492 THE ESKIMO ABOUT BERING STRAIT [eth.axn. 18 



Seeing a liole in the ground close by, the traveler sprang into it just 

 as a terrible crash shook the earth and rendered him unconscious. He 

 lay as if dead for some time, while the basket kept moving about as if 

 searching for him and continuously giving out the fearful sounds. 

 When the young man's senses returned, he listened for a short time, 

 and, everything having become quiet, went outside of his shelter and 

 looked about. Close by was the basket resting on the ground with a 

 man's head and shoulders sticking out of its top. The moment he saw 

 it the young man cried out, "Why are you waiting? Go on; don't 

 stop and give me a good loud noise, you." Then he sprang back into 

 the hole again and was instantly struck senseless by the fearful noise 

 made by the basket. When he had recovered sufficiently he went out 

 again, but could not see the basket. Then he raised both of his hands 

 and called upon the thunder and lightning to come to his aid. Just 

 then the basket came near again, with only the man's head projecting 

 from the top. He at once told the thunder and lightning to roar and 

 flash about the basket, and they obeyed and crashed with such force 

 that the basket shaman began to tremble with fear and fell to the 

 ground. 



As soon as the thunder stopped the basket began to retreat, the 

 shaman being almost dead from fear. Then the young man cried out, 

 "Thunder, pursue him; go before and behind him and terrify him." 

 The thunder did so, and the basket floated away slowly, falling to the 

 ground now and then. Then the traveler went on, arriving at a 

 village just at twilight. As he drew near a boy came out from the 

 village to meet him, saying, "How do you come here from that direc- 

 tion? Xo one ever came here from that side before, for the basket 

 shaman allows no living thing to pass the lake; no, not even a mouse. 

 He always knows when anything comes that way and goes out to meet 

 and destroy it." 



"I did not see anything," said the traveler. "Well, you have not 

 escaped yet," said the boy, "for there is the basket man now, and he 

 will kill you unless you go back." When the young man looked he saw 

 a great eagle rise and fly toward him, and the boy ran away. As the 

 eagle came nearer it rose a short distance and then darted down to 

 seize him in its claws. As it came down the young man struck himself 

 on the breast with one hand and a gerfalcon darted forth from his 

 mouth straight toward the eagle, flying directly into its abdomen and 

 passing out of its mouth and away. 



This gerfalcon was from the strong substance the young man had 

 been given by the first old man on the road. When the gerfalcon 

 darted from him the eagle closed his eyes, gasping for breath, which 

 gave the young man a chance to spring to one side so that the eagle's 

 claws caught into the ground where he had stood. Again the eagle 

 arose and darted down, and again the young man struck his breast 

 with his hand, and an ermine sprang from his mouth and darted 



