patched messengers to
summon to him Kalleligak, and Anatalik, who had seen the deed. The
murderer had already expressed his willingness to surrender to the
white man, and he at once packed up and accompanied the couriers back
to Katatallik.

Meanwhile the news had also reached Ekkoulak, the sister of
Kaiachououk, and her husband, Semijak, immediately summoned his
council to discuss matters. All were agreed that the tribal custom
must be observed. "A life for a life" was the only law they
recognized, and the two elder sons of Semijak were selected to carry
the sentence into effect. Well armed and equipped, they started the
very next morning for the North. The following day they walked into
the Hudson's Bay Post to apprize the white man of their errand, so
that there might be no suspicion of their blood-guiltiness, not
knowing that by a strange whim of fortune Kalleligak and Anatalik were
already there and were seated in one room while they were being
received in another.

In the room with Kalleligak and Anatalik was Mr. Barlow's daughter, a
little child of six, who was amusing herself with a picture book of
the life of Christ. The little girl began to show the pictures to the
two men, telling them the story in their own tongue as she went along.
She at last came to the picture of Christ upon the Cross between the
two thieves. Mr. Barlow in the adjoining room heard Kalleligak ask the
child if she thought Jesus would forgive any one who had killed
another man, to which the little one replied, "Why, yes, if he were
really sorry and tried to be better."

The house of friends is neutral ground, and to start a quarrel in the
great white man's house would be about as likely as that we should
begin one on the steps of the altar. Thus, when Kalleligak and
Anatalik were summoned to dinner, both parties proceeded as if nothing
unusual were in the air and all refreshed themselves at the same
board.

Bidding them to keep the peace, Mr. Barlow made an effort to get to
the bottom of the affair; but he found it very hard to know what to
advise. The sister of Kaiachououk had begged and prayed her sons, now
chosen as avengers, to have nothing to do with the slaying, saying,
"It will only make more trouble. It will be Kalleligak's family who
will suffer. They will surely starve to death." She had even sent a
special messenger to the agent with an earnest plea that he would use
all his influence to save her lads from the shedding of b