Long ago, on St. Lawrence Island in the Bering Sea there lived a strong
man named Lovek. This man was very bad; indeed, he was a big bully.
Whenever any of his neighbors went hunting, Lovek would take away
whatever they had killed, as soon as they had hauled it over the ice to
the shore. Every one in the village was afraid of this man who took away
all their food, and who was so strong no one could beat him. The people
did not know what to do, and were almost afraid to go hunting at all,
for Lovek was sure to find them and take away their game.
Now in this village there lived an orphan boy with his uncle. The boy’s
name was Seranak, and he was so poor he had scarcely any clothes to wear
and almost no food to eat.
One night at the kasga, Seranak heard the people talking about Lovek.
They hardly dared to speak aloud, and Seranak had to creep up close to
his uncle to hear what they were saying; but he heard enough to make him
feel very sorry for all the people, and determined to do something to
help them get rid of such a bad man.
When his uncle reached home, Seranak begged for some clothes and weapons
that he might go hunting.
At first his uncle refused, saying, “No, Seranak. What would a little
boy like you do if Lovek came along? He would take away anything you had
caught and might kill you too.”
Seranak begged so hard that at last his uncle said he might go, and gave
him a warm parka, a good pair of mukluks and a fine strong spear with a
sharp tip made of walrus ivory, and a long line made of walrus hide. The
boy thanked his uncle and went down to the ice which spread out like a
roof over the sea.
No sooner did he reach the edge of the ice than a walrus stuck his great
head up out of the water. To Seranak that walrus looked very funny with
his whiskers like an old man and two long tusks; he seemed to be saying,
“What do you think you can do, little boy, with that long spear?” But he
soon knew what “little boy” could do, for quickly Seranak raised his
arm, gave the spear a thrust, and it sank deep into the side of the
walrus. After that the boy hauled the animal upon the ice and began
cutting him up for meat.
[Illustration: “‘Lovek, I have you at my mercy now’”]
While he was working away with his uncle’s fine hunting knife, Lovek
came along, and stopping beside him with an evil grin, said, “Ha ha,
Seranak. So you are a big man now that you have killed a walrus! It is
good of you to go hunting for me. I will take the head now and the meat
later.”
Seranak said not a word but went on with his work just as though he had
heard nothing at all.
This surprised Lovek, whose stupid big face took on a puzzled
expression. He had never been treated like that before. Usually people
jumped and looked scared when he shouted at them.
Coming a little nearer, he roared at Seranak, “Boy, don’t you hear me?
Hand me that walrus head!”
Seranak paid no attention at all, until Lovek was almost on top of him;
then suddenly springing to his feet, he flung the surprised Lovek into
the deep water between the floes of ice. After a while Lovek came to the
top, puffing and blowing like a whale. Every time he stuck his head out
of the water, there was Seranak with his big spear. At last, when Lovek
was nearly drowned and almost frozen, Seranak said, “Lovek, I have you
at my mercy now and I will not let you out unless you promise to be good
and never again take that which does not belong to you.”
Of course Lovek promised. He was terribly frightened and greatly
surprised to find that he could be beaten by a little boy. After that he
was good to the hunters and became the kindest man in the village.
From that time Seranak was the hero of the people, and when he grew up
the people called him “Ommalik,” which is the same almost as “Big
Chief.”