54 A Canadian Arctic Expedition, 1913-18 



can make a hole in the roof and escape. It may be the cave is not inhabited at 

 all. On the other hand if we keep on we shall certainly get very wet and then 

 our heavy clothes will soon tire us out. We had better stay here." So they all 

 went into the cave. Presently a black bear made its appearance. The women 

 quickly cut a hole through the roof and climbed out — all except the eldest, who 

 stuck half-way by reason of the child in her womb. Before her sisters could 

 release her the bear had dragged her down and killed her. It ripped open her 

 womb, took out the child, a fine boy, and laid it on a platform at the back of the 

 cave. Then it lifted up the body of the mother, and laid it also at the back of 

 the cave close to the baby. Meanwhile the other women had been watching 

 through the hole in the roof, but when they saw this they ran home to tell their 

 father. 



Time went on and the baby grew into a fine boy. The bear fed him on meat, 

 squirrel, fox, caribou, and other kinds. Meanwhile the dead woman lay on the 

 platform at the back of the cave; slowly the flesh rotted away and the bones fell 

 to the floor. Summer came round and the boy wanted to go outside, for hitherto 

 he had never left the cave. In winter Bruin covered him with the skins of 

 foxes when he lay down to sleep; otherwise he ran about naked, for she did not 

 know how to make clothes for him. So now when he said to her, "I want to go 

 outside," she answered, "Not today, my son. It is raining hard today; to- 

 morrow you shall go out if you want to." The next day was bright and sunny, 

 and the boy began to run about outside; but the light hurt his eyes and the 

 sun scorched his body so that he soon ran inside again. Bruin asked him how he 

 liked it. "It was fine," he said; "Only the light hurt my eyes and the sun was 

 like a big fire and scorched me." Soon he ran outside again, and this time he 

 was able to stay out a little longer; so it continued until at last he was able to 

 stay out all day. By and by he noticed Bruin bringing in dead caribou, wolves, 

 and other game. "How do you kill them?" he asked. "Why," said Bruin, 

 "I just run after them on all fours like this and seize them in my hands and 

 break them; that's all I do." One day when the boy was outside he saw a 

 mouse, which he caught and killed exactly as Bruin had shown him. He took 

 the body home and gave it to his foster-mother, who was delighted at his 

 success. Another day he caught a squirrel, later a fox, then a wolf, and last of 

 all a caribou. He was now a sturdy lad and a very skilful hunter. From time 

 to time Bruin would bring home some black whale-skin which they both en- 

 joyed very much. One day the boy said to her: "Do you like seal?" "Yes," 

 she said, "I do." "Well, I'll try and catch one." "No, don't go down to the 

 beach. You might fall into the water. You keep to the land. If I want black- 

 skin or seal I'll get it myself; keep to the land." However, the boy determined 

 to go in spite of her, so the next day he started off inland as usual, but as soon as 

 he was out of sight he circled round and went down to the beach. There he 

 saw a huge stranded whale, from which he cut a large piece of black skin and 

 returned home. Bruin took the black-skin, but scolded him for disobeying her. 

 "Don't go down to the beach again," she said, and he replied, "Very well." 

 So he hunted on the land for a time until game became very scarce and difficult 

 to catch. He was out looking for caribou one day and wandered about for a long 

 time without seeing anything. Then he began to ponder over his foster-mother's 

 warning; "Why doesn't she want me to go down to the beach? I'll go and 

 have a look whether she wants me to or not;" so down he went. This time he 

 saw something moving near the whale. He crept near and saw a crowd of people 

 like himself. This puzzled him, and he pondered over it all the way home. 

 "I wonder what it all means. My mother is different from me; she has a long 

 nose, big teeth, and great nails on her hands and feet, and her body is covered 

 with hair; besides she walks on all fours, not upright as I do. And what is the 

 meaning of those bones at the back of the house? They are like my bones, her's 

 are different. Perhaps she is not my mother after all; perhaps those bones 

 belonged to my mother and Bruin killed her." It was very late when he reached 



