e prepared himself while they were
engaged with the second edition of supper. The task, however, proved to
be surrounded with difficulties much greater than he had expected.
Deeming it not only wise, but polite, to begin with something
complimentary, he said:--

"My friends, the Innuits are a great people. They work hard; they are
strong and brave, and have powerful wills."

As these were facts which every one admitted, and Rooney uttered them
with considerable emphasis and animation; the statement of them was
received with nods, and huks, and other marks of approval.

"The Innuits are also hospitable," he continued. "A Kablunet came to
them starving, dying. The Great Spirit who made us all, and without
whose permission nothing at all can happen, sent Okiok to help him.
Okiok is kind; so is his wife; also his daughter. They took the poor
Kablunet to their house. They fed--they stuffed--him. Now he is
getting strong, and will soon be able to join in kick-ball, and
pull-over, and he may perhaps, before long, teach your great angekok
Ujarak some things that he does not yet know!"

As this was said with a motion in one eye which strongly resembled a
wink, the audience burst into mingled applause and laughter. To some,
the idea of their wise man being taught anything by a poor benighted
Kablunet was ridiculous. To others, the hope of seeing the wizard's
pride humbled was what is slangily termed "nuts." Ujarak himself took
the remark in good part, in consequence of the word "great" having been
prefixed to his title.

"But," continued the seaman, with much earnestness, "having said that I
am grateful, I will not say more about the Innuit just now. I will only
tell you, in few words, some things about my own country which will
interest you. I have been asked if we have big villages. Yes, my
friends, we have very big villages--so big that I fear you will find it
difficult to understand what I say."

"The Innuit have big understandings," said Simek, with a bland smile,
describing a great circle with his outspread arms; "do not fear to try
them."

"Well, one village we have," resumed Rooney, "is as broad as from here
to the house of Okiok under the great cliff, and it is equally long."

The "huks" and "hois!" with which this was received proved that, big as
their understandings were, the Eskimos were not prepared to take in so
vast an idea.

"Moreover," said the seaman, "because there is not enough of space