spring returns—kayak evolutions—angut is puzzled.
why some people should wink and blink as well as smirk when they are comfortable is a question which might possibly be answered by cats if they could speak, but which we do not profess to understand. nevertheless we are bound to record the fact that on the very day when nunaga and her invalids drew near to the first moravian settlements in greenland, ippegoo slowly mounted a hillside which overlooked the icy sea, flung himself down on a moss-clad bank, and began to wink and blink and smirk in a way that surpassed the most comfortable cat that ever revelled on rug or slumbered in sunshine.
ippegoo was supremely happy, and his felicity, like that of most simple folk, reposed on a simple basis. it was merely this—that spring had returned to the arctic regions.
spring! ha! who among the dwellers in our favoured land has the faintest idea of—of—pooh!—words are wanting. the british poets, alive and dead, have sung of spring, and doubtless have fancied that they understood it. they had no more idea of what they were singing about than—than the man in the moon, if we may venture to use a rather hackneyed comparison. listen, reader, humbly, as becometh the ignorant.
imagine yourself an eskimo. don’t overdo it. you need not in imagination adopt the hairy garments, or smear yourself with oil, or eat raw blubber. for our purpose it will suffice to transport yourself into the arctic regions, and invest yourself with the average intelligence of an ordinary human being who has not been debased by the artificial evils that surround modern civilisation, or demoralised by strong drink. in this condition of happy simplicity you draw near to the end of an arctic winter.
during eight months or so you have been more or less shrivelled-up, petrified, mummified, by frost of the most intense and well-nigh intolerable description. your whole body has frequently been pierced by winds, the constituents of which seemed to be needles and fire. shelter has been one of your chief subjects of meditation every day—ofttimes all day; unwillingness to quit that shelter and eagerness to return to it being your dominant characteristic. darkness palpable has been around you for many weeks, followed by a twilight of gloom so prolonged that you feel as if light were a long-past memory. your eyes have become so accustomed to ice and snow that white, or rather whitey-grey, has long since usurped and exclusively held the place of colour in your imagination, so that even black—a black cliff or a black rock cropping up out of the snow—becomes a mitigated joy. your ears have been so attuned to the howling blast with interludes of dead calm and variations of rending icebergs and bellowing walrus accompaniments, that melodious harmonies have fled affrighted from your brain. as for your nose—esprit de marrow fat, extract of singed hide, essence of lamp-smoke, eau de cuisine, and de-oxygenised atmosphere of snow-hut, have often inclined you to dash into the open air, regardless of frost and snow, for purposes of revivification. imagine all these things intensified to the uttermost, and prolonged to nigh the limits of endurance, so that genial ideas and softening influences seem to have become things of the long-forgotten past, and then try to imagine a change, compared to which all the transformation scenes of all the pantomimes that ever blazed are as a tomtit’s chirp to a lion’s roar, or a—a— words fail again! no matter.
but don’t give in yet. try, now, to imagine this sudden transformation wrought, perhaps, in a few days to the slow music of southern zephyrs, bearing on their wings light, and heat, and sunshine. your ear is surprised—absolutely startled—by the sound of trickling water. old memories that you thought were dead come back in the trumpet of the wild-goose, the whistling wing of the duck, the plaintive cry of the plover. your nose—ah! your nose cocks up and snuffs a smell—pardon!—a scent. it is the scent of the great orb on which you stand, saturated at last with life-giving water, and beginning to vivify all the green things that have so long been hidden in her capacious bosom.
but it is to your eye, perhaps, that the strongest appeal is made, for while you throw off one by one the garments which have protected you for so many months, and open up body and soul to the loved, long-absent, influences of warmth, and sound, and odour, your eye drinks up the mighty draughts of light—light not only blazing in the blue above, but reflected from the blue below—for the solid ice-fields are now split into fragments; the swell of old ocean sends a musical ripple to the shore; great icebergs are being shed from their parent glaciers, and are seen floating away in solemn procession to the south, lifting their pinnacles towards their grandparent clouds, until finally reduced to the melting mood, and merged in their great-grandparent the sea. imagine such visions and sensations coming suddenly, almost as a surprise, at the end of the stern arctic winter, and then, perchance, you will have some idea of the bounding joy that fills the soul on the advent of spring, inducing it to feel, if not to say, “let every thing that hath breath praise the lord.”
