athered at
Natsivilik, and among them was Patussorssuaq. One day a strange
thing happened to him, while he was out hunting: a fox snapped at
the fringe of his coat, and he, thinking it to be but a common fox,
struck out at it, but did not hit. And afterwards it was revealed
that this was the soul of dead Alataq, playing with him a little
before killing him outright. For Alataq's amulet was a fox.

And a little time after, he was bitten to death by the ghost of Alataq,
coming upon him in the shape of a bear. His daughter, who was outside
at that time, heard the cries, and went in to tell of what she had
heard, but just as she came into the house, behold, she had quite
forgotten all that she wished to say. And this was because that
vengeful spirit had by magic means called down forgetfulness upon her.

Afterwards she remembered it, but then it was too late. They found
Patussorssuaq torn to pieces, torn limb from limb; he had tried to
defend himself with great pieces of ice, as they could see, but all
in vain.

Thus punishment falls upon the man who kills.

THE MEN WHO CHANGED WIVES

There were once two men, Talilarssuaq and Navssarssuaq, and they
changed wives. Talilarssuaq was a mischievous fellow, who was given
to frightening people.

One evening, sitting in the house with the other's wife, whom he
had borrowed, he thrust his knife suddenly through the skins of the
bench. Then the woman ran away to her husband and said:

"Go in and kill Talilarssuaq; he is playing very dangerous tricks."

Then Navssarssuaq rose up without a word, and put on his best clothes,
and took his knife, and went out. He went straight up to Talilarssuaq,
who was now lying on the bench talking to himself, and pulled him
out on the floor and stabbed him.

"You might at least have waited till I had dressed," said
Talilarssuaq. But Navssarssuaq hauled him out through the passage way,
cast him on the rubbish heap and went his way, saying nothing.

On the way he met his wife.

"Are you not going to murder me, too?" she asked.

"No," he answered in a deep voice. "For Pualuna is not yet grown big
enough to be without you." Pualuna was their youngest son.

But some time after that deed he began to perceive that he was haunted
by a spirit.

"There is some invisible thing which now and again catches hold
of me," he said to his comrades. And that was the avenging spirit,
watching him.

But about this time, many in the place fe