging smile, at which the chief laughs at the ”_doctee's_” badly p.r.o.nounced Esquimo.
They try to count, and the Angekok says ”_une_” for one, strains hard at ”too” for two, and fails utterly at the ”th” in three.
The ”doctee” tries the Esquimo one, gets patted on the back with ”tyma!
tyma!” accompanied with merry laughs. The chief tries again, gets prompted by punches in the ribs, and significant commendation in twitches of his left ear.
Having reached ten, the Esquimo numerals are exhausted. Sontag, with the help of Petersen, questions one of the hunters about his people's astronomy. The result in part is as follows, and is very curious.
The heavenly bodies are the spirits of deceased Esquimo, or of some of the lower animals. The sun and moon, are brother and sister. The stars we call ”the dipper” are reindeer. The stars of ”Orion's belt” are hunters who have lost their way. The ”Pleiades” are a pack of dogs in pursuit of a bear. The _aurora borealis_ is caused by the spirits at play with one another.
It has other teachings on the science of the heavens equally wise. But they are close observers of the movements of the stars. We went out at midnight to look after the dogs, and Petersen asked Kalutunah when they intended to go. He pointed to a star standing over Saunders Island, in the south. Pa.s.sing his finger slowly around to the west he pointed at another star, saying, ”When that star gets where the other is we will start.”
Our guests at last lay down to sleep, but we could not lie down near them nor allow them our blankets; so we watched out the night.
CHAPTER XVI.
DRUGGED ESQUIMO.
THE visitors left in the morning. We were now all well except Stephenson. Though we had just eaten and were refreshed, in a few days we might be starving, so we renewed our planning. To open a communication with the ”Advance” seemed a necessity. Petersen volunteered to make another effort if he could have one companion.
Bonsall promptly answered, ”I will be that companion,” at which we all rejoiced, as he was the fittest man for the journey next to the Dane.
A dog-team and a sledge were an acquisition now most needed for the proposed enterprise. In a few days an old man came in whom we had never seen, belonging far up Whale Sound; then came a hunter from Akbat with his family. Of these men after much bartering we purchased four dogs.