This was a hard hit, being founded on some degree of truth, and set Okiok off in a roar of laughter.
Becoming suddenly serious, he asked if anything had been seen the day before of Ujarak the angekok.
“Yes, he was in the village in the evening,” replied Nuna as she arranged the food on platters. “He and Ippegoo were found in the green cave yesterday by the Kablunet. He was out about the ice-heaps, and came on them just as Tumbler saved Pussi, and Ippegoo saved them both.”
“Tumbler saved Pussi!” exclaimed the Eskimo, looking first at his daughter and then at his wife.
“Yes; Pussi was tumbling over an ice-cliff,” said Nunaga, “and Tumbler held on to her.”
“By the tail,” said Nuna. “So Ippegoo rushed out of the cave, and saved them both. Ujarak would have been too late. It seems strange to me that his torngak did not warn him in time.”
“Torngaks must be very hard-hearted,” said Okiok, with a look and tone of contempt that he did not care to conceal. “But what were they doing in the cave?”
“Who knows?” replied Nuna. “These two are always plotting. Ridroonee says they looked as if worried at having been discovered. Come, fall-to. You must be strong to-day if you would play kick-ball well.”
Okiok glanced with a look of care upon his brow at Nunaga, shook his head gravely once or twice in silence, and began breakfast.
After the meal was over he sallied forth to join in the sports, which were soon to begin. Going first to the hut of Angut, he found the most of his countrymen and women surrounding Red Rooney, who, having finished breakfast, was seated on a sledge conversing with Angut and Simek, and others of the chief men of the tribe. All the rest were gazing and listening with greedy eyes and ears.