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diff --git a/old/67445-0.txt b/old/67445-0.txt deleted file mode 100644 index ccf2916..0000000 --- a/old/67445-0.txt +++ /dev/null @@ -1,8419 +0,0 @@ -The Project Gutenberg eBook of The Young Ice Whalers, by Winthrop -Packard - -This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere in the United States and -most other parts of the world at no cost and with almost no restrictions -whatsoever. You may copy it, give it away or re-use it under the terms -of the Project Gutenberg License included with this eBook or online at -www.gutenberg.org. If you are not located in the United States, you -will have to check the laws of the country where you are located before -using this eBook. - -Title: The Young Ice Whalers - -Author: Winthrop Packard - -Release Date: February 19, 2022 [eBook #67445] - -Language: English - -Produced by: Carlos Colon, the University of California and the Online - Distributed Proofreading Team at https://www.pgdp.net (This - file was produced from images generously made available by - The Internet Archive/American Libraries.) - -*** START OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK THE YOUNG ICE WHALERS *** - - - - - - -[Illustration: “WAY ENOUGH,” SAID JOE. “STERN ALL!” (see p. 105)] - - - - - THE - YOUNG ICE WHALERS - - BY WINTHROP PACKARD - - WITH ILLUSTRATIONS - - [Illustration] - - BOSTON AND NEW YORK - HOUGHTON MIFFLIN COMPANY - The Riverside Press Cambridge - - COPYRIGHT 1903 BY WINTHROP PACKARD - ALL RIGHTS RESERVED - - _Published September, 1903_ - - - - -CONTENTS - - - CHAP. PAGE - - I. A CHANGE IN LIFE’S PLANS 1 - - II. BOUND FOR THE ARCTIC 27 - - III. BUCKING ICE IN BERING SEA 56 - - IV. THE LITTLE MEN OF THE DIOMEDES 87 - - V. WHEN THE ICE CAME IN 112 - - VI. WINTER LIFE AND INNUIT FRIENDS 140 - - VII. THE GHOST WOLVES OF THE NUNATAK 167 - - VIII. WHALING IN EARNEST 195 - - IX. IN THE ENEMY’S POWER 224 - - X. “THE FEAST OF THE OLD SEAL’S HEAD” 250 - - XI. “THE VILLAGE WHERE NO ONE LIVES” 277 - - XII. IN THE HEART OF BLIZZARDS 305 - - XIII. THE MEETING OF TRIBES 332 - - XIV. STAKING OUT A FORTUNE 354 - - XV. HOME AGAIN 381 - - - - -LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS - - - PAGE - - “WAY ENOUGH,” SAID JOE. “STERN ALL!” (See p. 105) _Frontispiece_ - - THE LONG ROLLERS OF THE NORTH PACIFIC 36 - - HARBOR OF UNALASKA 50 - - BUCKING THE ICE 68 - - A SIBERIAN TOPEK 84 - - HOME OF THE “LITTLE MEN” OF THE DIOMEDES 94 - - WHALEMEN’S CAMP ON ARCTIC SHORE 114 - - ROUGH ARCTIC CLIFFS 136 - - HARLUK AND KROO 164 - - VISITING ESKIMOS 168 - - LOCKED IN THE ARCTIC ICE 198 - - CAMP ON THE TUNDRA 234 - - TOILING ON THROUGH THE DRIFTS 310 - - ESKIMO FAMILY TRAVELING 334 - - PROSPECTOR AND HIS OUTFIT 364 - - SLUICING AT CANDLE CREEK 376 - - - - -THE YOUNG ICE WHALERS - - - - -CHAPTER I - -A CHANGE IN LIFE’S PLANS - - -“I will do what I can to help make matters easy, father.” - -The speaker was a handsome, well-built boy of seventeen, with a frank, -winsome face that ordinarily showed neither strength nor weakness of -character,—the face of a boy out of whom circumstances make much that is -good, or sometimes much that is ill, according to what experiences life -brings him. There are boys who will grow up strong and able men, anyway. -They seem to have it in them from the start. There are others who have an -inborn tendency to evil and dissipation, which no amount of training and -opportunity for better things can eradicate. Harry Desmond was of neither -of these types; his character was rather that which responds easily to -outside influences, whose weaknesses may easily grow upon it, or whose -strong points may be developed and brought out by use. - -“Thank you, my son,” said the other simply, extending his hand; “I was -very sure you would. The business will of course go on, and may be built -up again with care and strict economy; but the outside investments, -whose returns have made us well-to-do, and from which the money for your -education was coming, are totally swept away. I’m afraid we shall have to -withdraw you from the preparatory school. It is an expensive place, and -just at present I do not feel able to supply you with the money necessary -to keep up your standing among the boys there. In another year I had -hoped to see you in the freshman class at Harvard, and that may yet be -managed. There are always scholarships to be had.” - -“Father,” said Harry impulsively, “I don’t think I care for college. I’d -rather help you. To tell the truth, I have not stood very well at school; -I mean my marks have not been high. I have managed to pass always, but it -has been a close shave sometimes. I’ve liked it immensely because I have -had such jolly times with the other fellows. I have thought of college -much in the same way. So long as we had plenty of money, it was just as -well to go. A college man who has spending-money has no end of a good -time, and I don’t doubt I could pass in the studies as well as a good -many of the fellows. But now it’s different. You’ve always stood by me -like a brick. Now I want to help you.” - -A look of pride and delight beamed in the careworn face of the elder -Desmond, and the stoop came out of his shoulders a little as if a weight -had been lifted from them. He had expected the boy would meet the news -bravely and carry himself well. He knew his own blood. The Desmonds had -never yet been the men to cry baby when unpleasant things had to be -faced, and yet—he knew now how it had weighed upon him—he had feared in -his heart for the effect of the news on his only son. He knew of the low -marks at the preparatory school, and how careless and pleasure loving the -boy had seemed. There had been one or two escapades, also, things which -showed carelessness and high spirits rather than viciousness, and they -had worried him a good deal. - -“I think we shall be able to keep the house, here,” said the father, -“though we shall have to live rather simply. The horses must go and most -of the servants, but when that is done and things straightened out a bit, -we shall owe no man a penny. The hardest rub is coming in the business. -There we must reorganize and retrench, and the office force is badly cut -down.” - -Harry hesitated, though it was only for a moment, and swallowed a lump in -his throat. He had a pretty good idea of the drudgery of the office. The -younger clerks came in at eight or before, and never got away until six. -That was for every week in the year, except a brief vacation of ten days -or so. He thought of his Saturdays and holidays, of the long vacation in -the heat of summer; and then he saw the careworn look in his father’s -face, and he held up his head and spoke swiftly. - -“I’d be glad to help you in the office if I can, sir,” he said; “I’m -pretty handy at figures and have a good idea of book-keeping. I’d like to -do it, if you’ll only let me. A year or two of it would be good for me. -Then, if things go better, it will not be too late to go to college after -all. Perhaps I shall feel more like it then.” He smiled somewhat grimly, -mentally noting how swiftly ideas and ideals change. College, which had -seemed inevitable only a few short hours before, had not appealed to -him except as a pleasant place to spend time and enjoy himself. Now he -suddenly seemed to see how useful it might be to him in the future, yet -that he would probably not be able to go there. - -“It is a good deal of a sacrifice, my boy,” said his father, “but you -really could help me there a great deal. I need some one with the force -whom I can be sure of as loyal to my interests. Think it over for a day, -and if you are still willing you can begin right away. It is almost worth -while to be ruined financially to find one’s son so plucky about it and -so loyal to the house. I shall have to let you go now; I am to have a -business conference here in a few minutes, and I see the others coming -down-street now. Be as cheerful as you can about this with your mother. I -think it is hardest on her; but if we can all be patient for a few years, -I think I can pull through and get matters in good shape again. Good-by.” - -Harry left the library, put his hat on, and stepped out of doors. It was -one of those days in late April that make one glad he is alive, and in -New England. The grass was already green upon the lawn, the buds were -swelling in the shrubbery, and a bluebird caroled as he fluttered from -the bare limbs of a maple and inspected the bird-box where he planned -to build his nest in spite of the scolding of the English sparrows that -flocked about and threatened to mob him, but did not quite dare. Harry -turned down the gravel path toward the boat-house. Beyond, the waters of -the bay sparkled and ruffled in the wind, and his knockabout, new only -last year, swung and curtsied at the mooring as if in recognition of -her master. The lump came in Harry’s throat again. If he worked in the -office, he would have little time in the long bright summer just ahead -of him to sail the blue waters of the bay. Besides, perhaps he ought not -to keep the knockabout. The boat was worth money, and should be given up -just as much as the horses. Well, he had the boat now, and the afternoon; -he would have a sail while yet he might. It would give him a chance to -think over things, too, as his father had suggested, though he knew his -mind was made up already. He found the skiff at the landing, rowed to -the boat, hoisted mainsail and jib, then, as an afterthought, instead of -towing the skiff astern he made it fast to the mooring and sailed away -without it. It was one of those little decisions which mean nothing at -the time, but which, such are the mysterious ways of Fate, often change -the whole current of life. - -Pointing well up into the wind, the graceful boat slipped rapidly through -the water. She was breasting the incoming tide, Harry knew, for he could -feel that peculiar quiver of the rudder that thrills through the tiller -into the arm when a finely balanced boat heads the tide and beats to -windward at the same time. Harry looked backward at the Quincy Point -Village as it slowly drew away from him. He saw the fine old houses,—his -own the finest of them all,—and was devoutly glad that the business -reverses were not so great that they would have to leave that. On the -rear veranda of one of them he saw the gleam of a white dress, and a -young girl waved her hand at him. It was Maisie Adams, he knew, and -he regretted that he had not seen her sooner. Maisie was a jolly good -sailor, and he would have liked her for company. It was the time of the -spring vacations, and Maisie was home from boarding-school. She would -no doubt have enjoyed this first sail of the season. He almost decided -to put back and ask her to go out, then he happened to think he was no -longer the prospective Harvard freshman with plenty of money to spend, -but the prospective clerk in an office, and not likely to have even the -boat he was sailing, after a few days. He ought to have had sense enough -to know that this would make no difference with Maisie, but he was only -a boy after all, and could not be expected to know much about the way -a really nice girl like Maisie would look at things of this sort. So -he pulled his hat down over his eyes a little—to keep out the sun, of -course—and sent the knockabout bowling along down the Fore River, by -Germantown, by Rock Island Head, and out into the wider bay toward Hull, -where he got the full sweep of the bustling spring breeze. - -Meanwhile Maisie pouted on the piazza. She had recognized Harry, and she, -too, wished he had seen her sooner. The day was warm, almost like summer, -and she would have liked a sail down the bay. However, she got some fancy -work and sat down in a big piazza chair in the sun, with a wrap about -her shoulders, determined to watch the boat if she could not sail in it. -After a little while her mother came out. - -“Aren’t you catching cold out here, Maisie?” she asked. - -“I think not, mamma,” replied Maisie. “It’s just as warm as a summer day, -and I thought it would be nice to sit here in the sun and embroider—and -watch the boats. Sit down with me, won’t you, and talk to me?” - -“I knew you wouldn’t be home long before you were on the lookout for a -sail,” said Mrs. Adams rather roguishly. She knew that Harry Desmond’s -knockabout was the finest small boat on the river, and that he and Maisie -were great friends. “There aren’t many of the boats in commission yet. -I thought I saw the Princess”—that was Harry’s boat—“at the mooring -yesterday, but I see that I was mistaken.” - -Mrs. Adams smiled quietly to herself as she saw the faint color creep up -into Maisie’s cheek and hide itself under the dark ringlets of her hair. -Then the girl looked up with charming frankness and said, “The Princess -was there a few moments ago, but Harry has just gone out in her. See, he -is almost down to Sheep Island now. He would have taken me, I think, if -he had known I was at home.” - -Maisie looked straight into her mother’s eyes, and that was one of -Maisie’s chief charms. She had a way of looking at you clearly and -honestly, and you knew that you were looking down through pretty gray -eyes into a heart that was as open and frank as it was sunny. - -“I should have been perfectly willing to have you go,” said her mother. -“Harry is a very gentlemanly boy, and a good sailor. I think I can trust -you with him.” - -“I think you can trust me with any of the boys I am willing to go sailing -with, can you not, mamma?” said Maisie, and knowing it to be true, Mrs. -Adams gave her daughter a little squeeze of affection and changed the -subject. - -They sat and talked for a long time in the bright afternoon sun, while -Maisie embroidered industriously, now and then glancing at the sail of -the Princess, which had diminished to a little white speck over toward -the mouth of the harbor, then grown again as her skipper headed toward -home. By and by Mrs. Adams went into the house, and Maisie laid down her -embroidery and strolled across the lawn and down the path toward the -Adams’s boat-house. - -There she found none of the boats put into the water for the season -except the smallest, a light little thing with one pair of oars. Maisie -was a good oarsman, and she often rowed one or another of the boats up -the placid reaches of the Fore River, above the bridge; so there was -nothing uncommon in what she now did. Finding it ready for use, she got -into the little skiff, cast off the painter, and was soon skimming with -easy strokes under the bridge and away up-river. The bridge and the -heights of land on either side of it soon hid the bay and the sail of the -Princess from her sight, if not from her thoughts. There were plenty of -interesting things to see up-river, and who shall say that she did not -turn her whole attention to these? At any rate, she alternately rowed -and floated for some time, and thoroughly enjoyed the vigorous exercise -and the outing in the bright spring sunshine. By and by the ebbing tide -carried her back toward the bridge, and she turned the bow of her skiff -homeward just as the Princess, with the west wind in her sails, came -nodding and curtsying up toward her mooring. - -Harry had thought it all out, and was at peace with himself. He would -take the clerkship in the office and work patiently and bravely. Perhaps -he would like business better than he thought, or if he did not, he could -work faithfully and hope for an improvement in the family fortunes that -would enable him to enter college after a few years. He had heard it -said that a year or two of experience in business was a good thing for a -boy who was to enter college, just as a college education was a sure help -in business, if that were to be taken up after graduation. At any rate, -he would be doing the thing that his father wanted him to do, and that -was bound to be best. So, with the buoyancy of boyhood asserting itself, -his brow was clear, the trouble was already behind him, and he whistled a -merry tune as he tacked to make his mooring. - -Then he noted a skiff coming through the draw of the bridge with the -tide, and gave a cheerful shout of greeting as he recognized Maisie in -it. Suddenly something happened, and just how it did happen neither of -them could clearly tell. The skiff was passing the piling at one side of -the draw, and perhaps an oar caught between two piles, perhaps Maisie -turned too suddenly at the call of greeting, or the sweep of the tide -did it, or all three. Whatever it was, the skiff overturned, and before -Harry could realize what had happened, Maisie’s dark head floated for -a moment beside the upset skiff, then sank beneath the water while the -skiff floated away. He swung the tiller of the Princess swiftly so as to -throw the boat back on the other tack and head for the spot, which was -not far away; but quick as the knockabout was in stays, the two tacks, -one immediate upon the other, had lost her headway, and she got a fill of -wind too late to fairly make the spot where Maisie had gone down. As the -girl’s head again came above water, the boat was a dozen feet to leeward -and would be no nearer. There was but one thing to do, if she were to -be rescued, and Harry did it. Letting go of tiller and sheet, he sprang -quickly overboard and plunged with vigorous strokes in her direction, -shouting a word of encouragement which she did not seem to heed, but -which was answered by a wild warwhoop from the shore. - -There the ancient ferryman, who takes people across from Germantown to -the Point for a nickel, had suddenly waked up to the catastrophe and -nearly swallowed his pipe, which he had been smoking placidly when it -happened. He saw the need of immediate help, and sprang into the stern of -his skiff and snatched an oar from the thwarts, swinging it hastily into -the scull hole, very nearly upsetting himself in his excitement. Then -he vigorously plied the oar and sent the clumsy boat through the water -toward the scene of the accident. - -Maisie was behaving herself well. Used to the water, but so weighted -and snarled in her skirts that she was unable to swim, she nevertheless -did not hamper Harry by needlessly clinging to him, but simply grasped -his shoulders and clung tenaciously, though speechless and half drowned -already. Yet Harry was having a hard time of it. He was a good swimmer, -but the ice-cold water seemed to grip his chest and stop his breathing. -He held Maisie up and looked for the Princess, but the boat, with its -sheet caught, had swung off the wind and was rapidly sailing away. He -could not reach the shore, and he knew it. He could hold Maisie up for a -while, if he spared his strength as much as possible. There was a chance -that help might come, though he could not tell from where. His head -whirled, but he swam mechanically. Once they went under, and then as they -came up something struck his shoulder and he grasped it and held on. - -The swift tide had floated them out toward the mooring, and set them -alongside the skiff that he had inadvertently left there some hours -before. Thus kindly Fate helps us oftentimes in little things. It was -only an impulse that had made him leave the skiff at the mooring, and -now it was to be his salvation and Maisie’s as well. - -There he clung, to be sure, but he was unable to lift the girl into the -skiff. His head whirled with excitement and fatigue, but he would not -let go. The iron grip of the icy water on his chest seemed to crush the -strength