The Story of Keesh

Vocabulary Check!
• Huntsman – a person (especially a man) who hunts wild animals.

• Emboldened – to make (someone) more confident.
• Lackluster – lacking excitement or interest.
• Precocious – having or showing the qualities or abilities of an adult at
an unusually early age.
• Scorn – harsh criticism that shows a lack of respect or approval for
someone or something.
• Enormous – very great in size or amount.
• Carcass – the body of a dead animal or person’s body.
• Stunned – to surprise or upset (someone) very much.
Vocabulary Check
• Endure – to continue to exist in the same state or condition
• Excursion – a short trip especially for pleasure
• Suspicious – causing a feeling that something is wrong or that someone is
behaving wrongly
• Witchcraft – magical things that are done by witches
• Bounteous – giving or proving many desired things
• Speculation – ideas or guesses about something that is not known.
• Prowess – great ability or skill
• Trailing – to be pulled behind someone or something
• Striding – to walk with very long steps
• Enraging – to make (someone) very angry: to fill (someone) with range
The Story of Keesh
JACK LONDON
Who is the author?
Jack London was a 19th century American author and
journalist, best known for the adventure novels White
Fang and The Call of the Wild.
Jack London was born John Griffith Chaney on

January 12, 1876, in San Francisco, California. After
working in the Klondike, London returned home and
began publishing stories. His novels, including The Call
of the Wild, White Fang and Martin Eden, placed London
among the most popular American authors of his time.
London, who was also a journalist and an outspoken
socialist, died in 1916.
The story of Keesh is a short story which was written by Jack
London that was first published in January of 1904. Keesh was the
son of a great huntsman, who was well known and respected in his
tribe. Unfortunately, Keesh’s father died when Keesh was very
young. As is often the case, the legendary exploits of Keesh’s father
was forgotten with time. After many years, the child grows to be
thirteen. Inspired by tales of his father’s skills as a hunter, and
emboldened by his self-confidence and the lackluster amount of
food being gathered by the tribe, he addressed the village elders in
the Igloo of the tribe’s chief. A child addressing the tribal elders
was seen as precocious. Keesh declared that he would honor his
father’s memory and became a great hunter, and bring back a
wealth of meat for his people.
He was scorned, and they allowed him to go off on his
own. Many never expected to hear from him again. Four days
later Keesh returned, with an enormous burden of freshly-
killed meat over his shoulders. He explained that an entire
polar bear’s carcass laid a day’s travel from the village. The
villagers were stunned by this boy having endured the
elements and succeeded in his quest, became suspicious. After
several more hunting excursions on Keesh’s part, all alone and
all resulting in enormous amounts of meat for the tribe, the
villagers begin whispering that Keesh is undoubtedly
practicing witchcraft. However, they had no choice but to be
loyal to this man-child, as he had begun to provide them all
with bounteous food.
Keesh had the appreciative villagers construct for
him an enormous Igloo, rivaling that of the chief. After
more speculation and Inuendo as to the source of Keesh’s
hunting prowess, it was decided to send two scouts to
follow him on a hunting exhibition. They returned several
days later, having been successful in trailing Keesh to his
kill, an enormous (and dangerous) polar bear. They told a
tale that the tribal council simply couldn’t believe. Upon
his return, the tribe gathered in Keesh’s igloo to accuse
him of witchcraft. He answered their charges well. Keesh
explained the source of his hunting success.
He explained why the two scouts sent to follow him
observed him striding up to the bear, enraging it, and
convincing it to follow him. He explained why the scouts
witnessed his leaving small round balls of food on the ice
for the bear, and why the bear soon became ill, and
deranged. He explained how he was then able to spear
the bear without endangering himself.
Follow Up Questions:
1. Describe Keesh and his family.
2. What is his speech at the council about?
3. What does he do the next day? How long does he stay away? Does
he come to the village repentant and defeated?
4. What finally convinces his countrymen that Keesh is a true hunter?
5. What does the council decide to do? What do the spy-hunters report
to the council five days later?
6. How does the mystery of Keesh’s marvelous hunting revealed?

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Vocabulary Check!

• Huntsman – a person (especially a man) who hunts wild animals.

Jack London was born John Griffith Chaney on

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