Warren sheaf. [volume] (Warren, Marshall County, Minn.) 1880-current, 1895-08-08
KANGEGATSUK.
BY RALPH GRAHAM TABER.

BY RALPH GRAHAM TABER
1t was the springtime of the wear
but at Kikleertaksoak there were ne
soft May breezes, no blossoming flow
ers, no buds of delicate green. The
seasons heralds were the shriekine
wind, the rushing torrents fed by melt
ing snow, the crashing avalanches
from the ice-bound heights, the surg
tngs of the mighty sea, which stretched
its arms and breathed with suller
signs, like some sound sleeper slowly
Weakening, and cracked and ground its
covering of white, tossing huge frag
ments upon end, and filling the snowy
ocean plain with hills and gknolls
which scintillated with dazzling lustel
beneath the bright morning sun.
In the shadow of a lofty cliff, upon a
bank of deeply drifted snow, were siz
white mounds, which might have at.
tracted no attention except, perhaps,
by their regularity of form.
From. one of these there emerged
upon all tours, the short, squat figure
ofan aged man, who rose erect, tossing
the long, grizzled hair back from his
eyes impatiently, and turned to ad.
dress another following him.
"'Twas Iwho said it, Kupa, did ]
not?" he demanded.
His companion scrambling to his
feet, grunted an assent, and proceeded
to envelope his head in the fox trimmed
hood which made one piece with his
loose fitting upper garment.
Both men were clothed alike in
heavy furs, the spotted hairy skins
Of the ranger seal; each carried long,
old fashioned Misunderstanding rifle, and
heavy spear tipped with walrus tusk,
attached to which was a long thong of
walrus hide swinging in loose coils
from his mittened hands,
Their full. broad, brownish faces,
straight black hair. piercing eyes, fiat
noses and short statures proclaimed
their race, if their dress and equip
ment would not have been sufficient.
1.-THE foolish boy has not returned"
continued the elder, in the Esquimau
tongue. THE time was i'll and moth
ing could be gained. l said it, but the
STRIPPING Knocked at meme, Mau terjek
the Oldest Of the tribe! Was 1 not
shaman before this cub was born?"
Softly, master; we must be off to
find the meat to-day, so let the trouble
lie. It is not good to feed the empty
stomach on idle thoughts; so thou thy
self hast said. Thou art my mothers
husband, the never failing hunter, the
true of aim. Our time will come. Shall
we let our people starve while tooktoo
(the DEER yet may roam the hills?
Silkeepa may have found him while we
talk"
THAT he will not!' the shaman
cried Take which way thou wilt. :
the deer is mine, if any may be found. -
And swinging his long gun to his
shoulder he started off, with agility
surprising in one SO old, and soon was
lost to sight among the drifts.
Sikeepa had started out the day be-
fore, in spite of storm of driving wind
and biting hail, in search of anything
that might be found for food. - :.
The deer had disappeared across the
land, the seals become exceptionally
scarce; disease had visited the camp
and robbed him of his father, the
chieftain Of the tribe. whose native
Judgment and instructive knowledge
of right and wrong, combined with
strong will power and a kindly dispo-
sition,s had made his wish a law with
those he ruled, enabled him to settle
all disputes and yet retain the loving
veneration Of his people.
The dying chief had let them under
stand that Sikeepa, though yet youth
il. years, had met and slain Nanuk, the
/ water bear, and earned his right to be
their Kangegatsuk.
The father had then cautioned and
advised him: My son.. thoult have
short time to mourn my death. Sick
ness and famine, twin-born, are upon
us. Thou wilt be envied, and thy
actions watched that some cause may
he found for thy displacement.
$50, if thou canst, and fill the camp
with food; so shalt thou prove thy
worth and earn affection. Take on
myself the burdens of the whole; nor
seek to rule thy elders; but advise
them.
across not the shaman. Pay him his
tribute as gift deserved by reason Of
the mysteries he knows; but be not
ruled myself by lesser ones. When
thou dost know the right way, hold it
fast, and be not turned aside though
every mans hand should uplift against
thee"
Thinking of these, his fathers dying
words, Sikeepa forced his way against
the wind, narrowly watching for some
sign of game, and clambering over
the hummocks of rough ice which filled
the broad channel round his island
home and bound it to the distant Lab
rador main. S.,
Khimik, his fathers favorite hunter,
paunt leader of the team, trotted be-
side him, safely in leash.
So hour by hour they plodded on un-
til the sun was low. Then Sikeepa,
halting before a drift of snow, drew q
broad knife out from it's sheath, and
with practiced skill slashed from the
mass a number of wedge-like pieces,
piling them in q circle as he worked,
which swiftly shaped itself into . hut.
A remarkably short time suficed to
complete his simple preparations for
the night; and, once within the tiny
ingloo, he pil]owed his head on Khim-
tk's shaggy back and slept
The morning dawned bright and fair;
the wind still blew with wild per-
sistency, but the sky was clear; and
Sikeepa drawing forth small skin
bag part filled with oil, shared the
meager contents with his dog; then
slit the bag and shared that morsel
also. and started again upon the search
for game, chewing the bit OF sealskin
as lie went
1t might have been near noon when
Khimils stopped, cooked up his ears
and keenly shifted the air.
Sikeepa's heavy heart grew light
with Joy. and, giving the dog more
leash, he urged him on
Khinik turned sharply toward the