out of him, and he scarcely knew when the ferryman, his clumsy -craft quivering with new-found speed, swung alongside and lifted first -Maisie and then him into the boat. Then with a strong sweep of his oar -the old man swung the boat’s head toward the shore, and fell to sculling -desperately without the utterance of a word. - -Harry was still dazed and breathless, and Maisie was the first to recover -speech. “I’m sorry I made so much trouble,” she said faintly to Griggs, -“but we were nearly drowned, and would have been quite if you had not -come just as you did. We thank you very much.” - -Then she turned to Harry, who could still only smile faintly and shiver. -“I have to thank you, too, for my life. I should have gone down before -any one else could get to me if you had not been so quick and brave.” She -held out her hand to him and he clasped it for a moment, while his teeth -managed to chatter that it was all right. - -The ferryman turned his head over his shoulder and grinned cheerfully and -reassuringly across his pipe, which was still gripped in his teeth, but -he said no word, only went on sculling. Then the boat reached the landing -and he helped Maisie out and gave a hand to Harry. The boy rose with -difficulty, he was so chilled. - -“Thank you, Griggs,” he said as he stepped on the wharf. “You came just -in the nick of time, and I’ll see that you have more than thanks for your -trouble and coolness.” - -“Don’t you say a word, Mr. Harry,” said the ferryman. “You and I’ve been -shipmates a good many times, and your folks have been more than kind to -me. I’ll get the Princess back to her mooring for you. I’m mighty glad -I was on hand, and you’ll do me a favor if you won’t say anything more -about it.” - -Harry was feeling better, but his teeth chattered still as he stumbled -along with Maisie to her own door. At home he told his mother quietly -that he had had a ducking, saying nothing about the rescue, and went to -bed, while she dosed him with hot drinks. He did not seem to recover as -he should, and his mother sent for the family physician. He laughed at -the escapade, and gave Harry medicines that brought him round all right -in due time, though not feeling very active. But the next day the doctor -took care to call on Mr. Desmond privately. - -“The boy is all right,” he said; “and the ducking isn’t going to hurt him -any, but I want to warn you that though he is constitutionally sound, -he seems lacking a bit in vitality. He is not very resilient; that is -to say, things that some boys would throw off as a duck does water are -likely to hurt him. Indoor life is bad for him. He’s the sort of chap -that should be out in the open as much as possible for a few years. Don’t -let him study too hard. Keep him sailing his boat and playing outdoor -games while his constitution hardens.” - -A day or two afterward Harry came into the library and found his father -with an open letter in his hand. - -“I’m ready to report for business, father,” said the boy, smiling. “How -soon do you want me to begin at the office?” - -“Are you really anxious to begin?” asked his father. - -“Why, yes, father,” said Harry. “I know it will be a good deal of a -grind, but it will be good for me, and I feel that I am big enough now to -help when you need me.” - -“Did Maisie stand her ducking all right?” asked his father with a smile, -suddenly changing the subject. - -“Why—yes, sir,” faltered Harry. “How did you know about it? I wasn’t -going to tell anything about that part of it.” - -“Oh, I saw Mr. Adams yesterday and he was quite full of the story. He -spoke very nicely about your share in it, and I am quite proud of you.” - -“Oh, sir,” said Harry, turning very red with pleasure at his father’s -praise; “it wasn’t anything much, and anyway it was Mr. Griggs who pulled -us both out. We would not have got out at all if it hadn’t been for him.” - -“Well,” said his father, “it was a very fortunate escape, and I’m glad -it came out as it did. But I have two things that I wish to talk to you -about, and it may be that we shall not need you in the office at all, but -can use you to better advantage in another way. First, I want you to read -this letter from Captain Nickerson, my old friend from Nantucket.” - -He handed Harry a letter written in a cramped but bold handwriting. It -was as follows:— - - WHALING BARK BOWHEAD, HONOLULU, JANUARY 15, 189-. - - DEAR FRIEND DESMOND,—It is a year since I wrote you last, and - longer than that since I have heard from you, but shall hope to - hear from you when we arrive at Frisco, which will be in April - unless something comes up to prevent. We have had rather an - uneventful cruise so far, and have taken but few whales in the - South Seas. We shall land about 1100 barrels of oil, however, - as the result of the cruise up to date. We are refitting here - as the result of a hurricane which we took about a month ago, - in which we lost the fore-topmast and some gear with it. No one - was hurt except two Kanakas, one of whom went overboard when - the gale first struck us, and the other got a broken arm by a - fall from the foreyard during the gale. How he escaped going - overboard is a mystery, but it is pretty hard to lose a Kanaka. - I watched out for the other one most of the way into Honolulu. - Expected nothing but he might swim alongside and board us, but - he didn’t come. Picked up a couple of white men off the beach - here to take their places. Think they may prove good men. They - have been on the beach long enough to know what it is to have - a good ship under them and regular fare, though not so good as - you people at home get, doubtless. - - The old ship is in fine trim again, taut and nobby as a race - horse over on the Brockton track. Guess I shall not be home - in time to take in the county fair this year, though I would - like to. We shall fit out again either at Frisco or Seattle, - and will probably touch at Seattle anyway on our way north. - I am going to cruise through Bering Sea and into the Arctic - this summer for bowheads. Oil is cheap now, but bone is higher - than ever, and a good shipload of bone and ivory, such as we - can probably get if we go north, will be worth while. And this - brings me to one object in writing this letter. My boy Joe is - with us this cruise, and as fine a young sailor as ever you - saw. I wish, however, he had a lad of good family of his own - age for company. I do not like to have him have the crew alone - for friends. Some of them are good fellows, too, but many of - them are, as you no doubt guess, a rough lot. Your son Harry - must be about his age now,—eighteen. Why do not you let him - come on and meet us at Seattle, and go north for the summer? - He would enjoy the cruise thoroughly, and no doubt learn much - that is useful to a young lad just growing up. We shall be - back by November at the latest, and it would be nothing much - but a summer vacation for him. If you think he would like to - go, why not send him on? We’ll make a man of him, and a sailor - man at that. I spoke to Joe about it, and he is wild with - delight at the idea. He remembers the visit that you all made - to us at Nantucket some years ago, in which he and Harry came - to be great friends. It would be good for his health, too. - There is no place like the Arctic in summer for putting health - and strength into a man. Besides, I could give him a paying - berth as supercargo. There is not much to do in this except a - little book-keeping, and that is just what a boy who has been - to school as much as Harry has would do easily and well. He - would have to keep track of the ship’s stores, keep account of - expenditures, and such things as that. The pay is not large, - but it would give him some pocket-money when he got back, and - he would not feel that he was dependent, or a guest even. - - Write to me at Frisco about the middle of April, and we will - plan to have him meet us there or at Seattle before we start - out, which will be some time early in May. - - With many pleasant memories of old school-days together when - Nantucket was really a whaling town, and the schoolmasters did - a good deal of whaling,—Lord! what pranks we used to play, we - two!—and my regards to Mrs. Desmond, and many to yourself, I am, - - Yours very truly, - - WILLIAM NICKERSON. - -Mr. Desmond watched Harry narrowly as he read this letter. He saw his -eyes light up at the prospect, and noted his suppressed excitement. Then -the boy handed it back, and steadied himself. - -“But you need me in the office, don’t you, father?” was all he said. - -“Would you like to go?” asked his father. - -“Why, yes, very much, sir,” answered Harry frankly; “but not enough to go -when you need me for other work here at home. If things were as they were -a year ago I should tease to be allowed to go, but now I would rather -stay at home.” - -Mr. Desmond looked pleased. “Now,” he said, “this is the other matter -I wished to speak about. My business conference the other morning was -with Mr. Adams and some other wealthy men who are planning to make large -investments in the whaling and trading vessels which go north into Bering -Sea and the Arctic each year after whalebone and ivory. There is a good -demand for whalebone commercially, and there are some industries which -cannot well get along without it. At the same time the supply is limited, -and the market would easily pay a much higher price for it. I am partly -interested in this as a small share-owner in the Bowhead. It was hardly -reckoned as an asset in the business difficulty, as the whaling has not -paid well of late years, and dividends are few and far between. So I -still retain the stock. The plan of these gentlemen is to concentrate -all these vessels under one management, obtain control of the world’s -available supply of whalebone each year, and, by careful business methods -and proper handling of the market, make a good paying business of what -is now conducted often at a loss. The scheme is already under way, but -the arrangements will not be completed until next fall. Meanwhile we -are anxious to get a report of the conditions in that country, and the -circumstances under which the business of Arctic whaling and trading is -carried on. If you take this trip with Captain Nickerson, you will have -a chance to see much of these conditions, and be able to make such a -report. It is true that you are young and inexperienced in such matters, -but your work may be all the better for that. You will have no prejudices -or already formed opinions to bias you, and what you lack in experience -in that region may be made up by conversation with those who have made -previous cruises there. At any rate, Mr. Adams seemed to think it was -worth our while to give you such a commission, if you went out there. He -seems much interested in you since the upset, and if you go, you will go -on a modest salary in his employ, he being the head of the enterprise. -That will perhaps be better for us both than work in the office would be. -Now what do you say? Will you go?” - -Harry looked hard at his father, saw that he, as usual, meant what he -said, and was really desirous of having him go, and then his delight and -enthusiasm bubbled right over. He danced about his father, wrung his -hand, and in general acted more like a crazy boy than the sedate and -repressed youth who had been so willing to go into the office. As he -rushed off to tell his mother, and plan his arrangements for the trip, -Mr. Desmond smiled cheerily. - -“Humph!” he said to himself, “I suppose the doctor was right, but there -certainly doesn’t seem to be much lack of vitality there.” - -That afternoon he sent and received the following telegrams:— - - To NICKERSON, Whaling Bark Bowhead, San Francisco, Cal. - - Have decided to let Harry go north with you. Where shall he - meet you, and when? - - H. N. DESMOND. - - To H. N. DESMOND, Franklin St., Boston, Mass. - - Will be in Seattle May tenth to fifteenth. Have Harry meet me - there. Great news. - - NICKERSON. - -Mr. Desmond wrote also, and five days later received a letter from -Captain Nickerson, which he had evidently written as soon as the -telegrams were exchanged, giving further instructions. Arrangements were -hurriedly but carefully made, and one day early in May Harry bade good-by -to father, mother, and many friends at the station in Boston, and was -off. Maisie was there too, with a smile on her face but a tear in her eye -as she bade him good-by with a friendly handshake. - -“Good-by, Harry,” she said. “I hope you won’t go plunging overboard after -careless young ladies, up there among the Eskimos. It would be just like -you, though. Be a good boy, and bring me a polar bear or something when -you come back.” - -“Good-by, Maisie,” replied Harry. “I’ll bring you the finest aurora -borealis there is in all the Arctic.” - -Some one shouted “All aboard,” the train rumbled from the station, -gathering headway rapidly, and Harry Desmond was fairly launched upon a -new life, which was to be so strange and so different from the old that -he was often to be like the old lady in the nursery tale, who exclaimed -periodically, “Lauk-a-mercy on us! This can’t be I.” - - - - -CHAPTER II - -BOUND FOR THE ARCTIC - - -The city of Seattle grows to-day by leaps and bounds. The roar of traffic -sounds unceasingly in her streets, the city limits press outward in -all directions into the unoccupied territory near by, and the present -prosperity and future magnitude of the place seem already assured. -She sits, the queen of the Sound, at the meeting-point between the -great transcontinental railroads and the great trans-Pacific steamship -lines. Great steamers, the largest in the world’s carrying trade, ply -unceasingly between the magnificent waters of Puget Sound and the -mysterious ports of the far East, as we have learned to call it,—though -from Seattle it is the far West,—and fetch and carry the products of -the Orient and those of our own great country. Mighty full-riggers from -the seas of half the world lift their towering masts skyward, as they -swing at the city’s moorings in water that is just offshore, but so deep -that the ordinary ship’s cable hardly reaches bottom, hence special -cables and moorings are provided. To the westward the Olympic Mountains, -clad with the finest timber in the world, lift their snowy cloud-capped -summits to the sky, and glow rosy in the light of the setting sun; while, -between the city and these mountains beautiful, flow land-locked waters -which might hold all the navies of all the world without being crowded, -and which seem destined to be the centre of the commerce of the coming -century, borne over seas that are yet new to the world’s traffic. - -Thus to-day! yet a decade and less ago the city was far from being as -energetic. Seattle then slept in the lethargy of a “boom” that had -spent itself, and was but just beginning to feel the stir of new life -and a solid and real prosperity. Splendid business blocks were but half -tenanted, many of the original boomers were financially ruined, yet the -city kept up its courage, and had an unabating faith that position and -pluck would win out. Already this faith was beginning to have its reward -in works, and the faint glimmerings of future great advancement were -in sight. More business began to reach the port, and the often almost -deserted docks had now and then a ship. One of these on the day of which -I write was the Bowhead, and certainly business bustle was not wanting on -and near her. Perhaps the amount of work going on was not so very great, -but the bustle more than made up for that, and Ben Stovers, the Bowhead’s -boatswain, was the guide and director of this bustle, and to blame for -the most of its noise. - -Stovers had a voice as big as his frame, and that was six feet two in -longitude, as he would have said, and it seemed almost that in latitude. -Surely, like this terrestrial globe, his greatest circumference was at -the equator. Captain Nickerson was wont to say that Stovers was worth -his weight in ballast, and that made him the most valuable man on the -ship. It was a stock joke on the part of the first mate, when the wind -blew half a gale, the crew were aloft reefing topsails, and the good -ship plunged to windward with her lee-rail awash, and her deck set on -a perilous slant, to politely ask the mighty boatswain to step to the -windward rail so that the ship might be on an even keel once more. - -It was the voice of this mighty man that was Harry’s first greeting as -he came down the dock toward the vessel that was to be his home for the -long cruise. It rolled up the dock and reëchoed from the warehouses, -and every time its foghorn tones sounded, a little thrill of energy ran -through the busy crew. - -“Hi there! Bear a hand with that cask,” it yelled, and two or three dusky -Kanakas would jump as if stung, and the cask they had been languidly -handling would roll up the gang-way as if it concealed a motor. - -“Come on now, Johnson, and you, Phipps; this is no South Sea siesta. Stir -your mud-hooks and flip that bread aboard. Wow, whoop! you’re not on -the beach now, you beach-combers; you’ve got wages coming to you. Step -lively there!” Result, great rise and fall in breadstuffs, and boxes of -hard bread going over the rail and down the hold in a way that made the -Chinese cook below shout strange Oriental gibberish, in alarm lest the -boxes be stove and the contents go adrift. - -“Lighter ahoy!”