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Updated: June 12, 2025
"We want spear-handles," said Gartok, "and wood for our kayak-frames, and deer for food, as well as birds and rabbit-skins for our underclothing." "That is true," remarked one of the elderly men; "we want all these things, and a great many more things, but we don't want fighting. There is no use in that." "Ho! ho!" exclaimed several voices in approval.
With lamps flaring, seal-steaks and wild-fowl simmering, and hot oil flowing, they quickly made themselves comfortable with the exception, of course, of the warlike Gartok and the hot-headed Ondikik. These two, being fellow-sufferers, were laid beside each other, in order, perhaps, to facilitate mutual condolence.
"What right had you to go without your fire-spouters to attack them?" demanded old Uleeta, somewhat maliciously. Gartok, who was destitute neither of intelligence nor of humour, laughed, but the laugh slid into a most emphatic "hoi!" as his mother gave the leg a wrench. "Softly, mother, softly! Treat me as you did when I was so big," he exclaimed, indicating about one foot six between his hands.
After she had eaten her supper and succeeded in bolting the last bite that had refused to go down when she could eat no more, she came forward with a bladder full of water, and some rabbit-skins, for the purpose of dressing the wounds. "Gently, mother," said Gartok with a suppressed groan, "you lay hold of me as if I were a seal." "You are quite as self-willed, my son," replied the old woman.
"I know nothing about Gartok," replied the young man, a stern look taking the place of his usually kind expression; "I don't trouble my head about him when I am hunting." He fastened his teeth somewhat savagely in the second rib at this point.
To show his good faith, he brought a portion of the supplies in the evening, and said he would let us have the remainder the next morning. We next had a visit from a Lama, who appeared civil and intelligent. He had travelled as far as Calcutta in India, and was then on his way from Gartok to Lhassa. Having an excellent pony, he expected to arrive there in four or five days.
"Do you know," said Mangivik, pausing in his occupation, "that Gartok has been trying to get the young men to go to the Whale River, where you know there are plenty of birds and much wood? He wants to fight with the Fire-spouters." "Yes, I know it. Gartok is always for fighting and quarrelling. He likes it."
The old man proceeded to illustrate his belief in the sentiment by devoting himself to a steak of satisfying dimensions. His better-half meanwhile took up the conversation. "Is Gartok with them?" she asked. "Yes, he is with them," said the youth, who, having finished the rib, threw away the bone and looked across the lamp at Nootka, as if asking for another.
Gartok was present when the expedition was projected, and offered to accompany it.
In a few minutes the women's large open boat was alongside, and poor Ondikik was, with some difficulty, transferred to it. Two men then gave up their kayaks to two of the women, and took their places in the oomiak. While this was being done some of the people gave a shout of alarm, for it was observed that Gartok himself had quietly fallen back in a state of insensibility.
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