58 TRIBES OF BRITISH NORTH AMERICA 



The Eskimo believe that in olden times there were 

 a great number of &quot;Kalopaling,&quot; but happily their 

 numbers are diminishing, and now only a few of the 

 strongest are left. These are often seen swimming 

 a few feet below the surface of the sea, and from 

 time to time they rise in order to breathe, then once 

 more disappear below the surface with much 

 splashing of arms and legs. The hunter has only 

 one chance of killing a &quot; Kalopaling,&quot; and this must 

 be done when the monster is asleep on the ice. The 

 flesh is said to be poisonous, but it may be used for 

 fattening dogs that draw the sledges. 



One story says that an old Eskimo woman lived 

 with her little son, and as they were very poor 

 they had to depend on small gifts of blubber and 

 seal s meat. On one occasion the boy was so 

 hungry that he kept crying out for food, and in spite 

 of his- mother s threat to call Kalopaling, the noise 

 continued until the woman became so angry that 

 she actually called the monster, who walked away 

 with the shrieking child hidden in his enormous 

 hood. Later on, food became plentiful, and the 

 woman told Eskimo fishermen how sorry she was 

 that her little son had been taken away, and before 

 long a brave hunter and his wife promised to help 

 her to secure the child. 



Kalopaling used to allow the boy to play near the 

 edge of a large crack in the ice, but always had a 

 rope of seaweed around him, so that he could be 

 pulled into the water when any one was approach 

 ing. The hunter and his wife made several un 

 successful attempts to rescue the boy, but at last 

 their patience was rewarded, for coming out quickly 



