_toothache_ where I come
from."

"What care I whether you call it mad tooth or _tootik_?" cried Ippegoo
petulantly. "It is horrible! dreadful! awful!--like fire and fury in
the heart."

The sufferer used one or two more Eskimo expressions, suggestive of
excruciating agony, which are not translatable into English.

"If I only had a pair of pincers, but--look, Ippe, look," said Rooney,
pointing to the sea, in the hope of distracting his mind from present
pain by referring to threatening danger; "look--our kayaks being lost,
we have no hope of escaping, so we must starve."

His little device, well-meant though it was, failed. A groan and glance
of indifference was the Eskimo's reply, for starvation and danger were
familiar and prospective evils, whereas toothache was a present horror.

We fear it must be told of Ippegoo that he was not celebrated for
endurance of pain, and that, being fond of sympathy, he was apt to give
full vent to his feelings--the result, perhaps, of having an
over-indulgent mother. Toothache--one of the diseases to which
Greenlanders are peculiarly liable--invariably drew forth Ippegoo's
tenderest feelings for himself, accompanied by touching lamentations.

"Come, Ippe, be more of a man. Even your mother would scold you for
groaning like that."

"But it is so shriekingly bad!" returned the afflicted youth, with
increasing petulance.

"Of course it is. I know that; poor fellow! But come, I will try to
cure you," said Rooney, who, under the impression that violent physical
exertion coupled with distraction of mind would produce good effect, had
suddenly conceived a simple ruse. "Do you see yon jutting ice-cliff
that runs down to a point near the edge of the berg?"

"Yes, I see," whimpered Ippegoo.

"Well, it will require you to run at your top speed to get there while
you count fifteen twenties. Now, if you run there within that time--at
your very top speed, mind--" Rooney paused, and looked serious.

"Yes; well?" said Ippegoo, whose curiosity had already begun to check
the groans.

"If you run there," continued the seaman, with a look and tone of deep
solemnity, "at the very toppest speed that you can do, and look round
that ice-point, you will see--"

"What?" gasped Ippegoo excitedly--for he was easily excited.

"_Something_," returned Rooney mysteriously. "I cannot tell exactly
what you will see, because I am not an angekok, and have no torngak to
tell me; but I am quite s