Page:Life with the Esquimaux - 1864 - Volume 2.djvu/79

60 of our working during Ebierbing's sickness, as all of the natives, including intelligent Tookoolito, sincerely believe. They consider that it is wrong to work when one of their number is sick, and especially to work on skins that are intended to keep out water; for instance, it is wrong to work making kum-ings (outside or water-proof boots) and covering for boats. The way I happened to find this out was as follows: I had arranged for Koodloo to make a sealskin covering for Ebierbing's kia, and to put it on. This morning, as nothing else could be done on account of the bad weather, I asked Tookoolito if Koodloo could not proceed with it. To my astonishment, she replied that "Innuits could not do such work at the present time." Her answer seemed to me so strange that I made farther inquiries of her, when she told me that "if they worked on the skins for the kia, Ebierbing would never get well; he would die. The ' first Innuits ' adhered to this custom, and they must too. All their people believe this, and could not help it. Many Innuits had died because of the working on skins for kias and kum-ings while one of their number about them was sick at the time." She added, "The reason why Koodloo could not shoot anything yesterday, though close by some ducks, was because wrong was done in working while Ebierbing lay sick." "But," said I to Tookoolito, as I was engaged chafing Ebierbing's side and back, and applying liniment, "what are you doing now but working?" She replied, holding up her hands full of needles that were flying swifty in knitting, "This is not work." Her answer nearly made me laugh aloud; but I repressed the feeling, and quietly accepted her definition of what was or was not work. I was also told that during Ebierbing's sickness the angeko must do no work on any account.

We were now living on pemmican and coffee. I dealt out enough bread for Ebierbing, as he was sick, but there was no supply for any of us yet. Sunday night was a stormy one, with the wind from the northeast blowing almost a