The Coming of Eric the Red
West of Ireland is the largest island in the world. It is called
Greenland, but the boys and girls who live there have little reason to
know it by such a name, for it is a country of snow and ice where fierce
winds are blowing the greater part of the year and where the frost king
rules even in the summer-time.
Long ago there were brave sailors in northern Europe called Norsemen,
who ventured out into the western waters farther than any other known
people at that time. Some of them, as you know, sailed as far as Iceland
where they settled and made a home for themselves.
By and by one of these settlers sailed still farther into the west.
Fierce storms arose and strong winds blew his ship till he came in sight
of a land whose shores were bound in ice. At last the storm passed; then
he turned his ship about and sailed for home.
When he reached Iceland he told of what he had seen. Among those who
listened to him was another daring sailor, Eric the Red.
Not long afterwards Eric the Red killed another man in a quarrel, and on
account of this wrong deed he was told that he could not stay in
Iceland, but must leave his home for two years at least.
He now thought of the story he had heard of a land farther west. He said
to himself, "I will seek that country and perhaps I will find a home
there to my liking."
He set out with a brave heart and sailed on till at last he saw before
him a bare and desolate land. He steered his ship past great icebergs
and floating masses of ice and entered a harbor.
It was not a pleasant country in which to make a home. There was no
person to greet him; not a single tree to offer its shade. Yet he made
himself as comfortable as possible and built a house of stone against
the side of a steep cliff. He fished in the icy waters and hunted over
the snow-covered fields; thus he and his few companions got enough food
to keep themselves from starving.
Two winters passed in this new home and Eric the Red, who had been used
to hardship, enjoyed himself because he was free to do as he pleased and
there were no enemies to disturb him. In fact, all the time he and his
followers were in Greenland they met no other people, and so they
believed they were the only ones living in that ice-bound country. In
their wanderings, however, they discovered that there were many high
mountains, deep and narrow bays, and glaciers.
The time came when Eric the Red could go back to Iceland. On his return
he said to himself, "I will say that I found a pleasant home in the
west. I will give the place the pleasant name of Greenland. Then some of
the people will wish to go back with me and settle there."
Eric the Red painted such a delightful picture of his stay in the
distant land that a goodly company started out with him in twenty-five
ships when he returned to Greenland. Some of these ships were wrecked;
others were driven back by fierce winds. Fourteen, however, managed to
pass the dangerous icebergs and the great masses of floating ice and
entered a narrow harbor.
The people landed on the desolate shore and were soon busy building
houses in which to live. There was no lumber because there were no
trees, so they had to use stones.
Afterwards small gardens were dug and planted. Sheds were built of stone
where the sheep and oxen the people had brought with them could be
protected from the biting cold of the long winter and the fearful storms
that raged there.
Other settlers followed the first ones and made new homes for themselves
on the western coast of Greenland, not far from the place chosen by the
first-comers. Here, in rough stone houses, little children were born and
grew up to be men and women.
These children did not know the taste of bread. They lived mostly on the
meat of seals, walruses, and reindeer, the berries they picked in
summer, and the eggs of the wild birds that flew in great flocks over
the country when the long, cold winter was over.
They had many a good time, though. They romped in the frosty air; they
slid on the ice; they petted their lambs and played games; and then,
when evening came, they gathered about their fathers to listen to
wonderful tales of adventures with wild animals and of fights for life
among icebergs and glaciers. Often they must have held their breath, and
their blood must have been stirred as they thought, "Soon we will grow
up and we, too, will dare what our fathers have dared."
The Eskimos.
More than three hundred years passed by. Then the children of the
settlers suddenly discovered that they were not the only ones living in
Greenland. Not far to the north there were other boys and girls with
yellow skins, black eyes, round faces and mouths ever ready to stretch
in smiles. Far different, indeed, they looked from the Norse children
with their fair hair and blue eyes.
These little strangers spoke an odd-sounding language and when they
pointed to themselves they said, "Innuits," meaning "people." No doubt
they and their parents had thought themselves the only people in the
world. The Norsemen called them Skrællings; but long afterwards, when
other white men came to Greenland and noticed the manner of living of
the natives, they gave them the name of Eskimos which means, "Eaters of
raw meat." To this day we know them as Eskimos.
