Now he was afraid, and with great pains he managed to drag himself out of the house into the one beside it, and here he found a hiding-place behind the skin hangings. And while he was in hiding there, he heard a noise again, and in walked a ghost.

“Ai! There are people here!”

The ghost went over to the water tub and drank, emptying the dipper twice.

“Thanks for the drink which I thirsty one received,” said the ghost. “Thus I was wont to drink when I lived on earth.” And then it went out.

Now the boy heard his fellow-villagers coming up and gathering outside the house, and then they began to crawl in through the passage way.

“Qalaganguase is not here,” they said, when they came inside.

“Yes, he is,” said the boy. “I hid in here because a ghost came in. It drank from the water tub there.”

And when they went to look at the water tub, they saw that something had been drinking from it.

Then some time after, it happened again that the people were all out hunting, and Qalaganguase alone in the place. And there he sat in the house all alone, when suddenly the walls and frame of the house began to shake, and next moment a crowd of ghosts came tumbling into the house, one after the other, and the last was one whom he knew, for it was his sister, who had died but a little time before.

And now the ghosts sat about on the floor and began playing; they wrestled, and told stories, and laughed all the time.

At first Qalaganguase was afraid of them, but at last he found it a pleasant thing to make the night pass. And not until the villagers could be heard returning did they hasten away.

“Now mind you do not tell tales,” said the ghost, “for if you do as we say, then you will gain strength again, and there will be nothing you cannot do.” And one by one they tumbled out of the passage way. Only Qalaganguase’s sister could hardly get out, and that was because her brother had been minding her little child, and his touch stayed her. And the hunters were coming back, and quite close, when she slipped out. One could just see the shadow of a pair of feet.

“What was that?” said one. “It looked like a pair of feet vanishing away.”

“Listen, and I will tell you,” said Qalaganguase, who already felt his strength returning. “The house has been full of people, and they made the night pass pleasantly for me, and now, they say, I am to grow strong again.”

But hardly had the boy said these words, when the strength slowly began to leave him.

“Qalaganguase is to be challenged to a singing contest,” he heard them say, as he lay there. And then they tied the boy to the frame post and let him swing backwards and forwards, as he tried to beat the drum. After that, they all made ready, and set out for their singing contest, and left the lame boy behind in the house all alone. And there he lay all alone, when his mother, who had died long since, came in with his father.

“Why are you here alone?” they asked.

“I am lame,” said the boy, “and when the others went off to a singing contest, they left me behind.”

“Come away with us,” said his father and mother.

“It is better so, perhaps,” said the boy.

And so they led him out, and bore him away to the land of ghosts, and so Qalaganguase became a ghost.

And it is said that Qalaganguase became a woman when they changed him to a ghost. But his fellow-villagers never saw him again.

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He then felt himself lifted off his feet and carried away through the air; but by rubbing his skin with the bit of tallow he again quickly descended towards the earth; yet without touching it he gained his home. On arriving, however, he had lost the use of his senses, and lay down almost lifeless, though unable to die. Such was, as has been told, the condition of the heathen when the ruler of the moon had taken the souls out of their body. From this time Kakortuliak gave up hunting, and turned a clairvoyant. His soul used to leave the body and roam about the inland and along the east coast; and on returning he related what he had seen, and how he had lived with the inlanders.

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Kuanak was once capsized by a seal he had just harpooned; but being an anghiniartok, his senses again returned, and he found himself at the bottom of the sea, in company with his grandmother. She tied his kayak-jacket close to his body, leaving no part of it uncovered, and then supplying him with a piece of skin by way of kayak, she pushed him upwards. When he emerged from the water he first betook himself far out to sea, and thence made the land again, but happened to touch at an inhabited place, where somebody was emptying out the urine-tub, which scared him away from the shore. He tried to land on another place, but here a woman, dressing her hair on the beach, scared him away. If he had a third time taken fright, he would never have returned to the land of the living. But he happened to land at Pisugfik, where a couple of old men were sitting playing at dice. They at once knew him to be an anghiniartok; and on merely touching his naked body, he dropped down senseless; but on their chanting a magic lay, he revived. They then brought him back to his homestead, where his relatives, who had already finished their days of mourning and nearly forgotten him, were gladly surprised at hearing the crew of the boat that brought him home intuning Kuanak’s song.

