"On
a recent rainy night, Carl Lomen, the reindeer king of Alaska, told
me a true story. It has stuck in my crop ever since. And now I am
going to pass it along.
'"A
certain Greenland Eskimo,' said Lomen, 'was taken on one of the
American North Polar expeditions a number of years ago. Later, as a
reward for faithful service, he was brought to New York City for a
short visit. At all the miracles of sight and sound he was filled
with a most amazed wonder. When he returned to his native village he
told stories of buildings that rose into the very face of the sky; of
street cars, which he described as houses that moved along the
trail, with people living in them as they moved; of mammoth bridges,
artificial lights, and all the other dazzling concomitants of the
metropolis.
'"His
people looked at him coldly and walked away. And forthwith
throughout the whole village he was dubbed "Sagdluk,"
meaning "the Liar," and this name he carried in shame to
his grave. Long before his death his original name was entirely
forgotten.
'"When
Knud Rasmussen made his trip from Greenland to Alaska he was
accompanied by a Greenland Eskimo named Mitek (Eider Duck).
Mitek
visited Copenhagen and New York, where he saw many things for the
first time and was greatly impressed. Later, upon his return to
Greenland, he recalled the tragedy of Sagdluk, and decided that it
would not be wise to tell the truth. Instead, he would narrate
stories that his people could grasp, and thus save his reputation.
'"So
he told them how he and Doctor Rasmussen maintained a kayak on the
banks of a great river, the Hudson, and how, each morning, they
paddled out for their hunting. Ducks, geese and seals were to be had
a-plenty, and they enjoyed the visit immensely.
'"Mitek,
in the eyes of his countrymen, is a very honest man. His neighbors
treat him with rare respect.'
"The
road of the truth-teller has always been rocky. Socrates sipping the
hemlock, Christ crucified, Stephen stoned, Bruno burned at the stake,
Galileo terrified into retraction of his starry truths – forever
could one follow that bloodly trail through the pages of history.
