Red Rooney: The Last of the Crew

by R. M. Ballantyne

  CHAPTER TWENTY FIVE.

  THE ESKIMO ENCAMPMENT--A MURDER AND ITS CONSEQUENCES.

  With Hans Egede, Red Rooney, and Angut as chief councillors, it may beeasily understood that the punishment awarded to Kajo was not severe.He was merely condemned, in the meantime, to be taken to his own peopleas a prisoner, and then let go free with a rebuke.

  "But how are we to carry him there?" asked Egede. "He cannot walk, andwe must not delay."

  "That's true," said Rooney; "and it will never do to burden the women'sboat with him. It is too full already."

  "Did he not say that he had his kayak with him?" asked Angut.

  "He did," cried Okiok, with the sudden animation of one who hasconceived an idea. "Run, Arbalik, Ippegoo, Ermigit, Norrak, and seekfor the kayak."

  The youths named ran off to obey, with the alacrity of well-trainedchildren, and in half an hour returned in triumph with the kayak ontheir shoulders. Meanwhile Kajo had recovered slightly, and was allowedto sit up, though his hands were still bound.

  "Now we'll try him. Launch the boat, boys," said Okiok, "and be readyto paddle."

  The young men did as they were bid, and Okiok, unloosening Kajo's bonds,asked him if he could manage his kayak.

  "O-of--c-course I can," replied the man, somewhat indignantly.

  "Come, then, embark an' do it," returned Okiok, seizing his arm, andgiving it a squeeze to convince him that he was in the hands of a strongman.

  Kajo staggered towards his little vessel, and, lifting it withdifficulty, went down to the beach. He would certainly have fallen anddamaged it if Okiok had not stood on one side and Angut on the other toprevent a fall. When the kayak was launched, he attempted to step intothe little oval opening in it, but with so little success that Okiok,losing patience, lifted, him in, and crammed him down. Then he sent himafloat with a vigorous push.

  Feeling all right, with the familiar paddle in his hands, Kajo tried torouse himself, bethought him of flight, gave a hiccoughing cheer, andwent skimming away like a sword-fish.

  "After him now, boys, and keep alongside," cried Okiok.

  Responsive to the order, the boat shot after the kayak, but they hadbarely got under weigh when Kajo made a false stroke with the paddle,lost his balance, and disappeared.

  "I expected that," remarked Okiok, with a laugh.

  "But the poor man will drown," said Egede anxiously; "he is too drunk torecover himself."

  This was obvious, for the overturned craft seemed to quiver like a dyingwhale, while its owner made wild but fruitless efforts to recover hisproper position; and it is certain that the poor man would then andthere have paid the penalty of his intemperance with his life, if theboat had not ranged alongside, and rescued him.

  "So then," said Angut to Egede, as they were bringing Kajo ashore, "thisis the effect of the mad waters that I have often heard of, but neverseen till now."

  "Yes, Angut, you see the effect of them--at least on one man; but theireffects vary according to the nature of those who drink. Some men theymake violent, like Kajo; others become silly; while not a few becomeheavy, stupid, and brutal. In my country most if not all of the murdersthat take place are committed under the influence of strong drink. TheRed Indians, who dwell far to the south-west of your lands, call strongdrink `fire-water.' Your own name `mad waters' is better, I think."

  Kajo was led forward at this moment, looking very much dejected, andgreatly sobered. He made no further attempt to resist, but, as aprecaution, his hands were again tied, and then he was left to dry inthe sun, and to his meditations, while the party made the traverse ofthe bay.

  This was accomplished in three trips. As the last party was about tostart, Okiok and Kajo alone remained on the shore.

  "You had better think twice," said Rooney, as he was about to push offthe boat. "He may give you some trouble."

  "Fear not," returned Okiok, with a grin, in which there were mingled funand contempt. "I have thought twice--three--four--ten times," and heextended the fingers of both hands.

  "Very good; we'll keep an eye on you," said Rooney, with a laugh.

  "He runs no risk," remarked Egede, taking up one of the paddles to sharein the work. "His plan is one which Eskimos frequently adopt when oneof their kayaks has been destroyed by rocks or walruses."

