58 A Canadian Arctic Expedition, 1913-18 



than the rest — it was his wife. He stole up close and watched his opportunity; 

 then as she circled round him, coming nearer and nearer, he suddenly threw 

 his rope round her horns, and dragged her down. He turned her over on to her 

 back and slit the skin down the belly and drew it off, then made a small in- 

 cision; forth came his wife naked. "What did you do that for," she said. "Give 

 me some clothes to put on."' So he gave her some clothes, and together they 

 set out for their home. They travelled for many days and at last approached 

 the house. Two young men came towards them, one carrying a bow and arrow 

 which he was on the point of notching. "Don't shoot," the man called out, 

 "Let us talk first, then afterwards if you want to shoot us, shoot." "Very well," 

 said the elder of the two youths; "What is it you want?" "Where are your 

 father and mother?" asked the man. "We have none," the youth said. "Well, 

 but how did you grow up? Where did you get your food?" "Oh, our father 

 left us plenty of food before he went away to look for our mother." During 

 this conversation, the man had been drawing nearer and nearer, till the younger 

 boy became afraid and concealed himself behind his brother. But now the 

 man said: "It was I who procured you that food, and I made you that bow 

 that you are holding in your hand. I am your father." "Is' that so?" said the 

 elder youth. "Come on inside." So they all went inside. The father had 

 returned an old man. While he was away many strangers had tried to intrude 

 but the elder boy shot them all with his bow and arrows. 



27. The Mouse Woman's Coat 

 (Told by Jennie Thomsen) 



The mice, qidyaiyud, inhabited a great country in the mountains where 

 they built a large dance-house. One of their women went home and drew out 

 her intestines, which she hung up to dry. When they were dry she made a 

 rain coat of them. She put it on and returned to the dance-house, and after a 

 while, when it came to her turn, she stood up to dance and sang this song: 



qavdia tamna alipnaupLciun uyyuaq 



"My rain coat, that one, don't break it, (it is) of bearded seal intestine." 



But a man put out his hand and touched it. It broke, and the woman died. 



28. The Caribou Man 

 (Told by an Eskimo woman of Cape .Prince of Wales) 



There was a settlement of Eskimos living at Tapqaq (Cape Prince of Wales) . 

 Amongst them was a man named Nakasunatuk (Sriiall Calves), who had a wife 

 and two children. One day Nakasunaluk went caribou hunting and saw a herd 

 of five or six deer. He stalked close to them and was about to launch his arrow 

 when one of the deer pushed back the hood from its head and changed into a 

 man. It called Nakasunaluk, telling him to come near. Nakasunaluk went 

 over, and the deer asked him if he would like to join them. He said he would, 

 so the deer removed his clothes and turned him into a caribou like themselves; 

 then they all moved off together. In their wanderings Nakasunaluk was always 

 behind the others. They said to him, "Why are you so slow?" He repHed, 

 "I keep stumbling all the time." They told him to look up at the stars as he 

 walked along, for if he watched the ground he would always stumble; after 

 this, by following their advice, he was able to keep up with them. But when it 

 came to feeding-time he could never find anything to eat, and in consequence 

 became very thin and weak. The deer said to him, "How is it that you are so 

 thin?" and he replied, "I cannot find anything to eat." So they taught him 

 their food — the pupci that springs up so fresh after rain and would make him 

 fat, and the piniq that was like the fat of the bearded seal. Thus he lived for 

 a long time with the deer, until one day they asked him if he would like to go 



