Orange County observer. [volume] (Hillsborough, N.C.) 1880-1918, 1891-03-28

part OF the community Kept strictly within |
the huts. |
By and by, when the stew was done
| to the taste of Mrs. Manasse, she called |
her husband from their hut, and there |
upon he began shouting at the top of his !
| voice:
"O-e-yo! O-e-yo.'' which is an Eskimo
| word Of invitation to eat boiled meat. |
The people all came out so quietly. that
stranger would have surmised that they
had been waiting, perhaps not without
some impatience, for the word to come.
Gathering about the fire, they all squatted
down in circle. Then Peters father,
with seal rib sharpened at one end,
dexterously picked piece of boiled
meat from the kettle and passed it to
Mr.. Andreas, who was souatted by his
side. Mr.. Andreas put as much Of it as
possible into his mouth, and then cutting
his bite clear with knife he had brought
with him for the purpose, he passed the
chunk to the next person on his right
A tin can full of the soup followed the
meat in its travels around the circle.
each man drinking swallow and pass
ing the can along-growler fashion-the
men being served first and the women
and children afterward in succession
Then the bread was passed around, SO
that each one had biscuit, and in the
meantime coffee had been boiled on a
fire in the hut by one of the Andreas
girls, and this was brought out and
passed as the soup had been.
It was a remarkably fine Eskimo feast,
and no attention was paid to anything
but the eating, save by the two most in
terested persons present, young Peter
and pretty Juliana. AS for Juliana, she
was seated on 4 rock on the side of the
circle furtherest from the Manasse door
way, and was keeping bright lookout
for every motion that Peter made, being
determined to give him such tussle as
he had never dreamed of whenever he
strove to capture her, as ne was sure to
do before the festivities were ended.
Peter was waiting until when, after
the edge had been taken from appetite,
!, the Oldest woman in the village would
get into the centre of the group and
would there entertain everybody by con-
torting her face just as children do max.
ing faces. He had noticed, willy fellow,
that the old woman's doings always con-
vulsed pretty Juliana, and he guessed
that if he were ever to capture the girl
, he must make his rush at the climax OF
the fun, when the old woman, with bulg-
g ing eyes, wide, extended mouth and pro-
l truding tongue, would call herself
Quarnat-the moon. 1t was, therefore,
with beating heart and rising emotions
that he watched the well-known pro-
gramme of the feast pass on till at last
| old Marie Tirra stepped into the ring and
3 began the fun by looking square at
pretty Juliana and then drawing one side
! of her face into a re narkable grimace.
Under ordinary circumstances Juiana
would have roared with laughter, but
this time her eyes had been wandering
~ elsewhere, and she had seen, looking 6
over the shoulder of her father and past
!. the head Of her unaccepted lover, an
oomiak or great boat full of strangers
coming around the rocks at the entrance
: of the little harbor, while two men in
kayaks padded beside the oomiak. In-
stead of laughing she jumped to her feet
and shouted
. 'sStrangers Strangers"
It was most startling event in the
- history of the little settlement.
), At the sound of the girls voice every
= body stood up and looked toward the
strange boat Then all focked down tc
q the landing and greeted the newcomer:
by shouts and inquiries regarding theil
Sc health. 1t was a cordial meeting in ap
OF nearance only, however, for according Il
E, custom, one of the strangers had t
Is wrestle with picked man Of the settle
Us ment and under q very Old custom Ii
lie stranger, if defeated, could be killed b,
q the victor-a custom now obsolete.
IS Now, the party of strangers include
al an old man, his wife, two sons, daugh
a. ter-in- law and several children. Tn
- sons were in the kayaks, and it was th
~ unmarried one who led the way to th
t. landing. AS he stepped from his kaya
e the villagers by common instinct turne