inacity, the twelve wide-open eyes
kept glaring with unwinking intensity at the sleeping man.

Indeed this unwavering glare continued long after supper was over, for
each member of the family lay down to rest with his or her face towards
the stranger, and kept up the glare until irresistible Nature closed the
lids and thus put out the eyes, like the stars of morning, one by one;
perhaps it would be more strictly correct to say two by two.

Okiok and his wife were the last to succumb. Long after the others were
buried in slumber, these two sat up by the lamp-light, solacing
themselves with little scraps and tit-bits of walrus during the
intervals of whispered conversation.

"What shall we do with him?" asked Okiok, after a brief silence.

"Keep him," replied Nuna, with decision.

"But we cannot force him to stay."

"He cannot travel alone," said Nuna, "and we will not help him to go."

"We are not the only Innuits in all the land. Others will help him if
we refuse."

This was so obvious that the woman could not reply, but gazed for some
time in perplexity at the lamp-smoke. And really there was much
inspiration to be derived from the lamp-smoke, for the wick being a mass
of moss steeped in an open cup of seal-oil, the smoke of it rose in
varied convolutions that afforded almost as much scope for suggestive
contemplation as our familiar coal-fires.

Suddenly the little woman glanced at her slumbering household, cast a
meaning look at her husband, and laughed--silently of course.

"Has Nuna become a fool that she laughs at nothing?" demanded Okiok
simply.

Instead of replying to the well-meant though impolite question, Nuna
laughed again, and looked into the dark corner where the pretty little
round face of Nunaga was dimly visible, with the eyes shut, and the
little mouth wide-open.

"We will marry him to Nunaga," she said, suddenly becoming grave.

"Pooh!" exclaimed Okiok--or some expression equivalent to that--"Marry
Nunaga to a Kablunet? Never! Do you not know that Angut wants her?"

It was evident from the look of surprise with which Nuna received this
piece of information that she was _not_ aware of Angut's aspirations,
and it was equally evident from the perplexed expression that followed
that her hastily-conceived little matrimonial speculation had been
knocked on the head.

After this their thoughts either strayed into other channels, or became
too deep for utterance, for they conversed no m