and Keesh went on eating.

"And . . . and . . . and wilt thou tell us, O Keesh?" Klosh-Kwan
finally asked in a tremulous voice.

"Yea, I will tell thee." Keesh finished sucking a marrow-bone and
rose to his feet. "It is quite simple. Behold!"

He picked up a thin strip of whalebone and showed it to them. The
ends were sharp as needle-points. The strip he coiled carefully,
till it disappeared in his hand. Then, suddenly releasing it, it
sprang straight again. He picked up a piece of blubber.

"So," he said, "one takes a small chunk of blubber, thus, and thus
makes it hollow. Then into the hollow goes the whalebone, so,
tightly coiled, and another piece of blubber is fitted over the
whale-bone. After that it is put outside where it freezes into a
little round ball. The bear swallows the little round ball, the
blubber melts, the whalebone with its sharp ends stands out
straight, the bear gets sick, and when the bear is very sick, why,
you kill him with a spear. It is quite simple."

And Ugh-Gluk said "Oh!" and Klosh-Kwan said "Ah!" And each said
something after his own manner, and all understood.

And this is the story of Keesh, who lived long ago on the rim of
the polar sea. Because he exercised headcraft and not witchcraft,
he rose from the meanest IGLOO to be head man of his village, and
through all the years that he lived, it is related, his tribe was
prosperous, and neither widow nor weak one cried aloud in the night