  The plan referred to consisted in making the man whose kayak has beenlost lie out on what may be called the deck of a friend's kayak. Thewell-known little craft named the "Rob Roy Canoe" bears much resemblanceto the Eskimo kayak--the chief difference being that the former is madeof thin, light wood, the latter of a light framework covered withsealskin. Both are long and narrow; decked entirely over, with theexception of a hole in the centre; can hold only one person, and arepropelled with one double paddle having a blade at each end. The onlyway, therefore, of helping a friend in distress with such craft is tolay him out flat at full length on the deck, and require him to keepperfectly still while you paddle to a place of safety.

  Okiok intended to take the helpless drunkard across the bay in thisfashion, but for the sake of safety, resolved to do it in an unfriendlymanner.

  When the boat had shot away, he pushed the kayak into the water until itwas afloat in the fore-part, arranged the spears which formed itsarmament, made fast the various lines, and laid the paddle across theopening. Then he went up to Kajo, who had been watching his movementswith much curiosity, not quite unmingled with discomfort.

  "Go," he said, pointing to the kayak, "and lay yourself out in front, onyour face."

  Kajo looked earnestly at the speaker. There was much less of the heroicin his gaze by that time, and therefore more of manly determination; butOkiok said "go" again. And Kajo went.

  When he was laid flat on his face in front of the opening, with his feeton either side, and his head towards the bow, Okiok proceeded to tie himdown there.

  "You need not fear," he said; "I will not move." Okiok did not ceasehis work, but he said--

  "I will make sure that you do not move. Any man with the sense of apuffin might be trusted to lie still for his own sake, but I havelearned this day that a man full of mad water is a fool--not to betrusted at all."

  Having expressed himself thus, and finished the lashing, he got softlyinto his place, pushed off, and paddled gently over the sea.

  He had not advanced far when Kajo, feeling uncomfortable, tried slightlyto alter his position, whereupon Okiok took up a spear that lay handy,and gave him a slight prick by way of reminding him of his duty. Therest of the voyage was accomplished in peace and safety.

  In the evening the party arrived at the temporary abode of the tribe towhich Kajo belonged. By that time the Eskimo was thoroughly sober, butthe same could not be said of all his people--of whom there were upwardsof a hundred men, besides women and children. It was found that achance trader to Godhaab had brought a considerable quantity of rum, andthe families of which we now speak had secured several kegs.

  All of these Eskimos were well acquainted with Egede, and a few of themwere friendly towards him; but many were the reverse. There was greatexcitement among them at the time the party arrived--excitement thatcould scarcely be accounted for either by the rum or by the unexpectedarrival.

  Egede soon found out what it was. A terrible murder had been committedthe night before by one of the Eskimos, who was considered not only thebest hunter of the band to which he belonged, but one of the besthusbands and fathers. His name was Mangek. He was one of those who hadbeen well disposed towards the missionary, and in regard to whom muchhope had been entertained. But he had been treated to rum by thetraders, and having conceived an ardent desire for more, had managed toobtain a keg of the mad water. Although kind and amiable by nature, histemperament was sanguine and his nerves sensitively strung. A verylittle of the rum excited him to extravagant exuberance of spirit, and alarge dose made him temporarily insane.

  It was during one of these fits of insanity that Mangek had on theprevious night struck his wife, when she
was trying to soothe him. Theblow would not in itself have killed her, but as she fell her headstruck on a stone, her skull was fractured, and she died in a fewminutes.

  Indifferent to--indeed, ignorant of--what he had done, the Eskimo satbeside the corpse all that night drinking. No one dared to go near him,until he fell back helplessly drunk. Then they removed the body of hiswife.

  It was bad enough to see this hitherto respected man mad with drink, butit was ten times worse to see him next day mad with horror at what hehad done. For it was not merely that his wife was dead, but that,although he had loved that wife with all his heart and soul, he hadkilled her with his own hand. The wretched man had rushed about theplace shrieking all the morning, sometimes with horror and sometimeswith fury, until he was physically exhausted. Every one had keptcarefully out of his way. When our travellers arrived he was lying inhis hut groaning heavily; but no one knew what state he was in, for theystill feared to disturb him.

  No such fear affected Hans Egede. Knowing that he could point to theonly remedy for sin and broken hearts, he went straight into the poorman's hut. Shortly afterwards the groaning ceased, and the nativeslistened with awe to what they knew was the voice of prayer. As theycould not, however, distinguish the words, they gradually drew off, andcircled round the strangers who had so unexpectedly arrived.

