ESQUIMAUX SUPERSTITIONS. 



191 



" Tookoolito, on arriving last evening, proceeded to examine 

 JSTukertou's condition — feeling her pulse, listening to her breath- 

 ings, watching her every motion. Too true, indeed, did she find 

 what I had said. Tookoolito gently spoke words that astonished 

 me, because they came from one who is not only conversant with 

 my vernacular, but with the belief and practices of civilization. 

 She said Nukertou was dying, and that we must all retire at once ; 

 that if we delayed till Nukertou's death, the skin dresses we had 

 on would never do to be put on again. 



" This was spoken with an earnestness that wanted no guarantee 

 of her firm belief in what she said. Under the circumstances, I 

 had no hesitancy as to my course then and there. I knew she had 

 confidence in me ; that she knew I always treated her people as 

 well as I could my own ; that she knew I never endeavored to 

 cast a slur or make light of any of the customs of her country. 

 Therefore I said, £ Tookoolito, listen to ivong-a (me) a moment. 

 On Christmas day I gave you a good book — the Bible. That 

 booh is the Word of God. It tells you and me — every body — to 

 visit the sick, the afflicted, the widow, the helpless, the poor.' 



" Kindly I proceeded, to the best of my poor ability, to show 

 her wherein it was wrong thus to leave the sick — the dying. Her 

 astonishment at what I said seemed as great to her as was mine 

 at her recorded remark. During this important conversation, al- 

 lusion was made as to working on tuktoo furs during the season 

 of catching walrus. It is a fact that, when the Innuits begin to 

 catch walrus, no work is done on reindeer skins; therefore all 

 winter clothing is made up before any attempts are made to get 

 walrus. The reasons why will be stated some time hereafter. 



'" In my arguments with Tookoolito I told her it was not to be 

 wondered at that she and her people believed many unreasonable 

 things, when there had been no one to teach them better — no one 

 to tell them of the Bible. I told her that some people of America 

 and in England believed a great many ridiculous things, but that 

 did not make them true; told her that I only wished to do her 

 good ; that whenever I could kindly show where they — her peo- 

 ple — were doing wrong, I should do so ; that if she or her people 

 could prove to me her or their ways were all the best, then I 

 would be one to do as Innuits did. After this interview under 

 the snow-roof of the dying, I heard Tookoolito, in her igloo, earn- 

 estly engaged in telling her wing-a all that I had told her. They 

 both seemed thankful for what I had said." 



