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Updated: May 2, 2025
Instead of replying to the well-meant though impolite question, Nuna laughed again, and looked into the dark corner where the pretty little round face of Nunaga was dimly visible, with the eyes shut, and the little mouth wide-open. "We will marry him to Nunaga," she said, suddenly becoming grave. "Pooh!" exclaimed Okiok or some expression equivalent to that "Marry Nunaga to a Kablunet? Never!
"Well, then," continued Rooney, "after I'd been two winters with these Kablunets, another big kayak came to the settlement, not to trade, nor to teach about God, but to go as far as they could into the ice, and try to discover new lands." "Poor men!" remarked Okiok pitifully; "had they no lands of their own?" "O, yes; they had lands at home," replied the sailor, laughing.
In the spirit-land Angut and Nunaga, Okiok, Nuna, Simek, and all the Innuit friends, when washed in the blood of Jesus, will again see the face of Ridroonee, and rejoice." This was the first time that Angut had distinctly declared his faith, and it afforded matter for profound satisfaction to Rooney, who grasped and warmly shook his friend's hand.
Of course Nuna spoke in choice Eskimo, which we render into English with as much fidelity to the native idiom as seems consistent with the agreeable narration of our tale. "Hoi!" exclaimed Okiok, in reply to her question, but without ceasing to glare and breathe hard.
"He will go to hold converse with his numerous torngaks," whispered old Kannoa to Pussimek. "He will go to visit Okiok, and see the Kablunet, and court Nunaga," thought the jealous and suspicious Ujarak. And Ujarak was right; yet he dared not follow, for he feared the grave, thoughtful man, in spite of his determination to regard and treat him with lofty disdain.
This was the bay which Angut, Okiok, Simek, Red Rooney, and the others had reached in their pursuit of the wizard when the ice broke up and effectually stopped them. As it was utterly impossible to advance farther with dog and sledge, they were compelled to restrain their impatience as best they could, and await open water, when they might resume their journey in kayaks.
They were instantly seized by Okiok and Angut, and dragged violently out not much too soon, for only a few seconds after they were rescued the ice closed with a grinding crash, that served to increase the fervency of the "Thank God!" with which the seaman hailed their deliverance. The child was not quite insensible, though nearly so.
Poor Ippegoo had not strength either to uncoil, or lift, or even move his foe, and failed to find a crevice in his hairy dress into which he might stuff snow. After a few minutes Okiok straightened himself out, jumped up, and scurried off again over the ice, in the direction of the berg of the green cave, followed by the entire village.
There was reason for the increase of surprise with which this was received by the two natives, for this time the foreigner spoke to them in their own language. "Is the Kablunet a messenger from heaven," asked Okiok, with increased solemnity, "that he speaks with the tongue of the Innuit?" "No, my friend," replied Rooney, with a faint smile; "I bring no message either from heaven or anywhere else.
Eskimo men deem this an undignified position, and will not usually condescend to work in oomiaks, which are invariably paddled by the women, but Rooney, being influenced by no such feelings, quietly took the steering paddle, and ultimately shamed Arbalik and Ippegoo as well as the sons of Okiok into lending a hand.
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