Legends and Tales from Angmagsalik. 257 



had seen all this, made a sign Lo the others that they were to look, 

 too. He then removed the stone from the passage and said: "Now, 

 you must go behind me, but remain in the passage, and 1 will go 

 in and take the boy and throw him out to you". 



A little way up the passage, there was another huge stone, 

 lying across and blocking the passage. Matakatak turned it over, 

 but came upon a third stone. That, too, he managed to turn over, 

 and beyond it there hung bear's teeth and other bones which 

 rattled when they were touched. Matakatak drew them aside so 

 that they rattled, sprang up to the platform, gave the man who was 

 rocking the child a thrust in the belly, so that he fell on his back, 

 seized the child and threw it out into the passage, where its parents 

 caught it and ran away with it. 



The Timerseks wanted to throttle Matakatak by twisting the 

 hood of his anorak about his neck; but he escaped. When he came 

 outside, three timerseks, who were just as big as umiaks, came and 

 seized hold of him; but he killed them all three with his clenched 

 fists. 



The child's parents had already got some distance away. 

 Matakatek ran down to the others, took the child from its parents, 

 and ran on with it. He now caught sight of three big men; these 

 were the souls of the Timerseks he had slain ^), and as he approached 

 them, they parted, so that he passed between them. They now came 

 home with the child which had been stolen by the Timerseks. 



13. POUIA 



told by Kutiiluk. 



One day when Pouia was out kaiaking, he met a Timersek. 

 He backed water as hard as he could, in order to get back, but 

 the 'inland-dweller' drew him towards him, stuck him kaiak and 

 all in his bag, and went up into the inland. When the Timersek 

 had taken Pouia to his home, he gave him in marriage his two un- 

 married daughters, and his kaiak was put up on a ledge of the 

 wall. The eldest daughter was not so beautiful as the youngest. 

 When Pouia lay between them and turned his face towards the 

 most beautiful of them, the other caught hold of him and turned 

 him round towards her. 



After a time he began to weary of lying still, and said: "It is 

 a long time since I was out kaiaking; I wish I could go out once 



^) AVhereas the souls of men are as big as a finger or hand, the Timerseks' souls 



are as big as men. 

 XXXIX. 17 