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About the time when he first commenced seal-catching his grandfather died, and being left alone he took up his winter quarters at a place where the Southlanders had to pass by when on their trading excursions to the European settlement at Pamiut (Fredrikshaab). At length two kayakers on their voyage to this place passed by his residence, whom he expected for ever so long to see return, but in vain. At length he learned from the south that both were missing, and at the same time that he was suspected of having killed them. Some time after, being in want of a skin for a hunting-bladder, he went off in search of a firth-seal. It was fine weather, and so calm that the breathing of the larger seals was plainly audible. As for the small firth-seals, however, he saw none, and was getting farther and farther into the bay. Suddenly something emerged from the water, coming up close behind him, and beating the top of his kayak, and lo! it was nothing less than a tupilak (monster made by sorcery). It accosted him, saying, “How lucky I met thee thus alone, as I am longing for some entrails!” Stupefied with awe, he felt the creature creeping up on the top of the kayak behind him, constantly repeating, “I shall soon make a feast on thy entrails;” at the same time pressing down the stern of the kayak so deep as to make the prow rise in the air. Never before had he, who was wont to carry spotted seals, had such a weight on board. Feeling his strength giving way, and knowing nothing better, he tried to capsize his kayak to the left, but was greatly perplexed to find his oar striking against a hard substance below, though out in deep water. At this he got up; but in attempting to turn his kayak to the right, he again hit something hard, on which he slowly righted himself, and rowed away, at the same time perceiving that he was regaining his strength. But though he pulled homewards with all his strength, he found it impossible to make his kayak go straight. It kept turning round, carrying him towards uninhabited places. The tupilak now cried, “Thou hateful creature, I see I have made a mistake, and climbed up to one of uncommon kind” (viz., a man endowed with a certain degree of angakok power); and he noticed it struggling hard to get down, but without being able to detach itself. Thus he went on pulling away to the sunny side of the firth. When they were quite close to the beach, the tupilak said, “I see I shall not get through with thee, and I think I shall be made thy prize.” Just then the man on looking round discovered a boat occupied by women, who had been farther up the firth getting angmagsat (capelins). He called out to them, “I have got something on my kayak that is not a seal; put ashore yonder and come round this way quickly.” When they had done as he told them, he went on saying, “Don’t attack it in front, as it might be dangerous to you.” The foremost among them on seeing the beast fled in terror. The kayaker again began to lose strength, but at length his repeated calls caused the women to come back, bringing with them oars, intending to use them as levers, the beast sticking fast, as if glued to the kayak. At length it gave way, and a cracking noise was heard, whereupon he was able to get out and look at the monster, which proved to be the size of a large firth-seal. Turning to the oldest of the women he said, “I do not care to touch it; ye cut it up; I shall repay you hereafter.” In expectation of the reward she at once fell to and cut open the tupilak, which she found stuffed with all kinds of bones, such as of birds, walruses, and seals. They had it entirely destroyed by sinking part of it in the sea, and hiding the rest of it in some old tombs. This done, he prepared to row home, but first said to the women, “Thanks to you and your roaming thus about, without which I wonder how I had fared. I will take care to repay you; I am not likely to forget you.” At home he told his adventure, and all now felt sure that it must have been the tupilak which had formerly killed the two traders. After this all travellers were unmolested, and the women were well paid by Avatarsuak.

Some time now elapsed without anything remarkable happening. Towards spring, however, he found himself in want of several necessaries, such as lead, powder, and tobacco, and set out for the European settlement at Pamiut. Having finished his business there, and rested during the night, he turned homewards, rather uneasy about a quantity of drift-ice which had accumulated at the mouth of a firth he had to cross. Before he reached the spot, the land wind set in, and came storming down upon him, and the sky looked black and threatening. Still he tried to cross the firth, winding his way through the small passages between the broken ice. At length, however, he found himself almost entirely stopped, and at the same time saw a large iceberg drifting down upon him. He tried to escape, but presently heard the roar of its calving (breaking) right alongside him, and pressing him deep under the waters. However, he rose on the other side of the broken piece, and again sped along, but on the shady side of the firth he was once more overturned by a much larger iceberg, and this time he quite lost his senses. How long he was in this state of stupor is not known; but on reviving he noticed the strings of his kayak-jacket rattling about, and smiting his back with the quick motion, while he was pushed on towards the land beneath the waves. He had no kayak, but found himself sitting down, the loose bottom skin of his kayak fastened round him, and having his kayak-stick for an oar, and with one leg somewhat bent. In front he saw some one in a large hood rushing on and cleaving the waters for him, and behind he heard some one talking, but without being able to make out the words. These companions proved to be his grandparents protecting their grandson. When they came nearer to the islets he felt exceedingly thirsty; and presently discovering an iceberg with a fine spring flowing from it he wanted to go and quench his thirst; but at that moment he heard a warning voice behind him saying, “Dear grandson, do not drink of the fountain designed for those perishing at sea; if thou drinkest thou wilt never return.” At length he was carried far towards the head of the firth, and saw light from the windows of a very large house. Presently a woman in a white jacket came out of the doorway, then another, and at last a man in a reindeer cloak, followed by others, all being dogs in shape of men, and running down on the beach to him. When he entered the house there were people sitting together at its southern end, keeping watch over a dying brother. Having got inside he fell down beside the first lamp, but still could hear one of the men say, “An anghiniartok has come among us;” at that instant, on being handled by them, and touched upon his bare skin, he lost all consciousness, but soon after revived, hearing a sweet tune of a song from his childhood. At the very moment he revived the sick man breathed his last. The people of the house put a new skin underneath him, and let him remain perfectly quiet in his own clothes for five succeeding days, after which he began to stir about a little, and long to get home, but he had no kayak. One day, however, a woman went down along the beach to gather the red sea-weed, and returned saying, “Only fancy! I have found a complete kayak drifted ashore to us.” When they had gathered on the beach, and duly inspected it, they made it out to be the kayak of their anghiniartok, in perfect order, and lying just above high-water mark, and well closed by the half-jacket. On opening this they also found his goods, not a single implement amissing. The next day he returned; and from that time upwards he became still more of a wise man, and no witchcraft could ever work upon him.

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