—this to the man driving a cart down the dock; “clap on -sail now and come alongside. We’ve got to get away from this dock before -night or the city’ll own the vessel for dock charges.” - -This sally brought a grin from the loungers, not a few, who watched -the loading, dock charges being always a sore point with the vessels’ -owners, and brought the pair of bronchos and the load of goods down the -crazy planking at a hand-gallop. - -Flour in bags, bolts of cotton cloth and many hued calico, shotguns and -rifles, ammunition, what the whalers know as “trade goods” of all sorts, -for traffic with the Eskimo tribes, were all being hustled aboard the -vessel before the impulse of this great voice, which sounded very fierce, -and certainly spurred on the motley crew to greater exertions. Yet it had -a ring of good humor in it all, and the men obeyed with a grin as if they -liked it. - -A tall young fellow with bronzed face and black curly hair stood noting -the goods that came aboard and checking them off on a block of paper. He -looked up as Harry came down the dock, then gave a shout of recognition, -and came down the gangplank with hand extended. - -“It’s Harry Desmond, isn’t it?” he said; “awful glad you came. When did -you get here? Father is up in the city doing some business. He’ll be as -glad as I am that you are here. Come right aboard. I’m Joe Nickerson; of -course you remember me, don’t you? You’re a good deal bigger and older, -but you haven’t changed a bit. I’d know you anywhere. My! but I’m glad -you are going up with us.” - -He glanced somewhat dubiously at the black hand-satchel that Harry was -carrying, but said nothing about it as they went up the plank. Not so the -boatswain; he took one look at it and rolled heavily forward. - -“Ax your pardon, young feller,” he said; “but ye’d better not take the -hard-luck bag aboard, had you? Don’t you want to leave it down here on -the dock? We’ll see that it’s safe till you go ashore again.” - -Harry was somewhat surprised, and inclined to resent this seemingly -needless interference, but Joe spoke up before he could say anything. -“Mr. Stovers,” he said, “this is my friend Harry Desmond, of whom you’ve -heard me speak. He’s going up with us this trip as supercargo.” - -The big boatswain reached down a hand like a ham, and shook Harry’s -awkwardly with it. - -“Glad t’ meet you,” he said. “Didn’t mean nothing sassy about the bag, -you know, but sailors are queer fellows. ’Tain’t me; I don’t believe it, -but the crew think a black bag is full of gales of wind, and lets ’em -out when it’s brought aboard ship. See ’em looking at it, now. ’F you -could leave it ashore, and bring your dunnage on in a canvas bag, they’d -feel better about it. No use getting the men grumbling down for’ard.” - -“Certainly,” said Harry politely. “I’ll leave it out on the dock here, -if some one will keep an eye on it for a while till I can get something -else. Glad you told me. I don’t want to be a bad weather man my first -cruise.” - -“Thank you,” said the boatswain with equal politeness; “I guess you and -I’ll get along all right.” Then he turned suddenly to the crew, who were -loitering and gazing uneasily at the black bag. - -“’Vast gawking there, and bend on to that dunnage. Whoop, now! Get her up -here! Heave her up, boys, lively now; the gale’s gone down. That’s the -new supercargo, and you don’t want to go cutting up any monkeyshines with -him. He’s going to leave the hard-luck poke-sack ashore.” - -“I’ve got a trunk over at the station, too,” said Harry, as they went -down the companion-way aft. “Do you suppose they’ll mind if I bring that -aboard?” - -“Well,” said Joe, “they’re superstitious about trunks, too, although they -don’t care so much about them as they do about a black bag. That’s a -special hoodoo.” - -“I’ll store them both ashore, then,” said Harry resolutely; “I want to -start all fair with the crew. You have things pretty nice down here, -don’t you?” he went on with some surprise as they entered the cabin. -Here he saw a room with a well-furnished dining-table, and doors leading -off, the fittings being in hard wood, and the whole having an air of -refinement and home surroundings pleasant to see. - -“Why, yes,” said Joe. “You see a whaling captain lives aboard his vessel -the year round, and we like to have things snug. Father’s cabin is just -aft of this. He keeps his charts there and instruments. The first mate -has the one on the starboard, and you and I are to share this.” - -Joe, as he spoke, showed Harry into a little cabin which was lighted -by a port side dead-light, and which had two neat berths with clean -bedding and white sheets. There was abundant locker room, and the whole -looked somewhat as any boy’s room might that was occupied by a young man -studious and interested in outdoor sports. A rifle and shotgun hung on -the wall, and other boyish belongings were scattered about. There was a -shelf or two of books, and it reminded Harry in a certain way of his own -room at home. Joe noted his approval with pleasure, and seeing him glance -at the books said:— - -“Father’s got quite a library in his room that you are welcome to use. -We’ll study navigation and some of those things together, if you want to. -Here’s your locker, and these hooks are for you. You may have either bunk -you wish, but I think you’ll find the lower one more convenient. Come on -ashore now, and I’ll help you get your things aboard and get you settled. -We sail to-morrow.” - -That night at supper, which was deftly served at two bells by the Chinese -steward, Harry was cordially welcomed by Captain Nickerson, and met -the first mate, a lank, muscular man, bronzed and singularly taciturn, -and learned much of his duties as supercargo, which he readily saw -were nominal indeed. It was strange how easily he became adapted to -life on board, and before bedtime he felt as if he had already lived -a long time on a whaling ship. He stored his trunk and the “hoodoo” -black bag in the city, and brought his belongings aboard in two canvas -sacks, regular sailor’s bags, much to the approval of the two brawny -Kanakas of the crew detailed to bring them down for him. Harry was -much interested in these dusky South Sea islanders, and found them -intelligent, good-natured, and efficient. Joe showed him over the ship, -introduced him to the engineer and his assistant, and taught him much -about the general working of the vessel. He saw the great kettles, set in -brickwork on the forward deck, for the trying out of blubber. He saw the -whaling implements, the bundles of staves for casks, and the great space -between decks above and below for the storing of these when they should -be coopered and filled with oil. He saw the galley where two slant-eyed -Chinese were in charge, and the narrow quarters of the crew forward, -crowded as much as possible to give more space in hold and on deck for -oil casks, and for such members of the crew as he came in contact with he -had a pleasant word. - -[Illustration: THE LONG ROLLERS OF THE NORTH PACIFIC] - -Until Arctic whaling by way of Bering Sea began, few if any whalers were -fitted with steam as an auxiliary; but it was found that if vessels -were to make a success of the industry among the ice-floes of these -treacherous waters, get into and out of the Arctic by the narrow, -current-ridden, ice-tangled passage of Bering Straits, it was wise and -expedient to add steam to the equipment. Hence many vessels like the -Bowhead, though thorough-going sailing vessels, were equipped with -engines and propeller, to be used when the wind did not serve, or when -the passage of ice-floes made it necessary. It was under a full head of -steam, then, that the Bowhead passed up Admiralty Inlet, as that portion -of the Sound is called, rounded into the Straits of Fuca, and spread -her sails to the westerly wind only when she was well out toward Cape -Flattery, and breasting the long rollers that swung unimpeded from the -vast expanse of the world’s greatest ocean. - -How Harry’s heart had swelled within him at the sight of this sea! He had -something of the feelings of Balboa when he first sighted it from that -Central American mountain-top, and fell on his knees in adoration and -thanksgiving. He longed like Captain Cook to furrow it with exploring -keel, and seek out the enchanting mysteries that lie in and beyond the -shores that it touches. - -“Great sight, isn’t it, Harry?” said Captain Nickerson, who stood near -him and noticed his emotion. - -“Yes, sir,” replied Harry. “It seems like dreams coming true to think -that I am to see the things that I have read about this side of the -world, but never really expected to see with my own eyes.” - -The captain smiled. “You’ll see strange sights, my boy, before you get -home,” he said, and there was more of prophecy in this than either of -them dreamed at the time. - -“Are we liable to do any whaling right away?” asked Harry. - -“Well, that depends,” replied the captain. “There is now and then a -humpback in these waters, but they are pretty shy nowadays, and hard to -come up with. They’re hardly worth while. I doubt if we shall lower a -boat before we get into Bering Sea and get among the bowheads as they -follow the ice up. We are likely to see a whale, though, most any time -now.” - -“I wish we could,” said Harry, the ardor of the sportsman beginning to -thrill in his veins; but no whale appeared that day, though he watched -the sea with patience and undiminishing ardor. - -A day or two afterward, as he came on deck, he saw a little cloud on the -surface of the water like the puff of smoke that follows the discharge -of a rifle loaded with black powder. A moment after another puff shot -into the air quite near the ship, and he saw beneath it a black body rise -languidly to the surface, loll along it a moment, and then sink again. -His heart gave a great jump. A whale! Why had none of the crew seen it? -To be sure they were not on watch for whales, but still several were -on deck, and the first mate, whose watch it was, was pacing leisurely -back and forth behind him as he stood at the rail. The mate now and then -glanced at the sails to see how they were drawing, and now and then -shot a command, a single word if possible, to the crew for a pull on -the braces, or something of that sort, but he seemed to take no notice -of the puff of smoke and the black body just showing above the surface -almost alongside. Harry looked again. Yes, it was there, so near that he -could see that the little puff of smoke was a cloud or vapor blown with -a whiff into the air from one end of this black body. He could stand it -no longer, but rushed up to the mate, grasped his arm, pointed in the -direction of his discovery, and said excitedly, “See, see! There he is! -Don’t you see the whale?” - -“Nope,” calmly replied the taciturn first mate, gazing at the little puff -of vapor and the black body. - -“Isn’t—isn’t it a whale?” faltered Harry, a little ashamed of his -enthusiasm in the face of this stolidity. - -“Nope,” said the first mate. - -“But it looks like a whale,” persisted Harry; “and it acts like a whale, -at least as I have read that they acted. What is it, then?” - -“Blackfish,” said the mate, with a sweep of his hand to the other side of -the ship. Harry looked in that direction, and was silent in astonishment -and delight. - -“Hundreds!” said the mate, and resumed his walk on the deck. - -There were not so many as that, but there were certainly scores of these -creatures sporting lazily in the waves, rolling their black bodies to -glisten in the sun, and sending up the puffs of vapor that floated a -moment in the breeze and then vanished. It reminded Harry of the skirmish -line when the Cadets were encamped at Hingham, and the order “Fire at -will” had been given. The puffs were much like those from the Springfield -rifle. - -The blackfish is really a whale, though the whalemen do not like to -consider him as such or give him credit for it. He is small, not -generally reaching a length of twenty feet, but otherwise he has all -the characteristics of a whale. He blows, breathes, feeds, and lives in -whale fashion. But he contains but a barrel or two of oil, of an inferior -quality, and hence is beneath the notice of the average whaleman, though -vessels in hard luck occasionally turn to and slaughter him rather than -return to port empty. His meat, on the other hand, is better than whale -meat, and is often esteemed a delicacy on a long whaling voyage when -fresh meat from other sources has not been obtainable. - -Some time afterward, as they were nearing the Aleutian Islands, Harry was -to see his first “real whale,” and witness one of the fierce tragedies of -the sea. He sat by the taffrail conning Bowditch’s Navigator, puzzling -his way through the intricate and bewildering instructions as to the -taking of the sun, the use of sextant and quadrant, the working out -of longitude and latitude, while Joe, standing second mate’s watch as -was his wont, paced the deck, and now and then passed a word with the -boatswain. That worthy was sitting cross-legged near the rail amidships, -busy with sailor’s needle and canvas rigging some chafing-gear for some -of the lines, when he suddenly sprang to his feet and gazed intently -over the bow toward the horizon. A moment he stood thus, and then the -great tones of his voice rang out in the musical call:— - -“A-h-h blow! There she blows! Whale—o!” - -The ship sprang into bustle immediately. The watch on deck, which had -been languidly busy over such small matters as the boatswain could devise -to keep them at work, jumped into instant action, scurrying hither and -thither to get the gear up and the boats in trim for a possible conflict. -Those below came piling up on deck, and Joe sprang into the rigging, -looking intently toward the spot where the whale was supposed to be. -Harry gazed eagerly, but he could see nothing. - -Captain Nickerson and the first mate appeared as suddenly from below, and -the whole ship was activity and attention. - -“Where is that whale?” asked the captain. - -“Three points off the port bow, sir,” answered Joe; “about four miles, I -think.” - -“Good!” cried the captain. “Hold your course”—this to the man at the -wheel. - -He climbed into the mizzen rigging with Joe, and gazed through his glass -in the direction indicated. A shade of disappointment came into his face. - -“It’s an old bull humpback,” he said, “and I don’t believe we can -get near him, but you may see that the first and second boats are in -readiness, Mr. Jones.” - -“Ay, ay, sir,” answered that man of brevity, using three words in the -excitement of the moment; but there had been no need to give the order, -for he had several of the crew busy doing just that very thing already. -All had been keen in the hope that it would be a sperm whale. - -Harry climbed into the rigging too, and as the ship drew toward the spot, -he plainly saw an occasional puff as the monster breathed and sent a -little cloud of vapor into the air. Steadily they approached the lazy -leviathan, and by and by Harry could see his black head and hump, yet -still the vessel kept her course, and the order to lower was not given. - -“Hullo!” said the captain. “He’s gallied.” - -What that might be Harry was not sure, though he took it to mean excited, -for the animal suddenly surged forward, half out of water, swung a half -circle on the surface with a great sweep of his mighty flukes, and began -to forge through the water in their direction. As he did so, something -flashed into the air behind him, and a black figure twenty feet long, -shaped somewhat like another whale, seemed literally to turn a somersault -from the surface, landing with a thud right on the back of the great -humpback. The noise of the blow was plainly heard, though the whale was -more than a half mile away. The humpback gave a sort of moaning bellow, -and sounded. - -“’Vast there with your boats,” cried the captain; “the killer has got -ahead of us.” - -The orca, or “whale-killer” as the whalers call him, is one of the most -powerful and rapacious animals in the world. Himself a whale, he is the -only one of the species that lives on other whales, and does not hesitate -to attack the largest of them. He grows to a length of thirty feet, and -his activity and strength are extraordinary. One of them has been known -to take a full-grown dead whale that the whalemen had in tow, grasp it in -his tremendous jaws, and carry it to the bottom, in spite of its captors. -One does not have to believe an old writer who says that a killer has -been seen with a seal under each flipper, one under the dorsal fin, and a -third in his mouth. Eschrit, however, is reckoned reliable, and we have -his authority that a killer has been captured, from the stomach of which -were taken thirteen porpoises and fourteen seals. The killer is shaped -much like a whale, has great jaws filled with sharp teeth, and a pointed -dorsal fin, with which he is fabled to dive beneath a whale and rip up -his belly. He is found in all seas, but is particularly numerous in the -North Pacific. In the far north he pursues the beluga or white whale and -the walrus. He captures the young walrus in a novel manner. The latter -climbs on the back of the mother and the great ivory tusks keep the orca -at bay, but he dives beneath the old one and comes up against her with -such a blow that the young one falls from the rounded back of its mother, -when it is immediately seized and crushed in the great jaws of the -rapacious animal. - -For a few moments nothing more was seen of either animal, and then, not -his own length from the ship, the whale appeared, shooting up as if from -a great depth, and flinging almost the whole of his great bulk straight -into the air. The orca rose with him, his jaws set in the body of the -whale just behind the left flipper. As the monster shook himself in -agony, even when reared almost his whole length in the air, and with his -great flukes beating the water beneath to foam, the hold of the orca was -broken, and he fell back into the water beside the whale, leaving a great -three-cornered tear in the whale’s side that dyed the water crimson as -with another tremendous leap the wild wolf of the sea was again on his -victim. - -Again Harry heard that strange half moan, half bellow, as the frenzied -humpback ploughed along the surface to windward, beaten by the blows of -the orca as he flung himself into the air, and again and again came down -like an enormous club on his victim’s back. And thus the unequal contest -went on, and Harry watched them till they disappeared in the distance to -windward. He was much impressed by the spectacle. - -“How do you suppose it will come out?” he asked, as they clambered down -from the rigging. - -“The killer will get him, sure,” replied Captain Nickerson. “He will -hammer him and worry him for miles, till he is completely exhausted. Then -he will get a bite in his lip, and it will be all up with Mr. Humpback. -By this time to-morrow as much of him as the orca does not want to eat -right away will be floating belly up, and the sea birds and sharks will -be busy with it.” - -Two days afterward great banks of fog, with now and then a white peak -gleaming through, showed that they were nearing the Aleutian Islands. -The course was changed more to the northward, and the ship sailed into -the windy, cloud-tormented reaches of Unalga Pass. Just as they reached -the edge of the mists, the clouds lifted for a moment, and showed a -scene of surpassing grandeur. The scarred and weather-beaten abrupt -cliffs of the mountain sides rose from dark waters, that flashed green -and white as they broke against the island sides, varying from dull red -to deep crimson, streaked with vivid green of grasses and golden brown -with lichens. Above these again swept the bare uplands, golden and olive -with the tundra moss that clothes all to the farthest Arctic limits of -the north, while over all, majestic and wonderful, lifting its crystal -pinnacle eight thousand feet to the heavens, stood the mighty crest -of Shishaldin, clothed white with unmelting snows, and tipped with a -fluttering banner of smoke from the undying fires within. Shishaldin and -Pogromnia, the one white as snow, the other dark with furrowed cliff -and frozen lava, are chimneys to the banked fires of Unimak Island, in -which slumber still, as they have slumbered since the white men first -discovered them nearly two centuries ago, the mighty forces of eruption. - -In the baffling currents and gusts of the pass sails were furled, and -the ship proceeded under a full head of steam, skirting the lofty cliffs -of Akutan. On this island once dwelt many thousand happy, contented -Aleuts. They were great whalemen, and when the summer brought the -humpback whales in schools to their turbulent waters, they captured many -of them by bold but primitive hunting. Wisely, they did not attack the -old whales, for the humpback is a famous fighter, and the white whalers -rarely attack them in these dangerous waters to-day. Instead they picked -out the agashitnak (yearlings) or akhoak (calves), and boldly attacked -them in their two-holed bidarkas, made of walrus and seal skin stretched -over driftwood framework. In the after-hole sat the paddler, and in the -forward one the harpooner with his six-foot driftwood harpoon, tipped -with an ivory socket bearing a notched blade of slate. This was thrust -deep into the young whale and then withdrawn, leaving the socket and -blade in his carcass. The mark of the hunter was scratched deep