[Illustration: An Eskimo Mother and Baby.]
Not long after they met with the Eskimos the white settlers, with their
wives and children, disappeared from Greenland. No one knows the reason.
Perhaps they all died from a terrible sickness that visited them at that
time. There are some who think they were killed by the natives. At any
rate, there were no more white people in Greenland for two hundred years
and the little Eskimos lived on as they always had done.
The homes of these children are built to-day just as they were in that
far-away time when the Norsemen first saw them. They spend the long cold
winter in stone huts. The stones are packed closely together and the
chinks are stuffed so tightly with turf that the sharpest wind can not
make its way inside. A low passage into the house is also built of
stones, but it is so low that even the little children must crawl on
their hands and knees when they go in and out of the house.
Can you think of the reason for this? It is because the wind must be
kept out of the home at all costs.
When the children have once crept inside, there is not much room over
their heads even now, since the house-walls themselves are not more than
six or eight feet high. The light is very dim, for the small windows are
made of the bowels of seals, as the Eskimos do not have the glass we
think so necessary; so they take the best thing they can procure.
A little more light is given by queer, smoky lamps which are stoves as
well. Women are busy tending these all the time, or they would smoke so
badly that even the Eskimos, who are used to them, could not breathe the
air without choking.
Each one of these stove-lamps is made of a piece of sandstone hollowed
out somewhat in the shape of a dustpan. Pieces of blubber are placed in
the bottom and strips of dried moss are set up along one side for wicks.
Here the mothers of the Eskimo children do all their cooking, and here
the boys and girls must gather when they wish to warm their fingers if
Jack Frost has pinched them.
Heavy seal or bear skins which have been cured and made ready for use
hang down from the walls, making them doubly warm.
Along the sides of the hut are platforms where the children sit with
their parents and where they stretch themselves among piles of furs for
the night's rest. These platforms are usually made of wood, one of the
most precious things the Eskimos possess. Since no trees grow in
Greenland, the only wood the people had in the long ago drifted to their
shores. Often it came from the wrecks of vessels that ventured into the
dangerous northern waters after whales. Now-a-days, however, the Eskimos
get lumber from white traders in exchange for oil and furs. For about
four months of the winter the sun does not show his face at all. The
children must be very glad that during that period the moon shines
brightly one week out of every four. That is the time for the best
fun,--skating and coasting by moonlight when the snowfields and the
ice-bound shores glisten like the most wonderful fairyland you can
possibly imagine.
Before they venture from their homes their loving mothers see that they
put on their bird-skin shirts with the soft feathers worn next to the
skin. Then there are stockings of hare or dog skin, and high boots of
sealskin.
It would be rather hard at first for you to tell an Eskimo girl from a
boy for all the people of the snowland wear trousers which are, of
course, much warmer than skirts would be. These trousers, like the
boots, are made of heavy skins with the fur on the inside.
The upper part of the body is covered with a short fur blouse. A fur
hood and mittens complete the outdoor dress. No suit could be better for
traveling over the snow or playing on the icy hillsides than the
Greenland mothers make for their little ones.
Hunting for Food.
Sometimes the little Eskimos and their parents feast nearly all day
long. This is when their fathers have been successful in the hunt and
there is plenty of seal and walrus meat on hand. But there are other
times when many hours pass by without food and they do not know how much
longer they must wait before they can satisfy their hunger.
Sometimes the men are away from home for days together, searching the
shore for the food their wives and little ones need so much. When at
last they have been successful and returned with their loads, the
children run out with their mothers to meet the hunters and take care of
the precious prize. The women are armed with long knives with which they
quickly cut away the skins. The meat is cut up, and with shouts of
laughter the children crawl through the narrow passage into the hut and
gather around their mothers, as pieces of the meat are placed in stone
dishes and hung over the lamps to cook.
It may be, that while the children sit eagerly watching for some
seal-blood soup to be prepared, the women throw them pieces of blubber
which they eat greedily.
All this time the men are stretched about on the low platforms, joking
and telling stories while they wait for the feast to begin. As they
wait, some of them busy their fingers carving toys out of walrus-teeth
for the children,--tiny reindeer, seals, sledges, birds or muskoxen.
When the dinner is ready a large dish of food is placed in the middle of
the floor, the big folks and little sit around in a circle and help
themselves with their fingers. After dinner come songs and dances in
which the children take their part.
