A TEEASUEY OF ESKIMO TALES 



And he was right, for two men were walking 

 on top of the dead whale and calling to their vil- 

 lage mates to come and help cut it up. Very 

 soon there were many people at work cutting 

 a hole through the upper side of the whale's 

 body. 



Raven quickly pulled down his mask, becoming 

 a bird, and crouched close in the farthest corner. 

 When the hole was large enough, he watched his 

 chance and while everybody was carrying a load 

 of meat to the shore, he flew out and alighted on 

 the top of a hill close by without being noticed. 



" Ah, my good fire-drill; I have forgotten it," 

 he exclaimed, remembering that he had left it 

 behind. 



He quickly pushed up his beak and removed 

 his raven coat, becoming a young man again. 

 He started along the shore toward the whale. 

 The people working on the dead animal saw a 

 small, dark-colored man in a strangely made 

 deerskin coat coming toward them, and they 

 looked at him curiously. 



" Ho, you have found a fine, large whale," said 

 he as he drew near. " I will help you to cut him 

 up.'/ 



He rolled up his sleeves and set to work. Very 

 soon a man cutting on the inside of the whale's 



106 