in this -slate blade, that he might know it again. On being thus wounded the whale -fled to sea, and there, as the Aleuts used to say, “went to sleep for -three days.” Meanwhile watchers lined the cliffs, and watched through the -scurrying fog for the currents to drift the carcass back to the island. -Once perhaps in twenty times this happened, and then there was a feast -and great rejoicing in the villages. The mark of the mighty hunter, -inscribed on the blade, was found when the weapon was cut out, and he was -honored for his feat during life, and even afterward. After his death, if -he had been one of the very great men, his body was preserved, cut up, -and rubbed on the blades of the young harpooners, that his valor and good -fortune might be thus transmitted. - -The villagers were bold sea hunters, but gentle and peaceable in their -intercourse with one another, and so large were their villages that -to-day the ruins of one of them front for nearly a mile on the beach. -Over on Akun—another veritable volcanic mountain rising abruptly from the -sea—were other prosperous villages, also of primitive whalemen. Here were -boiling springs in which the villagers might cook their meat without -fire, and the winter’s cold was in no wise to be feared because of the -underground heat. - -The humpbacks still school in summer about the islands of Akun and -Akutan, and millions of whale birds swoop in black clouds above them. -The little auks and parrot-bill ducks, as the sailors call the puffin, -swarm upon the cliffs, and breed there as of old; but the Aleuts are -gone from their ancient villages, and only a diseased remnant remains in -favored spots in the once populous archipelago. On Akutan and Akun there -are none. At Unalaska, or Illiluk as they called it, a remnant survives, -their blood mingled with that of their exterminators, the Russians, -and their sod huts cluster about the beautiful Greek church which they -support. While the Bowhead lay at anchor in their harbor, Harry and Joe -saw much of them, and found them so shy and gentle that it did not seem -possible that they ever had risen in revolt against their fierce Cossack -oppressors and swept them from the island; but such they did more than a -century ago, only to be conquered and almost exterminated by fresh hordes -of the invaders. - -[Illustration: HARBOR OF UNALASKA] - -Like a necklace about the throat of Bering Sea, the Aleutian Islands -swing in a cloud-capped circle of peaks to within about five hundred -miles of the Siberian coast. The story of their discovery and -exploitation by the Russians is one of romantic interest, thrilled -through with horror at the needless oppression and slaughter of their -gentle inhabitants. It was in the year 1740 that the Russians first -sighted them, on the ill-fated expedition of Bering and his fellow -commander Chirakoff. During the preceding centuries the little white -sable known as the Russian ermine had led the wild Cossack huntsmen -across the Siberian steppes to the shores of Kamchatka. The value of east -Siberian furs in Russian markets was great, and when the wild huntsmen -and traders reached the sea limit, they learned from the natives legends -of land yet beyond, over-sea, where furs were still more plentiful. -Accordingly, with a commission from the Russian court, Bering and -Chirakoff fitted out two little vessels and set out upon these unknown -seas on a voyage of discovery. Bering touched the mainland of Alaska, but -soon started for home. Chirakoff visited several of the Aleutian Islands -and finally reached Kamchatka again, after losing many of his crew from -starvation and disease. Bering, however, was wrecked on the Commander -Islands, just off the Gulf of Kamchatka, and died there, but after -incredible hardships a remnant of his crew reached the mainland. They had -been obliged to subsist on the flesh of the sea otter during their stay -on the islands, and they brought back with them some of the pelts of the -animals. These were received with great favor in Russia, and the high -price offered for the skins gave a great impetus to further exploration -of the islands, on which they abounded. Expedition after expedition was -fitted out in crazy vessels, and the Promishlyniks, as the Russians -called these savage huntsmen and voyagers, began to overrun the Aleutian -chain. - -Often their unseaworthy ships were wrecked in the gales which surge -about the islands. Hunger and disease decimated their crews, and many an -expedition started out boldly into the untried tempestuous waters, only -to disappear and be no more heard from. Yet now and then an unseaworthy -craft would escape the gales, and with half an emaciated crew return, -the ship loaded down with many thousands of sea otter, fox, and seal -skins, meaning great wealth to the survivors. Nothing could exceed the -boldness and hardihood of these men. The half-starved, disease-smitten -remnants of the unsuccessful crews would immediately dare the myriad -dangers again in a new expedition, so great was their courage and so -tempting the prize. We have scant records of the expeditions, yet in -those of which we know the misery and death, even when success resulted, -is appalling. Yet they kept on, and the boldness and hardihood of the -Cossack hunter-mariners were equaled only by their rapacity and cruelty. -Invariably met with goodwill and hospitality on the part of the natives -of the mountainous islets, their return was invariably oppression and -cruelty in the extreme. A busy, contented, hospitable people swarmed in -the sheltered coves of the rocky isles when the invasion began. Within -thirty years but scattered remnants were left, enslaved, diseased, -discouraged. Once only, on Unalaska, they took advantage of the winter -and slaughtered their oppressors who remained on the island, but with -the spring came new hordes, and they were obliged to sue for peace, with -slavery. - -This uprising took place in the winter of 1763, and the story of the -escape of two of the Promishlyniks, driven to the mountains, at bay on -a rocky headland, concealed in a cave, fleeing alongshore in a captured -canoe, always with tremendous odds against them, yet always winning in -the unequal fight, is an extraordinary one. - -Most of the Aleutian Islands to-day are barren, and desolate of -inhabitants. Few if any Russians remain, and but a handful of Aleuts. -Moreover, the greed of a century and a half has practically exterminated -the sea otter. Once so common that it might be killed with a club, the -animal is to-day one of the most wary known, and the price of a single -skin is a fortune to the Aleut hunter, of whom a few still seek for the -prized fur. The Russian domination passed with the sale of Alaska to the -United States. The American domination is kindly, but the Aleut does not -thrive, and it seems but a few more years before he will have passed into -the category of races that have faded before the advance of the white man. - -The Bowhead made only a brief stay at Unalaska. Here some coal was added -to their supply, and store of fresh water was taken from the reservoir, -established by one of the big trading companies that have stations there, -at the seal islands, and at St. Michaels, at the mouth of the Yukon -River. Then the anchor was hoisted, they steamed out of Captain’s Bay, by -the strange headland, Priest Rock, which marks its entrance, and with a -southerly wind in the sails left the clouds and snowy peaks behind. Their -prow was set toward the mysterious north, and already the man on the -lookout was on the watch for the blink of Bering Sea ice not yet melted -by the spring sun. - - - - -CHAPTER III - -BUCKING ICE IN BERING SEA - - -Harry sat at the mess-room table one morning a few days later, writing -the first chapter in what he rather shyly called his “report.” He had -learned much from Captain Nickerson of the habits of the humpback whale, -which frequents the Aleutian Islands, and the dangerous circumstances -under which vessels would work while whaling in these waters. The captain -had declared that it was not worth while to hunt the humpback, that the -dangers and losses would more than balance the gain, and Harry believed -him. Nevertheless it was on such things as these that Mr. Adams wanted -knowledge, and so he was jotting down what he had learned. - -The old humpbacks are born fighters. The shoals and currents, the fogs -and gales, of the islands are their allies, and right well do they know -how to take advantage of them. Once an iron is fast to a humpback, his -first impulse is to turn and crush the puny boat which has stung him. -Failing in this, he rushes to a shoal, and rolling on the bottom tries -to roll the iron out, or he swings in and out the narrow, reef-studded -passages, and often wrecks the boat that is fast to him. Even if he fails -in all these attempts and is killed, the swift currents and the fog -which surrounds make the bringing of the carcass to the ship difficult -and dangerous. Hence, now that the Aleuts have passed from the islands, -he is left to pursue his ways in peace. “Why bother with him,” say the -whalemen, “when just a little way to the northward are the bowheads, far -more valuable, and as a rule killed almost without a struggle?” - -Now and then Harry lifted his head from his work to listen to a peculiar -grating sound that seemed to come from the side of the ship. It was the -same sound that a small boat makes when it touches a gravelly bottom, -and he noted also that steam was up on the vessel, and knew by the slow -pulsations of the screw that they were proceeding at half speed. He was -curious about all this, but decided that he would finish his work before -he went on deck. Then a faint, far-away cry came to his ear. The man at -the masthead had sung out—“A-h-h blow!” - -The next cry was neither faint nor far, for it came from the mighty lungs -of the great boatswain. “Whale—o!” he shouted; “tumble up lively, lads. -There’s a bowhead out here in the ice.” - -Harry tumbled up lively, indeed, but he was at the heels of the members -of the crew, who had been below at the call, for all that. He found -himself in a new world. During the early morning hours the ship had -entered the southern edge of the Bering Sea ice, and was steaming -steadily northward into it. Thus far the ice was neither thick nor in -force, scattered floes to the right and left leaving open leads through -which the vessel pressed, rubbing her sides against floating fragments as -she passed. It was this scattered “slush” that had made the grating sound -on the ship’s side. A big bowhead was playing leisurely along in the -broken ice some distance ahead, now diving beneath a floe, now appearing -in an open space, feeding, and unconscious of danger. The open water and -the ice round about was no longer the clear green which it had been, but -was turbid with a brownish substance like mother-of-vinegar. - -“What’s that stuff?” asked Harry. - -“Whale food,” answered Joe; “the sea is full of it about here at this -time of year.” - -“Well, I’m glad I’m not a whale,” said Harry; “I’d hate to eat that.” The -brown, muddy, clotted messes were even frozen into the ice. They consist -of minute forms of low-grade animal life, and are certainly not palatable -in appearance. Yet the bowhead is fond of them. He sculls along with his -mouth wide open, the bone in his upper jaw reaching down to his lower lip -on either side, and making of his mouth a cavern into which food, water, -and all enter. Once the great mouth is full he pushes his enormous spongy -tongue up into it, squeezes the water out through the whalebone sieve, -and swallows the food left behind. - -One bell sounded in the engine-room. The throb of the screw ceased, -and the Bowhead glided gently along an open space of water toward her -namesake. - -“That fellow will go sixty barrels, and a good lot of bone,” said Captain -Nickerson. “Lower away there!” - -Two whaleboats were swung over the side, the first mate in charge of one, -Captain Nickerson in the other. Joe was left behind, nominally in charge -of the ship, and Harry, of course, remained with him. His nerves were -a-tingle with the excitement of the chase, and he ardently wished he -might be in one of the two boats. - -“Hard luck, isn’t it?” said Joe, who noticed his excitement. “Tell you -what, we’ll get ready for a strike ourselves. There’s likely to be more -than one bowhead about, and we’ll get up some gear in case they want more -of it. Here, Billy,”—this to one of the Kanakas on deck,—“get up a couple -of tubs of that extra line.” - -“There’s no knowing how soon we’ll want another boat away. I’ll get up -another bomb gun and a supply of ammunition. Then we’ll be heeled, as -they say in Frisco.” - -Harry handled the bomb gun when it arrived,—a short, ponderous weapon -of brass, clumsy indeed to one accustomed to handle an ordinary rifle -or shotgun, but very efficient in the service for which it is intended. -Joe showed him how it was used, and even loaded it, placing it carefully -against the rail. The two boats, zigzag fashion, approached the whale -through the floes, the captain’s much in advance, and finally came up -with him. Cautiously they glided on till the bow of the foremost just -grazed the black back. Then the harpooner, with a mighty thrust, sent the -iron deep into the blubber, and the boat backed rapidly away. - -“The gun missed fire! The gun missed fire!” shouted Joe excitedly; -“they’ll lose him!” - -So it seemed, for there was no sound of an explosion, only the welt of -the whale’s flukes on the water as he sprang into action at the thrust -of the harpoon. With this one great splash he went below the surface, -sounded, as the whalemen say, and there was no sign of his presence -except the two boats and the rapidly whizzing line as it ran out through -the chock. - -“They’re heading this way,” said Harry; and so they were, the captain’s -boat standing bow on beside a floe, with the line whizzing against the -edge of the ice, and the first mate’s men pulling with all their strength -toward the ship. Then they heard the warning shout from the captain,— - -“Watch for him, we’ve parted.” The rough edge of ice had cut the line, -and the whale was free. - -The bowhead’s chances for getting away were good. He would come to the -surface again only for a breath, and then continue his flight to safety -in the distant ice fields. But now came one of those happenings which -prove how wise it is to be prepared for any emergency. Joe, in getting -up that extra gear and the gun, had unwittingly saved the day. As both -boys stood by the rail gazing toward the boats, there came a crash in the -weak ice just alongside, a black bulk crushed up through it, and with a -gasp like that of a steam exhaust a puff of vapor shot up right in their -faces. - -“There he is! There he is!” yelled Joe frantically; “give it to him!” - -With the words he snatched up the iron at his side, and hurled it -downward with all his strength into the head of the whale, where it stuck -quivering. At the same time Harry, yelling like mad in his excitement, -caught up the bomb gun, put it to his shoulder as if it were a toy, and -discharged it full into the middle of the black mass, which he saw as -through a mist heaving in the crushed ice. There was a dull, heavy sound -of a muffled explosion, and the whale quivered and stopped. Then came -a wild hurrah from the ship, and an answering one from the boats. The -boatswain sprang up the short ladder from amidships to their side. - -“Mighty good, young fellers,” he shouted, almost as excited as they; -“you plunked him fair, and just one chance out of a thousand. Whoop! -but we’re a whaling crew. Greenhorn bagged the first bull right from the -quarter deck. Whoop!” - -The bowhead lay motionless, evidently dead, and the boatswain made the -line fast to a cleat. Then he sang a variation of an old sea chantey, -cutting a ponderous pigeon wing to the tune— - - “Tra la la, tra la la, tra la la boom, - Lorenzo was no sailor, - Tra la la, tra la la, tra la la boom, - He shipped on board a whaler.” - -“’Vast there, bosun,” he said to himself, suddenly sober; “no -monkeyshines on the quarter-deck. Get down amidships where you belong. -Hi there, you Kanakas! clear away that cuttin’-in gear. Step lively now, -they’re alongside.” - -The boats were no sooner at the davits than preparations for cutting-in -the whale were made. He was hauled alongside, head toward the stern, and -a heavy tackle was rigged to the mainmast head. Then the cutting-in stage -of planking, rigged so as to swing from the side of the ship out over -the carcass, was put outboard. Two men, each with the great steel chisel -which the whalemen call a spade, took stations on this. A longitudinal -slit was cut in the blubber just back of the flipper. Then cuts were made -from this round the carcass, a hook from the tackle was made fast in the -end of the strip, and hoisting away on the tackle the blubber was peeled -from the dark meat beneath in a spiral peeling, somewhat as one might -peel an apple. As the weight on the tackle grew great, the strip was cut -away and hoisted upon the deck amidships. Meanwhile, others of the crew -had started fires beneath the great kettles forward, and the blubber, -cut into small cubes, was put in these. At first this fire was of wood, -but as the work progressed the scraps from the blubber were thrown into -the grate and burned fiercely, giving off a thick black smoke that had a -disagreeable odor of burnt flesh. - -By and by the blubber was all aboard, filling the space between decks -with its quivering oily masses, among which the crew plunged and worked -like demons. The furnaces spouted smoke and oil, and remnants of blubber -made the decks slippery. Last of all the tackle was carefully made fast -to the head, and the ship listed to one side as the donkey engine put -a strain on the great mass. Then the great backbone was severed by the -spades, and the tense tackle sang as the enormous bulk was swung inboard -and landed safely on the deck. - -“What for goodness’ sake is that in his mouth?” asked Harry. - -“That’s the bone,” replied Joe; “and a fine head of bone it is. Some of -the slabs are eight or nine feet long.” - -“Well, I never thought whalebone looked like that,” said Harry, gazing in -astonishment at the black slabs varying in length from one foot to eight -that extended down from the upper jaw. They were flattened, nearly a foot -in greatest diameter at the base, and tapering to a thin tip. This was -fringed far up on the sides with what resembled horsehair. - -“Can he shut his mouth with all that in it?” asked Harry. - -“Oh, yes,” replied Joe. “The tips fit into the groove between the tongue -and the lip, and point backward when he shuts his jaws. They are very -elastic, as you know, and they spring and bend close together.” - -The boatswain and the mate busied themselves cutting out these slabs -of bone, which were piled away to be cleansed before stowing them. The -boatswain was jovial and talkative. He sang snatches of sea songs, made -jokes, and tried to draw out his companion as they worked; but the -taciturn mate was as silent as ever. Not so Harry and Joe, who put on -oil-skins and worked with them. After the bone was removed, the head -was tipped overboard, and floated away with the stripped and abandoned -carcass. Arctic gulls had gathered in troops from no one knew where, and -dogfish were already nibbling at it. It would not be many days before -the meat