It is very likely that over on a low shelf a mother dog is lying with
her puppies, and the children go to her from time to time and play with
their cunning little pets. The Eskimos are fond of their dogs, and are
very careful of the puppies, which are brought up in the house with
their own children from the time when they are born till they are big
enough to take care of themselves.
Eskimo Dogs.
The boys and girls of the far north would be very lonely without their
trusty dogs. They play with the puppies during the long winter days.
Then, as soon as their little pets are old enough, the boys begin to
train them. First, the animal must be taught to obey their young
masters. Then collars are made, and with long straps of leather, these
are fastened to low sledges made of drift wood and walrus lines. The
sledge is drawn by a number of dogs, each of which is fastened by a
separate strap.
When the master of the pack is ready for a ride, he throws himself upon
the sledge, cracks his whip, and the dogs start wildly off with leaps
and bounds.
On goes the sledge, now over a smooth sheet of frozen snow, and again
bumping up and down as the dogs dash over rough hillocks of ice. It is
enough to take one's breath away.
An Eskimo boy is much pleased when his father tells him he is getting
old enough to have a team of dogs for his very own. He picks out the
brightest and smartest one of his puppies to be the leader of the new
pack and trains him with the greatest care. The young dog in his turn
seems proud of the honor paid him and soon begins to rule among his
fellows like a king.
Poor Eskimo dogs! They have a hard lot. All through the long winter they
are seldom fed more than three or four times a week. Only the mother
dogs with their puppies are allowed in the house. The rest of the pack
spend most of the time outdoors although they are sometimes allowed in
the passageway, or a snow hut is built for them near the house of their
master. Their hair, however, is long and thick and warm, and this
protects them from the winds and storm. They will stretch out on a bed
of snow and sleep comfortably hour after hour in the coldest weather.
One of their favorite resting places is the top of their master's hut;
but when the wind blows hard they prefer to creep into their snow house
and stay there till the weather is once more calm.
As soon as the Eskimo boy is old enough to hold a tiny bow his parents
put one in his chubby hands. He is so pleased when he is able to set an
arrow and send it speeding against a mark on the wall of the hut. When
he strikes it for the first time the place rings with his shouts of
delight. When he is a little older he takes lessons from his father in
shaping harpoons and spearheads. He is now getting ready for the hunting
that is to be his work in life.
While he is learning the ways of a hunter, his sister also has her
lessons. Her mother and grandmother are busy women, tanning the skins
the men bring in, and making them into warm garments for the family. The
girls must therefore learn to sew with coarse bone needles and heavy
thread made from the sinews of the reindeer. They must also help in
chewing skin with their strong white teeth. This is to make the skin
soft and comfortable for the wearer, but it is a long, hard task. Many
an Eskimo woman wears her teeth down to stubs by the time she is an old
woman.
After Seals.
When autumn sets in, the head of the family watches the ice in the bay.
As soon as it is frozen hard enough, he will begin his hunt for seals.
He clothes himself in fur from head to foot, takes his lance from the
wall, and hangs over one arm a little stool made of small pieces of wood
bound together with leather straps. He must not forget his hunting
knife, nor a fur blanket which he throws over his shoulders. At last he
is off. He walks quickly down to the edge of the bay and looks keenly
about over its surface. Perhaps he decides to follow the coast for some
distance, as farther along the ice seems firmer.
On he moves till he comes to a place where he can trust himself. With
leaps and bounds he springs from one cake of ice to another till he
reaches a place where the water of the outer bay is frozen solid. He
keeps his eyes fastened on the ice. Ah! he has discovered a small hole.
He thinks, "Now I have found the home of a family of seals. This is
certainly their breathing place."
He spreads his fur blanket on the ice close to the hole. In the middle
of it he puts his stool, and then, with lance in hand, he sits down to
watch and wait.
It may be that in a short time a seal's nose will appear at this hole to
get a breath of fresh air, or perhaps hours will pass before this
happens.
At last the watching hunter is rewarded. He thrusts his lance suddenly
down through the hole, and if he has made no mistake it has pierced the
seal below. The lance disappears under the ice, but the hunter has taken
care to fasten leather lines to the blunt end, and this he holds tightly
in his hands.
