Outdoors

TheReview Monday,

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Brave Eskimo hunier brings Grandpa a bear for Christmas

The boy Mitseq Kanguk lived
with his grandmother and grand-
father in the small village of
Holman Island on the west coast
of Victoria Island, high in the
Canadian Arctic.

His father and mother, together
with four other Eskimoes, had
recently been drowned in the
Beaufort Sea when their small
boat capsized in heavy seas.

Though only 14, Mitseq had
learned much from his father who
was the best hunter in the village.
This was good because his grand-
father was very old and could no
longer hunt for the fresh meat that
he and his very wrinkled woman,
Solo, enjoyed so much.

When Mitseq looked at his
Grandpa shivering in his old polar
bear pants, all out at the knees, and
his Grandma’s thin face with hun-

a7 Slamped in every line, he felt

very sad.

It was Christmas time but it
didn’t look as though Solo and her
man would have much to cele-
brate. Though it was the time of
the long night, the brilliant danc-
ing northern lights above were
reflected from the vast surrounding
snowfields and Mitseq could see

- well enough to hitch the sled dogs
to the big komatik.

He would take his .22 rifle and

ROCK PIARMIGAN
CY HAMPSON photo

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see if he could get some nice juicy
ptarmigan and bring back the light
in Solo’s old eyes. Grandpa liked
ptarmigan too. Better than the
beluga whale meat and muktuk
that they had had for many days.

The sled runners crackled in the
cold snow and little white clouds

of vapor rose from the muzzles of
the running huskies.

Mitseq stopped the dogs near
some rugged, dark, wind swept
rocks where he had seen ptanmi-
gan weeks before and walked for-
ward slowly, his mukluks hardly
making a sound as he moved.

Sure enough, a winter flock of
ptarmigan were huddled among

the rocks, white against dark.

Working carefully from the
outer edges of the flock, Mitseq
got nine before the rest flushed.

“Good,” he said under his
breath.

Mitseq had barely returned to
his dogs when they began yelping
and barking and jumping around
in great excitement. Then he made
out a huge light form ahead, barely
visible in the flickering light from
above.

“Great white bear!” he whis-
pered, drawing in his breath
sharply. He quickly loosed his
dogs, grabbed his .22 and followed
the maddened team.

The frenzied dogs had brought
the bear to bay, circling it closely
but darting out of range when the
bear turned and struck out at his
tormentors with his huge paws.

Mitseq’s heart was hammering
fiercely as he closed in behind the
dogs. He knew that his rifle was
very light for such game but his
father had taught him what to do.

The bear turned sideways for a
moment, his small eyes gleaming
in the low light. Mitseq aimed
quickly and fired. The bear
dropped among the dogs and was
immediately under a snarling mass
of furious huskies.

At length, the bear’s great body

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ceased quivering and Mitseq with
much difficulty called off his
team, one by one, and ranged them
by the komatik where they lay, still
whining and tumbling deep in
their chests.

The bear was dead. Mitseq
tugged at one of the forepaws but
got no response. He knew that he
must load the huge beast on the
komatik but how could he do this
alone?

Mitseq glanced at his dogteam
resting in the snow and then drew
out his hunting knife. He scratched
a long furrow in the packed snow
alongside the dead bear then put
his dogs in harness again.

He drew the komatik forward
and arranged it on edge in the
furrow. Then he unhitched the
dogs from the sled and hitched
them to a front and hind foot of the

bear with strong rope. The huskies
Set to and straining, slid the far
onto the sled where Mitseq
snubbed it down.

Mitseq ran behind’ the loaded
komatik and shortly reached the
village. Eskimoes rushed from
their rude houses to cheer and
welcome him. “Mitseq is a good
hunter! Like his father!”

Mitseq’s grandfather and grand-
mother threw their arms around
the boy.

“But how did you kill a great
white bear with only a .22 rifle?”
Grandpa asked.

“My father taught me to shoot
them in the ear where there are no
bones.” 30

“We shall all have ptarmigan for
dinner and grandpa will have ag
nice new pair of pants!” ~

Grandma said, her eyes shining.

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December 24,1990 — A12 \

4

Len NEL