Legends and Tales from Angmagsalik. 241 



up in the air so that the knife buried itself in the wall under him. 

 The spectators shouted: '^Ungilataki, who never misses, has missed 

 for once", and they would have had Kunuk seize the knife, but 

 Ungilataki darted forward and drew the knife out of the wall. 



When he had sung another chant, he aimed at Kunuk's heart. 

 Kunuk's wife, who sat away on the platform, seeing this, be- 

 gan to weep. "Now, Now!" shouted the others; Kunuk made him- 

 self tall, and so Ungilataki aimed high, at his chin, but just at the 

 moment when the knife was cast, he made himself small, so that 

 it passed just above his head. Ungilataki darted forward again to 

 seize the knife, but Kunuk was beforehand with him and grasped 

 the knife, although he had never sung in a drum-match before. 

 Ungilataki told him to do just like him. Kunuk now began to 

 sing, and when he had ended, the others shouted to him: "Cast 

 now!" but he did not do so. He began again to beat the drum 

 and sing, and when he had finished he took aim at Ungilataki, who 

 tried to make himself narrow by turning sideways^); but before he 

 had time to move, the knife struck him, and, grazing his chin, 

 pierced his neck. The housemates shouted to Kunuk to put him 

 to death. Ungilataki's family began to weep, but Kunuk's wife drew 

 on her boots. Kunuk now took his wife and the most beautiful of 

 Ungilataki's wives. As he was leaving the house, Ungilataki said to 

 him, speaking from the bottom of his throat: "I have never turned 

 my face away from her when I have slept with her, and you must 

 not turn your face from her either". As Kunuk was going out 

 through the passage-way, Ususugmiarsuk^) came running and gave 

 Kunuk a shove from behind which sent him tumbling forwards. This 

 he repeated several times. When they came outside, they seized 

 each other and began to wrestle. Ususugmiarsuk tried to press 

 Kunuk down in order to kill him; but he could not get the better 

 of him. Kunuk now chanced to tread on a spot'') where the dogs 

 had been digging up the ground; he lost his foothold, and in his 

 fall squeezed the other, who struggled to free himself. Kunuk 

 squeezed him so hard that the blood streamed out of his mouth 

 and his bowels gushed out. Ususugmiarsuk fell of a heap, shrieking: 

 "■Kunuk, Kunuk, Kunuk has squeezed me so that the blood is 

 streaming out of my mouth and my bowels are gushing out!" 

 Having said this, he died. 



Kunuk now went on his way home. His foster-mother said to 

 him: "He has killed a man, but he ought to have slain a dog and 



1) According to Utuak, Ungilataki pulled a long nose at Kunuk. 



-) Utuak calls him : Ususugmajoatak. 



^j Utuak said: on frozen urine. 



XXXIX. 16 