Now he must be very careful. He takes his hunting knife from his sheath
and carefully cuts away the ice from around the breathing hole. He must
make a place so large that the seal's body can be drawn up through, to
the surface. At last his prey lies before him but the animal is still
alive and must be killed.
As soon as this is done, the man hastens back to the shore near his home
where some of his faithful dogs have been harnessed to the sledge and
are patiently awaiting him.
He unties the strap by which they are fastened to a rock. Then, with
delighted howls, the dogs rush along with their master to the place
where the dead seal is lying. It is placed on the sledge, and in a short
time is in the hands of the hunter's wife, who takes off the skin and
cuts up the meat for the hungry family.
Nannook, the Bear.
During the long evenings the children are never tired of listening to
the stories of the big white bear. It is Nannook who makes her winter
home against the side of a steep cliff. Here the snow drifts about her
and shuts her in from the outside world; at the same time the warm
breath from her great body melts the snow next to her, leaving a small
empty space. Here she sleeps and here her little cubs are born.
Sometimes the bear is caught by means of a trap which the Eskimo hunter
has built of stone set up in a square. There is a small opening inside
of which a piece of blubber is placed. When Nannook snaps at the
blubber, down falls a heavy stone and the animal is made a prisoner.
Sometimes the hunter comes upon the track of a bear when he has no
companion except his trusty dogs. But he is not afraid. He urges them on
and the sledge dashes along with the greatest speed. The master of the
team hardly needs to guide, for the dogs are eager to follow the scent.
And now the prey is in sight. Perhaps it is a mother bear with two cubs.
She sees her enemy and turns to flee, but her little ones cannot run
fast and she stops again and again for them. Every moment the dogs are
gaining upon her. At last she sees it is of no use and takes her stand
to meet the attack.
The team is upon her now. The hunter leaps from the sledge and rushes
towards the mother bear with spear in hand. She rises upon her hind legs
and opens her mouth with an angry growl. One blow of her paw would be
enough to kill the man if he gave her time to strike, but he makes a
sudden thrust into her heart with his spear before she has a chance to
do this.
It may be that the spear fails to reach its mark, or that the bear
breaks it with one angry blow. She is furious now, and it would go hard
with the hunter if the faithful dogs were not already springing upon the
huge animal like a pack of wolves. With their help she is overcome, and
falls at last dying to the ground. Then it is an easy matter to kill the
poor little cubs, which all through the fight have been crying
piteously.
Many a time an Eskimo hunter has met his death when on a bear hunt. Many
a time, too, he has received fearful wounds that have made him a cripple
for the rest of his life. Yet he is a brave man and is ever ready to
join a hunt in search of Nannook, the big white bear.
After the Walrus.
The Eskimo boys are not only eager for bear stories, but they love to
hear their fathers tell of the battles with the big walrus, whose home
is in the sea. It weighs nearly a thousand pounds. It has a thick, tough
skin, and long tusks of ivory. When a number of walruses are together
they will often turn on the hunters with fury. Then the men must move
quickly and fight bravely, or they may lose their lives.
The best time for a walrus hunt is when the moon is shining brightly.
The children look on eagerly while the men get knives and lances ready,
for perhaps news has just come that walruses have been seen on the ice
floes miles away up the coast. The dogs are harnessed to the sledges and
the party start off.
One, two, and even three days may pass with no sign of the returning
hunters. At last the sound of barking dogs is heard in the distance. The
women and children rush out of the huts, and if the moon has set or the
clouds have hidden her light, they carry torches and hurry to meet the
hunters.
The news may be good and the sledges loaded with ivory and walrus meat.
But perhaps the men have not been successful, and have only to tell of a
long search, with no prize gained. It may be that one of the men has
been wounded by an enraged walrus, or has been drawn into the icy water
and has narrowly escaped drowning. At any rate, there is much to tell to
the eager listeners.
A walrus is much larger and heavier than a seal. Besides this, it has
two strong tusks with which to defend itself; and although it is hunted
in much the same way, it is far more dangerous work to kill a walrus and
land it safely on the ice. One man seldom hunts walruses alone.
The Narwhal.
