SUPERSTITIONS 



the bed " is a great place for poking all the useless 

 lumber of an Eskimo household, and the shifting 

 of a bed into another corner effectively clears the 

 somewhat unsavoury accumulation. 



"Just big children" said my friend the mis- 

 sionary; and these fears and superstitions are just 

 signs of the child mind. If you go through a village 

 in the night, you will see a tiny light glimmering in 

 many of the houses. The people are fast asleep, but 

 they like to keep a light burning ; like children, they 

 are timid in the darkness. But in many a household 

 the fear has passed away. When night has fallen, 

 and the evening prayers have been said, the Eskimo 

 housewife puts out the lamp and the family settles to 

 sleep in peace. 



296 



