WHALE-HUNTERS' BALL.

Timaru Herald, Volume XIIC, Issue 13975, 9 August 1909, Page 7

WHALE-HUNTERS' BALL.

AT THE DANCING HOUSE. ■'• (Bv 11. Mackenzie, in the "Daily : V' ; " Sows.") ~ It was nearly midnight, although sunset tints tinged the horizon, below .which the sun had dipped for a short time. Basalt peaks, rising in terraced .nakedness on either side of a fjord, still "caught the after-glow; all else was blurred in the shadowless twilight that marks tho darkest hours of a Faroese July.

-■■ Jit the straggling settlement of tarreili turf-rooted houses along tho waterside, two white washed buildings stood out against a slope of moorland —the high-shouldered wooden church and the Dancing House. For once the wind had ceased to howl, tho herds to low, and the oyster-catchers to shriek, and in the still air the sound of voices floated across the fjord. I could discern nothing moving on the opposite shore, yet bethinking "me of a common Fa.'ruesc phenomenon, 1 looked at the unruffled reflection, and there saw a tile of men and women hastening along, some midnight luneral, perhaps, thought I. Just then a girl overtook me. "-You ask what it is?" said she. Why, a dance. Lome and join us " —and aivuy she sped.

:. Weird objects stood erect all along the waters edge; the decapitateu heads of • some eighty -ca'ing whales, victims of the day's slaughter. 'lne beach was dark with close-packed, N i-king-shaped native boats, drawn from every island within reach, to join in the- whale-hunt. Gorged "hoodies," too heavy to lly, moved away slowly at my approach. But I did not linger, already powerful voices, not over Tuneful, came from the open door of the" Dancing House, and tho rhythm of the song was accentuated by loud thuds.

1 looked in before entering. Men and women had joined hands, and were going round in a circle in time to the Whale-Hunting Song —a national air that stirs the olootl of the most phlegmatic i''aroemaii. Three shuffling steps to the right and one back again 'marked each bar, with a mighty stamp off the lirst beat. The song was dramatic, the singers entered into the spirit of-it: now their lingering feet seemed heavy, now they moved briskly, wlnle at times they wliirled past at a pace that raised clouds of dust from the bare boards. Late arrivals pressed forward to touch the hands of sonic couple, a mute appeal to bo admitted within the ring; but 1 noticed that occasionally a. young man would refuse to be thus separated from his partner. The girl who had passed me in the road was dancing between two others. Possibly it was the lack of a swain by her side which prompted her to smile at mc; as the whirling circle brought her closer she let go her neighbour's hand —I accepted the silent invitation and slipped in beside her.

A glance round showed that most of the dancers were the whale-hunters from distant settlements, and I could not but admire their tirclessncss, tho

slreugtb of their lungs, and the vigour of stamps that shook the room ; for though they had been rowing against strong currents since early morning to be in time for the " kill," no more than a. good meal had been needed before they were ready to danco tho sun up. The- men wore the same clothes that had been soaked with spray and soiled -with whale-blood, the women were still in their dingy working dresses; yet the absence, of all preparation did but add to the atmosphere of unrestrained gaiety. At length the first song came to an end, and tho heated dancers trooped out into the cool air. "Are you tired ?". I asked my selfimposed partner, knowing that every woman in tho settlement had been busy all day cooking fresh whalesteaks. She shook her head. '" I am always ready to dunce," she replied; "1 would willingly go without sleep to come here. But we seldom get tho chance in summer-. Nearly all our young men are away with the fishing fleet then, and we have to wait for a shoal of' 1 ca'ing whales to bring us partners." '•Do you dance oftcner in winter?"'

"Ot course!" The question surprised her. '-There is not so much work to do then—no puffins to salt, nor split cod to dry; so we always have one dance a week." '"And who gives the dances:-'" I asked, air unwittingly. The girl stared. " I don't understand. Naturally, the dancinghouse belongs to the settlement —a busy.community it would be that could not snare the time to build one!" ■'Then who keeps it- in repair!-'" I queried. •• I suppose cue might say that we all help, as we each pay a few ore entrance," explained my instructress. "Ah, you are looking at that patch on ihe roof, yes, last winter a gale tore away half the turf, and you can still see where the fresh sods welc placed. But this spring," she added, with pride, ''-they laid great chains across the roof, and now we can defy anything short of a. hurricane." The appearance of a foreigner had already excited some curiosity, though the natural good manners of the Faroeman forbade more than furtive glances. But now I became aware that one man hovered near us, listened to the conversation with oln-ious displeasure. "They are beginning to dance again, Malena," he said at last to mv partner. '-Shall we go in:-"' "I'm coming," she answered, seizing my hand with embarrassing warmth and dragging me along. "'But the foreigner must be next to me. so that I may teach him!"—and with a smothered laugh she whispered to me: " MyFaestemand " (fiance), "and he's growing jealous!" However, consideration for the feelings of the betrothed caused me to plead fatigue at the cud of the following song, whereupon I retired to a corner to watch. No instrument came to the relief of the dancing singers, no variation was made in the steps save iu the number demanded by duple or triple timo, and t-tio direction in which tnc ring moved ; yet not a trace of boredom appeared on any face and each song'was sung with obvious enjoyment oT its carrying moods". The room was absolutely bare —floor, Avails,, ceiling, all were of unadorned wood. An odoriferous, smoking lamp hung from tho blackened beams, and its yellow flicker mingled with the light that' was coming in through the curtainless windows and growing brighter every moment. In twos and threes the dancers began to melt away, until only an indefatigable handful remained. At last a ray of sun shot over the heights an ( d set the window panes ablaze with dazzling gold, the song came to an abrupt end, and within a few minutes the last couple had regretfully left the Dancing House, and the Whale Hunters' ball was at an end.