Eskimos never live far from the shore. It would not be safe to do so,
for most of their food is obtained from the sea. Besides seals and
walruses, other large creatures are hunted there. There are different
kinds of whales; there are porpoises and swordfish; more important still
is the narwhal with its long ivory tusk pointing straight out from its
head. It is an ugly-looking creature, but the Eskimos think only of the
beautiful white ivory and the oil to be obtained, besides abundance of
delicious meat.
As soon as November comes, the men begin to look for narwhals. A party
of hunters get into their boats and paddle out into the deep waters of
the bay. As they paddle along, as soon as a narwhal appears in sight
they hurry toward it with all the speed possible. Each one is eager to
be the first one to attack, for he is the one to receive most honor when
the fight is over and the prize gained. Great care must be used as the
hunters draw near the narwhal for that long tusk could make a hole
through a boat in an instant.
Springtime.
The long winter is over at last. The men have hunted many of the days,
but they have spent much time making lines and traps for the warmer days
to come; also in mending and sharpening their weapons. The women have
been busy making clothes for the family and tending the lamps, while the
happy, loving children have helped their parents a little, but mostly
they have been coasting and playing games on the snowfields. They have
paid visits to friends in other villages; they have had many a feast;
sometimes, alas! they have gone without food for days at a time. They
have sung and danced, and watched the beautiful northern lights flash
over the sky. They have listened to legends of their big brother, the
moon, and his sister the sun. Sometimes, too, they have heard stories
about the great ice-sheet that stretches all over the mountains and
plains of the inland country. They trembled as they were told that
terrible beings have their home on that inland ice and they are quite
sure they would not venture there for the world.
Now that spring has come, they are ready for a season of sunshine. They
are glad, too, to seek a new home and new adventures. Yes, the spring
has come and flocks of birds are flying overhead to bring the good news.
The boys help their fathers take off the roofs of the winter houses and
open them up to the sunshine and fresh air. All the people in the
village are going to move.
Skin tents are packed on the sledges, together with lamps and the few
stone dishes they possess. For four whole months the Eskimos will camp
out and move from place to place in search of reindeer and birds on the
land, or fish in the waters of the bay.
Sometimes in the early spring or fall the Eskimo children live in still
different homes from their winter huts of stone or the summer tents.
These are the snow houses, which the men can build very quickly.
If they are off on a long hunt, these snow houses are useful, for they
are warm and comfortable in the worst storm or the coldest weather. Big
blocks of solid snow are cut and piled up in the shape of a bee-hive. A
small doorway is left open which can be filled with another snow-block
when the people wish it. When the house is finished loose snow is sifted
over it and every crack filled up so that the wind cannot make its way
inside. The stone lamp is set up in the middle or at the side of the
hut. A bench is made of snow and covered with furs, and the family are
ready to go to housekeeping.
As soon as the Eskimo children see the birds flying in the springtime
they begin to think of the fun they will have hunting for eggs. The boys
get their bows and arrows ready at this time, for they will shoot dozens
and dozens of the birds before the summer is over.
There are many kinds of these birds, most of which like to build their
nests on the sides of steep cliffs along the shore. Best of all are the
eider ducks with their soft and beautiful feathers. Shirts of eider-duck
skin with the feathers worn next to the body are the best and warmest of
all, both for the babies of the household and their fathers.
An Eskimo hunter will climb up the sides of the steepest cliff in his
search for birds' eggs. If he lose his foothold, he may fall a great
distance and be dashed to pieces on the rocks below. But he does not
seem to think of danger. His one idea is to get something good on which
his family and himself may feast.
The Skin-boat, or Kayak.
The boats of the Eskimos are called kayaks and are like no others in the
world. The boys take many lessons before they can be trusted to help in
making a kayak. It is long and narrow and has room for only one person.
Its frame is of bone or wood and it is pointed at both ends. When it is
finished, the boat-maker stretches over it a seal skin which his wife
has tanned. It is an excellent covering, for the water cannot pass
through it. In the middle of the top the man leaves an opening as large
as his body is round. He steps inside and sits down, stretching his legs
in front of him. Yes, the opening is of the right size; the water of the
wildest sea cannot enter and sink the boat when once the Eskimo has
fitted the rim around the bottom of his coat over the rim he has made
about the opening in the skin covering. With his stout paddle he will
dare to travel for miles over the rough sea.