would be stripped from the bones, and the latter resting on the -shallow bottom of Bering Sea. - -“Pity the mersinkers could not have that meat,” said the boatswain. “It -would make a feast for a whole village for a week.” - -“Who are the mersinkers?” asked Harry. - -“The natives over at East Cape,” said the boatswain; “that’s what they -call themselves. You’ll see them in a day or two, probably.” - -The twilight of early June lasts in Bering Sea until almost eleven -o’clock; then flares were lighted of scraps and blubber in wire baskets, -making torches that lighted up the gloom with weird, fantastic glare, -and still the work of trying out went on. The men loomed in and out of -the shadows like strange goblins at uncanny sport. The fires illumined -a brief circle of the desolate ice, and showed only a part of the -rigging which made ladders into an unknown gloom, and the whole was like -a midnight assembly of goblins of the strange ice world, working spells -about witch kettles that far outdid the wild work of the witch sisters in -“Macbeth.” The brief night had passed, and the morning sun was shining on -the ice again, yet the incantations did not cease, and it was two days -before the last of the bowhead’s oil was stowed in casks below decks. -Then only the weary crew had a brief rest, before the ship was cleaned -and scrubbed down. Nearly a thousand pounds of whalebone was the most -valuable result of this first catch, and as the market price of bone at -San Francisco was something over three dollars a pound, Harry had matter -of interest to jot down in his report as to the methods and profits of -the pursuit of the bowhead. - -The vessel now found herself in the middle of the Bering Sea pack ice. -Here and there were open leads still, but they were fewer, more narrow, -and much less connected. Now and again there were places where contrary -winds and currents had crushed the floes together, piling the crumpled -cakes high on one another in wild confusion, often to a height of twenty -or thirty feet. Joe called these hummocks icebergs, and Harry and he -had much friendly controversy as to the correct use of that term. Harry -explained that he had learned that icebergs were the product of glaciers -alone, that there were no glaciers on the Alaskan coast north of the -Aleutians, and that these should properly be called hummocks. In this he -was right, but Joe, with the pride of the man who “has been there,” would -not concede it. Whatever they were, they totally prevented the progress -of the vessel, and when they appeared in the path, the Bowhead was -obliged to make a detour to avoid them. Now and then they were obliged -to “buck ice” to get from one lead to another, and the process was very -exciting. The vessel under a full head of steam would plunge straight at -the field of heavy ice, striking it with a thump that entirely stopped -progress and shook the structure from stem to stern. The masts would -spring under the blow, and at each shock Harry fully expected to see -Captain Nickerson jolted from his perch in the crow’s nest, high on the -fore-mast. Then the ship would back away again at the captain’s order, -leaving a three-cornered dent in the ice. Again and again she would rush -at this dent with her great weight under full head of steam, till the -floe would split, and leave a narrow crack through which the vessel could -crowd her way. Thus for several days they hammered their way on through -the pack, until they reached its northwestern edge, where open water gave -them free passage to the ice-bound shores of east Siberia. There they -came to anchor under a headland, and though it was mid-June and did not -seem cold, were greeted by a storm of snow that came scurrying down from -the snow-clad hills inland. - -[Illustration: BUCKING THE ICE] - -Next day it cleared, and the skin topeks of a Chuckchis village could -be seen on the barren shore. A strip of shore ice still separated them -from the land, but the natives came dragging their umiaks across this -and then put to sea in them, soon paddling alongside. There were a dozen -or more in each boat, men, women, and children, all clad much alike -in walrus-hide seal-top boots, sealskin trousers, and a hooded coat -of reindeer fur which extended nearly to the knee. Men and women and -the older children alike paddled, and the walrus-hide boats made rapid -progress over the waves. Once alongside they made fast and came aboard, -all hands, smiling and silent, sitting or standing for a time until -addressed by some one who was or seemed to be in authority. Then they -spoke, and conversation was soon general. It was limited, however. Many -of the men know considerable English of the “pigeon” variety, and most of -the whalers are familiar with the trade language of the Eskimos of Bering -Sea and the straits, which consists of Eskimo, mingled with words and -phrases picked up from the whalers and traders, and originating Heaven -knows where. Possibly some are Kanaka words transplanted far north. -Others are words invented by the sailors on the spur of the moment, -which, once applied by the natives, have been adopted into general use. - -Each native had a sealskin poke which he carried slung over his shoulder -by a rawhide thong, and which consisted of the skin of the ordinary -Arctic seal taken off whole, and tanned with the hair on. A slit was cut -in the side of this, making a sort of traveling-bag, in which he carried -articles which he was to offer for trade. Within these pokes were walrus -tusks, plain and carved, some elaborately; walrus teeth carved into -grotesque imitations of little animals; “muckalucks,” the trade word -for the native skin-boot; “artekas,” or coats of reindeer skin; furs of -ermine, mink, otter, and the hair seal; in fact, anything which the -mersinker could find at home that he thought the whalemen might fancy. -None of these goods were offered on deck, however. Each waited until the -captain, sitting in state in his cabin, sent for him; then one by one -they went down to trade. After each man had made what bargain he could -with Captain Nickerson, he brought what was left to the deck, and there -traded freely with the sailors. - -As supercargo, Harry sat in the cabin with Captain Nickerson, and kept -account of each trade as it was made, having good opportunity to watch -the methods of the natives. He found them very clever at barter, Captain -Nickerson, Yankee that he was, often meeting his match in some stolid -native, who seemed to have a very clear idea of what he wanted, and how -to get it. The first day of trading was merely preliminary, however, the -natives bringing off their least valuable goods for barter, reserving -the best of the ivory, and all the bone, until they found how prices -were going, and whether the ship held such supplies as they needed or -not. Their first demand seemed to be for hard bread, of which they are -very fond. For this they offered, as a rule, the muckaluck, or native -boot. Calico, as they had learned to call all forms of cloth, came -next; then flour in bags, and later ammunition, rifles, and trade goods. -Of brown sugar they were desirous, and chewing tobacco was asked for -almost as soon as the hard-tack. This they called kowkow tobacco, or -eating tobacco, from their trade word “kowkow,” meaning to eat. Harry -made note of the Eskimo words as he heard them used, and picked up a -working vocabulary, with the help of his notebook, in a very short time. -Before the first day’s trading was over he had begun to understand what -was meant, and by the end of the third day he astonished Joe with his -fluency. As a matter of fact, his vocabulary thus far consisted of only -forty words or so; but as they were the ones in most constant use, it -made him seem quite a linguist. From this time forward he took great -pains to jot down a new word and its meaning as soon as he heard it, -getting many from the officers and crew, and this quick acquisition of -the language was to stand him in good stead later on. - -At the end of the third day trading had ceased. There were great piles -of deerskins, muckalucks, and small furs, several hundred pounds of not -very good bone, quite a quantity of ivory, and many trinkets and curios. -Harry wondered greatly as to the destination of much of this stuff. - -“Are reindeer skins worth much in the States?” he asked Captain Nickerson -once, as the pile grew larger at the expense of much flour and calico. - -“I don’t think there is any market,” replied the captain, “though it is -hard to see why. The fur is very thick and warm, the skin light, and -should make most excellent lap robes and carriage robes, just as the -buffalo fur once did. We shall trade them again when we meet the Eskimos -on the other side of the straits. The caribou is scarce over there, and -they gladly exchange fox, ermine, and bear skins for them. These we can -dispose of readily in Frisco.” - -A good quantity of bone was in hand, but it was only a part of what the -natives had taken, as the captain knew. Two whales had been their good -fortune as the ice came down the fall before, and a third had come to -them that spring as the gift of the orcas. These eat the lip and the soft -tongue of the bowhead, leaving the carcass to float ashore. Hence the -mersinker looks upon the orca with a sort of veneration as a provider -of great and valuable gifts, and has certain ceremonies which he goes -through each year as an invocation to him and an expression of gratitude. -The mersinker, in fact, is a man of many ceremonials, the reason for -which he does not know, but which he follows because his father did the -same before him. These three whales had been small ones, but there must -have been far more bone from them than the natives brought to the ship -for sale. The balance they were keeping back for further trading with -other ships, nor was it possible to get them to bring this out, even by -offering increased value for it. They held it in reserve, as is their -custom, hoping that the next ship would bring goods which they would care -for more than those at hand. - -Captain Nickerson wished to purchase some reindeer for fresh meat, but -none were at the coast. The deermen were said to be stationed in a valley -half a dozen miles in the interior, and he decided to send an expedition -inland in search of some. A coast native volunteered as guide, and -brought along a sledge and dog team for the transportation of supplies. -Mr. Jones, the taciturn first mate, was detailed in command of this -expedition, and Harry and Joe were allowed to go, with many injunctions -to be careful not to get into trouble with the Chow Chuen, as the deermen -call themselves. - -It was a perfect June day when they set off. There was no breath of -wind, and the sun shone brilliantly as they landed on the shore ice, -transferred their supplies to the sledge, and set off through the native -village toward the hills. They had instructions not to be gone longer -than over one night, and it was agreed that a signal of trouble and need -of assistance should be three shots repeated in quick succession. Such -precautions were necessary as the Chow Chuen, though generally willing -to barter, are of uncertain temper, and even the mersinkers are not to -be trusted when they seem to have an advantage. Harry and Joe tramped -on ahead of the company, the Eskimo following with his team and sledge, -and Mr. Jones bringing up the rear. The air was warm, and on bare spots -the spring grass was already growing through the tundra moss, but the -snow still covered most of the earth, and the trail lay across it, well -trodden. - -Each boy carried a rifle and was well supplied with cartridges, while -Harry had in addition a small camera slung over his shoulder by a strap. -The boys were in high glee at the outing, after the long confinement -aboard ship, and rollicked along well ahead of the others. Yet their -progress was slow, the way winding, and it was lunch time and yet they -had not reached the upland valley, where the camp of the deermen was -said to be. A few dry twigs of willow—the only growth of wood, and this -in the main creeping vine fashion, and rising only to a height of two or -three feet—were found to feed a fire, and a pot of tea was boiled. Then -after the men had taken a hasty smoke, the journey was resumed. It was -mid-afternoon when they seemed to be reaching the summit of a low divide. -The six miles had stretched into a dozen, and there was no sign of human -life among the hills, only the beaten trail leading steadily on over the -snow. The mate had seemed anxious for an hour or so, and had swung into -the lead along with the boys. - -“Home pretty soon,” he said, wasting no words; “most far enough.” A -moment after, they rounded a ledge of broken basaltic rock, and looked -down upon a scene of pastoral life such as only the extreme north of -Asia can show. A brown and sheltered valley wound among the rude hills. -It was bare of snow in the main, and the golden brown moss, with which -it was carpeted, showed green with grasses already springing in it. In -scattered groups about this grazed several hundred reindeer, many brown -in color, some piebald, the old ones bearing branching antlers, the fawns -spotted, and gamboling like any young deer. Here and there, fur-clad -herders watched them, and there was a little group of large skin topeks -at one side of the valley not far off, the homes of the herders and their -families. Thither they turned, the coast native taking the lead now. They -were near the little hut hamlet before any one took notice of them, when -a man suddenly appeared with a rifle in his hands. He was taller than the -coast native, and seemed more robust. He fearlessly pointed the rifle at -the approaching party. - -“Way enough!” shouted Mr. Jones. “Hold water!” - -At a wave of his hand the Eskimo went ahead resolutely, his hands held up -palm forward as a sign of peace, and shouting, “Nagouruk! Nagouruk!” - -The deerman lowered the muzzle of his rifle, and the two talked for a -moment. Then the Eskimo made a sign for the party to come forward. The -deerman met them with the word “Nagouruk,” which means “Good,” in token -of friendship, and talked with the Eskimo volubly in a dialect that no -one in the party could make much of. The other, who could speak some -English, explained that it was doubtful if deer could be bought. It had -been a bad winter, many had died in the deep snow, and they wished to let -the herd increase during the spring and summer, lest they face starvation -next winter. In any case, it would be necessary to consult the head -deerman, and he would send for him. - -“Watch out,” said Mr. Jones to Joe and Harry. “Don’t like this gang.” - -The deermen’s topeks numbered about half a dozen, scattered along the -sunny side of an abrupt turn in the cliff which bordered the valley’s -edge. The deerman lifted the flap of one of these, and motioned them to -enter. A crowd of curious women and children, the smaller of these latter -perched on their mothers’ shoulders astride their necks, had begun to -gather. Men came running up from the other topeks, and the little party -was soon being stared at, criticised, and even poked and hustled, in -half-curious, half-insolent fashion. The Chow Chuen are certainly no -respecters of persons. They hate and distrust the white man, but they do -not fear him. - -Mr. Jones hesitated. Then he motioned to Harry to stand by the sled. -“Stand watch, will you?” he said. “Keep ’em off. Don’t get gallied.” - -Harry, rifle in hand, took his stand by the sled, while the other three -entered the topek. The Alaskan coast native builds a small summer -shelter, but the Siberian coast native, and the deermen of the uplands -inland, build great ones, sometimes thirty feet in diameter. These are -covered with skins, held down with rawhide ropes and stone weights -against the furious gales of that country. Within is a central common -space surrounded by smaller rooms, made by deerskin curtains. They found -this central room empty, but a rustling behind the curtains showed that -the others were tenanted. The deerman bade them wait and went out, soon -returning with another of his kind who seemed to be the head man, and -followed by half a dozen others. Then the bargaining began, the Eskimo -acting as interpreter, and signs filling up the spaces where words failed. - -Meanwhile, Harry was very busy outside, and somewhat worried. The entire -population of the hamlet seemed bent on investigating him thoroughly. -They made derisive remarks about his clothing, and tried to put their -hands in his pockets, which they seemed to admit to one another were good -things to have. One man took off his hat and started to put it on his -own head, amid laughter from his comrades. He seemed to resent it when -Harry snatched it away, and touched his knife significantly. But when -one attempted to relieve him of his watch and chain he was forced to -draw back hastily, for Harry felt that the limit of patience was about -reached, and cocked and pointed his rifle threateningly. The others -seemed to enjoy the hurried retreat of this man, and to deride him for -cowardice. However, the men kept out of arm’s reach after this. Not so -the women and children. Their attentions were not only to himself, but to -the sled; and he soon saw that under their carelessness was a systematic -attempt to cast off the lashings and get at the goods there. During all -this annoyance he happened to think of his camera, and decided that at -least he could get a picture or two to counterbalance the trouble. So, -unslinging it from his back, he slipped the little instrument from its -case, drew out the bellows to the universal focus, and proceeded to -point it at the most picturesque of the insolent group. The effect was -magical. They tumbled backward from the machine with alarm. When they -saw the flick of the shutter as he pressed the button, they threw their -hands before their eyes and retreated, repeating a word which he did not -understand, but which he learned later meant “magic.” - -This amused Harry greatly, and afterward he had only to point the camera -to widen the circle about him; and to take a new picture was to send arms -flying to the faces that were in range. They seemed to think something -would come from it to injure their eyesight. They resented this threat, -however, and there were black looks on the ugly faces of the men when the -mate and the head deerman appeared from the topek followed by the others. -The bargain had been satisfactorily concluded, and the deermen went off -to drive in the purchased reindeer, while Jones and his lieutenants took -the goods from the sled. The crowd of fur-clad Chow Chuen stood about, -but kept a respectful distance from the camera. - -But when the half-dozen deer were driven up, there were fresh -complications. Mr. Jones was about to slaughter them at once, and had -passed the goods over to the head deerman, when a great outcry arose. The -deermen flocked about the Eskimo, and seemed to demand that he tell the -whites something, which he did. - -“No kill. No kill,” cried the Eskimo in much alarm; “Chow Chuen kill.” - -“Well, tell them to go ahead and do it, then,” roared Mr. Jones, so angry -that he was fluent. “It’s nightfall now, and we’ve got a long road ahead -of us.” - -The Eskimo was much disturbed. He explained, with a strange mingling of -Eskimo with his scant English vocabulary, that there was a ceremonial to -be gone through with first. It