The Eternal Maiden

e stars in the skies . . . Whose voice, far, far away, itself comes as the faintly remembered music of long bygone dreams preceding birth . . . And now, o

, in the shelter of certain rocks, he knew there was much soft moss. Digging through the frozen blanket of ice he secured a quantity, and returning, made with it a soft bed for Annadoah over a tier of stones. This he covered in turn with the soft skin of caribou. Inside the immaculate house of snow he fashioned an interior tent of heavy skins to retain the heat of the oil lamps. Of his own supplies of blubber and walrus meat, which he had secretly buried early in the hunting season and which

h will let thee share her igloo when the snow closes i

be protected from the

oss whereon he doth not expect to lie. Idiot Ootah, as well mayest thou expect the willows to sp

s meat and fuel," the women murmur

is skins; he hath th

e? Verily men are few; women are many

s arm is

courage in

th not th

the face of one who is fair;

lly into his eyes. In the thought that he was there to protect her the heart of Ootah pulsed with joy. Annadoah's heart was cold. Annadoah sat inside the new little h

mbrane drums, and singing jerky chants, they danced frenziedly, forcing a false hilarity. They felt the overwhelmi

. His heart ached with the unrequited and eternal desire of all the loveless and lonely things of the world. Outside, the

the snow and stone houses. Ordinarily Ootah would have attended these, for a dog figh

cing, card playing and other games of chance. Two lovers, both desirous of a maiden, may hold a fight between their king dogs, each hoping that success ma

t playful joy of life, that carefree ignoring of danger, which we find in our children-which, alas, we lose too soon. Each day brings to them its novel delights; in their monotonous foods they find a constant variety of pleasure; in their simple games of muscle-tapping, throwing of carved ivories, and fighting of dogs they experience the exultant and exuberant fun of

aq. Both Papik and Attalaq were paying evident attentions to Ahningnetty, the chubby and ever smiling maiden, who, while

icular master. When he has asserted his supremacy over the dogs of his own team, he is successively set before the rulers of other t

al honors. The immediate contest between the two most distinguished canines in the village was an event of exciting impor

the two dogs were placed before each other. They were handsome animals, with long keen noses, denoting an aristocracy of cani

r. Their sharp teeth sank into each other's shanks. The natives cheered whenever a favorite secured an advantage. Bets were made. Papik's eyes gleamed as he alt

rowl, unexpectedly rushed from the enclos

re were purple stars, and blue stars, and orange-colored stars; some resembled monstrous amethysts, some emeralds fierily green, some rubies spitting sparks vindictively red; others globular sheeny pearls, creamy of lustre but shot with faint gleams of rose; and fugitively sprinkling

hant, questioning, emerged from the stone entrance to the house a

rl was

thou woulds

strong," the

ove that dot

lied. "He is clums

the igloo occupied by Ahni

eat have I. The white men robbed the tribe. But perchance the bears come-the

gers, Papik-

protested; "his skin flushe

ay to Annadoah, whom th

true that Ahningnetty w

ng, caused the massive floe-ice to grate against that adhering to the s

at?" Ahning

ssuaq, the monster who lives in

he children. In winte

ple to death when a baby w

s his ladles, the

ore, and Ahningnetty, frightened, fled to her

they carried a small stark body. The woman was weeping piteously. It was their child,

ppeared, for while relatives weep over their dead none dare disturb their mourning. For five days, in commemoration of the death, the parents would visit the grave of their child, During this time no native dare cross the path leading from their igloo to the silent resting p

lorful stars fierily glittered over a world of black silence. The cold increased to an intolerable bitterness. Oo

millions of aerial creatures. Terrific snow storms kept the tribe within their shelters for days. Often the winds tore away the membrane windows of their snow houses, and blasts of frigid cold dissipated the precious warmth within. In the lee of circular walls of ice, right at the immediate entrance of the houses, the natives kept their dogs. Inside the

urrounded the animal. Fortunately the incandescent light of the aurora increased-now and then a ribbon of light, palpitant with every color of the rainbow, was flung across the sky. Ootah lifted his harpoon lance-the sky was momentarily flooded with light-he struck

the Voice . . .

kies. The air, electrified, seemed to snap and cr

rd was, to them all, the Voice of the Great Unknown, He whose power is greater than that of Perdlugssuaq, He who made the world, created the Eternal Maiden Sukh-eh-nukh, and placed all the stars in the skies, who, never coming Himself earthward, instead

constantly, and dispersing into millions of feathery flakes of opal light, melted softly . . . Along the lower heavens

he loved was a part, to which all nature, everything that lives and breathes, was vitally linked . . . He felt the drawing urge, the thrilling tingling impetus, as it were, of the terrific currents of vital spirit force that sweep vastly through the universe, keeping the earth and all the planets in their orbits . . . He felt, what possibly the p

ous bear meat, and according to Ootah's instructions divide portions among

soapstone was a line of moss, which absorbed the walrus fat, and served as a wick for the lamp. This emitted a line of thin, reddish blue flame. Over the light, and supported by a framework, was a large soapstone pot in which bits of walrus meat w

r she would eat ravenously of the meagre food in the pot. Regular meals are unknown in the arctic-a

e low enclosure Ann

y of children, they placed bits of the meat in the pot

of the meat, both heard an uproar outside. They crept from t

ied off Ahningnett

ther's house and seiz

ey heard Ahning

s strong,"

ground, Attalaq jumped on his brother's body and striking his head with stones beat him to death. Attalaq was a type of the older warriors; u

