“Ay,” Bim continued the story.  “Right up to the bear Keesh walked.  And the bear took after him, and Keesh ran away.  But as he ran he dropped a little round ball on the ice.  And the bear stopped and smelled of it, and then swallowed it up.  And Keesh continued to run away and drop little round balls, and the bear continued to swallow them up.”

Exclamations and cries of doubt were being made, and Ugh-Gluk expressed open unbelief.

“With our own eyes we saw it,” Bim affirmed.

And Bawn—­“Ay, with our own eyes.  And this continued until the bear stood suddenly upright and cried aloud in pain, and thrashed his forepaws madly about.  And Keesh continued to make off over the ice to a safe distance.  But the bear gave him no notice, being occupied with the misfortune the little round balls had wrought within him.”

“Ay, within him,” Bim interrupted.  “For he did claw at himself, and leap about over the ice like a playful puppy, save from the way he growled and squealed it was plain it was not play but pain.  Never did I see such a sight!”

“Nay, never was such a sight seen,” Bawn took up the strain.  “And furthermore, it was such a large bear.”

“Witchcraft,” Ugh-Gluk suggested.

“I know not,” Bawn replied.  “I tell only of what my eyes beheld.  And after a while the bear grew weak and tired, for he was very heavy and he had jumped about with exceeding violence, and he went off along the shore-ice, shaking his head slowly from side to side and sitting down ever and again to squeal and cry.  And Keesh followed after the bear, and we followed after Keesh, and for that day and three days more we followed.  The bear grew weak, and never ceased crying from his pain.”

“It was a charm!” Ugh-Gluk exclaimed.  “Surely it was a charm!”

“It may well be.”

And Bim relieved Bawn.  “The bear wandered, now this way and now that, doubling back and forth and crossing his trail in circles, so that at the end he was near where Keesh had first come upon him.  By this time he was quite sick, the bear, and could crawl no farther, so Keesh came up close and speared him to death.”

“And then?” Klosh-Kwan demanded.

“Then we left Keesh skinning the bear, and came running that the news of the killing might be told.”

And in the afternoon of that day the women hauled in the meat of the bear while the men sat in council assembled.  When Keesh arrived a messenger was sent to him, bidding him come to the council.  But he sent reply, saying that he was hungry and tired; also that his igloo was large and comfortable and could hold many men.

And curiosity was so strong on the men that the whole council, Klosh-Kwan to the fore, rose up and went to the igloo of Keesh.  He was eating, but he received them with respect and seated them according to their rank.  Ikeega was proud and embarrassed by turns, but Keesh was quite composed.