this is spring! the eskimos understand it, and so do the dwellers in rupert’s land; perchance, also, the poor exiles of siberia—but the poets—pooh!
far down below the perch occupied by ippegoo lay a little sandy bay, around which were scattered a number of eskimo huts—rude and temporary buildings, meant to afford shelter for a time and then be forsaken. this was the bay which angut, okiok, simek, red rooney, and the others had reached in their pursuit of the wizard when the ice broke up and effectually stopped them.
as it was utterly impossible to advance farther with dog and sledge, they were compelled to restrain their impatience as best they could, and await open water, when they might resume their journey in kayaks. meanwhile, as there was a lead of open water to the northward as far as they could see, the youth arbalik had been despatched with a small sledge and four of the strongest dogs along the strip of land-ice, or “ice-foot,” which clung to the shore. his mission was to reach the village, and fetch nuna, pussimek, kunelik, sigokow, and his own mother, in one of the oomiaks or women’s boats when open water should permit.
it was while our eskimos were thus idly waiting for their wives, that the before-mentioned southern eskimos arrived, and met them with every demonstration of friendliness and good-will.
these men, who had been forced to make a long, difficult détour inland after the ice gave way, were not a little pleased to find that the ice-foot to the northward was still practicable, and that the eskimo village was so near. of course they told of their meeting with ujarak’s sledge, which rendered inaction on the part of the pursuers still more unbearable. but they were all men who could accept the inevitable with a good grace, and as they knew it was impossible to advance without kayaks and oomiaks, they awaited the return of arbalik as patiently as possible. meanwhile they made themselves agreeable to the new arrivals, whose hearts they gladdened by telling them that their friends in the north had plenty of narwhal horns and bones and walrus tusks and sinews to exchange for their wood and iron.
but to return to ippegoo on his distant and elevated outlook.
while he gazed at the busy groups below, our weak-minded youth observed two of the party step into kayaks which lay on the beach, push off into the bay, and commence what may be styled “kayak exercise.” as ippegoo greatly enjoyed witnessing such exercises, he threw off his lethargy, and, leaping up, quickly descended to the shore. the kayaks were old ones which had been found by the party on arriving at the deserted village. they had probably been left as useless by previous visitors, but okiok’s boys, norrak and ermigit, being energetic and ingenious fellows, had set to work with fish-bone-needles and sinew-threads, and repaired them with sealskin patches. they were now about to test their workmanship and practise their drill.
“do they leak?” shouted okiok, as the lads pushed off.
“not more than i can soak up,” replied norrak, looking back with a laugh.
“only a little,” cried ermigit, “and hoh! the water is still very cold.”
“paddle hard, and you’ll soon warm it,” cried rooney.
when they had got fairly off, a spirit of emulation seized the brothers, and, without a direct challenge, they paddled side by side, gradually increasing their efforts, until they were putting forth their utmost exertions, and going through the water at racing speed.
“well done, norrak!” shouted the father, in rising excitement.
“not so fast, ermigit; not so fast,” roared simek.
heedless of the advice, the brothers pushed on until they were brought up by the pack-ice at the mouth of the bay. here they turned as quickly as possible, and raced back with such equal speed that they came in close together—so close that it was impossible for those on shore to judge which was winning as they approached.
as in all similar cases—whether on the thames or on the greenland seas—excitement became intense as the competitors neared the goal. they were still a hundred yards or so from land, when ermigit missed a stroke of his paddle. the consequence was that the kayak overturned, and ermigit disappeared.
a kayak, as is generally known, is a very long and narrow canoe, made of a light wooden frame, and covered all over with sealskin with the exception of a single hole, in what may be called the deck, which is just big enough to admit one man. this hole is surrounded by a strip of wood, which prevents water washing into the canoe, and serves as a ledge over which the eskimo fastens his sealskin coat. as canoe and coat are waterproof, the paddler is kept dry, even in rough weather, and these cockle-shell craft will ride on a sea that would swamp an open boat. but the kayak is easily overturned, and if the paddler is not expert in the use of his paddle, he runs a chance of being drowned, for it is not easy to disengage himself from his craft. constant practice, however, makes most natives as expert and fearless as tight-rope dancers, and quite as safe.
no sooner, therefore, did ermigit find himself in the water, head downwards, than, with a rapid and peculiar action of the paddle, he sent himself quite round and up on the other side into the right position—dripping, however, like a seal emerging from the sea. he lost the race, as a matter of course. norrak, after touching the beach, returned to ermigit, laughing at his mishap.