  Great was their surprise when they found that their comrade Kajo hadbeen brought home as a prisoner; and still greater was their surprisewhen they found that a bottle of rum which had been stolen from one oftheir hunters, and carried off the day before, was found on the personof Kajo--for Kajo had been, like Mangek, a respectable man up to thatdate, and no one believed it possible that he would condescend to steal.

  One of those who was himself under the influence of rum at the timelooked sternly at Kajo, and began to abuse him as a hypocrite anddeceiver.

  "Now, look here," cried Red Rooney, stepping forward; "listen to me."

  Having regard to his commanding look and tone, the natives consideredhim the leader of the party, and listened with respect.

  "What right have _you_," he continued, turning sharply on the lastspeaker, "to look with contempt on Kajo? You have been drinking madwater yourself. I smell it in your breath. If you were to take alittle more, you would be quite ready to commit murder."

  "No, I would not," replied the Eskimo stoutly.

  "Yes, you would," said the sailor, still more stoutly. "Even mygood-natured friend Okiok here would be ready to murder his wife Nuna ifhe was full of mad water."

  This unexpected statement took our kindly Eskimo so much by surprisethat for a moment or two he could not speak. Then he thundered forth--

  "Never! What! kill Nuna? If I was stuffed with mad water from the toesto the eyelids, I _could_ not kill Nuna."

  At that moment an aged Eskimo pressed to the front. Tears were on hiswrinkled cheeks, as he said, in a quavering voice--

  "Yes, you _could_, my son. The wife of Mangek was my dear child. Noman ever loved his wife better than Mangek loved my child. He wouldhave killed himself sooner than he would have killed her. But Mangekdid not kill her. It was the mad water that killed her. He did notknow what the mad water would do when he drank it. How could he? It isthe first time he has drunk it; he will _never_ drink it again. Butthat will not bring back my child."

  The old man tried to say more, but his lip trembled and his voicefailed. His head drooped, and, turning abruptly round, he mingled withthe crowd.

  It was evident that the people were deeply moved by this speech.Probably they had never before given the mad water much of theirthoughts, but now, after what had been said, and especially after theawful event of the previous night, opinion on the subject was beginningto form.

  Red Rooney noted the fact, and was quick to take advantage of theopportunity.

  "My friends," he said, and the natives listened all the more eagerlythat he spoke their language so well, "when a cruel enemy comes to yourshore, and begins to kill, how do you act?"

  "We drive him into the sea; kill--destroy him," shouted the menpromptly.

  "Is not mad water a cruel enemy? Has he not already begun his deadlywork? Has he not killed one of your best women, and broken the heart ofone of your best men?"

  "Huk! huk! Yes, that is true."

  "Then who will fight him?" shouted Rooney.

  There was a chorus of "I wills," and many of the men, running up totheir huts, returned, some with bottles, and some with kegs. Foremostamong them was the old father of the murdered woman. He stumbled, fell,and his keg rolled to Rooney's feet.

  Catching it up, the sailor raised it high above his head and dashed itto splinters on the stones. With a shout of enthusiasm the Eskimosfollowed his example with bottle and keg, and in another moment quite acataract of the vile spirit was flowing into the sea.

  "That is well done," said Hans Egede, coming up at the moment. "Youknow how to take the tide at the flood, Rooney."

  "Nay, sir," returned the sailor; "God brought about all thecircumstances that raised the tide, and gave me power to see and actwhen the tide was up. I claim to be naught but an instrument."

  "I will not quarrel with you on that point," rejoined Egede;"nevertheless, as an instrument, you did it well, and for that I thankGod who has granted to you what I have prayed and toiled for, withoutsuccess, for many a day. It is another illustration of prayer beinganswered in a different and better way from what I had asked orexpected."

  In this strange manner was originated, on the spur of the moment, aneffectual and comprehensive total abstinence movement. We are bound ofcourse to recognise the fact that it began in impulse, and was continuedfrom necessity--no more drink being obtainable there at that time.Still, Egede and Rooney, as well as the better-disposed among theEskimos, rejoiced in the event, for it was an unquestionable blessing sofar as it went.

  As the Eskimos had settled down on that spot for some weeks for thepurpose of hunting--which was their only method of procuring thenecessaries of life,--and as there was no pressing necessity for themissionary or his friends proceeding just then to Godhaab, it wasresolved that they should all make a short stay at the place, to assistthe Eskimos in their work, as well as to recruit the health and strengthof those who had been enfeebled by recent hardship and starvation.