But what was her surprise when the earth gave way beneath her; unconsciously she had lain on a door that opened onto the underground passage of a house. She hesitated a moment before entering, but thought, “Well, my husband would only have killed me if I had stayed at home; whoever it is that lives here can’t do any worse.” Inside she found abundance of everything, skins to sleep on, meat to eat, everything that could be desired. She was very faint and hungry, but was careful not to touch any of the food. After a time she heard someone outside, and a voice called down, “Who has broken in my door? Who is it inside there? If it is a man I shall kill him, but if it is a woman I shall let her live.”

    Then the man came in and found the woman sitting in a corner. “What are you sitting over there for?” he said. “Why don’t you take and eat something? You are thin and starved. Eat something.” So the woman took courage and ate. Then the man said to her “Where have you come from?” “From down by the sea,” she replied. “Well, stay here and cook and sew for me. I’ll provide for you, and see that you have plenty of food and everything that you need; you’ll soon be fat and strong again.” So the woman stayed there and became his wife.

    In time she bore him a son, and not long afterwards another. Her husband frequently warned her before he went out hunting that she was not to wander about outside, and if any visitors came she was not to take any notice of what they might say. One day an old woman came to the house while the man was out, and sat and talked for a long time, but the wife paid no attention to her words. Finally she left, changing as she went into a red fox. The man asked his wife when he came home who had been visiting her, and she said, “It was an old woman who talked and talked for a long time, then, as I paid no attention to what she said, she went away.” “Remember never to listen to anyone who may come,” he answered. “I was married twice before and both my wives were lost through giving heed to the words of others.”

    The old woman called again and again, but always with the same result. Then one day the man’s wife forgot what her husband had told her and listened to what the woman was saying to her. “Let me search your head,” the old woman said. “There is nothing in my hair,” replied the other. “Well, let me look anyway.” “No, I am busy. My husband will come home and be very angry if his food is not ready.” “Oh, no, he won’t be angry. Besides there is plenty of time.” “Oh, very well then.”

    So the wife lay down while the old woman searched her head. Cunningly she scratched it lightly until the young woman fell asleep, then quietly stole out, changed into a red fox, and went away. Soon afterwards the wife was awakened by a terrible pain in her head and an uncontrollable desire to go outside. She put her hands to her head and felt horns beginning to sprout there. She went outside; her head was already changed to the head of a caribou; she ran round and round, then went straight towards the mountains.

    In the evening her husband returned home and searched for her in vain. Outside he found her footsteps and noticed how they suddenly changed to a caribou’s. He went inside again and said to the elder of his two children, “I am going to look for your mother. You must look after your little brother until I come home. Perhaps I shall be away a long time, and come back an old man, or perhaps I shall come back very soon.” Before he left, he filled the house with food and skins and made a small bow and arrow for the boy, then set out to look for his wife.

    For a long time he wandered about, searching in vain for any signs of her. At last he came to a small dark house on the side of a hill, and listening on the roof he heard a little child say in a tearful voice: “Mother, tell me a story.” He heard the mother answer, “I have no story to tell you, my child. Oh, well, I will tell you just one. Listen. There was once a man and his wife and two little children living in a house all by themselves. The man was very fond of his wife and used to tell her not to listen to the conversation of any visitor who might happen to come in while he was away hunting.” The man above said to himself, “She is referring to me.” “One day,” the voice continued, “the woman forgot, and she listened to a red fox and let it scratch her head. Then she was changed to a caribou and fled to the mountains to join the herd.” The man outside could contain himself no longer and called out: “That’s my wife you are talking about! Tell me, where is she now?” “Oh, I didn’t know there was anyone outside. Come in, come in.”

    So the man entered the house and the woman gave him something to eat. When he had finished eating she said, “You want to find your wife, do you? Well, you must go to the other side of this mountain and there you will find a great herd of caribou. Your wife is amongst them; you will easily recognize her, for she is very strong and leaps and races about much more than the rest. Take a rope with you and steal up close, and when she is near enough throw the rope over her horns or her legs, or anywhere where it will hold. Then throw her on her back and skin her. You must be very careful not to kill her, and when you are skinning her, mind you don’t cut the flesh anywhere. Then when you have skinned the body, make a small incision in the belly and your wife will come out from within unharmed. Now go quickly and don’t look round as you go. Only when you are a long way off you may look round if you want to. I shall be following you.”

    So the man thanked her and hurried off. When he had gone some distance he looked round, and there coming away from the house was a black bear with her young cub following closely behind her. He hurried across the mountain and came upon a big herd of caribou; one of the deer was leaping about much more than the rest -- it was his wife. He stole up close and watched his opportunity; then as she circled round him, coming nearer and nearer, he suddenly threw his rope round her horns, and dragged her down. He turned her over on to her back and slit the skin down the belly and drew it off, then made a small incision; forth came his wife naked. “What did you do that for?” she said. “Give me some clothes to put on.” So he gave her some clothes, and together they set out for their home.

    They travelled for many days and at last approached the house. Two young men came towards them, ore carrying a bow and arrow which he was on the point of notching. “Don’t shoot!” the man called out, “Let us talk first, then afterwards if you want to shoot us, shoot.” “Very well,” said the elder of the two youths; “What is it you want?” “Where are your father and mother?” asked the man. “We have none,” the youth said. “Well, but how did you grow up? Where did you get your food?” “Oh, our father left us plenty of food before he went away to look for our mother.”

    During this conversation, the man had been drawing nearer and nearer, till the younger boy became afraid and concealed himself behind his brother. But now the man said: “It was I who procured you that food, and I made you that bow that you are holding in your hand. I am your father.” “Is that so?” said the elder youth. “Come on inside.” So they all went inside. The father had returned an old man. While he was away many strangers had tried to intrude, but the elder boy shot them all with his bow and arrows.