AND KAYAK 189 



Button Islands and to other desolate places 

 where there is no smell of man to disturb them. 

 A beady-eyed little Eskimo came into my 

 room one evening, hugging a bulky package 

 which he dumped upon the floor. " Nennok 

 (polar bear)," he explained, " half of him : 

 you buy him, eh ? ' : He unrolled his package 

 and named his price, and I found myself 

 looking at the hinder half of a huge bearskin. 

 " Where is the rest of him ? " I asked : and 

 then I got the story. 



It seems that this man and another were 

 out in a little boat, fishing for cod, when they 

 saw a white bear swimming in the sea. Like 

 true Eskimos they fell to their oars, and got 

 the boat between the bear and the shore so 

 as to head him off. They had no gun and no 

 harpoon, but this did not matter to them : 

 their great idea was that they were within 

 hunting distance of a nennok, and hunt him 

 they would. They chased him to and fro 

 until he began to tire, and then they assailed 

 him with their oars, hammering prodigiously 

 at his head. The bear tried to get into the 

 boat, and at that they hammered the more 

 until they had him stunned and helpless. 

 Then they towed his carcase ashore and set 

 about sharing him. It did hot happen to 

 strike them that they might sell the skin and 



