Read Ebook: The Snow Baby: A true story with true pictures by Peary Josephine Diebitsch

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Ebook has 138 lines and 13127 words, and 3 pages

Soon AH-NI-GHI?-TO began to talk Eskimo, and would say "Ta?koo" , "Atu?do" , and she never said yes and no, but "Ah?-py" and "Nag?-ga."

Then she had a playmate, a little Eskimo boy about five or six years old, whose father had been killed by a savage walrus which he had harpooned and which had dragged him into the water and drowned him. His mother, too, was dead.

His name was Nip-San-Gwah, though every one called him Kood-Look?-Too, which means "the little orphan boy."

He was very fond of AH-NI-GHI?-TO and would try to follow her when she went in her sledge. How queer he looked with his little round fat face, bright black eyes, and little short bearskin trousers. Then he would make little snow igloos, or houses, for her, just like the one his father and mother had lived in, and would get a whip and try to show her how he would drive her dogs for her after he got a little larger.

Sometimes Kood-Look?-Too would make believe he was a white boy, and would dress himself up in cast-off clothes, to look, as he thought, like such a boy.

Whether he succeeded or not you can see for yourself in the picture.

And E-Klay-I-Shoo--or "Miss Bill," as she was called--must not be forgotten.

She was an Eskimo girl, about twelve years old, who used to take care of AH-NI-GHI?-TO.

"Miss Bill" never had a dress or a hat in her life, but dressed in a sealskin coat, short foxskin trousers, or nannookies, and long-legged kamiks, or sealskin boots. She and Kood-Look?-Too and her father Nook-Tal, with the rest of the family, lived in a small round tent, or tupic, of sealskins, with big stones all around the edge of it, to keep the wind from blowing it away.

The sun kept getting higher in the sky and warmer every day, till finally it did not set at all day or night, the snow was melting, and the rocks and ground getting dry. Such a good time as AH-NI-GHI?-TO had now. Her furs were put away, and in thick, warm woollen gowns, with a sunbonnet to protect her tender face--for even up here the sun and wind in summer may burn the skin--she was out doors nearly all the time. She could creep and roll about a little now, and she had so much to do.

There was the gravel slope back of the house, in which to search for pretty round red and white pebbles. As she rolled about over this in her gray gown, she looked like a little monk.

There were lots of little puppies to feed and play with, such plump, round, soft, playful little puppies, you could not believe that when they grew up, they would be great, strong dogs, who could draw their masters on a sledge forty and fifty miles in a day, and even fight the great white polar bear.

There was Hector, the big St. Bernard, who would come to have his head patted by the baby. She was a little afraid of Hector, however, he was so big and strong, and rough in his playfulness.

Finally, there were the flowers, yellow and purple and white, which must be picked and played with.

Days when there was not a bit of wind, and the sun was shining brightly, AH-NI-GHI?-TO took her sun bath out of doors. A deerskin was spread on the gravel, to keep the sharp stones from hurting the tender little limbs, and on this, with all her clothes taken off, she rolled about, tossing the bright pebbles and talking to the sun, the puppies, and the flowers, till her skin was rosy as the morning. So all through the summer months--June, July, and well into August--AH-NI-GHI?-TO passed the sunny days.

Sometimes she was taken to Baby Lake, a beautiful little pond that lay in the valley, a few hundred yards back of the house, and from which a murmuring brook ran through moss and over rocks, down to the head of the bay.

And during her sun baths she must have absorbed the bright summer sunlight, for never was there a happier, sunnier-tempered, more smiling baby than she.

At last, one day late in August, the same big black ship which had brought AH-NI-GHI?-TO'S father and mother to the Snowland, came up the bay, forcing her way through the ice and throwing it in every direction, just the way a snow-plough drives through a big drift, and stopped just in front of the house.

Then AH-NI-GHI?-TO and her mother took "Bill" and some of the puppies on board the ship, and it steamed away south again, to bring AH-NI-GHI?-TO to her grandmothers and aunt, who had never seen her.

When "Miss Bill" left her Snowland to come to the United States with AH-NI-GHI?-TO and her mother, she left her father and mother and two sisters, who were very proud to have her go to the land of the white man, and see the animals and trees and houses and people whose pictures they had seen in magazines.

In a year, when the ship returned for AH-NI-GHI?-TO'S father, "Miss Bill" would come back and tell her people all about the strange things she had seen.

She had never had a bath until AH-NI-GHI?-TO'S mother gave her one on board ship, and she could not understand why she must wash herself and brush her hair every morning.

