and abrupt offer of a
story by his desire to prevent anything like angry feeling arising
between Okiok and the wizard. Of course the company, as well as Rooney,
greeted the proposal with pleasure, for although Simek did not often
tell of his own exploits, and made no pretension to be a graphic
story-teller, they all knew that whatever he undertook he did passably
well, while his irrepressible good-humour and hilarity threw a sort of
halo round all that he said.

"Well, my friends, it was a terrible business!"

Simek paused, and looked round on the company with a solemn stare, which
produced a smothered laugh--in some cases a little shriek of delight--
for every one, except the wizard himself, recognised in the look and
manner an imitation of Ujarak.

"A dreadful business," continued Simek; "but I got over it, as you shall
hear. I too have a torngak. You need not laugh, my friends. It is
true. He is only a little one, however--about so high, (holding up his
thumb), and he never visits me except at night. One night he came to
me, as I was lying on my back, gazing through a hole in the roof at our
departed friends dancing in the sky. [See note.] He sat down on the
bridge of my nose, and looked at me. I looked at _him_. Then he
changed his position, sat down on my chin, and looked at me over my
nose. Then he spoke.

"`Do you know White-bear Bay?' he asked.

"`Know it?' said I--`do I know my own mother?'

"`What answer is that?' he said in surprise.

"Then I remembered that torngaks--especially little ones--don't
understand jokes, nothing but simple speech; so I laughed.

"`Don't laugh,' he said, `your breath is strong.' And that was true;
besides, I had a bad cold at the time, so I advised him to get off my
chin, for if I happened to cough he might fall in and be swallowed
before I could prevent it.

"`Tell me,' said he, with a frown, `do you know White-bear Bay?'

"`Yes!' said I, in a shout that made him stagger.

"`Go there,' said he, `and you shall see a great walrus, as big as one
of the boats of the women. Kill it.'

"The cold getting bad at that moment, I gave a tremendous sneeze, which
blew my torngak away--"

A shriek of delight, especially from the children, interrupted Simek at
this point. Little Tumbler, who still sat on Rooney's knee, was the
last to recover gravity, and little Pussi, who still nestled beside
Nunaga, nearly rolled on the floor from sympathy.

Before the story could