ÁNGÁNGŬJUK
It is said that Ángángŭjuk’s father was very strong. They had no other neighbours, but lived there three of them all alone. One day when the mother was going to scrape meat from a skin, she let the child play at kayak outside in the passage, near the entrance. And now and again she called to him: “Ángángŭjuk!” And the child would answer from outside.
And once she called in this way, and called again, for there came no answer. And when no answer came again, she left the skin she was scraping, and began to search about. But she could not find the child. And now she began to feel greatly afraid, dreading her husband’s return. And while she stood there feeling great fear of her husband, he came out from behind a rock, dragging a seal behind him.
Then he came forward and said:
“Where is our little son?”
“He vanished away from me this morning, after you had gone, when he was playing kayak-man out in the passage.”
And when she had said this, her husband answered:
“It is you, wicked old hag, who have killed him. And now I will kill you.”
To this his wife answered:
“Do not kill me yet, but wait a little, and first seek out one who can ask counsel of the spirits.”
And now the husband began eagerly to search for such a one. He came home bringing wizards with him, and bade them try what they could do, and when they could not find the child, he let them go without giving them so much as a bite of meat.
And seeing that none of them could help him, he now sought for a very clever finder of hidden things, and meeting such a one at last, he took him home. Then he fastened a stick to his face, and made him lie down on the bedplace on his back.
139