could not be done at nightfall, they must -wait the rising sun. “One sleep,” he said. “Nanaku kile. Bimeby he come,” -pointing to the sun. “Mucky” (Dead), with a sweep of his hand toward the -reindeer. - -In vain Mr. Jones stormed with picturesque and unexpectedly voluble -profanity; the deermen were determined. The head deerman ordered the -goods brought out and laid at the feet of the company, scornfully waving -his hand toward the home trail, indicating plainly that they might -consider the trade off, but he would not have the deer slaughtered then. -Mr. Jones would not return without them, and so they waited. - -“Tell him,” he said sulkily, “we’ll wait till sunrise.” - -The Eskimo explained, and this seemed to clear matters somewhat. Some -tobacco offered them helped still more; and the head man drove the crowd -away, evidently telling them to go about their business, which they did -reluctantly. He conducted the party down the line of topeks to one which -was near the end, and told them that that was to be their habitation for -the night. - -“We’ll stand watch and watch,” said Mr. Jones, as they entered this; “no -knowing what these rapscallions will try to do to us, if we all go to -sleep.” - -The interior of this smaller topek was all one room, and there were no -traces of former occupancy, which was satisfactory. It gave promise of -reasonable cleanliness, which could not be said of the others. It was -no doubt a storehouse not in present use. The sled, their blankets, and -belongings were hauled inside; the dogs were tied to the tent-poles -outside, and the Eskimo disposed of himself as best he might. Joe stood -the first watch, while Harry and Mr. Jones rolled themselves in blankets -on the mossy floor of the topek and were soon asleep. It was still light, -though the sun was behind the northern mountains. Indeed, in June in that -latitude, there is but a brief interval of dusk at midnight. The deermen -retired to their topeks, except those on watch with the herd, and save -for the howl of an occasional wolf-like dog, peace reigned. - -At midnight Joe woke Harry, and he went on guard. A gray dusk hung over -everything, there was a sharp chill in the air. All things seemed touched -with a white fungous growth, which was frost. From behind the northern -mountains the sun shot dancing streamers like aurora halfway up the sky. -The whole scene was beautiful but strange, and gave Harry a sense of the -ghostly and supernatural which was hard to shake off, and which he was -often to feel still more vividly as he saw more of Arctic nights. The -prowling, howling bands of Chow Chuen dogs loomed large in the uncertain -light, and it seemed hard not to believe that they were bands of wolves -bent on destruction. He was glad indeed when the first glimpse of the sun -came over the mountains to the northeast, and it was time to call Mr. -Jones. The night had passed, and they were not molested. - -[Illustration: A SIBERIAN TOPEK] - -With the sunrise the whole hamlet was astir for the ceremony of the -slaughter of the reindeer. The six deer purchased were led up, and the -shaman of the village appeared from his lodge, which was decorated with -strange devices and carved images. He held in his hand a long, sharp -knife, and as he passed Harry the boy inadvertently drew back, so fierce -and sinister was the look on his evil face. Each deer in turn was led -up to him and faced to the east. The shaman held his knife toward the -sun, recited something that seemed like a liturgy, then with one thrust -sent the keen knife full to the heart of his victim. With a bleat the -animal fell to its knees, then rolled over dead, and the shaman, rushing -forward, caught the blood from the wound in his palm, scattering it -toward the sun with more words, or perhaps the same, of the ritual. Thus -each deer was slain, and in a twinkling was fallen upon by the Chow Chuen -and the entrails removed. The bodies were then placed on the sled, and it -was evident that the adventurers might take their departure, which they -were glad to do. A mile or two down the trail they breakfasted on deer -steak, broiled over the few willow twigs they were able to find, and went -on, reaching the ship at midday. Captain Nickerson received them gladly -and was pleased at their success, but had a long conference with the -Eskimo. Then only they learned that the treacherous and ugly Chow Chuen -had been much incensed at their wish to take the deer and slaughter them -without the legendary rites of the tribes, and would have attempted to -murder them during the night. The Eskimo had dilated upon the strange -power of the little “magic box,” which he told them could take each man’s -image and carry it away (he having seen photographs taken with a similar -one by previous visiting white men), and crafty and superstitious as they -are fierce, the deermen wisely decided to let the strangers alone. No -doubt the fact that they stood armed watch had its effect as well. - -The next day a southeasterly gale sprang up, and the vessel was obliged -to hoist anchor and get away from the dangerous coast. - - - - -CHAPTER IV - -THE LITTLE MEN OF THE DIOMEDES - - -In the unremembered ages it is probable that the extreme end of Asia, -which is East Cape, Siberia, was joined to the extreme western end of -America, which is Cape Prince of Wales, Alaska. No tradition remains of -the time when the sea broke through this slender barrier, yet even now it -is but about thirty miles in a straight line across, and on clear days -from the mountains of one promontory the other can be faintly discerned. -There is a halfway station, too, two storm-beaten islands which lift -rocky crests of grim granite in the very middle of the hurly-burly of the -straits. These are the Diomede Islands, the greater belonging to Russia, -the lesser to America, and the space between the two is so narrow that -it seems in bright weather as if one could almost throw a stone across, -though in reality it is more than a mile—farther than it looks. Across -this slender land path in those forgotten years came one race after -another from Central Asia, which was the birthplace of races, pressing -southward and peopling the Western hemisphere with tribes, of which -scant traces remain in some instances, while in others their degenerate -descendants are still fading before the westward rush of civilization. -Individuals cross this narrow barrier of tempestuous sea still, but -races come no more, and we find on the halfway station of the Diomedes a -remnant of some ancient people that has stranded there and made a home -where it seems scarcely possible that human creatures could live the year -round. - -Here during the recent centuries met the Asiatic and Alaskan Eskimos, -to trade and fight; and the bold, bare cliffs have been the scene of -many a bloody battle. Now even this custom has passed, and the men from -one side of the straits rarely meet those of the other; but the little -remnant of an unknown people, who stranded there no one knows how long -ago, still cling to their rocky islets and live as did their forefathers. -You may find among them some who bear the mark of the Chuckchis, some -who are more like the Alaskan Eskimos, but the little folk, while having -the manners and customs of each, have characteristics which belong to -neither. Hardly five feet in height, they are too small to have battled -successfully with their more robust brethren, but they make up in slyness -and ability what they lack in brute strength. They are shy and reticent, -clever workmen, clever thieves, and cleverest of all in trading. - -No vegetation save grass and chickweed grows on their cliffs. They build -their dwellings of flat stones banked with scant earth, and the icy sea, -which rims them round and seems to threaten with certain death, is their -father and their mother in that it provides all they have in the world. -In the brief summer an occasional log of driftwood is thrown against -their cliffs, and from this they fashion their canoe frames and their -spear handles. During all the cold and cruel winter the ice-floes which -crash and grind against the worn granite of their islands bring the seal -and walrus and the polar bear. These and the myriad sea birds of summer -are their supplies. - -For many days the southerly gale which had driven the Bowhead from -the Siberian shore kept her in much danger. The sea room was narrow, -ice-floes came driving down before the wind, it was impossible to get -sight of the sun to find the ship’s position, and the drift of the -current toward the straits was an unknown factor. Most of the time -the vessel jogged under reefed topsails, with steam up for use in an -emergency, and Captain Nickerson was almost constantly on deck. Thick -clouds made the nights longer, and very dark, and Harry had a chance to -see the full danger of Arctic navigation. - -It was in the gloom of one of these nights that he stood on deck. The -vessel heeled to the gale, now and then an icy wave sent a rush of spray -over the windward rail, the wind howled and wailed in the tense shrouds, -and an eerie glow seemed to show in the darkness without lighting it, as -if dull fires burned behind the cloud curtains. It seemed to Harry as -if they were blown about in chaos, a place dreary, ghostly, and lonely -beyond expression. He shuddered and thought of the people at home, happy -in the bright June weather. For the first time he was sorry for himself, -and homesick. He thought with a great longing of the broad veranda -looking out upon the bay, of his mother sitting there, and he seemed -with his mind’s eye to see Maisie, in a pretty white gown, flitting -gayly across the lawn toward the boats. Then out of the night came a -wild, despairing cry, and something fluttered aboard, crashed against -the mizzen rigging, and fell in a draggled white heap at his feet. The -thought of Maisie was so strong that he sprang forward, with a great cry -of alarm, to pick her up where she had fallen, when a sudden tremendous -gust of the gale threw the Bowhead on her beam ends. A wall of white -water roared down upon him, lifted him up with Maisie in his arms, and he -went out into the night with it, still clinging to the limp figure he had -clutched as he went down. - -It was well for Harry that the same sea that sent him overboard sent -with him a coil of line from a belaying-pin, where it hung against the -mizzenmast. The whirl of the wave wound this round him, and the great -boatswain, whose watch on deck it was, saw him go out with it, and -finding it taut, and something towing, hauled away at it until he could -reach down and get him by the collar. Then with one big swing of his -enormous arm he landed him aboard. He set him in a heap on the deck, and -with a hand on either knee peered down at him in the gloom. - -“Young feller,” he said, with much emotion, “there’s just one thing I -want you to do for me when we get back to Frisco. Do you know what that -is?” - -“What?” asked Harry, wholly dazed and half drowned, replying mechanically. - -“I want you to take all the money I get this trip and go and bet it -on something for me. A man that can win out the way you’ve just done -couldn’t lose at any game. Great jumping Jehoshaphat! what have you got -here?” - -“Is she all right?” asked Harry, struggling to his feet. He was still -dazed, and had forgotten all the events of the last two months. It seemed -to him that it was Griggs speaking, and that he had just pulled him and -Maisie out of the Fore River. - -The boatswain took the limp white figure from his arms and looked at -it. It was a great white bird, quite dead, no doubt killed by its crash -against the mizzenmast. - -“Go below, my boy,” he said; “and get something hot and turn in. You’ve -had trouble enough for one night.” - -The great boatswain went forward, holding the bird in one hand and now -and then slapping his great leg with the other, and letting forth a roar -of amazed laughter. - -“A goose,” he said; “a Yukon goose! Went overboard and came back and -brought a Yukon goose! Well, the young feller is a seven-time winner. -Bet ye we’ll raise whales this trip, all right.” He went forward to the -galley, where he left his game, and then went back on watch. - -As light grew through the chaos of struggling mist, the cry of “Land ho!” -rang out from the lookout, and the ship rounded to so near dark cliffs -that stretched upward into the mists out of sight that she was fairly -in the wash of the great waves that thundered at their base. A moment -after, ice barred their farther way on the other tack, and a great floe -moved majestically along, bearing them down toward the cliffs. To lie -to was to be carried in and crushed between ice and rocks, and Captain -Nickerson, who was on deck, wisely guessing that it must be one of the -Diomedes, wore ship and ran before the gale, coasting within sight of the -great rock barrier. A half hour afterward he rounded to and swung close -up under the lee of the towering northeast cliff of the big Diomede; so -close to its sheer lift that one could almost throw a line ashore. - -Here was level water indeed, and they were safe from the northward driven -ice-floes, which would split on the island’s prow and sail by to port -and starboard; but they did not escape the wind, which came over the -heights in tremendous “willie-waus,” blowing, as the sailors say, “up and -down like the Irishman’s hurricane.” This seems to be a peculiarity of -the Arctic gale. It comes tearing over the great heights, plunges down -the steep face of the cliffs, and striking the water at their base with -tremendous velocity, sends it whirling out to sea in great masses of -spoondrift that sail along the surface as blown snow does in winter. - -Two days more the ship lay head to the cliff, swinging to two anchors, -then the mists blew away, the wind went down rapidly, and the sun shone -brightly on lofty granite heights. Halfway up was a little space of level -ground like a shelf set in a corner of rock, and out of holes in this -green level came stubby fur-clad men and women, who swarmed down the -cliff by paths of their own and launched umiaks from a sheltered little -hidden cove, putting out to the ship. - -[Illustration: HOME OF “THE LITTLE MEN” OFF THE DIOMEDES] - -Harry was none the worse for his sudden plunge overboard a few days -before. Instead of the weakness and lassitude which had followed his -April upset in the Fore River, there came an immediate reaction, and he -declared a few hours afterward that it had done him good; he would do it -every day, if he could be sure of getting back to the ship so handily. -The Arctic air was already working wonders in him. The experienced seamen -shook their heads at this. They knew well that his chance had been one in -a thousand, and Captain Nickerson rated him soundly for being so careless -as to let a sea catch him that way. - -The little men had much walrus ivory, but not much else that was of -value to the ship, and their trading did not last long. They did have -many curios, and Harry had an opportunity to buy some of these with the -“trade goods” he had brought from Seattle for the purpose. By Captain -Nickerson’s advice he had laid in a few dollars’ worth of rubber balls, -huge beads, little mirrors, harmonicas, and trinkets, and he now found -these very useful. He bought with them many walrus teeth; the back teeth, -which are as large as one’s thumb, carved in grotesque but life-like -shape of seals, bear, walrus, and other animals. Two bargains which he -made are noteworthy as showing the ways of the little people in trading. -One of these was for an exquisite pair of little shoes, soled with -walrus hide crimped up into miniature boots, topped with the softest of -fur from the reindeer fawn, and with a bright edging of scarlet cloth. -They were most skillfully fashioned, and tasteful, for the Eskimo is a -born artist, and were brought aboard by a young woman who apparently was -very proud of them, and wished rather to exhibit than to sell them. - -Harry, proud of his newly acquired Eskimo, asked her immediately, “Soonoo -pechuckta?” (How much do you want?) but she replied by shaking her head -and putting the shoes away in her fur gown. - -By and by she brought them out again and patted them lovingly. Again -Harry tried to get her to name a price for them, and after much labor he -got from her the single word “Oolik” (Blanket). - -“Soonoo?” asked Harry again. - -“Tellumuk,” was the answer, further emphasized by holding up five fingers. - -Five blankets was so obviously exorbitant a price that Harry could not -and would not think of giving it, so he thought to tempt his adversary -with the offer of other things. In vain he brought out tin trumpets, -harmonicas, bangles, beads, and even two alarm clocks, which he had -found elsewhere to be greatly desired by the tribes, and offered them -singly and in groups; the owner of the little shoes was determined. To -all his offers she replied with fine scorn, “Peluck” (No good), and clung -persistently to her first price. - -But Harry, grown wise, took a leaf from her own book. He bethought him of -a little plate-glass mirror, rimmed with scarlet plush, which he had not -offered thus far. It had cost him a dollar and a half at Seattle, but he -was willing to trade it for the shoes. Yet he was convinced that direct -offer would be useless. So he brought it on deck, and without looking at -the obdurate young woman began admiring his own countenance in it. When -she took a furtive interest in it, he thrust it back in his own pocket. -After a little he took it out again, and once more contemplated himself -in its depths. This ludicrous performance continued for some time, and -he could not tell whether or not his adversary were much interested, so -cleverly did she veil her thoughts. By and by her boatload of people were -ready to go home, and getting into the umiak, called to her to come with -them. Harry saw that she lingered, and he played his last card. - -“Ah de gar!” he exclaimed; “ah de gar!” (Wonderful! wonderful!) and -held the mirror in front of the little woman. She saw her own comely -countenance in it, she saw the beveled glass and the vivid scarlet plush, -and as Harry held out his other hand she gave a twitch of her shoulders, -snatched the shoes from their concealment in her gown, and gave them -to him. At the same time she caught up the mirror, flounced down into -the umiak, and settled herself on the bottom, with an air that was -ludicrously like that of her civilized sister when angry with herself for -being outwitted. Vanity and curiosity had conquered, but it was the only -case in all his dealings with Eskimos in which Harry ever knew one of -them to name a price for an article and then accept something different. - -The other trade, if trade it could be called, was a different matter. It -was with the smallest of the Eskimo men of another boat. He had half a -dozen ivory finger rings, carved symmetrically with a seal’s head, or two -or three, where stones would be. Harry sighted these and wished to trade -for the bunch, but this did not suit the little man at all. Instead, with -much pomp and much show of valuing it highly, he took one ring from the -string and offered it to Harry, saying:— - -“Tobac, tobac, tunpanna kowkow” (Eating tobacco). - -The Eskimos are not great smokers, a whiff or two is generally enough -for them, but they are very fond of chewing tobacco, or “eating tobacco” -as they call it, and there was a good