The twins had come in with the others, but they were so short they were
out of sight in the crowd. They crawled under the elbows of the grown
people and stood beside Koolee.
"Look, children," she said to them, "your grandfather, who is dead,
sent you this bear. He wants you to send him something. In five days
the bear's spirit will go to the land where your grandfather's spirit
lives. What would you like to have the bear's spirit take to your
grandfather for a gift?"
"I'll send him the little fish that father carved for me out of bone,"
said Menie. He squirmed through the crowd and got it from a corner of
his bed and brought it to his mother. She put it on the bear's head.
Monnie gave her a leather string with a lucky stone tied to it. Koolee
put that on the bear's head too.
Then she said, "There! In five days' time the bear's spirit will give
the shadows of these things to your grandfather. Then we can eat the
head, but not until we are sure the bear's spirit has reached the home
of the Dead."
"That is well," the Angakok said to the twins, when Koolee had
finished. "Your grandfather will be pleased with your presents, I know.
Your grandfather was a just man. I knew him well. He always paid great
respect to me. Whenever he brought a bear home he gave me not only a
hind leg, but the liver as well! I should not be surprised if he sent
the bear this way, knowing how fond I am of bear's liver."
The Angakok placed his hand on his stomach and rolled up his eyes. "But
times are not what they once were," he went on. "People care now only
for their own stomachs! They would rather have the liver themselves
than give it to the Angakok! They will be sorry when it is too late."
He shook his head and heaved a great sigh. Koolee looked at Kesshoo.
She was very anxious. Kesshoo went out at once to the storehouse. He
climbed to the top and got the liver.
By this time all the people had crawled out of the igloo again, and
were ready to carry home their meat. Kesshoo ran to the Angakok and
gave him the bear's liver. The Angakok handed it to one of his wives to
carry. The other one already had the bear's leg. He said to Kesshoo,
"You are a just man, like your father. I know the secrets of the sun,
moon, and stars. You know your duty! You shall have your reward." He
looked very solemn and waddled away toward his igloo with the two wives
behind him carrying the meat. All the rest of the people followed after
him and went into their own igloos.