A TEEASUEY OF ESKIMO TALES 



to life. Seeing the people on the opposite side 

 he became furious, tearing the ground with his 

 claws and growling, and starting to cross the 

 river to get at them. When the villagers saw this, 

 they were much frightened, and ran about say- 

 ing, " Here is the old woman's dog! We shall all 

 be killed! " " Tell the old woman to stop her 

 dog!" They had never seen a bear and they 

 thought it was a dog she had made. 



The woman went to meet the bear which did 

 not try to hurt her, but was passing by her to get 

 at the other people when she caught him by the 

 hair on the back of his neck. 



" Do not hurt these people," she said; " they 

 have been kind to me and have given me food 

 when I was hungry." 



She led the bear into her house, and still hold- 

 ing on to him, she talked to him kindly. 



" You have done my bidding well, and I am 

 pleased with you," she said; " but you must not 

 overdo it. Hereafter you must injure no one 

 unless he tries to hurt or injure you." 



When she had finished talking, she led him to 

 the door and sent him away over the tundra. 

 Before she made him there had never been any of 

 his kind, but since then there have always been 

 red bears. 



98 