store of this on the ship. Harry -offered a moderate-sized piece for the ring and then wanted to purchase -the second with a similar piece. This he could not do. The crafty little -man’s price had risen fivefold, and it was only reluctantly that he -parted with the second ring at the price of five pieces of tobacco. -But when it came to the third one, there seemed to be no such thing as -purchasing it. Harry offered tobacco galore, added trinkets and trade -goods, but the little man was obdurate and all chances of trade seemed -off. - -Harry remembered the shoes and the mirror, and did not despair. He went -down to his locker and brought out the alarm clock again. He wound it -up, set the alarm for a little ahead of the moment, and took it on deck. -There he set it up on a cask and waited. Several of the Eskimos gathered -round and admired it, but the little man only looked at it out of the -corner of his eye. - -After a few minutes the alarm went off, and being a vigorous one, it -startled the crowd of little men and women around it. They nearly fell -over one another in astonishment, and when Harry wound up the alarm and -set it off again, their delight was great. The ring-maker tried to assume -an air of indifference, but when his boat was ready to go he came toward -Harry as if to offer to trade. Harry had learned much of the ways of -the Eskimo trader by that time and turned away indifferently. When the -boat was loaded, he strolled to the side with the clock in his hand. -The little man held up one ring, but he shook his head. Then the Eskimo -offered two. The boat was just going, and Harry wanted the rings so much -that he yielded. It would make four in all, which was perhaps all he -cared for anyway. He handed the clock to the little man, and that worthy -dropped something in his palm as he did so. At the same time he pointed -toward the cliff and jabbered something excitedly in Eskimo. - -Harry looked where he pointed but saw nothing. The boat was several -lengths away now, the click of the windlass pawl showed that the -Bowhead’s anchor was coming up, and they were off. The little man was -no longer gesticulating, but looked back over his shoulder and solemnly -winked one eye. This was a new feature in Eskimo expression, and Harry -wondered much if a wink meant as much with these seemingly stolid people -as with us. As he mused, the umiak rounded the cliff and was gone, and -Harry looked at his two rings for the first time. They were not rings at -all, only two circular sections of a walrus back tooth, flat and useless -disks, which the little man may have meant to make into rings later. - -Then he realized that a wink is a wink the world over, and the language -of signs is common to all people. - -The day was bright, the gale was over, and the Bowhead put to sea, once -more heading northward into the mysterious Arctic, keeping a keen lookout -for whales. The southerly weather had driven the ice of the straits far -to the northward, and though there was now and then a floating cake, the -pack was many miles distant. - -“Suppose you could pull a whaleboat oar?” asked Captain Nickerson of -Harry that day at dinner. - -“Why, yes, sir,” replied Harry, “I think so. I’m a good oarsman, though I -have never used quite such large oars as you have in the whaleboats.” - -“I’m sure he could, father,” said Joe; “what of it?” - -“Why, this,” replied his father; “you’ve been practically second mate of -the Bowhead ever since we left Hawaii. Now I think I shall let you take -a second mate’s place in charge of one of the boats, and am planning to -have Harry pull an oar in your boat.” - -Both boys turned red with delight at this prospect, and it was soon -decided to thus promote them to the list of regular whalemen. Billy, -an experienced Kanaka harpooner, was assigned to their boat as being a -level-headed, skillful whaleman, whose counsel would be of use to Joe, -and the whole thing was arranged. - -If the two boys had been anxious to sight whales before, they were doubly -eager now, and both spent as much time as they could in the rigging on -the lookout. It was Joe who first of the two boys sighted a bowhead. The -cry of “A-h-h blow!” had rung from the crow’s nest, and the Kanaka on the -watch there reported a whale nearly dead ahead. All hands were on the -lookout for the spout of this one, for the Kanakas in many cases have -wonderful eyesight and can sight a whale much farther than the average -white man, when, several points off the windward bow, Joe saw another -blow and loudly proclaimed it from the mizzen rigging. A few moments -afterward a third and a fourth were sighted, and the ship approached a -school of black monsters numbering a dozen or so. Then she rounded to, a -little to the windward, and the boats were hastily lowered. Harry found -himself at the end of a sixteen-foot sweep that was very different from -the oars he had been used to, but he soon accustomed himself to the -stroke and swung along in good time with the others. He was conscious of -a feeling of great elation, the thrill of ecstasy of the huntsman mingled -with the dread of the unknown. They seemed such puny creatures to be -attacking the greatest monster in the world. As they went on, both these -feelings increased, till he shook with excitement and the man behind him -noticed it. He was a brawny, grizzly old timer, bronzed by all the winds -of the world, and hardened by many a hundred conflicts with the whales of -all seas. - -“Don’t get gallied, younker,” he said kindly; “the bowhead ain’t no -whale. He’s jest a hundred tons or so of blubber and bone. If we was -goin’ up against a sperm now, or a fightin’ bull humpback, ye might -feel skeery, but a bowhead ain’t nothin’. They kill as easy as a -slaughter-house lamb.” - -Just then Harry fairly jumped from his seat, and lost his stroke for a -moment. A shout had sounded, and glancing over his shoulder he saw that -the first mate’s boat near by had already made fast, but had not as yet -used the bomb gun. Instead, the whale seemed to have sounded too quickly, -then changed his mind, and as Harry looked up over his shoulder he saw a -great black mass rise fairly under the attacking boat, lifting it clear -of the water, where it hung high for a moment, then, by some miracle -still uncapsized, slid from the broad mass as if being launched. Even as -the boat left the mountainous back, the mate leveled the bomb gun and -discharged it full into the whale’s side. There was a shiver, the great -flukes curled in one sweep that sent tons of spray into the air, which -Mr. Jones with a skillful sweep of the steering oar narrowly avoided, and -then the great black mass floated quivering on the surface. - -“I told ye so, younker,” said the veteran, still swinging steadily and -strongly to his oar. “He’s a dead un. There ain’t no fight in a bowhead. -Ef that had been a sperm bull, there wouldn’t have been enough of that -boat left to swear by. Oh, this ain’t whalin’, this ain’t; it’s pickin’ -up blubber.” - -Joe, standing by the steering oar, lifted his hand in a gesture -commanding silence. His eyes glowered big beneath his cap, and Harry knew -that they were close on to their game. A few more strokes and then, “Way -enough,” said Joe gently. They glided silently forward with lifted oars. -It seemed to Harry as if something took him by the throat and stopped his -breathing. He would have given much to look around, but something held -him motionless. He heard the stirring forward as the Kanaka harpooner -moved to his position in the very bow. Then there was a gentle jolt and a -“Huh!” from the harpooner as he drove the iron home. - -“Give it to him!” yelled Joe; “stern all!” - -Harry backed water mechanically, feeling curiously numb all over. He -heard the report of the gun, and saw something tremendous and black beat -the water three times with great blows within a few feet of the blade -of his oar. A rush of foam shot from these blows and seemed to overwhelm -him in a smother of salt water. Then he found himself still sitting on -the thwart, wet to the skin and up to his knees in water, but still, -to his great astonishment, alive and right side up, and backing water -with mechanical precision. There was no sound save the whir of the line -through the chock and the voice of the veteran in his ear. - -“You’re all right, boy,” it said. “Ye didn’t jump out, and ye kept your -oar a-goin’. Ye’ll make a whaleman ’fore many days, an’ a good one, too. -He’s soundin’ now, but he’ll come up dead. The Kanaka put the bomb into -him right. He’s our whale.” - -The rush of the line slackened and then ceased, and they began to take -in on it. A long time they pulled steadily, and at last the black bulk -showed in the wash of the dancing waves on the surface, the nerveless -flipper swaying in the swell, and blood flowing from the spout-hole. Joe -and Harry had captured their first whale in regulation fashion, and two -prouder boys it would be hard to find. A hole was cut in the gristle of -the great flukes, and the work of towing the monster to the ship was -begun. Harry could not put much strength into his stroke at first, he was -too weak with the reaction from the excitement, but he soon recovered -from this and tugged away manfully. - -A little way ahead of them was the first mate’s boat with an equally -large capture in tow; astern was the captain’s boat, which had failed -to make fast, and which soon pulled in to their assistance; but the -boatswain was having the greatest adventure of them all. He had made fast -to a good-sized whale, which had immediately become gallied, and without -waiting to be reached by bomb gun or lance had started out at a terrific -pace, headed apparently for the north pole. The boat was already almost -out of sight in the distance and diminishing steadily in size. By and by -it grew no smaller, but gradually moved along the horizon, proving that -the tow had changed its course. Indeed, it seems to be well established -that a frightened whale runs in a circle, though generally a very large -one. This particular bowhead had done this, though his circle was much -smaller than many would have made. Thus it happened that when the two -whales which the first mate’s boat and Joe’s had struck were alongside, -the boatswain’s was looming large on the horizon again and approaching -rapidly. The circle which his whale had taken seemed to include the -position of the ship in a part of its circumference. With strength and -vivacity quite unusual for a bowhead, the monster kept up the pace, -and had thus far frustrated the boat’s attempts to close up and kill. -The boatswain, seeing that the whale was towing them toward the ship -again, had ceased to attempt it, confident that even such a wonder of a -pace-setter would finally tire, and wishing to be as near the ship as -possible when the final stroke was made. Much attention to the race was -given by those aboard, and Harry had an uneasy feeling that the monster, -even though a proverbially timid bowhead, was bent on wreaking vengeance -on the ship. If the huge creature should hurl himself against it at the -pace at which he was coming, the result would be wreck beyond a doubt. - -On he came at a great rate, ploughing through the water like a torpedo -boat, the boatswain now straining every nerve to get up with him, but -when the whale was within an eighth of a mile, there was an unexpected -interference. He swerved to the right, again to the left, sounded and -then breached, and the next moment a mottled black and white orca flung -itself into the air, turned end over end, and came down with a tremendous -thud in the middle of the bowhead’s back. - -A strange groaning bellow came from the whale, but he plunged on -desperately. Again the orca launched its twenty-five feet of length into -the air and came down on the poor bowhead; and now another appeared, -and the two alternately beat the frenzied and exhausted whale till it -apparently had what little breath there was left hammered out of its -body. Right alongside he gave up the fight and rolled motionless on the -surface. The bellow had already subsided to a moan; this was followed -by a gasp or two, and the bowhead ceased to breathe, turned on his side -with the flipper in the air, dead before the boat could get alongside -and finish the matter. The orcas had literally hammered the exhausted -whale to death, and were now tearing at his lip to get his mouth open -and devour the soft, spongy tongue, which is their chief delight. They -seemed to pay no attention to the ship or the boat, and Harry had a good -opportunity to see the behavior of these wild wolves of the sea before -the boatswain, with much indignation, lanced them both to death. - -“You’ll try to eat up my whale, will you, you blasted davy devils! Take -that—and that—and that!” and with every “that” the keen lance searched -the vitals of the gnawing orcas. - -One died still voraciously tearing at the whale’s under lip, but the -other turned at the blow of the lance and bit at what had stung it, -taking the bow of the boat in its jaws and crushing and shaking it in the -final agony as a terrier might worry a cat. The great teeth crunched the -wood, and the men, with cries of terror, were shaken out of the boat, but -luckily none were caught in the grasp of the jaws. The lance-thrust was -deadly, and in a moment the orcas lay, belly up, beside the dead whale. -The men were so near the side of the ship that ropes were thrown to them -and they clambered aboard, after some trouble to save the gear and the -crushed boat, which was towed alongside and hoisted on deck. - -Thus ended the first adventure with a school of bowheads in the Arctic. -Not so badly, though the whales had been much more lively and the events -far more exciting than is common in the pursuit of this gentlest of -cetaceans. A week of calm, warm weather followed, and at the end of -that time the three whales were cut in, the blubber tried out, and the -oil stowed away, together with three good heads of bone, making a fine -beginning of what bade fair to be a very prosperous summer cruise. - - - - -CHAPTER V - -WHEN THE ICE CAME IN - - -During the cutting in and trying out of the three whales the wind and -current steadily carried the Bowhead northward, until on July fourth -they again sighted the pack extending from the headland of Cape Lisburne -westward indefinitely. Along between the ice and the land was a space of -open water, and into this the Bowhead passed, working her way northeast -as the summer season opened and the ice gradually receded from the -shore. Now and then a whale was sighted in the opening leads of the -retreating pack, and they occasionally captured one, though these whales -in the ice were far smaller than the ones they had found in the open and -consequently much less valuable. Moreover, in the ice-fields they were -difficult to get at, and almost invariably escaped by plunging beneath -the floes and coming up in some distant lead whither the boat could not -follow them. In this way the ship reached the shallow and dangerous -coast off Blossom Shoals and beyond to Wainright Inlet with the waning of -the brief Arctic summer without any special adventures. - -Every day had hardened Harry in rugged strength and vigor, and he and -Joe were as fine specimens of young whalemen as the sea could boast. -They had met and traded with the Eskimo tribes alongshore and exchanged -the reindeer skins for fox and ermine pelts, ivory, and whalebone, thus -adding to the value of their cruise. Harry and Joe had been rivals in -acquiring the Eskimo dialect of this coast, and had been helped greatly -in this by the presence aboard of a young Eskimo of the Point Hope tribe, -who worked as a sailor, with the understanding that when the ship should -go out he would be paid in “trade” and left with his tribe. Thus both -were quite fluent and could understand much that the Eskimos said among -themselves. This was of great assistance to them. - -As far north as Wainwright Inlet you begin to see the end of the summer -often by the last of August. Already the sun, which in June simply -circled the sky without setting, has begun to set again, and there is -a considerable period of darkness each night. The marvelous growth of -beautiful flowers, which stud the moss and grass of the Arctic tundra -during midsummer, has already passed to quick maturity, and the slopes -are brown and autumnal by the middle of the month. Gales set in and bring -snow on their icy wings, and the threat of winter is everywhere. The -whalers take this warning and begin, about the middle of the month, to -work south again, unless they intend to winter in the region. Oftentimes -the Arctic pack hangs just offshore here and with westerly winds menaces -the ship with destruction, but more often—indeed, it is counted upon by -the whalers—a northeast gale comes with the first of September and drives -the pack seaward, while giving them a fair wind for the strait. It was -about this time that the cruise, thus far prosperous, began to meet with -a series of mishaps that ended in disaster. - -[Illustration: WHALEMEN’S CAMP ON ARCTIC SHORE] - -It was the last day of August that the west wind began to blow, and -Captain Nickerson was uneasy directly. The Bowhead was just north of Icy -Cape, in comparatively shoal water and with much floating ice in the -sea. The pack ice was not in sight, but it might loom up at any moment, -so steam was got up on the vessel and she poked her way among the -floating cakes to windward, working out as fast as possible. The sky was -still clear and it did not promise to be much of a blow, but things work -together for evil quickly in the Arctic, and it behooves a navigator to -be very wary there. The wisdom of the immediate move was shown in this -case, for the ship was scarcely well off the shoals and round the cape -into the deep water to westward, before a long, slender point of solid -ice was noted to the windward. It might be the main pack or not. There -was open water to seaward and clear sea between the ice and the land, -and Captain Nickerson was puzzled which course to take. If it was but a -detached floe, as it well might be, the open course lay to windward of -it, away from the land. If, on the other hand, it was part of the main -pack, the proper course lay between it and the coast. Captain Nickerson -finally decided that the seaward course was the wise one, and soon a -widening point of ice separated them from the shoreward stretch of open -water. An hour later they were among drifting floes, but still had good -water ahead of them toward the southwest. The breeze was gentle, but the -sky was hazing up a little, and the sun shone coldly. - -The next afternoon at eight bells (four o’clock), as the watch was -changed, the man on lookout called down to the deck. - -“Something adrift on the ice off the starboard bow, sir.” - -“What is it?” asked Mr. Jones, whose watch on deck it was. - -“Can’t make it out, sir,” replied the lookout; “it might be a seal, then -again it might be a man.” - -There was much interest at once. Several other vessels were cruising in -the Arctic, and they had occasionally sighted one at a distance, though -there had been chance for a meeting and a “gam” but once. They knew that -the other ships were already to the southward on their way out. Perhaps -this was a man from one of them, gone adrift on the ice, and having-but -one chance in a thousand for rescue. Captain Nickerson was not called, -as he had just gone below after