Two men stood in the centre of each cleared space: the blocks of snowwere handed to them. These were laid on the ground, side by side, ina circle as large as they wished the house to be. The foundation wasquickly made. Then another row of snow blocks was laid above the first,but drawn in toward the centre a very little. Then came a third row,and so on, till at last there was just space enough at the top for oneblock of snow to fill it in completely. The new house looked like agreat snow beehive.
But the two builders were shut up inside! One of the men on theoutside cut a block of snow out of the wall of the house. This madea doorway through which people could go and come. It could be closedafterward, when the inmates desired, by filling it again with a snowdoor.
The builders now took loose snow and sifted it into the cracks andcrevices to make the house quite close and tight.
After this, the floor must be trodden down smooth, and then the womencould enter to set up housekeeping. A bed of snow was quickly made,over which the fur rugs were thrown. Next, a stand of snow was shaped,and the lamp set up in its place. The oil was soon burning brightly,and snow was melted to furnish drinking-water. In half an hour more ourcousin Etu was eating supper as comfortably as he could wish. Not longafter, he was sound asleep on his snow bedstead, without a single dreamof cold or trouble.
After a few weeks of seal hunting, Etu noticed that the birds werereturning. There were great numbers of them,--wild ducks, geese, andsea-birds of many kinds.
The ice began to disappear, and it was great sport to paddle his boatover to the islands near the shore, and shoot a bagful of birds fordinner. But sometimes he stayed in his boat, and, moving slowly alongthe shore, would throw his bird-dart at ducks as they flew by. His aimwas straight and true, and he was almost sure to be successful.
Spring changed suddenly into summer, and now the snow house must beleft, for Etu and his people were ready to move again. Besides, thewalls of the house grew soft, and would soon melt away.
Where would Etu travel next? you ask. He would answer:
"Not far from here there is a broad river where great numbers of salmonlive during the warm weather. It is great sport catching the fish. Nowwe can have so much rich food that we can all grow fat."
Once more the dogs were harnessed, and the spring camping-ground wasleft behind, as the Eskimo party journeyed southward. When the riverwas reached, new homes must be made ready. But what material would beused now? There were no trees to furnish wood, for the forests werestill hundreds of miles south of them, and snow at this time of theyear was out of the question.
But Etu's people were well prepared, for they took their supply ofskins, and quickly made tents out of them. It was still so cold that adouble row of skins must be used to keep out the sharp winds.
And now they were ready for the happiest part of the whole year. Theyneed not fear hunger for a long time to come. Plenty of fish in theriver, plenty of birds in the air, birds' eggs, which the bright eyesof the boys and girls would discover; and, besides all these dainties,they would get stores of reindeer meat.
"How could any one be any happier than I?" thought Etu, and he smiled abroad smile, making a funny face to express his joy.
In another country of the world as far north as Etu lives, theLaplander has herds of tame reindeer. They are driven as Etu drives hisdogs. They give sweet milk, too.
Etu has never heard of these people, but he has been told that there isa place in his own country where his kind American friends have broughtsome of these tame reindeer from Lapland. Great care is taken of them,so they will grow and get used to their new home. It will be a finething for Etu's people to have these tame reindeer and be able to getfresh milk during the long winter, as well as tame animals that willsupply them with food when they are in danger of starving.
But Etu busies himself now with setting traps for the wild reindeerwhich begin to appear in the country as summer opens. They have spentthe winter in the forests far away, but as the heat of the sun beginsto melt the snow, they travel toward the shores of the ocean.
Here the baby reindeer are born. They are tiny, weak little creaturesat first; but they grow fast, and in a few days are able to take careof themselves, and get their own food.
The reindeer have a wonderfully keen sense of smell. Even when theground is covered with a deep layer of snow, they seem able to tellwhere the lichens and mosses are living beneath it. No one has everseen a reindeer make a mistake in this matter. When he begins to pawaway the snow with his broad, stout hoofs, you may be sure he hasdiscovered a good dinner for himself. The lichens are tender andwhite, and taste somewhat like wheat bran. It is no wonder the reindeergrows fat on this plentiful food.
Etu hunts the reindeer in several different ways. Sometimes when he isout on the watch for them he hears a great clattering. It may be a longway off, and he cannot see a living thing, yet he knows what that soundmeans. It is the hoofs of the reindeer as they come pounding along.
He lies down and keeps very still. He watches closely, however, to seeif the reindeer are coming in his direction. If he finds this to be so,he keeps in the same position and waits till they have passed by himand are headed for the shore.
Then he jumps up suddenly, and chases them with fury. They getconfused, and rush onward in disorder. On he follows till they reachthe water's side, where they plunge madly in. They are good swimmers,but are so frightened that Etu is easily able to secure at least one ofthem.
Sometimes our Eskimo cousin goes a long way over the plains, and withhis father's help digs a deep pit in the earth. They cover it over withbrushwood. If a herd of reindeer should travel in this direction, someof them would fall into the pit and break their slender legs. It wouldbe an easy matter then to come and get them.
But there is another way that Etu likes best of all. Soon after he cameto his summer home he hunted about over the country till he had chosena spot where the reindeer were likely to come. Here he built a sort offort, or wall, out of stones. He could hide behind this wall, and watchfor his game without their being able to see him. He spent many days ofthe summer in this place with one of his boy friends. They would sitthere talking, or playing some quiet game, but their bows and arrowswere always ready; and their eyes ever on the lookout for the reindeerwho might come that way at any moment.
