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Page 14
"Annadoah! Annadoah!" he called. "Ootah waits thee. Ootah hath
brought thee treasure from the depths of the sea. Strong is the arm
and brave is the heart of Ootah when the arm strikes and the heart
beats with the thought of thee."
Seeing him there, the natives ceased dancing. The white men, curious,
drew near the tent.
As he stood there, his head erect, proud, expectant, he became
conscious of a sudden ominous silence on the part of his companions.
Some distance away the women were whispering to one another, and above,
in the sky, circled a black guillemot.
"Annadoah," he softly called.
Only the hawk replied.
"Annadoah, I bring thee my love, as constant as my shadow! I bring
thee riches! Ootah would give thy couch new furs and caress thee."
From the brown, weather worn sealskin tent came the murmurous sound of
voices. Ootah heard the voice of Annadoah--and that of another.
The black bird in the sky screamed.
Not far distant in the tent of the _angakoq_ Ootah heard the low
disquieting sound of a drum beaten in some malevolent incantation.
His heart sank as heavily as a dead walrus sinks in the sea.
Something stifled him. Then the flap of the tent parted and Annadoah
stepped forth, her head tossed haughtily, her beautiful eyes flashing.
"Get hence," she said. "Thou art a boy, thy tongue is that of a boy.
Thou art soft--thou hast the heart of a woman."
"Annadoah . . ." Ootah's voice wailed. The stretch of shore seemed to
heave and writhe. He put out his hands as if to ward off a blow.
Behind Annadoah, at the door of the tent, the form of a man stooped.
As he emerged, Ootah saw he was taller than Annadoah's tent. His
shoulders were broad and massive. His face, bronzed by the burning
sun, was like tanned leather, hard, wrinkled; his expression was as
grim as graven stone. His large blue eyes glittered with the coldness
of flint. His hair and long curling moustache were blond. Ootah
recognized "Olafaksoah"--Olaf, the great white trader--whom he had seen
two seasons before at a southern village. He was noted for his
brutality and hard bargaining.
"What's all the noise about?" he growled. His voice was deep and gruff.
Ootah staggered back.
"Annadoah, Annadoah," he moaned softly, supporting himself on the
upstander of his loaded sled.
Olafaksoah strode forward with great steps, scowling. He critically
surveyed the loads of blubber and gleaming walrus tusks.
"Good haul, boy--good haul! Game's been pretty scarce all along the
coast. It's lucky we got here in time, eh, comrades? What'll you
take"--he turned to Ootah--"I don't know your name." He spoke in
broken Eskimo.
"Ootah," Annadoah whispered, "that is his name. Ha-ha, thou callest
him a boy."
Ootah winced.
Olafaksoah, with heavy strides, passed down the line of sledges.
Turning to his men, he called:
"Bring the junk."
A sled of matches, needles, tea, biscuits, knives, tin cups, a few
hatchets, and several guns and cases of ammunition were brought. While
these were unloaded a half-dozen eager natives hastened into their
tents and hurriedly brought out their portions of the preciously
preserved skins and ivories of the meagre summer hunt. Clamorous,
insistent, they presented these to Olafaksoah. They clustered around
him so that he could not walk. Ootah watched as the bargaining began.
He saw Annadoah clinging near the white trader. A number of the white
men began dickering down the line with Arnaluk.
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