628 THE CENTRAL ESKIMO. 



THE FUGITIVE WOMEN. 



Once upon a time two women who were with child quarreled with 

 their htisbands and fled from their families and friends to live hy 

 themselves. After having traveled a long distance they came to a 

 place called Igdluqd juaq, where they resolved to stay. It was summer 

 when they arrived. They found plenty of sod and turf and large 

 whale ribs bleaching on the beach. They erected a firm structure 

 of bones and filled the interstices with sod and turf. Thus they 

 had a good house to live in. In order to obtain skins they made 

 traps, in which they caught foxes in sufiBcient niimbers for their 

 dresses. Sometimes they found carcasses of ground seals or of whales 

 which had drifted to the shore, of which they ate the meat and burnt 

 the blubber. There was also a deep and narrow deer pass near the 

 hut. Across this they stretched a rope and when the deer passed by 

 th ey became entangled in it and strangled themselves. Besides, there 

 was a salmon creek near the liovise and this likewise furnished them 

 with an abundance of food. 



In winter their fathers came in search of their lost daughters. 

 When they saw the sledge coming they began to cry, as they were 

 unwilling to return to their husbands. The men, however, were 

 glad to find them comfortable, and having staid two nights at their 

 daughters' hoiise they returned home, where they told the strange 

 story that two women without the company of any men lived all by 

 themselves and were never in want. 



Though this happened a long time ago the hotise may still be seen 

 and therefore the place is called Igdluqdjuaq (The Large House). 



QAUDJAQDJUQ. 



I. STORY OF THE THREE BROTHERS. 



A long time ago there lived three brothers. Two of them were 

 grown up, but the third was a young lad whose name was Qau- 

 djaqdjuq. The elder brothers had left their country and traveled 

 about many years, while the youngest lived with his mother in their 

 native village. As they had no supporter, the poor youth was abiised 

 by all the men of the village and there was nobody to protect him. 



At last the elder brothers, being tired of roaming about, retiirned 

 home. When they heard that the boy had been badly used by all 

 the Inuit they became angry and thought of revenge. At first, how- 

 ever, they did not say anything, but built a boat, in which they in- 

 tended to escape after having accomplished their designs. They 

 were skillful boat builders and finished their work very soon. They 

 tried the boat and found that it passed over the water as swiftly as 

 an eider duck flies. As they were not content with their work they 

 destroyed it again and Iniilt a new boat, which proved as swift as 