“you laugh,” said his brother somewhat sharply, “but you cannot do that as quickly as i did it.”
without a word of reply, norrak threw himself on one side, vanished in the water, and came up on the other side in a decidedly shorter time.
“well done!” cried ermigit, who was, in truth, a good-natured fellow; “come, let us practise.”
“agreed,” responded norrak; and both brothers pushed a little nearer to land, so that their father and the others might observe and criticise their evolutions. as the exercises which they went through are practised by eskimos in order to fit them to cope with the accidents and emergencies of actual life, we will briefly describe them.
first norrak leaned over on one side, of course carrying the kayak with him, until his body lay on the water, in which position he maintained himself and prevented a total overset by manipulating his paddle, and then, with a downward dash of the blade and a vigorous jerk of his body, he regained his position, amid expressions of approval from the shore. having performed the same feat on the other side, he nodded to ermigit, and said—
“now you go to work.”
ermigit went to work so well, that even a critical judge could not have pronounced him better or worse than his brother. after that they both repeated the complete overturn and recovery already described. in this effort, however, the lads had the free use of their paddles; but as in actual service the paddle may easily get entangled with straps and fishing cordage, a special exercise is arranged to prepare the hunter against such misfortunes.
accordingly norrak pushed one blade of his paddle among the straps and cordage, overset the kayak, and worked himself up again with a quick motion of the other blade. of course this was not done either easily or quickly. nevertheless, it was accomplished by both lads to the entire satisfaction of their critics.
next, they performed the same feat of upsetting and recovering position with the paddle held fast behind their backs, and then with it held across the nape of the neck—and in several other positions, all of which represented cases of possible entanglement.
sometimes, however, the paddle may be lost in an upset. this is the most serious misfortune that can befall a hunter. to prepare for it, therefore, the eskimo boys and youths have a special drill, which norrak now proceeded to go through. overturning his kayak as before, he purposely let go the oar in the act, so that it floated on the water, and then, while thus inverted, he made an upward grasp, caught the paddle, pulled it down, and with it recovered his position. there would have been great danger in this if he had been alone, for in the event of his failing to catch the paddle he would probably have been drowned, but with ermigit at hand to help, there was no danger.
other exercises there are which the sons of okiok were not able to practise at that time because of the weather being unsuitable. one of these consists in threading their way among sunken rocks and dashing surges; another, in breasting the billows of a tempest. it must not be supposed that all eskimos become efficient in rough work of this kind. many do become exceedingly expert, others moderately so; but some there are who, although very fair seal-hunters, never become experts in the management of the kayak, and who, in cases of great difficulty, are apt to be lost during the seasons of seal-fishing.
now, it chanced while the youths were thus training themselves for future work, that a solitary seal put up its head, as if to have a look at the state of things in general above water. it also chanced that the eskimos were to leeward of him, and a blaze of sunshine was at their backs, so that the seal when looking towards its human foes had its eyes dazzled. ermigit had no weapons at the time, but by good-fortune a harpoon, line, and bladder were attached to norrak’s vessel.
as the cat pounces on the unwary mouse, so norrak, crouching low, dipped his paddle twice with noiseless vigour, and shot his craft like an arrow towards the seal. it happened to be a stupid attarsoak, and it raised its bullet head with a look that said plainly, “what, in all the ocean, is that queer thing in the sunshine?”
half a minute brought that queer thing in the sunshine within ten yards of him. norrak grasped the light harpoon, and sent it whistling to its mark. truer than the needle to the pole the weapon went, carrying its line with it, and sank deep into the shoulder of the seal.
