be helpless the rest
of his days and as he died all the dreadful horrors of the curses would
come upon him. Thus would Maisanguaq be revenged.

As the midnight sun dipped below the horizon, the sea became more
deeply golden. To the women watching along the shore, the multitude of
kayaks became mere black specks. They disappeared now and then behind
the crests of leaping waves, and reappearing moved with the swiftness
of birds along the horizon.

At the entrance of her tent Annadoah stood, one hand shading her eyes
as they pierced the radiant distance. From the mountain passes behind
the village echoed the joyous howls of approaching dogs. Something
stirred in the heart of Annadoah--something fluttered there like the
wings of a frightened bird.

Ootah's paddle touched the water with the softness of a feather, yet so
quickly that the double blades emitted constant flashes of light
intermittently on either side. His arms moved with consummate ease.
His kayak made a dark blurred line as it sped forward over the yellow
waters. Soon he had outdistanced the party. Then his speed slackened,
he glanced behind.

The other kayaks darted after him like erratic bugs. The land was a
mere curve on the horizon; all about him the sea rose and fell, and
from the shimmering mirror of every wave the sunlight shot backward in
various directions. A thousand golden searchlights seemed playing over
the sea. Now and then through the coppery mists an emerald green berg
loomed titanically, and as it slowly bore down upon him, Ootah would
gracefully manipulate one end of his paddle and shift his kayak about
while the berg lurched toweringly onward. As he gained distance from
the land the ocean swelled with increasing volume. His frail skin
kayak was lifted high on the oily crests of waves, and as it descended
with swift rushes, Ootah felt exultant thrills in his heart. Far away
he heard the resounding explosion of ice bergs colliding. A low bellow
arose from a floe immediately ahead. Ootah's blood leaped, the spirit
of the hunter throbbed in his veins, his nostrils sensitively quivered.
With a slow silent movement of the paddle, he prevented his kayak from
going too great a distance forward in order to await the others.
Judging by the sound of the muffled bellowing, he assumed that the
great animals were sunning themselves on the southern ridge of the
floe. His tactics were to paddle about to the north, land on the floe,
a