The Eternal Maiden

the questions men ask in such a crisis . . . and he demanded with wild weeping their answer from the dead rejoicing in the auroral Valhalla. But there was no answer-as perhaps there may be no a

tlia, the sister of Koolotah, followed in turn by some of the other women, visited the igloo of Annadoah. U

complained. "May the ravens peck thine eyes!" crie

ns who are husbandless and yet Ootah pined for thee. Why didst thou not choose Ootah? Then he would have remained and prevented the thievery of the strangers, we should not have been robbed, and he would not have had to go far unto the mountains, where the spirits have struck him in their wrath? Nay, nay, thou didst make the men of our tribe sick with thoughts of thee. They have qua

husband from the hunters, and how she had refused all who sought her; they told, with reiterant detail, how she had caused quarrels among the men, and sent many of the warriors in their competitive hunts

n Annadoah many moons since still made their mouth taste bitter. This jealousy rankling within them, they now with angry exultation to

forward and whispered a terrible thing. The others looked a

hing," said one, "h

to the girl who lay before them, he

by died . . . I

lence, rigid, im

e graves of snow. It is not uncommon in this land for babies to die at birth or come prematurely; but the number of recent deaths and tragic accidents to expectant mothers was unprecedented. This was undoubtedly due to the depleted vitality of the starving mothers-but to the natives there was some other, some unaccountable, some

ed the terrible thing which she whispered concerning Annadoah, it was litt

ealeth

rightful could

died I heard her voice,"

us voices in her memory, found it no

ing the night my own li

third wh

upon the entrails of the dead. Yea, she carri

a maniacal cry of ter

ping her hands, she

sayest ye t

ey shr

! By the angakoq sha

irl pleaded, falling on

fter in secret often assembled together; there were ominous whisperings; and each time a child died

he distance. They heard the excited calls of tribesmen and the chatter of other women.

nebulous film of silvery light wavered with incredible swiftness over the heavens . . . The snow-blanketed land took instantaneous fire in the sudden flares . . . In the torridly tropic heaven of the virtuous dead an Unknown God, so the tribes believe, makes fire-just as in the nether regions beneath the earth the Great Evil, who has revealed himself with a more terrible reality than the

one whispered, "are happy .

ut very glad smile passed over his countenance; he made an effort to forget the anguished throes of pain in his limbs and the intermittent shudderings of cold and flushes of intense fever. He tried to speak, but then shook his head sadly. Instead, he pointed to the dilapidated sledge. Three of his dogs had perished-five ha

eak," he man

process of fermentation in the earth, possessed the intoxicating qualities of alcohol. It is used by the n

tronger,

g him, and gently touching his wounded fa

ul in the auroral light-Ootah felt his heart beat wildly. But

ed. "Come! The others will prepare thy couch and light t

en had unhitched, and as many as could enter the small enclosure, followed. The stench of the oil lamp at first almost su

d in response. While he sipped the warm water gratefully, Annadoah cut away his leather boots and bathed his injuries. His flesh was torn and one ankle was sprained-by a miracle not a bone had been broken in the fall. With unguents left years before by white men,

only the soothing touch of Annadoah's dear hands, and her breath at times very near, fanning his face; he heard her voice murmuring to the onlooking natives. Not satisfied with these mi

m wounds, are actually caused by the spirits of the various members of the body falling out of harmony. Then the angakoq must persuade his friends in the other world to restore peace among the spirits of the human hands,

s and often smiled at Annadoah. He was better, he told them, and motioned the

not regard us. We came unto the ahmingmah . . . But upon our return the hill spirits who live in the caves wakened and struck with their great harpoons. They shook the mountains. Then the good ancestors carried me through sila-the world of the air-yea, my dogs, my sledge, and the ahmingmah meat. I had called upon those who went before me. I woke at the bottom of the mountain, three of my dogs were crushed, my sledge was broken . . . I lay there a while . . . I slept again . . . often . . . Then I lashed the sled, ate a little of the ahmingmah meat, and came . . . hither . . . How . . . Ootah knows not . . . It was hard at times . . . I could hardly walk . . . the ice moved about me . . . always . . . so-" He described a circle with his hand. "But I bethought me of Annadoah-" he

en unlashed the sledge-load of meat, and the division began. To Annadoah Ootah gave one-eighth of the load, enough to last by frugal use for more than two moons, or m

voices rose in hilarious chants. Wild joy shook them. Ootah was acclaimed hero of the tribe. Although they have no chiefs, he was acco

Maisanguaq alone retired. From the seclusion of his iglo

interior flame and glowed like diaphanous mists of gold half concealing the vague faces of the beauteous spirits of the dead. Their billowing edges palpitated with a tremor as of quicksilver. Within and through this empyreal web of light marvellous scenes were simultaneously woven. They lasted a moment's space and vanished. The natives, dancing unrestrainedly, saw heavenly mountain slopes covered with grass of emerald fire and glittering with starry flowers. They saw the gigantic shadows of celestial ahmingmah passing behind the clouds . . . and here

oronas that rose from the north. A light of cold electric fire increasingly blazed over the heavens

tah dimly heard their voices echoing into silence; he experienced terrible pains again in his limbs and the fever in his

possessed him. Never had Annadoah caressed him before, never had he felt the tingling thrill of her tender hands, never had her breath so perilously warmed his face. For an hour she sat by him, perfunctorily bathing his wounds with the white men's ointment and rubbing a yellow salve upon his face. And while she did this, often, v

h pressed her hand more firmly-he did not realize how fiercely in his fever. His blood ran high; in a mingled delirium of pain and transport he drew h

she breathed

w her heart was in the south. And in that frightful moment his untutored mind by instinct realized why she had bandaged and soothed him so tenderly, realized, indeed, that in do

ht-then, recalling herself, suddenly uttered

to the man who had deserted her, the utter hopelessness of hi

oah!" he wailed, his voice

g. Everything reeling about him, he crept painfully fr

Over the snows glittering rosy fingers painted running rainbow traceries. It s

and of the dead-the dead who danced and were h

terness of his utter heartbreak. There was no reproach in his shuddering sobs; only sorrow, only the desolation and

mate desire of the heart is forever ungranted and an intrinsically unselfish love too often finds itself defeated-these questions, in his way, he asked of his soul, and he demanded, with wild weeping, their answer from the dead rejoicing in the paling V

of grief. The aurora faded above him. Darkness closed upon the earth. Sitting in her igloo,