7. (The Visit of the Ke´let.)
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7. (The Visit of the Ke´let.)
Once a small house stood alone in the wilderness. The ke´let were going to visit it. Only a woman and her children were at home. The man, her p. 52 husband was with the herd. On the rear side of the house was a funeral-place,2 and there lay a corpse. One time the woman showed herself to the middle from the sleeping-room,1 and saw the dead one. In the evening the woman saw him. "Ah, ah! where are you from?" — "No. I am your neighbor. I came to see you. Oh, enough! You do not know. Ke´let are going to visit you, and they are already near by."
A little dog was there, a tiny one, somewhere in the sleeping-room or in the outer tent. "Oh, there is no need of (grudging) this little dog. Now, then, I am going back. Come out and go with me, along my road."
She dressed herself, carried out the little dog and slaughtered it behind the house. Then she drew a line with blood all around the house, "Now, enter! They are coming yonder."
"Oh, how is it, it stays on the other shore? What, now on the island? From what point must I begin? Let it be from there. Oh, it seems to be p. 53 deep!" He (the ke´lẹ) thrust down his spear-shaft,1 but could not touch the ground. "Oh, it is deep! Let us leave it! Indeed, what shall we do?"
They left them. The next day the husband came, and saw the slaughtered dog lying by the entrance. He said, "Oh, good gracious! I left all of my house-mates quite safe, but what may have happened to them? He gave a start and forced an entrance. The woman appeared (from under the cover of the sleeping-room). "Halloo! What is the matter with you?" — "Nothing. We are all right." Only when in the sleeping-room did she tell him. Ended.
Told by Aqa´ñña, A Maritime Chukchee woman, at Mariinsky Post. October, 1900.
Footnotes
1 She showed herself, evidently in answer to some call or in looking for the cause of some noise.
2 Compare Vol. VII of this series, p. 526.
1 He thought the blood of the dog was a deep river.
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