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Updated: June 17, 2025
"Ask him to come inside and speak to us," whispered Ujarak, who was a good deal more surprised even than his pupil at this unexpected turn of affairs. "Won't you come in, torngak?" said Ippegoo timidly. "It is very cold outside. You will be more comfortable inside, and we shall hear you better. I suppose you can come as easily through the wall as by " "Stop your stupid tongue!" growled Ujarak.
Ippegoo, who had a good deal of straightforward simplicity in his nature, looked puzzled, and tried hard to recollect what Ujarak had told him. "You will never make an angekok," said Ujarak, with a look of displeasure, "if you do not rouse up your memory more. Do you not remember when I whispered to you in a dream last night that strange things were going to happen?"
"Of course, of course I will not break the custom," returned Ujarak quickly; "unless, indeed, my torngak orders me to go. But that is not likely." "I want to ask you," said Rooney, sitting down, "about that trip you had last year to the land of the departed. They tell me you had a hard time of it, Ujarak, and barely escaped with your life."
At this point he glared, and became dumb. Not knowing well what to say next, he judiciously remained silent, then sat down and gasped, while the united company exclaimed "Huk!" with unusual emphasis. The consultation which Ujarak had with his torngak was somewhat peculiar. It consisted chiefly in a wild run at full speed out upon the floes.
He would have done or given anything to escape being made a wise man. But Ujarak was inexorable. Poor Ippegoo sought comfort from his mother, and, to say truth, Kunelik did her best for him, but she could not resist the decrees of Fate i.e. of the wizard. "Be a man, my son, and all will go well," she said, as he sat beside her in her hut, with his chin on his breast and his thin hands clasped.
Although taken much by surprise, Ujarak managed to dissemble. "Well, then," he said, "you must carry her away by force." "That is impossible," returned Ippegoo, with a faint smile and shake of the head.
Leaving them thus pleasantly and profitably occupied, let us follow Ujarak to his village. Every man and woman of superior intelligence in this world has probably one blind worshipper, if not more some weak brother who admires, believes in, perhaps envies, but always bows to the demigod.
A few minutes more, and Ujarak, standing up in his eagerness, flourishing the great whip, and shouting at the pitch of his voice, drove the yelling dogs off the crackling sheet of ice to a place of safety on the solid floe. It did not require the wizard's altered tone to inform the sagacious animals that the danger was past.
Ujarak is cunning, though he is not wise; and I am quite sure he has some secret reason for hurrying on this business. He is changing the customs, and that is never done for nothing." "What customs has he changed?" asked Rooney. "The customs for the young angekok before he gets a torngak," replied the Eskimo.
Arrived at the arena, a ring was formed, and the wisdom as well as amiability of these poor people was shown by their putting the children in front, the little women in the second row, the tall women in the third, and the men behind. In a few minutes Ujarak bounded into the centre of the circle, with a small drum or tambourine in one hand, which he beat vigorously with the other.
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