Legends and Talcs from Angmagsalik. 275 



gone, and so she went up to the minatak and lay down to sleep. 

 When she awoke, she set to work to sew new soles in her boots, 

 for she had quite worn out her soles during the long journey. 

 She then went on again, sobbing all the while so violently that 

 she rubbed all the skin ofif her cheeks by wiping away her tears. 



At length she caught sight of land and water, and on the land 

 she saw at a long distance below her a stone wall (fence for hunters 

 to conceal themselves behind when they stalk reindeer). She did not 

 think that there might be people behind it; presently, however, a 

 man came out from behind the wall — it was a man who was out 

 stalking reindeer — and she went down towards him. On her way 

 she saw a reindeer, and the man shot it with his bow. The rein- 

 deer did not fall down, but stood stiffly upright, although it had 

 been shot through the head. When the man perceived the girl, he 

 called out: "You shall come down! You shall come down!" and 

 then asked: "Where do you come from? What do you want 

 here?" "I came from away yonder! I am coming to stay here". 

 The man had no wife ; so he took her to wife. She helped him to 

 skin the reindeer, and she broke the head up and eat the brains 

 while they were still warm. When she was married to him, she 

 received an iron pot and everything needful; whereas up here she 

 had nothing. 



Once when some people here came from the south over to the 

 West coast, she said : "Over there I had copper needles, but here 1 

 have an iron pot". 



24. THE WIFE WHO LOST CONSCIOUSNESS 



told by Kutuliik. 



A woman lay asleep on the platform; but when she had slept 

 a day and a night, her husband took her and laid her away on 

 the window-sill. They tried to wake her; but she could not wake, 

 and yet she was still breathing. 



While she lay as if she were dreaming, her consciousness left 

 her. It went under the umiak where her clothes hung, through 

 her clothes, and out to sea. When it had got so far out that the 

 coast looked as if it were quite steep, she came to a large cleft, 

 which was quite black to look down in. She thought to herself: 

 "What can it be?", and presently she heard a voice from the air: 

 "It is the Sigdlia (border?) of heaven!". She now leapt over it, and 

 was near falling on her back; however, she fell forwards. She ran 

 further out to sea until at last she lost the land from sight. She 



18* 



