The Man in the Moon
Central Eskimo
ONCE an Eskimo visited the Moon. He put out all the lamps in his house and sat down with his back to them, and at once his guardian spirit carried him through the air.
Moon's house was not very large. It is white because it is covered with white deerskins, which Moon always has drying there. On each side of the entrance is the upper half of a walrus's body, with very long teeth. It is very dangerous to pass here, because the teeth try to bite you.
Moon's dog is dappled red and white. He lives in the passage, and is the only dog in the moon.
Moon always sits in the outer room, but in an inside room, the Eskimo saw Sun. She is Moon's wife. The moment she saw the Eskimo, she brightened her fire and got behind the glow of it; therefore the Eskimo could not look at her for the brightness.
Moon had great piles of deer meat lying about and piled up, yet he did not offer any to the Eskimo until he and Sun had danced a very strange dance.
There are great plains in Moon Land, and large herds of deer roaming over them.
Moon allowed the Eskimo to choose one animal, which at once fell through a hole in Moon Land to the earth below. In a large house were many seals swimming. The Eskimo chose one seal and it at once fell to the earth and into the ocean. That is why the Eskimo have deer and seals. If this Eskimo had not visited Moon, they would not have them.
(300 words)