The short summer-time is one long day, for the sun does not set. The
children go to bed when they are tired and sleepy and get up when they
please. They feast to their hearts' content during this time, for there
are usually fish and birds and eggs in plenty. Then, too, these children
of the north go berrying and bring home many a dish of delicious black
crow-berries.
The greatest dainty of all is the paunch of a reindeer's stomach. It
consists of the moss and shrubs the animal has eaten, and is a little
acid. It is no wonder then that the Eskimos are fond of it, as they have
neither bread nor vegetables, and no fruit except the berries they are
able to pick during a few weeks out of each year.
The Reindeer.
As soon as the spring opens the older boys look forward to the hunt.
Perhaps a herd of reindeer has been seen not far away, and the hunters
start out over the fields still well-covered with snow to look for
traces of them. They carry bows and arrows, also knives. They must not
forget to take fur soles for their feet, too. As soon as they are within
range of their game they will bind these soles under their kamiks so
that the reindeer cannot hear them as they draw near.
Even now the herd may take fright while the hunters are still too far
off to shoot. Then thud, thud, sound their feet as they scud away over
the fields. But the hunters will not despair even then. They will give
chase for hours together if it be necessary.
Sometimes the keen eyes of the Eskimos will find only prints on the snow
to show that a herd of reindeer has been lately feeding there.
"We will stay here and watch for them to return," they say to each
other. Then they go to work to make a little fort of stones, behind
which they sit down to watch and wait.
They may have to stay there a long time before the sound of reindeer
hoofs is heard, but they are patient. They amuse each other with
story-telling and the hours pass quickly.
At last a herd draws near. The antlers of these Arctic reindeer are
broad and branching. They plant their short legs firmly on the ground
as, with heads bent down, they search for moss beneath the snow. They
seem to know just where to paw away the snow to find the food they love.
The right moment comes and the hunters send their arrows flying into the
midst of the herd. One of the reindeer falls to the ground while the
others dash wildly away.
When a number of animals have been killed in a hunt and there is too
much meat to carry at once, some of it is buried under a pile of stones,
so that the wolves and foxes cannot get it. Then the hunters trudge home
for the dog team to help them.
New Settlers.
You remember that Eric the Red went to live in Greenland before a white
person had stepped on the mainland of North America. You also have
learned that his followers lived in Greenland for a long time and then
disappeared shortly after they met with the Eskimos.
From that time no more white people went to Greenland till the year
1585, when an Englishman named Davis sailed for many miles along its
coast and visited among the Eskimos. Then he went away.
After his visit, there were no settlers from other lands for nearly a
hundred years. Then a good minister in Denmark left home with his wife
and children and went to a place in southwestern Greenland which he
called God Havn or, Good Haven. Hans Egede, for this was the minister's
name, wished to teach the Eskimos the Christian religion.
[Illustration: An Eskimo Village in Summer.]
He had hard work before him. A long time passed before he could
understand the strange words of the Eskimo language and the only way he
could teach the people was by the pictures he brought with him. Yet he
stayed in Greenland for many years and his own children grew up with the
little Eskimos for playmates.
Then Hans Egede's wife died and he went back to Denmark. By this time,
however, he had a grown-up son who loved the work his father had begun.
He said, "I will remain here and keep on with your teaching."
So he stayed. Other people from Denmark joined him, and now there are
several settlements of Danes in Greenland. They have brought lumber with
them with which to build their houses, as well as furniture and dishes
from their old home across the sea. Even the sound of the piano may be
heard now in this frozen land of the north. Tiny gardens have been dug
where a few vegetables are raised each summer. Best of all, churches
have been built where Eskimo children sit side by side with their
fair-haired brothers and sisters of Denmark.
Once in a while a ship draws near bringing papers and letters, canned
food and clothing from across the sea. It is a time of great excitement
for the settlers. They have been getting ready for the coming of the
ship for a long time, filling vessels with oil and fish, and packing the
furs they have got in barter from the Eskimos. All these things are to
be sold in other lands, besides many tons of cryolite which is very
useful in making aluminum. The white settlers get it from a large mine
and receive a good price for it, since Greenland and one other country
are the only places in the world where it can be obtained.
Although the Eskimo children of southern Greenland have white playmates
among them, yet above them in the north there is many a little village
where people from other lands have never been seen or even heard of.