Keesh

The story of Keesh

- Jack London

KEESH lived long ago on the rim of the polar sea, was head man of

his

village

through

many

and

prosperous

years,

and

died

full

of

honors with his name on the lips of men. So long ago did he live that

only the old men remember his name, his name and the tale, which

they

got

from

the

old

men

before

them,

and

which

the

old

men

to

come will tell to their children and their children's children down to the

end of time. And the winter darkness, when the north gales make their

long sweep across the ice-pack, and the air is filled with flying white,

and no man may venture forth, is the chosen time for the telling of how

Keesh,

from

the

poorest

IGLOO

in

the

village,

rose

to

power

and

place over them all.

He was a bright boy, so the tale runs, healthy and strong, and he had

seen thirteen suns, in their way of reckoning time. For each winter the

sun leaves the land in darkness, and the next year a new sun returns

so that they may be warm again and look upon one another's faces.

The father of Keesh had been a very brave man, but he had met his

death

in

a

time

of

famine,

when

he

sought

to

save

the

lives

of

his

people by taking the life of a great polar bear. In his eagerness he

came to close grapples with the bear, and his bones were crushed;

but

the

bear

had

much

meat

on

him

and

the

people

were

saved.

Keesh

was

his

only

son,

and

after

that

Keesh

lived

alone

with

his

mother. But the people are prone to forget, and they forgot the deed

of his father; and he being but a boy, and his mother only a woman,

they,

too,

were

swiftly

forgotten,

and

ere

long

came

to

live

in

the

meanest of all the IGLOOS.

It was at a council, one night, in the big IGLOO of Klosh-Kwan, the

chief,

that

Keesh

showed

the

blood

that

ran

in

his

veins

and

the

manhood that stiffened his back. With the dignity of an elder, he rose

to his feet, and waited for silence amid the babble of voices.

ofttimes

old

and

tough,

this

meat,

and,

moreover,

it

has

an

unusual

quantity of bones.

The hunters,

grizzled

and

gray,

and

lusty

and

young,

were

aghast.

The

like

had

never

been

known

before.

A

child,

that

talked

like

a

grown man, and said harsh things to their very faces!

But steadily and with seriousness, Keesh went on.

father, Bok, was a great hunter, I speak these words. It is said that Bok

brought home more meat than any of the two best hunters, that with

his own hands he attended to the division of it, that with his own eyes

he saw to it that the least old woman and the last old man received

fair share.

He waited calmly till the uproar died down.

And thou, too, Massuk, a mother also, and for them dost thou speak.

My mother has no one, save me; wherefore I speak. As I say, though

Bok be dead because he hunted over-keenly, it is just that I, who am

his son, and that Ikeega, who is my mother and was his wife, should

have meat in plenty so long as there be meat in plenty in the tribe. I,

Keesh, the son of Bok, have spoken.

He sat

down,

his

ears

keenly

alert

to

the

flood

of

protest

and

indignation his words had created.

demanded in a loud voice.

by every child that cries for meat?

The anger boiled a white heat. They ordered him to bed, threatened

that he should have no meat at all, and promised him sore beatings

for

his

presumption.

Keesh's

eyes

began

to

flash,

and

the

blood

to

pound darkly under his skin. In the midst of the abuse he sprang to his

feet.

never again till the men come to me and say, 'It is well, Keesh, that

thou shouldst speak, it is well and it is our wish.' Take this now, ye men,

for my last word. Bok, my father, was a great hunter. I, too, his son,

shall go and hunt the meat that I eat. And be it known, now, that the

division of that which I kill shall be fair. And no widow nor weak one

shall cry in the night because there is no meat, when the strong men

are groaning in great pain for that they have eaten overmuch. And in

the days to come there shall be shame upon the strong men who have

eaten overmuch. I, Keesh, have said it!

Jeers and

scornful

laughter

followed

him

out

of

the

IGLOO,

but

his

jaw was set and he went his way, looking neither to right nor left.

The next day he went forth along the shore-line where the ice and the

land met together. Those who saw him go noted that he carried his

bow, with a goodly supply of bone-barbed arrows, and that across

his

shoulder

was

his

father's

big

hunting-spear.

And

there

was

laughter,

and

much

talk,

at

the

event.

It

was

an

unprecedented

occurrence. Never did boys of his tender age go forth to hunt, much

less to hunt alone. Also were there shaking

of heads and prophetic

mutterings, and the women looked pityingly at Ikeega, and her face

was grave and sad.

come back shortly, and he will be meek and soft of speech in the days

to follow.

But a day passed, and a second, and on the third a wild gale blew,

and

there

was

no

Keesh.

Ikeega

tore

her

hair

and

put

soot

of

the

seal-oil on her face in token of her grief; and the women assailed the

men with bitter words in that they had mistreated the boy and sent

him to his death; and the men made no answer, preparing to go in

search of the body when the storm abated.

Early next

morning,

however,

Keesh

strode

into

the

village.

But

he

came

not

shamefacedly.

Across

his

shoulders

he

bore

a

burden

of

fresh-killed

meat.

And

there

was

importance

in

his

step

and

arrogance in his speech.

men,

with

the

dogs

and

sledges,

and

take

my

trail

for

the

better part of a day's travel,

- a she-bear and two half-grown cubs.

Ikeega was overcome with joy, but he received her demonstrations in

manlike fashion, saying:

after that I

shall sleep, for I am weary.

And he passed into their IGLOO and ate profoundly, and after that

slept for twenty running hours.

There was much doubt at first, much doubt and discussion. The killing

of

a

polar

bear

is

very

dangerous,

but

thrice

dangerous

is

it,

and

three times thrice, to kill a mother bear with her cubs. The men could

not

bring

themselves

to

believe

that

the

boy

Keesh,

single-handed,

had

accomplished

so

great

a

marvel.

But

the

women

spoke

of

the

fresh-killed

meat

he

had

brought

on

his

back,

and

this

was

an

overwhelming

argument

against

their

unbelief.

So

they

finally

departed, grumbling greatly that in all probability, if the thing were

so, he had neglected to cut up the carcasses. Now in the north it is very

necessary that this should be done as soon as a kill is made. If not, the

meat freezes so solidly as to turn the edge of the sharpest knife, and

a three-hundred-pound bear, frozen stiff, is no easy thing to put upon

a sled and haul over the rough ice. But arrived at the spot, they found

not

only

the

kill,

which

they

had

doubted,

but

that

Keesh

had

quartered the beasts in true hunter fashion, and removed the entrails.

Thus began

the

mystery

of

Keesh,

a

mystery

that

deepened

and

deepened with the passing of the days. His very next trip he killed a

young

bear,

nearly

full-grown,

and

on

the

trip

following,

a

large

male bear and his mate. He was ordinarily gone from three to four

days, though it was nothing unusual for him to stay away a week at a

time

on

the

ice-field.

Always

he

declined

company

on

these

expeditions,

and

the

people

marvelled.

does

he

do

it?

they

demanded of one another.

dogs are of such great help, too.

thou

hunt

only

bear?

Klosh-Kwan

once

ventured

to

ask

him.

And Keesh made fitting answer.

meat on the bear,

But there was also talk of witchcraft in the village.

spirits,

some

of

the

people

contended,

his

hunting

is

rewarded. How else can it be, save that he hunts with evil spirits?

known

that

his

father

was

a

mighty

hunter.

May

not

his

father

hunt