River Falls journal. [volume] (River Falls, Pierce County, Wis.) 1872-2019, 1876-07-13
An FsnnIn,nnr story

Z
killed a thong.seal, from the skin of
which he proposed to cut some thongs.
But the mother wanted the skin for
some other purpose, and she and the
boy quarreled about it.
Then she went and pronounced a
4 charm on the sealskin, and when he
went to cut it up the end Of thong
flew mp, struck his eyes, and made him
blind.
The winter came on, they were de.
stitute Of seal meat, and had TO live
entirely on mussels, for the blind
hunter could 60 hunting no more.
But one day a bear appeared at the
window and began to eat away at the
window pane, which was made Of skin.
The mother and daughter fled to the
other side Of the house, but the strip.
ling asked for his bow. His sister
gave it to him he bent il, asked her to
take aim for him, and then he shot and
killed the animal. The mother said,
Thou hast missed. But the sister
whispered, "Thou hast killed the
lfar, "
They had now plenty Of meat, but
the mother refused TO give the boy
any, pretending that as he had not
killed the bear there was none, and
only gave him mussels. But the sis.
ter gave him his share of the bear.
meat in secret.
Finally in the spring a flock of wild
geese restored the boys sight, and he
resumed his hunting occupations.
lie, with his sister, used to go out
on the edge Of the ice, where the seals
aud white whales "a kind Of dolphin
were seen, and he would kill them
with his harpoon. He had no hunting
bladder, hut he used to tie the happoGn
| line round his sisters waist instead,
and when the animal was struck they
would drag It upon the ice by means
Of the line.
One day he askec his sister "Dost
thou like our mother !
She made no answer, but upon he
repeating the que zion she replied:
II am fonder Il thee than of her.
Then ton ROW." he replied, ''she
shall serve lis for a bladder"
The next day he accordingly propo-
afs 10 his mother that she should help
IN the hunt, aud 10 this ahe consents
without the slightest suspicion. lie
ties the inc round her waist rs he had
done TO his sister. but she now begins
to grow frightened at "the look that is
IN his eyes, and when she sees him
preparing 70 throw the harpoon she
cries
"My son, choose a small whale,
choose small one. +"
just then large white whale rises
to the surface of the water at the edge
of the ice near his feet. lie throws
the harpoon into the animal and then
lets 90 the line.
The whale instantly begins 10 drag
his mother toward the edge Of the ice,
she struggling with all her might to
get free and crying out for knife to
cut the line.
But the son only reproaches her
with her cruelty in having made him
blind, ana says, "This Is my revenge. /"
Then she cries out, "Oh my ullo
my ullo it was that sucked thee. it
was that sucked thee = And this
she continues crying until the whale
drags her into the water, She floats
for few moments on the surface, still
crying, "0h. my son ! il was | that
sucked thee, it was | that sucked
thee ! then disappears forever.
The brother and sister gaze a few
minutes at the spot where She went
down, and then, terror stricken, turn
and flee.
But the cry of their mother con-
tinues ringing in their ears, and fol-
lows them wherever they go.
They finally fly from the village to
the interior Of the country, far away
from any human kind, with this voice
still pursuing them, still ringing in
/ their ears, at was that sucked thee,
1t was ! that sucked thee !" like the
refrain of Macbeth shall sleep no
more, " in Shakspeare's sublime trag-
| edy.
They disappear, and nobody who
knew them ever sees or hears of them
again
Their death would not ca. ~ out the
Esquimax idea, and the poet has added
one more act TO the tragedy in which
there is grandeur of conception not I'M
worthy of Shakespeare himself.
The event recorded in this act takes
place long time afterward nobody
knows how long. 1t may be a hundred
years, for all, even the children who
knew the matrlcldes, have grown old
and died. The tradition of the crime
is almost forgotten.
The scene is laid in the interior Of
the house of the angakok, or tn,
| priest.magiciau. 1t isnight-a winter
night in the Arctic. with an Arctic
moon throwing its glamor over tn,
/ plains and mountains of ice and snow
Inside the house the priest.magician /,
| performing a e0niuration, and the PEG
pie are gathered around, silent ant
trembling, listening to his mutterct
incantati0ns.
suddenly they hear cry outside
and the angakok says, "Somcthin.
evil is approaching.
They 20 to the door and look ont
There they behold a gigantic hunter
4 little distance away, standing in Ia,
moonlight. His hair is as white a
the snow on which lie is standing, ant
I il hangs down over his shoulders il
! long, silyery locks.
But his face is black rs night.
I They watch him for moment, an,
he gazcS nj them with burning, fer,
eyes
Then the angahok comes forwar,
and asks the stranger who he is am
what he wants.
The other replies
DO you not know me
They answer in the negative.
Then he asks:
DO you remember the son vii,
I uepI Ills taFfNnr far a b,ptipt, tIal