The Eternal Maiden

ed as a wound in th

cared away the wild hawks in whose high nesting place he found shelter. At the door of t

m to the narwhals; let the whales feed upon his body. May the soul of his hands, and the soul of his feet, and

s like that of muffled thunder. Wild cries arose from the

In a fit of anger Ootah shook his arms frantically

oah. Tell her that the heart of Ootah is bitter. Tell her Ootah would that her voice become as harsh as the winds of ookiah (winter). Tell her Ootah would that her face become withered as fr

veying his messages. The sun, circling low about the horizon, shifted its rays, and within the nebulous cloud-mas

beloved maiden his heart throbbed violently. In the high altitude he found respiration difficult, and now he almost suffocated for lack of brea

he whispers into the ears of Olafaksoah: 'Thou art strong, Olafaksoah; Ootah hath the heart of a woman. Thou hurtest me, Olafaksoah; thy arms bruise

tah heard Olafaksoa

h-h!" Oot

u lovest the face of Annadoah. It is very fair. It is golden as the radiant face of Sukh-eh-nukh. Her eyes are as bright as sta

h-h!" wai

ah--red as a wound in

e head of Annadoah between his two palms and press her li

bbed, and tears cou

face pressed close to that of Olafaksoah s

Annadoah! Soft beats the heart of Annadoah upon the bosom of Olafaksoah; yea, for very joy it flutters as a mating bird in summer time.

rung hi

ears of Annadoah, she who hears

Olafaksoah in the dim tent. He heard A

doah," whispered the winds suggestive

was now as much his property as his dogs. He might abuse her, and desert-and thus divorce-her whenever he chose. She might, at his pleasure, be loaned as

gony. All that he suffered it is beyond me to tell you. For days h

remaining furs and ivories gathered by the tribe. With the natives he saw them going on long fruitless hunts. Finally one day he witnessed them harpoon a half dozen walrus on the sea. They laboriously towed the catch ashore and

onflagrations . . . Ootah knew the dead were lighting their monstrous camp fires-but even in this he found n

eer . . ." and then sibilantly-"softly beats the heart of Annadoah aga

and spread across the glowing heavens like a film of smoke . . . It took upon itself the awful semblance of a mighty thing, half-beast, half-man. As if to strike, it slowly lifted the likeness of a gigantic arm shrouded with tattered

(spirits)," he called, grovelling

before him, he had excelled in the hunts and games, and for many moons had felt confident of winning her. He dwelt for hours upon her stunning rejection, of how she clung to the white man; he vis

ul, with closed

or. The air became unbearably colder as the dreaded creator of death, darkness and ice descended. The taut suspense w

by the terrible winds, lay dead at the entrance of the cave. Surely the Great Ev

fall of snow-there a herd of musk oxen grazed. He drew his bow of bone and sinew. One fell after the first quiver of his arrow. His skill was marvellous. He had struck a

her. Then in the winds Ootah heard the beat of drums. In the clouds he saw the white men dancing with the Eskimo maidens. Day after day they danced-day after day Annadoah wept. Olafaksoah had become wearied. Disappointed in the failure to secure greater supplies, he vented his impatience upon Annadoah. Cruelly he bruised her little hands, he mocked and jeered her when she pleaded with him. In fits of anger he often struck her. Finally, one day, in the cloud phantasmagoria, Ootah saw Olafaksoah reeling from the strange red-gold water the white men drank. H

escended from

actually sensed these things by some wonderful power of clairvoyance, which the natives themselves

ieved him. Then he changed his mind, and said she must wait until the next season for him. She silently acquiesced. She called upon all her simple arts to please him. Carefully she oiled her face and made the golden skin soft by rubbing it with the fur of animals; with a broken comb, left with her mother years before by a party of explorers, she combed her long, black and wonderful hair and elaborately arra

lves of the walrus meat and blubber they had gathered for winter and give them to her master in exchange for tin cups and ammunition, all of which would be useless when the night came on. To Ootah she gave no thought until one day the white man struck her. As he vented his rage at not securing more riches upon her during the ensuing days, her heart more and more instinctively turned to the youth "with the heart of a woman" whom she had rejected. When Olafaks

h! Oo

gained consciousness the white chief and his men had left. They had tak

tended her arms. Her heart still ached toward the man who had lied to her and deserted her. She was le

white arms seemed reaching hopelessly for help from the depths of the sea. The sky blackened. The increasing gusts tore at the frail tents. The wolf-dogs crouched low to the ground and whined. A tremor of anxiety filled the hearts of the tribe. Presently the clouds wer

rose and fell with the wailing grief and wrath of the wind. "Olafaksoah! Olafaksoah!" But only the hoarse evil call of the