of Attalaq's house. Soon Attalaq

rmined to carry off Ahningnetty. "A woman's mind is as the wind-it constantly changeth," he said. "Women should be driven as the dogs." Ahningnetty, s

u canst walk back. Eh?" The girl cowered away, but on her face there was the sem

over careth sufficiently to carry

ere men like Attalaq," said

one asked. He wa

to return to thy fat

ty, appro

had protested, she was unquestionab

o impart the unpleasant news t

e called, on her retur

arried away by Attalaq,

e showed me his hands-

be a sorry husband to

zen!" took up the ot

d woman. "He saith the dreaded misfortune hath com

ong nose-short life," remark

d in and bits of blubber were soon offered the lonely Papik, as he sat, nursing his frozen members, in his house. The mishap was tragic, for, his hands injured, he had lost not only his

l prowling bears were shot. The howl of occasional wolves was heard in the mo

the northern world. In their shelters the natives clustered together, warming one another

nally their food gave out. From his store Ootah silently doled out allotments until starvation confronted him. One by one the dogs were eaten. And this caused a dull ache, for the men loved their dogs only a little less than they did their wives and children. T

girls in more southern lands-but they were grotesque effigies, made of skin roughly sewn together. The boys found brief zest in a game which was played by sticking ivory points in a piece of bone, hanging from the roof of the igloo, and which was perforated with holes. Finally, as the night wore on, the children lost interest in their games, and with aching stomachs, lay silent by the fires. Starvation steadily claimed its toll. Death, slowly, su

hin, and white as the snows without. The flame in h

. He breathed on her face. He opened her ahttee and rubbed her little breasts. He felt something very st

er. Then he again set to chafing the tender little hands. Cold

smile brightened her face. Ootah leaned forward,

." She opened her eyes. The smi

brought thee food," Oot

d . . . I was in the south . . . where th

a stupor and for a long while was silent. Ootah's war

. as the embrace of nannook (the bear). . . ." Her smile deepened . . . her breat

ah's wail of hu

ght the iglo

hmingmah in the mountains, Ootah? Didst thou not tell me there were ahmingmah in the

ught, he had not remembered the herd before. And it was stranger still that now she should remind him. But the improbability o

ns," he said, soothing her hands. She dr

," she repli

gripped in that unrelenting spell of wintry silence. Above the imprisoned sea the January moon was rising and for ten sleeps-ten twenty-four hour days-it would circle about th

e mountains." Behind him they loomed, gigantic and precipitous. That such a journey meant almost certain death he

in his experience had the lashes of ookiah struck so blastingly upon the tribe. Yea, they had even lost their fear of the tornarssuit and no longer brought propitiatory offerings of blubber to him. Yet being wise with age, early in the summer

al thread of black smoke rose from the taper. In the dim light the leering face of Sipsu appeared

l. The tribe is forgetfu

hesitation, placed a bit of

he mumbled. Sipsu

untains," Maisanguaq s

an sneere

man can live in the mountains. Th

mah abound. The air is still; the moon rises for ten s

d there. The shadow of Pe

te Ootah!" excla

aughed

hill spirits to strike?"

d Maisangu

sing. Thereupon I became a great magician. They spoke to me; I was

indicated t

glaciers, that Ootah may be carried to his death. I

tah hath never consulted my familiar spirits

sed. He improvised a monotonous spirit song. His face grimaced demoniacally. As his conjuration approached the climax, his voice rose to a

anguaq's ey

Ootah's voice called. Others joined in the clamor. The

" said Maisanguaq. "Thinkest

yes-and glared wil

q demanded. "Hast

one hand, and is she not powerless to plait her hair? Doth she not obey me? For did I not plait her hair? Did I

doubt in thy

ispute among the spirits. I cannot determine what they

go that Annadoah

aq nodde

the t

aq again

converse among his familiars the necromanc

lubber to Maisanguaq. "I dare n

curse," he breathed, his fingers sinking into th

man gasped, "

ers loosened. "Wh

e other power . . . whic

, ye

hat it is . . . I cannot tell thee . . . But the spirits say . . . it . . . concerneth . . . Annadoah. And against it

ose dying of hunger, had gathered in groups. Ootah

gs leaped into the air-his sled s

a lad barely eighteen years of age. All the others had hung back. Koolotah's mother was dying; a despera

d, and his lean dogs

o!" called

oices of Ootah and

ere magnified into the likeness of those of the giants that the old men said once lived in the highlands. Their dogs were distended into creatures of the size

them. The voices of their tribesme

tched the teams dimini

ne whispered a

ath curs

he gathered men and women. In the distance a black

n the spirit of the moun

oan foll

ophesied too many de

that Koolotah's

o that Koolotah would depart on a long jo

And Piuaitsoq-did not the spirit of the skin tents strike him when

es angrily r

f a bear's mouth? And hath he not become as strong as the bear? Did not his father place in his ahttee the feet of a hawk-and have not his own feet the swiftne

isanguaq, chagrined and bitter at t

," he whispered softly. And

Sipsu

dying bear. A dozen hands ferociously gripped his throat. They moved to and fro in a mad struggle over the uneven ice. They seized hold of one another in the blood-thirsty desire to lay their hand

ef they had to bury the old man-otherwise, his spirit would haunt them. To this spot they brought the rotted skins of his bed, and on them placed the body, fearful lest they touch it. By the body they placed the old man's lamp, stone dishes, membrane-drum and instruments of incantation.