The sun., 1919-03-16

they had heard that some of them
had one eye in the middle of the fore
head. but OF this they were not sure,
because stories that come from afar
are always doubtful.
The white men were said to be OF a
strangely eccentric disposition; when
they gave anything to an Eskimo they
would take no pay for II. and they
would not eat good. ordinary food. but
subsisted on various things which a
normal person could not think of fore
Ing himself to swallow except In case
OF starvation. And this in spite Of the
fact that the white men could have
better things to eat II they wanted to-
for seals. whales, Ash and even caribou
abound in their country.
Their Good Manners.
These and a great many other things
was told with friendly readiness. |
had only to give them hint as to
what interested me and they put all
their Information on that subject at
my disposal, but ON their own part
they showed the greatest delicacy in
asking questions. Were they not inter-
ested, asked them. to know why !
had come and where was going? Yes
they were interested, but they knew
that IL wanted them to know I would
tell them. Asking many questions OF
| strangers was not their custom. hut
they considered that l asked many be
cause that was no doubt the manner
OF my people. 1t was to he expected
that men coming from go great n dis
lance would have customs different
from theirs, and as for them, they
were glad TO answer my questions, and
would have to stay many days before
they got tired OF doing whatever they
could to show they were glad / had
! come.
After the meal was finished we sal
and talked perhaps an hour. until q
messenger came (it was always the
children who carried messages) to say
that my companions had gone to the
house that had been built for u.s. ant
that the people hoped I would come
there too, for II was n big house and
many could sit in there at once ant
talk with us. On arriving home fount
that although over half the village wa!
already there still We had plenty o
room for the four or Ave who had com,
along with me.
The floor of the inner half of th'
house had been raised into the usua
two foot high snow sleeping platform
covered with skins. partly ours AM
partly contributed by various house
holds. A seal oil lamp for heat
ing and lighting had been installed
1t was cosey place. heated b!
the lamp TO n temperature of 60 de
grees Fair. in spite OF the fact tina
II was we'll ventilated by a door tina
was never closed day or night and
hole In the roof that was also Away
} open. On the bed platform there wa
room for twelve or fifteen persons t
sit Turkish fashion. and on the foo
! in front another fifteen could easll
stand.
Their Powerful Magic.
Although the house was full q
! guests at my Homecoming they merel
, stayed few minutes. for some on
suggested that we were no doubt tire
and sleepy and would like to he lei
. alone. In the morning, they said W
, should have plenty OF time for talking
! When they were all gone, howevel
, We did not go to sleep, but sat u
. fully half the night discussing tn
strange things we had seen.
My Eskimos were considerably NOR
. excited over it all than l. 1t was, the
, said, as II We were living through
, story such as the old men tell In I'll
, assembly house when the sun Is ava
/, in winter. What kindly, inoffensiy
a looking people these werel But II
doubt they were powerful and danger
, GUS maglcians such as the stories te
|, about and such as my companion
fathers had known in their youth. NJ
Mackenzieman Tannaumirk had,
fact. heard something TO mako tn
o clear, for he had eaten supper in Il
o house of a man who last winter hs
a dropped his knife into a seal no
r where the sea was very deep. but {
o powerful was the spell he pronounce
d that when he reached into the wat,
|, he picked the knife of the ocean DO
d tom. And this, Tannaumirk con
e mented In spite OF the fact that Il
3 Ice alone was Mt least fathom thiC
o and the water so deep that a stoi
I, dropped into 1t would no doubt take
4 long time to sink to the bottom.
!. Did they believe all this2 ask,
4 my men. though knew what answ
II I would get. OF course they did. WI
o should I ask7 Had they not often TO
!; me that their own people were able