Degrees of Change

摘要

Six miles offshore, Long skirts the ice edge and slows to a trawl. Here in the season of midnight sun, islands of blue-green ice float in a sea of gray-green water, dimly lit through low clouds and appearing ever bleaker in the increasingly steady rain. Long and Kilapsuk scan the seascape, their accustomed eyes differentiating between patches of dirt on the floating ice and the "natchiq" (ringed seal) or "ugruk" (bearded seal) that they seek. But the rain does not abate, and seals do not appear. At about 2 a.m., Long and Kilapsuk head home, empty-handed. On the way back, they chat about one of their friends, whose wife wouldn't let him come hunting. The thought of not hunting troubles Kilapsuk visibly.