On reaching Philadelphia, AH-NI-GHI?-TO, with her mother and "Billy-Bah," drove to the railroad station, and "Billy-Bah's" eyes nearly danced out of her head, at the sight of what she called the big dogs which pulled the carriage, and the high igloos that lined the streets. The station, she said, was the largest and finest igloo she had ever seen, and she was loath to leave it. When she saw an engine pull out a train of cars, she clung to AH-NI-GHI?-TO'S mother and asked what sort of an animal it was, and would it eat people. Long after the train which was taking the little party to AH-NI-GHI?-TO'S grandmother and aunt had started, "Billy-Bah" sat with both hands clutching the seat in front of her, and gazed in amazement at the trees and fences which seemed to fly past.

This little dusky maiden, who was the youngest of her people to reach the land of sunshine and plenty, had everything to learn, just the same as AH-NI-GHI?-TO.

First, she must learn to talk, for of course she could not speak English; then she must learn to eat, for in the Snowland her people eat nothing but meat.

She must learn that meals were served at regular times, that we bathed daily, and retired and arose at given times.

All this was new to her, for in her country the people eat whenever they are hungry. They have no tables or chairs, and never prepare meals. Sometimes, when it is very cold, they will cut slices off the chunks of frozen meat which are lying about on the floors of their igloos, and steep them in water heated over their lamps.

When they are sleepy, they curl up anywhere and go to sleep. Bathing was unknown to them until they saw AH-NI-GHI?-TO'S father and mother; indeed, they never even washed their faces, but perhaps this was because water is very scarce during the greater part of the year. Everything is frozen, and their only fire and light is what they get from their ikkimer .

This ikkimer, or lamp, is a shallow stone dish, on the centre of which are heaped pieces of blubber , and across the front edge is placed dried moss. This moss acts as a wick, and as the fat melts it is absorbed by the moss, and this is lit with flint and steel. This is the only heat and light that is to be found in an Eskimo hut at any time.

Billy-Bah has had to learn by sad experience that she could not put her toys down anywhere in the streets of Washington and find them again hours afterward, as she could do in her own country.

When Santa Claus visited AH-NI-GHI?-TO, he also visited Billy-Bah for the first time in her life. He brought her many toys and also useful things.

She was pleased with the Christmas tree and with AH-NI-GHI?-TO'S toys, but did not seem to care for hers at all, hardly looking at them. But when she was told it was time for her to go to bed, she asked if she might take all of her presents to her room; permission was given, and she trotted off, making three trips before she had all her things safely upstairs. An hour later AH-NI-GHI?-TO'S mother noticed a bright light in Billy-Bah's room, and on opening the door she beheld the little Eskimo seated on the floor with all her treasures about her, celebrating her first Christmas.

Her trunk was a regular Noah's Ark. A bit of everything that was given her during her stay was always carefully put into it, to be carried back home and explained to her friends.

In July it was decided the great ship should sail to the land of the midnight sun to bring AH-NI-GHI?-TO'S father home, and Billy-Bah would return to her family.

She was very happy at the thought of home, but wished AH-NI-GHI?-TO might go too.

When she reached the Snowland, there was great rejoicing among her people, and feasts were given of fine raw walrus, seal, and bear meat, in honor of the young member of the tribe who had seen the sun rise and set every day for a whole year.

About two hours after landing, Billy-Bah was seen with a piece of meat weighing about five pounds, enjoying her first meal in a year.

While AH-NI-GHI?-TO'S father remained behind in the Snowland, one day after he had been riding on his sledge for days with some of his Eskimo bear-hunters, he came to a mountain, where he found a great piece of brown iron which many years ago had fallen from the sky and from which the Eskimos had made their knives.

These great pieces of iron were so wonderful that AH-NI-GHI?-TO'S father thought he would like to take them back to America, where every one might see them; so when the ship came back after him the brown woman and her dog were hauled over the rocks and snow and ice to the ship, and hoisted on board. When AH-NI-GHI?-TO'S father had brought home the two heaven-born stones, the woman and the dog, he told several scientific gentlemen in New York that there still remained in the Snowland another and much larger stone which had fallen from the sky together with the woman and her dog. This the natives call the woman's tupic, or tent. These gentlemen called the stones meteorites, and were very anxious to have the largest one also.

So in 1897 AH-NI-GHI?-TO, with her father and mother and her good colored nurse Laura, boarded the ship and sailed for the Snowland to bring home the last of the stones.

AH-NI-GHI?-TO was now nearly four years old, and looked forward with pleasure to seeing the Snowland and all the queer little brown people again.

On the way north AH-NI-GHI?-TO, who was not seasick, enjoyed the brisk cool wind, and never tired of the beautiful icebergs which floated past. A stop was made at Godhavn in South Greenland to get a supply of drinking water. Here the natives are almost like white people. They have been living with the Danish families who occupy this part of Greenland for such a long time that they have become quite civilized both in looks and manners.

The Danes compel them to go to school and also to church; in this way they are growing more knowing every day.

