Greedy fellows! said Rooney. Well, this knife is called a clasp-knife, because it shuts and opens, as you see, and it has three bladesa big one for cuttin up your victuals with, as you see me doin; and two little ones for parin your nails and pickin your teeth, an mendin pens an pencilsthough of course you dont know what that means. Then here, you see, there are two little things stuck into the handle. One is called tweezers, an is of no earthly use that I know of except to pull the hairs out o your nose, which no man in his senses ever wants to do; and the other thing is, I suppose, for borin small holes in thingsits almost as useless. This thing on the back is for pickin stones out of horses hoofsbut I forgot you never saw horses or hoofs! Well, no matter; its for pickin things out of things, whenwhen you want to pick em out! But below this is an uncommon useful thinga screwa thing for drawin corks out of bottlesthere, again, Im forgettin. You never saw corks or bottles. Happy peopleas the people who dont drink spirits would call youand, to say truth, I think they are right. Indeed, Ive been one of them myself ever since I came to this region. Give us another steak, Nunaga, my dearno, not a bear one; I like the walrus better. Its like yourselftender.
The fair Nunaga fell into a tremendous giggle at this joke, for although our heros Eskimo was not very perfect, he possessed all an Irishmans capacity for making his meaning understood, more or less; and truly it was a sight to behold the varied expressions of facethe childlike surprise, admiration, curiosity, and something approaching to awewith which those unsophisticated natives received the explanation of the different parts of that clasp-knife!
But what did we begin our talk about? he continued, as he tackled the walrus. O yes; it was about our garments. Well, besides using different kinds of cloths, our coats are of many different shapes: we have short coats called jackets, and long coats, and coats with tails behind
Do your men wear tails behind? asked Angut, in surprise.
Yes; two tails, replied Rooney, and two buttons above them.
Strange, remarked Angut; it is only our women who have tails; and they have only one tail each, with one button in frontnot behindto fasten the end of the tail to when on a journey.
Women with tails look very well, remarked Okiok, especially when they swing them about in a neat way that I know well but cannot describe. But men with tails must look very funny.
Here Mrs Okiok ventured to ask how the Kablunet women dressed.
Well, its not easy to describe that to folk who have never seen them, said the sailor, with a slight grin. In the first place, they dont wear boots the whole length of their legs like you, Nuna.
Surely, then, remarked the hostess, their legs must be cold?
By no means, for they cover em well up with loose flapping garments, extending from the waist all the way down to the feet. Then they dont wear hoods like you, but stick queer things on their heads, of all shapes and sizessometimes of no shape at all and very small sizewhich they cover over with feathers, an flowers, an fluttering things of all colours, besides lots of other gimcracks.
How Rooney rendered gimcracks into Eskimo we are not prepared to say, but the whole description sent Nunaga and her mother into fits of giggling, for those simple-minded creatures of the icy northunlike sedate Europeansare easily made to laugh.
At this point Angut struck in again, for he felt that the conversation was becoming frivolous.
Tell me, Kablunet, he began; but Rooney interrupted him.
Dont call me Kablunet. Call me Red Rooney. It will be more friendly-like, and will remind me of my poor shipmates.
Then tell me, Ridroonee, said Angut, is it true what I have heard, that your countrymen can make marks on flat white stuff, like the thin skin of the duck, which will tell men far away what they are thinking about?
Ay, thats true enough, replied the sailor, with an easy smile of patronage; we call it writing.
A look of grave perplexity rested on the visage of the Eskimo.
Its quite easy when you understand it, and know how to do it, continued Rooney; nothing easier.
A humorous look chased away the Eskimos perplexity as he replied
Everything is easy when you understand it.
Ha! you have me there, Angut, laughed the sailor; youre a cute fellow, as the Yankees say. But come, Ill try to show you how easy it is. See here. He pulled a small note-book from his pocket, and drew thereon the picture of a walrus. Now, you understand that, dont you?
Yes; we draw like that, and understand each other.
Well, then, we put down for that w-a-l-r-u-s; and there you have itwalrus; nothing simpler!
The perplexed look returned, and Angut said
That is not very easy to understand. Yet I see somethingalways the same marks for the same beast; other marks for other beasts?
Just so. Youve hit it! exclaimed Rooney, quite pleased with the intelligence of his pupil.
But how if it is not a beast? asked the Eskimo. How if you cannot see him at all, yet want to tell of him ininwhat did you saywriting? I want to send marks to my mother to say that I have talked with my torngak. How do you mark torngak? I never saw him. No man ever saw a torngak. And how do you make marks for cold, for wind, for all our thoughts, and for the light?
It was now Red Rooneys turn to look perplexed. He knew that writing was easy enough to him who understands it, and he felt that there must be some method of explaining the matter, but how to go about the explanation to one so utterly ignorant did not at once occur to him. We have seen, however, that Rooney was a resolute man, not to be easily baffled. After a few moments thought he said
Look here now, Angut. Your people can count?
Yes; they can go up to twenty. I can go a little further, but most of the Innuits get confused in mind beyond twenty, because they have only ten fingers and ten toes to look at.
Well now, continued Rooney, holding up his left hand, with the fingers extended, thats five.
Yes, Angut understood that well.
Well, then, resumed Rooney, jotting down the figure 5, there you have itfive. Any boy at school could tell you what that is.
The Eskimo pondered deeply and stared. The other Eskimos did the same.
But what, asked Okiok, if a boy should say that it was six, and not five?
Why, then wed whack him, and hed never say that again.
There was an explosion of laughter at this, for Eskimos are tender and indulgent to their children, and seldom or never whack them.
It would be tedious to go further into this subject, or to describe the ingenious methods by which the seaman sought to break up the fallow ground of Anguts eminently receptive mind. Suffice it to say that Rooney made the discovery that the possession of knowledge is one thing, and the power to communicate it another and a very different thing. Angut also came to the conclusion that, ignorant as he had thought himself to be, his first talk with the Kablunet had proved him to be immeasurably more ignorant than he had supposed.
The sailor marked the depression which was caused by this piece of knowledge, and set himself good-naturedly to counteract the evil by displaying his watch, at sight of which there was a wild exclamation of surprise and delight from all except Angut, who, however deep his feelings might be, always kept them bridled. The expansion of his nostrils and glitter of his eyes, however, told their tale, though no exclamation passed his lips.