Читать книгу Animal Stories from Eskimo Land. Adapted from the Original Eskimo Stories Collected by Dr. Daniel S. Neuman онлайн

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Down went Ivango into the deep dark hole. When he reached the bottom he stood still and felt the sides of the ditch all about him, until suddenly his hands came upon a great stone embedded in the earth on one side of the hole. Digging quickly into the earth with his fingers, he dragged out the huge stone and found a deep hole in the earth back of it. Into this hole he crept, pulling the stone into place after him. Outside, the whale man built a big fire with logs and oil and shoved it into the pit, thinking that Ivango would be burned up; but Ivango was safe behind the rock, and the fire never even singed his mukluks. When the flames had died down and there was nothing left but ashes, he crept out from his hiding-place and called for some one to let down a rope for him to climb up by. Soon he saw the rope coming down. It was made of walrus hide such as is used for lashing boats. Ivango took hold of the end of the rope and his brothers pulled him out.

The whale man stood there looking much surprised to see him come out unharmed, and Ivango, springing upon him, hurled him into the pit. Then turning to the people, Ivango said, “If this man is unkind to you, bring some more wood and oil and we will burn him up. If he is good to you, let down the rope again and pull him out after we have gone away.”