The Woman with One Eye

“Chick, chickee, chick! Your husband is not drowned. He lives. By yonder point there is a beach, near there a hillock, close to that a barabara in which there is a woman with whom your husband is at present living. Chick, chickee, chick!”

The frightened woman ran quickly to the hut to tell her partner in desertion the news, but the latter would not believe it.

The following day the two went together, and while they sat there the little bird came; and this is what it sang, “Chick, chickee, chick! Your (plural) husband is not dead. He lives. Around the point is a beach, close to it a little hill, alongside of it a barabara in which there is a woman with whom your husband lives. Chick, chickee, chick!” Having said this, it flew away.

Both women felt that the bird had told them the truth, and they decided to find their husband. For several days they walked before they rounded the point where they saw the beach, the hillock, the barabara, and in the distance, out in the bay, a man fishing. They neared the hut very quietly, and, on peeping through a hole, were startled to see an old woman who had in the middle of her forehead one eye very much diseased, giving her a very ugly appearance. One-Eye somehow became aware of the presence of people outside, and called out, “Come in, come in !” The visitors entered and sat down near the fire, over which was boiling a pot of soup, of which they were asked to help themselves. But as no clam-shells with which to dip were offered them, they could not eat. One of the visitors then asked One-Eye who the person was in the bidarka fishing. She replied that it was not a bidarka at all, but a rock which at low tide seemed like a man fishing from a bidarka. She again invited her guests to eat, but they told her that they could not without spoons (clam-shells). The hostess tried to show her visitors how to eat without spoons by bending her head over the pot; but before she finished her illustration, the two women jumped on her and shoved her face into the soup until she was dead. Dressing her in her parka (fur cloak), and taking her to a conspicuous place on the beach, they propped her up into a natural position and left her there.

Towards evening the fisherman pulled for the shore, and, as he came close to the beach, the two women in hiding recognized their long-lost husband. He got out of the boat and went towards One-Eye, and, holding before him a fish, said, *’ Whenever you love me, you come to the beach to greet me.” But as he received no answer, he came to her and put his arms around her, which caused them both to fall over. While he was in this attitude, his two wives jumped out and appeared before him. On seeing them, he made a dash for his boat. They followed, and came up with him just as he was about to paddle away. One seized the bidarka. and the other grabbed the paddle, and said to him, “We thought that you were dead, and we mourned and suffered, while you were here all the time. Now we are going to kill you.” — “Don’t kill me! I will go home with you, and we will live as formerly.” — “No, no! We will kill you.”

Saying this, they pushed the bidarka out until the water reached their necks, and there turned it over and drowned their faithless and cowardly husband.

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