and a wise young man,
let us hear what you have got to say."

"I say," cried Oolalik, looking round with the air of a man who had much
in his head, and meant to let it out, "I say that the man who fights if
he can avoid it is a fool! Look back and think of the time gone away.
Not many cold times have passed since our young men became puffed up--
indeed, some of our old men were little better--and made a raid on the
Fire-spouters of the Whale River. They met; there was a bloody fight;
six of our best youths were killed, and numbers were wounded by the
little things that come out of the spouters. Then they came home, and
what did they bring? what had they gained? I was a boy at the time and
did not understand it all; but I understood some of it. I saw the
fighters returning. Some were looking very big and bold, as if they had
just come from fighting and conquering a whole tribe of bears and
walruses. Others came back limping. They went out young and strong
men; they came back too soon old, helped along by their companions. Two
were carried--they could not walk at all. Look at them now!"

Oolalik paused and directed attention to what may be called an
object-lesson--two men seated on his right hand. Both, although in the
prime of life, looked feeble and prematurely old from wounds received in
the fight referred to. One had been shot in the leg; the bone was
broken, and that rendered him a cripple for life. The other had
received a bullet in the lungs; and a constitution which was naturally
magnificent had become permanently shattered.

"What do you think?" continued Oolalik. "Would not these men give much
to get back their old strength and health?"

He paused again, and the men referred to nodded emphatically, as if they
thought the question a very appropriate one, while some of the
peacefully disposed in the assembly exclaimed "ho!" and "hoo!" in tones
of approval.

"Then," continued the speaker, "I passed by some of our huts and heard
sounds of bitter weeping. I went in and found it was the wives and
sisters of the men whose bodies lie on the banks of the Whale River.
There would be reason in fighting, if we had to defend our huts against
the Fire-spouters. Self-defence is right; and every one has a good word
for the brave men who defend their homes, their women, and their
children. But the Fire-spouters did not want to fight, and the men who
lost their lives at the fight I am speaking of, threw them