The summer days flew by, only one really shouldn't say days at all, but
summer day. For three whole bright months it was just one daylight
picnic all the time!
The people ate when they were hungry and slept when they were sleepy.
The men caught hundreds of salmon, and the women split them open and
dried them on the rocks for winter use. The children played all day
long.
The men hunted deer and musk-ox and bears up in the hills and brought
them back to camp. They hunted game both by land and by sea. There was
so much to eat that everybody grew fatter, and as for the Angakok, he
got so very fat that Koko said to Menie, "I don't believe we can ever
get the Angakok home in the woman-boat! He's so heavy he'll sink it! I
think it would be a good plan to tie a string to him and tow him back
like a walrus!"
"Yes," said Menie. "Maybe he would shrink some if we soaked him well.
Don't you know how water shrinks the walrus hide cords that we tie
around things when we want them to hold tight together?"
It was lucky for Menie and Koko that nobody heard them say that about
the Angakok. It would have been thought very disrespectful.
When the game grew scarce, or they got tired of camping in one spot
everything was piled into their boats again, and away they went up the
coast until they found another place they liked better. Then they would
set up their tents again.
Sometimes they came to other camps and had a good time meeting new
people and making new friends.
At last, late in August, the sun slipped down below the edge of the
World again. It stayed just long enough to fill the sky with wonderful
red and gold sunset clouds, then it came up again. The next night there
was a little time between the sunset sky and the lovely colors of the
sunrise.
The next night was longer still. Each day grew colder and colder. Still
the people lingered in their tents. They did not like to think the
pleasant summer was over, and the long night near.
But at last Kesshoo said, "I think it is time to go back to winter
quarters. The nights are fast growing longer. The snow may be upon us
any day now. I don't know of a better place to settle than the village
where we spent last winter. The igloos are all built there ready to use
again. What do you say? Shall we go back there?"
"Yes, let us go back," they all said.