Page:A description of Greenland.djvu/244

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196
The Natural Hiſtory

as their Shoes, being round before and behind.

Why Men die.The Reaſon why Men die, they tell us, is, that a Woman of their Nation once uttered theſe Words; Tokkolarlutik okko pillit, Sillarſoak rettuliſavet, let them die one after another; for elſe the World cannot hold them. Others relate it in this Manner: Two of the firſt Men contended with one another, one ſaid, Kaut Sarlune Unnuinnarluna, Innuit tokkorſarlutik; that is, let there be Day, and let there be Night, and let not Men die. The ſecond ſaid, Unnuinnarlune kauſunane, Innuit tokkoſinnatik; that is, let there be nothing but Night, and no Day, and let Men live; and after a long Contention the firſt ſaying got the Day. The Origin of Fiſhes and Sea Animals.Of the Origin of Fiſhes and other Sea Animals they tell a ridiculous Story, viz. an old Man was once cutting Chips off of a Piece of Wood; with theſe Chips he rubbed himſelf between the Thighs, and threw them into the Sea; whereupon they immediately became Fiſhes. But of a certain Fiſh called Hay, they drive his Production from this Accident, that a Woman

waſh-