They had seen AH-NI-GHI?-TO when she and her mother came from the Snowland three years ago and AH-NI-GHI?-TO was only one year old; now they were anxious to see her again, and crowded to the ship, bringing her all sorts of presents and receiving others in return.

The nurse Laura was the first colored woman these natives had ever seen, and they thought her a great curiosity. She was invited everywhere with AH-NI-GHI?-TO, but Laura was afraid to accept anything from these queer-looking people until AH-NI-GHI?-TO and her mother went with her and she found how kind every one was and anxious to please her.

It happened that there were no Danish children in this place, but many little Eskimos, all eager to see AH-NI-GHI?-TO'S doll and to play with her. Only a few hours were spent here, and then AH-NI-GHI?-TO and Laura were brought to the vessel in a little boat and the great ship pushed toward the north again.

The sun did not set at all now, and at any time AH-NI-GHI?-TO could see his big face shining down upon her. This was very pleasant, for although it was quite cold AH-NI-GHI?-TO, wrapped in her furs, spent most of her time on deck watching the gulls that were circling about the ship, and the seals that kept popping up their black heads to gaze in open-eyed astonishment at the big black ship that came rushing through the water toward them. These seals are funny little creatures, so full of curiosity that when they see anything coming toward them they keep their heads above water until the object is close to them; then they quickly dive, but come up again at a safer distance to resume their gazing. They are often harpooned by the natives, who fasten a white sail across the front of the kayak in such a way as to make it look as if a white piece of ice were floating along. In this sail a tiny hole is made through which the hunter watches his chance. The seal's curiosity gets the best of him, and he does not dive in time to dodge the harpoon which is thrown from behind the white cloth. The Eskimos are very fond of seal meat, and the skins are used for their clothing.

AH-NI-GHI?-TO thought it very strange to have bedtime come when the sun was shining brightly. She declared it would be quite impossible to sleep at night if there was no night; so her mother made night for her in their little stateroom by taking a big soft felt hat belonging to her father and pushing it into the port hole through which the light came. AH-NI-GHI?-TO was now quite satisfied, and slept soundly until breakfast time. When it was time to rise, the hat was pulled out, and lo! the room was flooded with sunlight. In a little while AH-NI-GHI?-TO would call, "Mother, it is daylight, time to get up."

A bright fire was kept burning in the cabin, and Laura thought it wonderful that she should be quite comfortable beside a fire in midsummer; but when she awoke one morning and found it snowing hard, she said this was surely the most extraordinary thing she had ever known. Snow in August! "Why, if I tell this to my home folks, they won't believe me, but will think I am joking," she said.

Finally the Snowland was reached, and the Eskimos were wild with joy when they caught sight of the ship, for they all loved AH-NI-GHI?-TO'S father, and knew he had brought them many useful presents. All wanted to see AH-NI-GHI?-TO, and the women were particularly anxious to see how much she had grown, and if she still looked so white. One woman brought her baby, a wee boy, whose birthday was the same as AH-NI-GHI?-TO'S, to compare the children. When she saw how much larger AH-NI-GHI?-TO was than her boy, she smilingly stepped up beside AH-NI-GHI?-TO'S mother and showed how much taller the American woman was than she, and pointing to AH-NI-GHI?-TO'S tall father, said: "It is no wonder the Snow Baby is so tall." Another boat-load of Eskimos just then came aboard, and who should be among them but "Billy-Bah"? How glad she was to see AH-NI-GHI?-TO, and how much she had to tell her. She did not want to stay on deck where the others were, but asked if she might go down in the cabin with AH-NI-GHI?-TO. Once away from her people "Billy-Bah" talked English with AH-NI-GHI?-TO, about the people she had known at AH-NI-GHI?-TO'S home; she asked how Hector the big St. Bernard dog was, and if AH-NI-GHI?-TO still had the little kitty "Billy-Bah" used to take to bed every night. Then they played with the dolls and looked at the picture books together. "Billy-Bah" gave AH-NI-GHI?-TO a number of ivory figures of men, women, dogs, bears, walrus, and seals, which she had carved from the teeth of walrus.

AH-NI-GHI?-TO'S father now had several barrels of ship's biscuit taken ashore, to be distributed among the natives. Everyone on board was anxious to get ashore, that he might get his share. "Billy-Bah" had been told that AH-NI-GHI?-TO would give her biscuit and tea and sugar, so she was content to remain in the cabin. Only one man refused to go, when he was told if he did not go he would not get any biscuit. Upon talking with him it was learned that he was "Billy-Bah's" husband, and he was afraid the ship might sail away with his wife and without him, if he went ashore. AH-NI-GHI?-TO'S father assured him this would not be the case, and he speedily followed the others in the boats.

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