The Eskimo believe that in olden times there were a great number of “Kalopaling,” but happily their numbers are diminishing, and now only a few of the strongest are left. These are often seen swimming a few feet below the surface of the sea, and from time to time they rise in order to breathe, then once more disappear below the surface with much splashing of arms and legs. The hunter has only one chance of killing a “Kalopaling,” and this must be done when the monster is asleep on the ice. The flesh is said to be poisonous, but it may be used for fattening dogs that draw the sledges.
One story says that an old Eskimo woman lived with her little son, and as they were very poor they had to depend on small gifts of blubber and seal’s meat. On one occasion the boy was so hungry that he kept crying out for food, and in spite of his mother’s threat to call Kalopaling, the noise continued until the woman became so angry that she actually called the monster, who walked away with the shrieking child hidden in his enormous hood. Later on, food became plentiful, and the woman told Eskimo fishermen how sorry she was that her little son had been taken away, and before long a brave hunter and his wife promised to help her to secure the child.
Kalopaling used to allow the boy to play near the edge of a large crack in the ice, but always had a rope of seaweed around him, so that he could be pulled into the water when any one was approaching. The hunter and his wife made several unsuccessful attempts to rescue the boy, but at last their patience was rewarded, for coming out quickly from their hiding-place behind a block of snow, they cut the rope of seaweed, and carried the lad to his mother’s hut, where he grew up to become a great hunter.
Ages ago there lived on the shore of Davis Strait a young orphan boy named “Kaud,” who, on account of his loneliness, was so ill-treated that he was not allowed to sleep in the hut, but had to cuddle up to the sledge dogs which lay outside. His food consisted of the toughest pieces of walrus hide, which he was obliged to eat without a knife, until a little Eskimo girl took pity on him and made him a present of a knife, which he concealed in the hood of his jacket. So badly treated was young Kaud that he remained very small, and even young children took advantage of his weakness and ill-treated him when at play. When the villagers gathered in the house used for singing, Kaud would lie in the passage listening to the music, and wishing he could take part in the enjoyment. Sometimes a sturdy man would look out, and espying young Kaud, would take him by the ear and lift him into the room, where some heavy task would be found for him.
The man in the moon had for some time been watching the miseries of this Eskimo orphan, and at last decided to come to earth and help him. For a time the small boy was too frightened to leave the hut where he was hiding, but soon ventured forth, and to his surprise the man from the moon told him to move some very large stones, which seemed too heavy even for a strong man. Of course Kaud could not move the stones although he tried very hard, when the man from the moon began to flick him with a whip and shout, “Now, do you feel stronger?” “Yes, I feel stronger,” said poor Kaud; but as the stone was still in the same position the man from the moon used his whip a little more freely. At last the stone moved just a little, and the small boy, encouraged by success, exerted his strength, which was every moment increasing, and to the delight of his taskmaster he was soon able, not only to move the stone, but actually to lift it a great height from the ground.
“Very good,” said the man from the moon. “To-morrow I will send three bears, then you may show your full strength.” So saying, he got astride a cloud and sailed away towards the full moon, whose silver light was glistening on the frozen snow. Next morning three large bears made their appearance in the village, much to the dismay of all the men, for not even the oldest hunter had seen such large, fierce, white, shaggy bears.
The men, who crowded timidly into their huts, were astounded when they saw the boy whom they had despised and ill-treated making his way quickly towards the ferocious animals. “The bears will soon finish him,” said the men; but this was not to be, for Kaud seized one animal by its hind legs and, exerting all his strength, swung it round so that its head crashed against a sharp piece of ice, and the animal lay quite still. A second bear was treated in the same way, and at this point Kaud determined to have his revenge on those who had ill-treated him when he was little and weak. So he secured the mouth of the third bear with a thong made of reindeer’s hide, then lifting the huge animal, he carried it into the village as easily as he would previously have lifted a young puppy. He unmuzzled the bear, and pushed it among his enemies, who fled across the snow with the great animal in pursuit. Then there came from a hiding-place the little girl who had presented a knife to Kaud when he was young and weak, and after a few days spent on a very pleasant honeymoon among the hills of snow, Kaud and his bride settled in a snow hut near the sea, and it is said that the boy who had been so weak became a hunter whom every one feared and admired.
The Eskimo are particularly fond of stories describing some poor ill-treated boy who lived to become strong and famous, so in the story of Kiviung we have no exception to the general rule.