Many times, of course, they met with no success; but many times, too,they took a herd by surprise, and were able to carry home a goodlyfeast to their friends and relatives.
Reindeer meat is tender and sweet, the marrow and tongue being theparts best liked by Etu's people. But the most delicious food Etu everputs into his mouth is the contents of a reindeer's stomach! We mustnot be shocked at this, though it does seem a queer thing to eat,doesn't it? The reason Etu likes it so well is probably this: thefood of the reindeer is moss; when it has entered his stomach it hasa slightly acid taste, so it gives a relish the people cannot oftenget. Besides, it belongs to the vegetable kingdom, and Etu's people,we know, do not have the pleasure of eating corn, potatoes, and otherdelicious fruits of the earth, so commonly used by us that we hardlyappreciate them.
It was after one of these long days on the plains that Etu came homefeeling quite ill. His head ached; his eyes were bloodshot; his handsand face burned like fire.
His loving mother was quite worried. She put her son to bed at once,and sent for the medicine-man. She got a present of deer skins ready togive him as soon as the great person should appear.
After he had accepted the deer skins the doctor put on a horrible blackmask; then he began to move about the tent, waving his arms from sideto side, and repeating a charm. Do you understand what he was tryingto do? He thought a bad spirit had got hold of Etu; he believed thehideous mask and the charm of certain words would drive it out.
After awhile he went away, and Etu was alone again with his ownpeople. His fever lasted for several days, but at length it lefthim, and he grew well and strong once more. He believed the greatmedicine-man had healed him; but we think Mother Na
ture worked her owncure through rest in his own warm bed. The poor boy was tired out, andhad caught a hard cold watching on the plains.
As soon as he was strong his father said: "The trading season has come,for it is already two moons since we made our camp. We must journeysouthward to the great river. We shall see our friends from the westerncoast; they must have already started to meet us. Let us get our furs,seal oil, and walrus tusks together to sell to them, for, no doubt,they will have many things to give us in exchange. We greatly needsome copper kettles and tobacco. Oh, yes, let us get ready as soon aspossible."
Etu was delighted to hear these words. Now would come the merriesttime. He would have a long journey, and he dearly liked a change. Butthat was not all. He would see new people, and hear of new things; hewould have a chance to trade, and that would be great sport in itself.
Besides all these things, he knew his people would spend at least tendays with their friends from the west; and there would be much dancingand singing and story-telling, both day and night. Hurrah, then, forthis summer journey!
You may be sure Etu did his best in packing and making ready. Inanother twenty-four hours there was no sign left of this Eskimovillage. The dogs, the sledges, and the people were all gone. Nothingwas left except a few articles used in housekeeping, and these wereburied in an underground storehouse.
If you wish to hear more about Etu, and of his yearly visit south; ifyou care to hear about the big whale he helped to kill last winter, andof his adventure with a walrus, you must write and ask him about thesethings.
And yet, after all, I fear he could not read the letter. You wouldbetter go and visit him. It is well worth the journey, for then you cansee for yourself how a boy can be cheerful and happy and loving, eventhough he lives in the dreariest part of the whole world.
THE END.
THE LITTLE COUSIN SERIES
The most delightful and interesting accounts possible of child-life inother lands, filled with quaint sayings, doings, and adventures.
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"Juveniles will get a whole world of pleasure and instruction out of The Little Cousin Series.... Pleasing narratives give pictures of the little folk in the far-away lands in their duties and pleasures, showing their odd ways of playing, studying, their queer homes, clothes, and play-things...."--_Detroit News-Tribune._
_By MARY HAZELTON WADE_
=Our Little Swiss Cousin.= =Our Little Norwegian Cousin.= =Our Little Italian Cousin.= =Our Little Siamese Cousin.= =Our Little Cuban Cousin.= =Our Little Hawaiian Cousin.= =Our Little Eskimo Cousin.= =Our Little Philippine Cousin.= =Our Little Porto Rican Cousin.= =Our Little African Cousin.= =Our Little Japanese Cousin.= =Our Little Brown Cousin.= =Our Little Indian Cousin.= =Our Little Russian Cousin.= =Our Little German Cousin.= =Our Little Irish Cousin.= =Our Little Turkish Cousin.= =Our Little Jewish Cousin.=
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=Our Little Canadian Cousin.=
ANIMAL TALES
By Charles G. D. Roberts
ILLUSTRATED BY
Charles Livingston Bull
as follows:
=The Lord of the Air= (THE EAGLE)
=The King of the Mamozekel= (THE MOOSE)
=The Watchers of the Camp-fire= (THE PANTHER)
=The Haunter of the Pine Gloom= (THE LYNX)
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Realizing the great demand for the animal stories of Professor Roberts,one of the masters of nature writers, the publishers have selected fourrepresentative stories, to be issued separately, at a popular price.Each story is illustrated by Charles Livingston Bull, and is bound in ahandsome decorative cover.
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Mr. Hopkins's first essay at bedtime stories has met with such approvalthat this second book of "Sandman" tales has been issued for scores ofeager children. Life on the farm, and out-of-doors, will be portrayedin his inimitable manner, and many a little one will hail the bedtimeseason as one of delight.
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