THE FLIGHT TO THE MOON 



" My wife, Ulul, will soon be here and we will 

 have a dance. Mind you don't laugh, or she will 

 slice you in two with her knife and feed you to my 

 ermine which is in yon little house outside." 



Before long a woman entered carrying an ob- 

 long chopping-bowl in which lay her chopping- 

 knife. She set it down and stooped forward, 

 turning the bowl as if it were a whirligig. Then 

 she commenced dancing; and when she turned her 

 back toward the stranger he saw that she was hol- 

 low. She had no back, backbone, or insides, but 

 only lungs and heart. 



Her husband presently joined in the dance, 

 and their attitudes and grimaces were so ludicrous 

 that the stranger could scarcely keep from laugh- 

 ing. He did not wish to be impolite, so he kept 

 turning his face aside and pretending to cough. 

 Fortunately for him, just as he thought he would 

 surely explode with laughter, he recalled the 

 warning the man had given him and rushed out of 

 the house. The Man guessed what was the mat- 

 ter with him, and called out : 



;< Better call your white bear mascot! " 



He did so, and escaped unhurt. 



However, he went into the house another day 

 and succeeded in keeping his face straight, so 

 when their performance was ended the Man in 



36 



