FREE BOOKS

Author's List




PREV.   NEXT  
|<   104   105   106   107   108   109   110   111   112   113   114   115   116   117   118   119   120   121   122   123   124   125   126   127   128  
129   130   131   132   133   134   135   136   137   138   139   140   141   142   143   144   145   146   147   148   149   150   >>  
land Sound whaler, and he sold it to Hans Olsen, who was afterward a quartermaster on board a big steamer that took tourists to the North Cape in Norway. When the tourist season was over, the steamer ran between London and Australia, stopping at Ceylon, and there Olsen sold the ivory to a Cingalese jeweller for two imitation sapphires. I found it under some rubbish in a house at Colombo, and have translated it from one end to the other. 'ANGUTIVAUN TAINA' [This is a very free translation of the Song of the Returning Hunter, as the men used to sing it after seal-spearing. The Inuit always repeat things over and over again.] Our gloves are stiff with the frozen blood, Our furs with the drifted snow, As we come in with the seal--the seal! In from the edge of the floe. Au jana! Aua! Oha! Haq! And the yelping dog-teams go, And the long whips crack, and the men come back, Back from the edge of the floe! We tracked our seal to his secret place, We heard him scratch below, We made our mark, and we watched beside, Out on the edge of the floe. We raised our lance when he rose to breathe, We drove it downward--so! And we played him thus, and we killed him thus, Out on the edge of the floe. Our gloves are glued with the frozen blood, Our eyes with the drifting snow; But we come back to our wives again, Back from the edge of the floe! Au jana! Aua! Oha! Haq! And the loaded dog-teams go, And the wives can hear their men come back. Back from the edge of the floe! RED DOG For our white and our excellent nights---for the nights of swift running. Fair ranging, far seeing, good hunting, sure cunning! For the smells of the dawning, untainted, ere dew has departed! For the rush through the mist, and the quarry blind-started! For the cry of our mates when the sambhur has wheeled and is standing at bay, For the risk and the riot of night! For the sleep at the lair-mouth by day, It is met, and we go to the fight. Bay! O Bay! It was after the letting in of the Jungle that the pleasantest part of Mowgli's life began. He had the good conscience that comes from paying debts; all the Jungle was his friend, and j
PREV.   NEXT  
|<   104   105   106   107   108   109   110   111   112   113   114   115   116   117   118   119   120   121   122   123   124   125   126   127   128  
129   130   131   132   133   134   135   136   137   138   139   140   141   142   143   144   145   146   147   148   149   150   >>  



Top keywords:
frozen
 

steamer

 

nights

 
gloves
 

Jungle

 

excellent

 

loaded

 

played

 
killed
 
downward

breathe

 

drifting

 

running

 

untainted

 

letting

 

pleasantest

 

Mowgli

 

paying

 

friend

 
conscience

dawning
 

smells

 
cunning
 

ranging

 

hunting

 

departed

 

sambhur

 
wheeled
 
standing
 

started


quarry
 

yelping

 

Cingalese

 

jeweller

 

imitation

 

Australia

 

stopping

 

Ceylon

 

sapphires

 

Colombo


translated

 

rubbish

 

London

 
afterward
 

quartermaster

 

whaler

 

tourist

 

season

 

Norway

 

tourists