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Meanwhile these Fire-spouters, having eaten and slept, and eaten and slept again, to the extent of their capacities, began to experience a revival of the war-spirit. In front of one of the lodges or leather tents, one morning early, there sat two squaws engaged in ornamenting moccasins and discussing the news of their little world.
His words are like a lamp with a very bad wick: it makes too much smoke, and confuses everything near it." "Aglootook is right," said Cheenbuk, who resolved to end the dispute at this point, "many words are like the smoke of a bad lamp: they confuse, especially when they are not well-understood, but the Fire-spouters confuse themselves with real smoke as well as with words.
She had me to hunt for her when father was killed, and she has me still." "You!" exclaimed Oolalik, with a look of scorn, "what are you? A hunter? No, only a fool who wants to be thought very brave, and would leave his mother and sister to the care of old men and boys while he goes away to fight with the Fire-spouters!
The Indians had ten birch-bark canoes, with three warriors in most of them all armed, as we have said, with the dreaded fire-spouters and tomahawks, etcetera for, as they were out on the war-path for the express purpose of driving the dirty Eskimos off their lands, Magadar had resolved to make sure by starting with a strong and well-equipped force.
"Besides," he continued, "it is not wise to attack men with fire-spouters, which send into their enemies heavy little things like that which was lately picked out of Gartok's leg; the same as still seems to be sticking in Ondikik's back." "Ho! ho!" exclaimed a number of the men, as if that truth commended itself to their understandings.
"But does any one think they will believe that?" said Aglootook with something of scorn in his looks and tone. "Will the Fire-spouters not accept the girl and roast Cheenbuk, and then meet us with their spouters and kill many of us, even though we should beat them at last?" "It is my opinion there is something in that," remarked Mangivik.
The few Fire-spouters whom we have seen and heard of have better food, better homes, better tools of every kind. Why should not we have the same?" Here the wise Cheenbuk drew from the breast of his seal-skin coat the axe and scalping-knife which Adolay had given him, and held them up.
"A kayak of the Fire-spouters!" cried Anteek, with a look of intense glee, for nothing was so dear to the soul of that volatile youth, as that which suggested danger, except, perhaps, that which involved fun.
This was such a horrible idea that the old woman became unusually grave. "These Fire-spouters are worse than white bears," she said, "for these never torture other beasts, though they often kill them." "True, mother. Now I wish you would go away and leave my leg alone. Ondikik there needs your help. Go to him and hurt him as much as you please. I won't grumble."
"For the Fire-spouters," continued Gartok, disregarding the growl, "are afraid of nothing. Why should they be when they can spout wounds and death so easily?" Poor Gartok spoke feelingly, for his wounded leg had reduced his vigour considerably, and he was yet only able to limp about with the aid of a stick, while his lieutenant Ondikik was reduced to skin and bone by the injury to his back.
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