ermigit, meanwhile, had made for the shore, got a lance thrown to him by the excited okiok, received an encouraging nod from rooney with an english recommendation to “go it,” and was off again to render aid. and not a moment too soon did that aid come, for, contrary to usual experience, that seal—instead of diving, and giving them an hour’s hot pursuit—made a furious assault on norrak. probably the spear had touched it in a tender spot. at all events the creature’s ire was roused to such an extent that when it reached him it seized the kayak and tore a large hole in it. down went the bow, as a matter of course, and up went the stern. norrak hastily disengaged himself, so as to be ready to spring clear of the sinking wreck, and was on the point of jumping out when his brother’s kayak shot past him, and ermigit sent a spear deep into the vitals of the seal—so deep, indeed, that it turned over and died without a groan.
by that time norrak was in the water, but he made a vigorous grasp at his brother’s kayak with one hand, while with the other he clutched the line of the harpoon—for well did he know that dead seals sink, and that if it went down it would perhaps carry the bladder along with it, and so be lost.
“give me the line, brother,” said ermigit, extending a hand.
“no. i can hold it. you make for shore—quick.” ermigit plied his paddle with a will, and in a few minutes reached the shore with norrak, bladder, line, and seal like a huge tail behind him.
need we say that they were received by their friends, as well as by the strange eskimos, with enthusiasm? we think not. neither is it necessary to comment on the enjoyment they found that night in a supper of fresh meat, and in fighting the battle, as well as a good many other battles, over again. but in the midst of it all there was a cloud on the brows of angut, simek, and okiok, for their anxiety about the fate of nunaga, pussi, and tumbler was intense.
angut was particularly restless during the night, and got up several times to take a look at the weather, as rooney expressed it.
on one of these occasions he found the kablunet standing by the shore of the calm sea.
“i don’t like the look o’ things,” said rooney, giving a sailor-like glance at the horizon and the sky. “it seems to me as if we were goin’ to have dirty weather.”
instead of replying to this remark, the eskimo looked earnestly at his friend, and asked—
“can ridroonee tell me why the great spirit allows men to do evil?”
“no, angut, no. that is beyond my knowledge. indeed i remember puttin’ the same question, or somethin’ like it, to a learned man in my country, and he said it is beyond the knowledge of the wisest men that have ever lived—so it’s no wonder that it’s beyond you and me.”
“but the great spirit is good,” said angut, rather as if he were soliloquising than addressing his friend.
“yes; he is good—must be good,” returned the sailor; “it cannot be otherwise.”
“then why does evil exist?” asked angut quickly. “why did he make evil? you have told me he made everything.”
“so he did, but evil is not a thing. it is a state of being, so to speak.”
“it is a great mystery,” said angut.
“it would be a greater mystery,” returned the seaman, “if the great spirit was not mysterious.”
“he has allowed ujarak to carry off nunaga, though she loves not ujarak, and ujarak does not love her, else he could not have treated her so badly. why did the great spirit allow that?” demanded the eskimo, with some bitterness of tone.
“i know not, angut, yet i know it is for good, because the great spirit is our great father, and if human fathers know how to treat their children well, does the great father of all not know?”
the eskimo gravely bowed his head in assent to this proposition, and the seaman continued—
“i have spoken to you more than once, angut, about the men in our land called surgeons—that you call knife-men,—how they will cut and carve your body, and tie you down sometimes, and give you terrible and prolonged suffering for the purpose of curing you and relieving your pain.”
“true,” replied angut, who at once saw the drift of his friend’s remark; “but then you know that the knife-man’s object is good. it is to cure, to relieve.”
“but suppose,” argued rooney, “that you did not know that his object was good—that you looked on him as a cruel, bloody, heartless monster, who cared not for your cries of pain—would your ignorance change his character?”
“no, no; he would remain good, whatever you might think,” said angut quickly; “i see. i see. i will try to think as you think—the great father is good, must be good. and he will prove it some day. don’t you think so, ridroonee?”
“ay, truly, i think so; i am sure of it. but listen! do you not hear sounds?”
they both listened intently, and gazed towards the northern headland of the bay, which at the time was bathed in brilliant moonlight. presently two black specks, one larger than the other, were seen to round the point, and the chattering of women’s voices was heard.
it was arbalik in a kayak, preceding an oomiak propelled by several women. in her impatience to join her lord, madame okiok had insisted on a forced march. a few minutes more, and the women landed amid noisy demonstrations of satisfaction. ere long the united party were busy round the unfailing lamps, enjoying social intercourse over an intermediate meal which, as it came between supper and breakfast, has not yet obtained a name.
