ing house of an Eskimo village is used also for feasting and
dancing, and always has a spirit owner who is supposed to remain in it
all the time. Once a woman was curious about this spirit and wanted to
see it. For a long time she had wanted to know more about this spirit
of the singing house, but the villagers warned her that she would meet
with a terrible fate if she persisted in trying to see it.

One night she could wait no longer, and went into the house when it
was quite dark so the villagers would not see her go. When she had
entered she said:

"If you are in the house, come here."

As she could see and hear nothing, she cried, "No spirit is here; he
will not come."

"Here I am; there I am," said a hoarse whisper.

"Where are your feet?" she asked, for she could not see him.

"Here they are; there they are," said the voice.

"Where are your shins?" she asked.

"Here they are; there they are," it whispered.

As she could not see anything, she felt of him with her hands to make
sure he was there, and when she touched his knees she found that he
was a bandy-legged man with knees bent outward and forward. She kept
on asking, "Where are your hips? Where are your shoulders? Where is
your neck?" And each time the voice answered, "Here it is; there it
is."

At last she asked, "Where is your head?"

"Here it is; there it is," the spirit whispered, hoarsely.

But as the woman touched the head, all of a sudden she fell dead. _It
had no bones and no hair._

VIII

THE TORNIT

In olden times the Inuit were not the only tribe living in the Eskimo
country. Around Cumberland Sound there lived some very large, strong
people called the Tornit. They were on good terms with the Inuit and
shared the same hunting ground, but lived in separate villages. They
were much taller than the Inuit and had very long legs and arms, but
their eyes were not as good.

They were so strong that they could lift large boulders which were far
too heavy for the Inuit, though the latter were much stronger in those
days than they now are. Some of the stones which they used to throw
are lying about the country still, and the toughest of the men now
living cannot lift them, much less swing and throw them. Some of their
stone houses also remain. They generally lived in these houses all
winter, and did not cover them with snow to make them warmer.

The principal part of their winter dress was a long, wide coat of
deerskins, reachi