Weekly Trinity journal., 1876-07-29
AN EsQUIMAUX STORY.

mother wanted the skin for some other
purpose, and she and the boy quarreled
about it.
Then she went and pronounced a
charm on the sealskin, and when he
went to cut it up the end of a thong few
up, struck his eyes, and made him blind
The winter came on, they were desti-
iute of seal meat, and had to live entire
ly on mussels, for the blind hunter could
go hunting no more.
But one day bear appeared at the
window and began to eat away at the
window pane, which was made of skim
The mother and daughter fed to the
other side of the house, but the STRIPPING
asked for his bow. His sister gave it to
him he bent it, 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 bear"
They had now plenty of meat, but the
mother refused to give the boy any, pre-
tending that as he had not killed the bear
there was none, and only gave him mus
sells. But the sister gave him her share
of the bear meat in secret
Finally in the spring flock of wild
geese restored the boys sight, and he re-
sumed his hunting occupations.
He, with his sister, used to go out on
the edge of the ice, where the seals and
white whales IA kind of dolphin were
seen, and he would kill them with his
harpoon. He had no huntingbladder,
but he used to tie the harpoon 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 asked his sister, E" Dost
thou like our mother?"
She made no answer, but upon his re-
peating the question she replied
" am fonder of thee than of her."
"Tben tomorrow" he replied, she
shall serve us for bladder"
The next day he accordingly proposes
10 his mother that she should help in the
hunt, and to this she consents without
the slightest suspicion. He ties the line
round her waisr as he had done to his
sister, but she now begins to grow fright
ened at "the look that is in his eyes"
and when she sees him preparing to throw
the harpoon she cries
MY son, choose 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. He throws his harpoon
into the animal and then lets go the line.
The whale instantly begins to drag his
mother toward the edge of the ice, she
struggling with all her might to get free
and crying out for a knife to cut the line.
But the son only reproaches her with
her cruelty in having made him blind,
and says This is my revenge"
Then she cries out, "Oh, my ullo my
ullo it was that suclled thee, it was
that sucked thee !" And this she con-
tinues crying until the whale drags her
into the water. She floats for few mo-
nents on the surface, still crying, "Oh,
my son it was that sucked thee, it
was that suckled thee I" then disap-
pears forever.
The brother and sister gaze few mo-
ments at the spot where she went down,
and then, terror stricken, turn and fee.
But the cry of their mother continues
ringing in their ears, and follows 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,
- it was that sucked thee, it was that
suckled thee !" like the refrain of Mac
beth shall sleep no more, !" in Shakespeare S
sublime tragedy.
They disappear, and nobody who knew
them ever sees or hears of them again.
But they are not dead.
Their death would not carry out the
Esquimaux idea, and the poet has added
one more to the tragedy in which there
Is a grandeur of conception not unworthy
Of Shakespeare himself.
The event recorded in this act takes
place a long time afterward nobody
knows how long. 1t may be hundred
years, for all even the children who knew
the matricides, haze grown old and died.
The tradition Of the crime is almost for
gotten.
The scene is laid in the interior of the
house of the dngakok, or priest magician.
1t is night-a winter night in the Arctic,
with an Arctic moon throwing its glamor
over the plains and mountains of ice and
snow. Inside the house the priest-ma.
gican is performing a conjuration, and
the people are gathered around silent and
trembling, listening to his muttered in
carnations.
Suddenly they hear cry outside, and
the 'dngdkok says " Something evil is
approaching"
They go to the door and look out
There they behold gigantic hunter a
little distance away, standing in the moon
light. His hair is white as the snow on
which he stands, and it hangs down over
his shoulders in long, sivery locks.
But his face is black as night.
They watch him for moment, and he
gazes ut them with burning, fiery eyes.
Then the dngdkok comes forward and
asks the stranger who he is and what he
wants.
The other replies
- Do you know me ?"
They answered in the negative.
Then hc asks: