Read Online Between Two Worlds by Katherine Kirkpatrick - Free Book Online Page B
Authors: Katherine Kirkpatrick
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too?”
A sad expression passed over Ally’s radiant face.
I answered for her. “That’s not true, Aana,” I said sharply. “Ally and I have many women friends on the other shore.”
“If you say so.”
We all knew I’d lied. Navarana was like Mitti Peary’s looking glass. She made me see myself: a young woman ignored and often disliked by other women.
Ally picked up Sammy, rubbed noses with him, and put him to her breast. Gazing into his blue eyes, she was all smiles again. She picked lice off his head as he drank her milk. Nothing could take away her joy in having a baby: not Peary’s absence, nor the early winter, nor the ship locked in ice. How lucky she was that Piugaattoq treated Sammy as his own.
“Now I have something to tell you,” Navarana announced. “My father was a
qallunaaq
!” She laughed gruffly.
Ally and I looked at her, astounded. Though an occasional whaling ship passed by Itta, the only ship that had ever stopped was Peary’s.
“Are you related to those people who built the fort?” Ally asked.
“No, Daughter, another ship came before that. Men who hunted whales. They didn’t stay long, but long enough to give my mother a baby!” To my astonishment,she retrieved a steel axe with a wooden handle from a bag that she kept in her entrance tunnel. “My father left it behind so I’d have it when I was old enough to use it.”
“A rare and excellent gift,” I said.
Ally and her husband, too, had an axe. We used them for chopping frozen meat. All three of us had great wealth from white men.
“Perhaps my mother spared my life because of this one very useful tool,” Navarana said. “In my day, many girl babies had to be killed.”
Ally and I looked at each other, frowning. During very lean winters in Itta, mothers smothered their infant daughters. They allowed their sons to live because they’d grow up to provide for the community.
“Do others in the village have axes? Rifles?” I asked.
Navarana shook her head. “But I’m sure you’ve noticed that we have harpoons and sled runners made of wood. There have been several shipwrecks on this shore. Whalers.”
As Sammy slept, the women and I stitched skins together. Before long, I heard people talking outside. I went into the entranceway and started to put on my furs.
The flap of the igloo opened and cold air rushed in. “Billy Bah,” a small voice piped. “Are you here?”
CHAPTER TEN
Marie’s bright face peered at me through the entranceway flap. She wore a baggy sailor’s cap pulled over her ears. “Billy Bah!”
Mitti Peary, crouching behind Marie, gave me a tired smile. “Hello there. Thank the Lord we’ve found you.”
I was just as happy to see them. “Are you all right? Was the ship saved?”
“The ship is fine,” Marie said. “Mother and I walked over the ice. The Eskimos on the beach told me where you were.”
“You spoke to them in my language?”
“Ii.”
Marie was smart.
“Come in!” I said eagerly. Marie slipped inside, and Mitti Peary crawled after her.
“Why, Billy Bah!” Marie said. “No clothes. Only fur panties!” Marie never seemed to understand our ways.
“The igloo is very warm. Inside our homes we never wear clothes.”
I rolled up Marie’s and her mother’s cloaks. They followed me through the tunnel into the round room. Marie joined us on the platform of furs while her mother, evenafter removing her hat, needed to sit on the floor so she wouldn’t bump her head.
Tooth Girl and her mother and grandmother began talking at once, Tooth Girl rubbing noses with Marie. Sammy and Runny Nose both woke. Marie picked up Sammy and kissed him.
Mitti Peary said, “I’m glad to see you all.”
“I’m very glad to see
you
,” I said in English, careful to say the words clearly.
Marie spoke in a rush. “So much has happened, Billy Bah. When the ship lay on its side, water came in and flooded our bunks. Mother and I have been sleeping in the forward saloon until
A sad expression passed over Ally’s radiant face.
I answered for her. “That’s not true, Aana,” I said sharply. “Ally and I have many women friends on the other shore.”
“If you say so.”
We all knew I’d lied. Navarana was like Mitti Peary’s looking glass. She made me see myself: a young woman ignored and often disliked by other women.
Ally picked up Sammy, rubbed noses with him, and put him to her breast. Gazing into his blue eyes, she was all smiles again. She picked lice off his head as he drank her milk. Nothing could take away her joy in having a baby: not Peary’s absence, nor the early winter, nor the ship locked in ice. How lucky she was that Piugaattoq treated Sammy as his own.
“Now I have something to tell you,” Navarana announced. “My father was a
qallunaaq
!” She laughed gruffly.
Ally and I looked at her, astounded. Though an occasional whaling ship passed by Itta, the only ship that had ever stopped was Peary’s.
“Are you related to those people who built the fort?” Ally asked.
“No, Daughter, another ship came before that. Men who hunted whales. They didn’t stay long, but long enough to give my mother a baby!” To my astonishment,she retrieved a steel axe with a wooden handle from a bag that she kept in her entrance tunnel. “My father left it behind so I’d have it when I was old enough to use it.”
“A rare and excellent gift,” I said.
Ally and her husband, too, had an axe. We used them for chopping frozen meat. All three of us had great wealth from white men.
“Perhaps my mother spared my life because of this one very useful tool,” Navarana said. “In my day, many girl babies had to be killed.”
Ally and I looked at each other, frowning. During very lean winters in Itta, mothers smothered their infant daughters. They allowed their sons to live because they’d grow up to provide for the community.
“Do others in the village have axes? Rifles?” I asked.
Navarana shook her head. “But I’m sure you’ve noticed that we have harpoons and sled runners made of wood. There have been several shipwrecks on this shore. Whalers.”
As Sammy slept, the women and I stitched skins together. Before long, I heard people talking outside. I went into the entranceway and started to put on my furs.
The flap of the igloo opened and cold air rushed in. “Billy Bah,” a small voice piped. “Are you here?”
CHAPTER TEN
Marie’s bright face peered at me through the entranceway flap. She wore a baggy sailor’s cap pulled over her ears. “Billy Bah!”
Mitti Peary, crouching behind Marie, gave me a tired smile. “Hello there. Thank the Lord we’ve found you.”
I was just as happy to see them. “Are you all right? Was the ship saved?”
“The ship is fine,” Marie said. “Mother and I walked over the ice. The Eskimos on the beach told me where you were.”
“You spoke to them in my language?”
“Ii.”
Marie was smart.
“Come in!” I said eagerly. Marie slipped inside, and Mitti Peary crawled after her.
“Why, Billy Bah!” Marie said. “No clothes. Only fur panties!” Marie never seemed to understand our ways.
“The igloo is very warm. Inside our homes we never wear clothes.”
I rolled up Marie’s and her mother’s cloaks. They followed me through the tunnel into the round room. Marie joined us on the platform of furs while her mother, evenafter removing her hat, needed to sit on the floor so she wouldn’t bump her head.
Tooth Girl and her mother and grandmother began talking at once, Tooth Girl rubbing noses with Marie. Sammy and Runny Nose both woke. Marie picked up Sammy and kissed him.
Mitti Peary said, “I’m glad to see you all.”
“I’m very glad to see
you
,” I said in English, careful to say the words clearly.
Marie spoke in a rush. “So much has happened, Billy Bah. When the ship lay on its side, water came in and flooded our bunks. Mother and I have been sleeping in the forward saloon until
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