Igimarasugdjuqdjuaq was a very huge and bad man, who had committed many
murders and eaten the victims after he had cut them up with his knife.
Once upon a time his sister-in-law came to visit his wife, but scarcely
had she entered the hut before Igimarasugdjuqdjuaq killed her and
commanded his wife to cook her.
His wife was very much frightened, fearing that she herself would be the
next victim, and resolved to make her escape. When Igimarasugdjuqdjuaq
had left to go hunting she gathered heather, stuffed her jacket with it,
and placed the figure in a sitting position upon the bed. Then she ran
away as fast as she could and suc-ceeded in reaching a village. When her
husband came home and saw the jacket he believed that it was a stranger
who had come to visit him and stabbed him through the body. When he
discovered, however, that his wife had deceived and left him, he fell
into a passion and pursued her.
He came to the village and said: “Have you seen my wife? She has run
away.” The Inuit did not tell him that she was staying with them, but
concealed her from his wrath. At last Igimarasugdjuqdjuaq gave her up
for lost and returned home.
The Inuit, however, resolved to revenge the many outrages which he had
wrought upon them. They went to visit him and met him on the ice just
below the hut. When he told them he was going bear hunting they said:
“Let us see your spear.” This spear had a stout and sharp walrus tusk
for a point. “Ah,” said they; “that is good for bear hunting; how sharp
it is. You must hit him just this way.” And so saying they struck his
brow, the point of the spear entering his brain, and then cut the body
up with their knives.