| Show jy INKY ICY boyhood cust customs oms in the cold northa norilla good hunter at six years of age truly trul 7 it fares strangely tho little man far beyond tho the boundaries of undo sams own land so strangely indeed that he be is really a little man years before the american mothers little man has developed into her big boy just as soon as tho the first son of a west coast of greenland E eskimo lad bad been weaned la in ills his fourth year his father had i rj ell eil in his hands toy bird darts and harpoons play with them long little one kllc the provident father cautioned wisely life is hard in the land of tho eternal snows and it will no only a short time before thou wilt bo be called on to do thy full share in ili fighting for tho the of the family for the next five years the child with a cunning brei bred in him through no one knows how many malay generations crept noiselessly upon small birds even bringing them down with stones when he bo tired of plying his darts ilia in this direction arc grew aso so erty that his little hands soon learned to throw unerringly his diminutive bar poon at birds swimming in the or into the black bodies of seats towed by his father coming homo la in his bis kalak from the hunting fields of tho sea the little eskimo man the boy is now eleven years tears old for two years he has spent a largo large part of his time playing daiak man in his fathers kalak now his father having proudly watched his son gradually gain a good working knowledge of the boat has decided to havo have a halak built for tho the boy so tho the father takes his son to tho the shore and they walk along it for a distance of several miles gathering drift wood the boy meanwhile being instructed ted in the art of selecting uio tile proper kind of material for tho the frame of a halak that afternoon with tho little man lending a helping hand now and then the big man puts together tho the ribs of tho boat bright and early tile the following morning the boys mother a and n 1 I ii her e r friends all chattering gaily stretch over the ribs a fine seal skin mado made pliable by much diligent chewing on the mothers part As aa they stretch it they sew it in place so that when tile the last stitch is taken the skin is taut everywhere the kalak perfect in wry levery detail tho the father Is mightily pleased and lie ho shows it by passing around hot cof teo fee to all those who have worked on oil tile the kalak whilo while tills this is being drunk the child struts into their midst a veritable bundalo of skins iio has on a diminutive whole jacket with a hood over ills head the sleeves havo have mittens his boots reach leach to his hips over skin trousers tile the only part pait of ills his body exposed is his eyes and roundabout by tills this tinie time the father has placed in their respect respective ivo positions on tile the lalak kalac lance harpoon madder bladder colled coiled harpoon line halak knife bladder dart bird dart throwing sticking harpoon tile tho boy lays hold of tho the daiak and with ith it a lusty lu aty shout hauls it to tho the waters edge iio ho thrusts ills legs in the round hole in ill the middle meant for tho purpose lie ile finds as should to lo tho the case that the opening is just the circumference of ills his thighs in a jiffy lio lie fastens the bottom of his whole jacket Jachet to the halak ring around the rim of tho hole bole and raised slightly ab above ovelt it ile iio makes a quick movement with his two bladed paddle and is off for his initial voyage in his very own kalak value of ills his training rough is the sea still tho the little man battles successfully with the tha waves tor for the better part of five minutes riding them like a duck then lie ho unexpectedly binds himself in tho the trough of tho the sea and tho the next instant it tile the hawalt daiak is bottom side up and tho boy is hanging head downward in tile tho water but tile the little man mail has not played about ills his fathers halak in vain As aa no he feels tile boat capsizing ho he seizes ono end of his paddle in ili his right canil and with tile the left lie ho grasps tho the shaft as near the middle as ills short arms arma will lot let jilin him As lie ho holds his breath for dear life lie ho places the paddle along tl alie to halaas side with tho the paddles free end pointing toward tile tho bow pushing this L nid end sharply bliar ply out to the side and bunding bending his body well forward toward the inverted deck ho he makes a strong circular sweep of tho the paddle and presto hero lie he is again right side i and with not dot a drop of water in his hid kaniak or beneath his ahin ail ta clothing for this dry condition honda bo nm to thank the clial chap who long ago conceived the idea of fastening tile tho bottom of the whole jacket to a kalah ring and to ills mother ty making his bis seagoing sea going garment garmen 4 poof twice more before ho bio colanta hh hl craft built so ildo A agull not a whit broader and even more dilan cult to keep allott in tho thel rough water toward the watchers wat chora on tho the shore share lio to goes under but rights himself each time in a moment lio ile lauds lands expertly un fastens his whole jacket lifts himself proudly out of his boat and shaking himself like a puppy runs gaily toward his father and mother in a short while says tho the father proudly thou wilt will bo be able to right thyself with noth ln lill except thy longun thy hands thy lance anything if thou should cat lose thy paddle the boys eyes brighten wonderfully at tile tho words of groat great eralso two days later they are even brighter ns as he bo paddles away with b his Is father to the hunting grounds of tho seal far out on tho the dark sea life LI to lias has now begun in earnest tor for him ho is 19 a littau man from now on oil |
