w that none of the
villagers would return for a long time. It must be one of those
hallucinations that hunger and thirst often create. Then the noise came
nearer, and a little woman coming up through the floor asked him why he
was there and what made him so sad. He soon told the story of how he
had been left to starve to death and how he was suffering for food and
water. If he could only get a drink from the spring near by, how it
would relieve the terrible parched condition of his mouth and throat!
Water, oh, if he only had some water!

"Never mind," said the little woman, "you shall not starve to death,"
and she placed by his side some nice pieces of whale meat and black
skin, with a pailful of clear cold water. How Allugu[=a] did enjoy the
water, and then the whale meat and black skin! He had never in all his
life tasted anything half so good. Every day the little woman brought a
fresh supply of meat and water; she knew just what to choose so that he
would gain strength and grow.

At last the fall season came, bringing with it the colder weather. The
villagers were returning from their summer trips, and Allugu[=a]'s
father and mother were among the arrivals. Soon he heard some one
moving the barricade from the entrance, then his mother looked up
through the hole in the floor. She was greatly surprised to see him
alive and well; here was a fat, healthy boy instead of the emaciated
body of her son, who, she supposed, had starved to death during her
absence.

"Why you are alive and hearty, what makes you so fleshy?" she remarked,
"and how you have grown!" Allugu[=a] did not tell his mother that a
good little fairy had been feeding him. He simply said that the food
and water she had left had proved very nourishing. After that his
parents decided that as he would not die they would take care of him.

In time he grew up and was approaching manhood, when he expressed a
desire to join one of the whaling crews. His parents said no; he was
blind and would simply be in the way of the whalers. But he persisted,
declaring that he would kill a whale. At last they consented, and he
went with one of the crews. He had not been long out when he insisted
that he should be placed at the head of the boat with the whaling
spear. The men at first refused, but ultimately acceded to his request
by placing him at the head with the spear. Just then a whale coming
along quite close, they told him to dart, but he said no; that was not
the r