a long siege on deck, but Mr. Jones -took the responsibility of changing the vessel’s course slightly, and -they approached the figure on the ice. It was difficult to make it out. -All hands on deck saw it,—a motionless huddle on a cake of ice, driving -before the wind in the dreary polar sea. - -By and by the ship was as near as it could well get, a heavy floe -crowding in between it and the open lead in which the cake floated. -Still it was difficult to decide just what the figure was, but Mr. Jones -finally said: “Humph! Dead seal,” and changed the vessel’s course again. - -Harry and Joe looked at each other. They also had been carefully -examining the object through the glass, and each thought it might be a -man, fur-clad and lying in a heap, dead or exhausted. - -“I don’t care,” said Joe; “I’m going to speak to father, if he _is_ tired -out. We don’t want to take chances of passing any one that way.” - -He hastened below with Harry at his heels, both with hearts swelling with -indignation. They knew that Mr. Jones was probably right in his guess, -but the thought of the possibility of a fellow creature floating thus -into the desolate Arctic winter filled them with pity and a great desire -to leave nothing to chance. - -Captain Nickerson listened to their story with attention, and so eager -and excited were they that he finally gave them permission to have -Mr. Jones stop the ship long enough for them to man the dingey and -investigate. - -“Can you make it with the dingey?” he asked. - -“Oh, yes, sir,” replied Joe. “There’s a narrow lead or two that will take -us part way, and the dingey is so light that we can haul her across in -the other places.” - -The dingey had been the special care of the boys, and rarely used except -by them. They had been duck shooting in her during the summer, when -whales were not in sight, and had kept the ship’s larder well supplied -with the great ducks which swarm in that region all summer long. They had -fitted her with a light sail and a few reserve provisions,—a tin or two -of meat and some hard-tack, in case they should happen to be away over -meal time. There was also a small keg of fresh water, and in the locker -forward a one-burner oil stove with tea, sugar, and condensed milk, by -way of refreshment. The boatswain used to laugh at this “life-boat,” as -he called it, but the arrangement had often been useful, and the little -craft was very handy at all times. - -Mr. Jones did not look particularly happy when he heard the order to -stop and lower the dingey, but he did as requested and the boat was soon -on its way. The boys entered one of the narrow leads in the floe which -barred their way, traversed it to its end, and hauled their boat out. It -was some way across to another open space and this did not take them far -in the right direction, but it led to where they could haul to another, -and so little by little they won their way across. As they came to the -open water, they found to their chagrin that other ice-fields had crowded -in between them and their object, and they were obliged to make a wide -and winding detour to approach it. Distance is always far greater than it -looks to be in the Arctic, and they were fully an hour in getting near -the motionless heap. At last the dingey grazed the floating cake and they -sprang out on it, dropped the ice anchor at the end of the two-fathomed -painter into a chink in the ice, and hastened toward the motionless -object. - -As they reached it the huddled heap of fur moved, wavered, and sat up, -smiled faintly from a face sunken-cheeked and hollow-eyed, murmured the -Eskimo word “Nagouruk,” then wavered back into a motionless heap once -more; and as it did so a whirl of great flakes came pelting down on the -little group on the cake of ice, and the world was blotted out in snow. - -All eyes on board the ship had been fastened on the two in the dingey, -and the squall had taken them as much by surprise as it did the boys. It -had come up with a sudden veering of the wind to the southward, and had -taken them from behind. Before they knew it all things were smothered -in the whirl of snow, and, though he thought it probably only a passing -squall, Mr. Jones was very uneasy about it, and when after a half hour -had passed with no signs of letting up, he called Captain Nickerson. -As the wind and snow increased, all hands became very anxious, and -everything possible was done to give the boys knowledge of the ship’s -whereabouts. The whistle was blown frequently and shots were fired in -volleys every few minutes, but there was still no sign of them. - -It soon became evident that a severe blow was threatening and, though -terribly anxious about the boys, Captain Nickerson realized that he must -give his attention to the safety of the ship. The south wind was bringing -the shoreward floe out upon her rapidly. It had already closed the lead -just ahead of them, and if they would not be crushed they must retreat. -The ship was therefore put about and slowly worked its way eastward -again, keeping just out of the jaws of destruction, in the vain hope -that the dingey would reappear. Day wore on and darkness came with no -sign of the missing boat, and during the next day the best they could do -was to work back to Icy Cape, where the floes grounded on the shoals and -they found safe refuge, partly behind them and partly behind the cape. -The wind had swung to the westward again during the night and the morning -brought no snow, but the air was full of a black mist and bitter cold. -There was but faint hope that they would see the boys again unless the -weather soon moderated, and Captain Nickerson was overcome with grief and -self-accusation. Nor was the taciturn Mr. Jones much better off. Each -felt that he had been careless to let them go as they had, yet the squall -was so sudden and unforeseen that they could hardly be blamed. - -For days the wind hung to the westward, veering to the northwest, and at -the end of the third the main pack came in in earnest, pushing the shore -floes on the ship till she was forced into shallow water and grounded. It -became evident that she would hardly be got off again that fall, and that -immediate measures must be taken for the safety of the crew. Leaving Mr. -Jones in charge, Captain Nickerson took a strong crew of his best men -and set off down the coast, hoping to find one of the other ships of the -little Arctic fleet. The journey was hard and dangerous. Now they found -a space of open water, again they had to drag the boat over the ice for -a long distance, camping for the night under the overturned boat, and -looking anxiously for traces of the boys, but finding none. - -At the end of the fifth day the wind and cold diminished, and they -joyfully sighted the Belvidere in open water near the shore, with what -seemed a fair chance to work out. They were taken aboard, and the captain -of the Belvidere readily agreed to wait until the remainder of the crew -of the Bowhead could reach him. For his own safety this was as much as -he could do. He could not agree to stay in and risk his own vessel and -crew for the chance of getting the Bowhead out of her difficulty. It was -decided that she must be abandoned, and Captain Nickerson, with one man, -started back on foot to get the crew. The journey was made successfully, -and within a day after his return the balance of the crew in four boats, -with merely what provisions they needed for the trip, abandoned ship and -contents, and, after a hard struggle, reached the Belvidere. - -It was time. Already she was hard pressed by the shoreward-moving ice, -and the captain was taking great risks in remaining. She pushed slowly -down the coast, forcing her way through closing floes and running a -hundred hazards successfully, till at last they rounded Lisburne and were -in comparatively clear water. Captain Nickerson had not made any further -efforts to discover the lost boys. He knew that these would be useless. -Depending on their own exertions, they had a slender chance for escape to -some other vessel, if any remained, or they might reach shore and winter -with the natives. In either case he felt that the chances were slight, -and he aged perceptibly in the cruise back to the States. The loss of his -only son and his protégé weighed heavily upon him with the loss of his -vessel and valuable cargo. The taciturn Mr. Jones became more silent than -ever, and hardly spoke the whole voyage through. It was a sad home-coming -for the ship’s company. - -As for the boys, their plight was bad enough, but at first, at least, -their anxiety was only for themselves. - -Indeed, in the very beginning, it was only for their new found friend. -“He’s dying,” cried Harry, when the Eskimo collapsed at their feet; “what -shall we do?” - -“Give him something hot,” cried the practical Joe. “If we only had some -brandy! But we haven’t. I’ll tell you—you chafe his hands and I’ll make -some hot tea.” - -So Harry fell to chafing the cold, skeleton-like hands, while Joe eagerly -lighted the little oil lamp and soon had a pot of hot tea made, sheltered -from the wind in the forward locker of the dingey. He poured this between -the clenched teeth of the unconscious man, who choked a bit as it went -down and opened his eyes. - -“There!” said Joe; “I thought that would fetch him. It’s strong enough to -raise the dead and—well, I guess it’s pretty hot, too. Lucky we stocked -the dingey this way, ain’t it? Whew! how it does snow. We’ll have to wait -till it quits before we think of getting back to the ship again. It’s -kind of risky to get too far away from your ship when the ice is coming -in. Guess we’ll make it all right, though.” - -For the first time Harry looked around him and thought of his -surroundings. The snow was pelting in on them in great flakes, and he -could hardly see across the ice cake they were on. He did not realize -that the wind had changed, but he noticed that it blew strongly, and he -felt singularly lonely and distant from shelter and aid. Something of -the eerie wildness of the Arctic came over him, as it had that night -in the storm in Bering Sea, and he had a sense of desolation that was -beyond words. The only link between him and life seemed to be the dingey, -and even then an ice cake crushed against it with an alarming crash. He -rushed to it and, hauling with all his strength, got it out on the ice. -The planking was cracked, and it had barely escaped utter ruin. - -“Whew!” exclaimed Joe; “they’re after us, aren’t they! We’ll have to -mend that a bit before we can start out. But that will be easy. Once we -get our friend here fixed up so he can travel, we’ll tend to all those -things.” He crumbed a little hard bread into the balance of the tea, -making a sort of soup which the Eskimo took eagerly. After a time he -spoke briefly in his own language. - -“No catch seal,” he said; “kayak gone. Nine sleeps and no eat.” - -“Do you hear that?” said Joe to Harry; “No wonder he’s used up. Guess -I’ll give him some more to eat.” - -The Eskimo answered this in English as he got up, rather waveringly. -“No,” he said; “bimeby want.” - -Born of generations inured to famine, no one recovers from it more -quickly than the Eskimo, and within half an hour he was able to walk -about and take a hand, in a feeble way, in patching up the injured -dingey. They found that he was a Point Hope man by birth, and had learned -a little English at the mission there. He had come north with some of -his tribe a summer or two before, and finding a place to his liking near -Point Lay, had settled there with them. He had been out after seal among -the floes and lost his kayak, and had drifted on the cake for nine days. -A day or so before, he had given himself up for lost, and calmly covered -his head with his skin coat, waiting for death, as an Eskimo will. He had -taken the boys at first for the ghosts of the ice world, come for him, -and had gone to sleep at sight of them. Now he knew them to be men, his -friends, and some day he would save their lives as they had his. - -All this he explained, bit by bit, partly in brief English, partly in -Eskimo which they understood, as the boat was being patched with a bit -of canvas tacked over the break in the planking. They had no tacks, but -Harry had a many-bladed knife with an awl in it, and they made holes with -this and used pegs whittled from a thwart. These they made a trifle long -for the awl-holes, and hammered the protruding ends to a fuzzy head. It -was not a good job, but it would do. - -Harry was eager to start back for the ship at once, but Joe, wiser in the -ways of the Arctic, wanted to wait. He knew that in that driving snow -it would be almost impossible to reach her unless constantly guided by -sound. Without that they might row within a dozen yards of her and not -see her. More than one whaleman has lost his ship while wintering in the -Arctic, and died in the storm within a few rods of her, never knowing -that he was so near safety. So Joe, backed by the Eskimo, judged that -they would better wait until they were sure in what direction to go. As -a matter of fact, the ship, floe-bound near the shore, had drifted but -slowly in the southerly wind, while the cake on which they were had gone -northward quite rapidly. Hence when the shots and whistle sounded they -heard them only faintly, and could not tell, in the drive of the storm, -from what direction they came. - -Thus time slipped by and they still clung to their floating cake, a -pitiful little ice world in a gray universe of flying snow. They were -warmly dressed, but the inaction in the chill wind soon set the white -men to shivering. The Eskimo, on the contrary, seemed comfortable in -his furs, and regained strength every moment. He noted how cold they -were, and, motioning them to his assistance, they turned the boat over, -keel to the wind, spread the sail beneath it, and drew part of it up -so as to close the opening. With the movable thwarts they blocked the -wider apertures, and then, still at the bidding of the Eskimo, heaped -the fast gathering snow about it. This gave them a narrow igloo, where -they huddled for warmth. From now on the dusky brother they had rescued -proceeded to rescue them, and they soon learned to trust his judgment -implicitly. - -As time passed more snow accumulated and was banked about, until their -cave was well fortified and quite comfortable. - -Gradually dusk came on, but still the snow fell as thick as ever, and -there was no alternative but to remain where they were. Matters did not -look very cheerful, and Harry, for one, heartily wished he had never seen -the Arctic, or, for that matter, left the pleasant confines of Quincy -Point. However, a healthy boy grows hungry at supper time, wherever he -is, and he pulled one of the three or four tins of canned meat out of the -locker, together with about half the hard-tack. - -“Let’s have some supper,” he said; “I’m hungry.” - -They divided the meat, and each ate several squares of hard-tack. Joe -made shift to boil some water with the little oil stove, and they made -tea. The glow of the flame lighted their shelter with cheer and helped to -warm it. The drifting snow wrapped it closer, and, in spite of the keen -nip of the frost and the icy gale without, they had a sense of warmth and -comfort. Joe, however, put out the flame as soon as the tea was done. - -“We may need that oil badly before we get back,” he said, “and it won’t -do to waste it. No, we’d best sleep if we can till daylight. The storm -may break by that time, and we can see better what to do. This ice cake -is big enough to hold us safe till the blow is over, and that is the best -we can do at present.” - -They cuddled together for warmth, and in spite of the obviously great -danger of their situation, two at least, Joe and the Eskimo, soon -slept soundly. Harry did not sleep so readily. He was fairly warm and -comfortable lying between his two friends in the narrow cubby-hole, now -wrapped deep in the sheltering snow, but he could hear the howl of the -storm without, and a sense of the weird and supernatural was strong upon -him. It seemed as if the wild powers of the unknown ice world laughed and -gibbered in the gale. He thought he heard low wails, hideous laughter, -and a sort of insane babbling that sounded now far, now near at hand, and -he did not blame the Eskimos for thinking the world of unknown ice and -desolation to the north to be peopled by strange spirits. Once it seemed -as if the Innuit at his side was awake and listening too, and he poked -him gently and asked, “What’s that?” as a sound of ghostly footsteps and -something like deep breathing came to him in a lull of the gale. - -The other lifted his head and was silent. “Hush,” he replied, after a -moment. “Nunatak mute (ghost people) come. Perhaps no hear, no see, -bimeby go away.” - -He lay down again and was soon asleep, and at last tired nature soothed -Harry to slumber, and he slipped away into the world of dreams where was -no ice or gale, no strange ghosts of the frigid night, but the pleasant -warmth of his own fireside at home, his father and mother sitting by the -evening lamp, and he himself propped among cushions, slipping gently into -dreamland in the comfort of his own home. - -Hours afterward he was wakened by a familiar scratching sound. It -was pitch dark, and he was warm and comfortable though the air was -oppressive. By and by there was a spurt of flame, and he saw that Joe was -lighting a match. He touched it to the wick of the oil stove, put the -teapot on, then looked at his watch. - -“It ought to be light by this time,” he said. “It’s five o’clock. What do -you suppose is the matter?” The Innuit was awake at this, and sat up also -in his cramped quarters. - -“Plenty snow,” he said. “Eat first, bimeby look out. Much cold.” - -They made a hasty breakfast from the scanty stock of food, and the Innuit -pushed his arm through the drift that had snowed them completely under, -safe and warm from the tempest. Light came in through the hole which his -arm had made, and a whiff of fresh but very keen air. He enlarged the -hole carefully, making it a sort of burrow out of which each crawled. The -snow had ceased, but the wind still blew hard, and the air was full of a -black fog, which gave no sight of the sun. It was bitter cold, and the -short distance which they could see about them showed only a rugged mass -of snow-covered ice. During the night their floating cake had joined with -larger ones, how large they could not tell, and they were now on what -seemed an ice-field. - -“Shall we try to make the ship?” asked Harry dubiously, his teeth -chattering in the keen air. Joe shook his head. - -“I’m afraid we’re in a bad scrape,” he said. “We can’t be sure of the -direction, and even if we could, we might pass within a short distance of -the ship and not see her. Seems to me there is nothing to do but to wait -for the weather to clear up. Then we can tell what we are doing.” - -The Eskimo nodded his head in approval of this. “Too much cold,” he said. -“Too much no see. Wait in igloo long time, maybe five, six sleeps. Then -sun come.” - -“If I only had a compass, so that we could get the general direction, -I’d chance it,” said Joe; “but there is no telling how the wind may have -changed, and we might be traveling right out to sea. It’s better to wait -where we are safe till we can be sure. They’ll be anxious on the ship, -but what can we do? No, the Eskimo is right. We’ve got to stay here till -we can see the sun, at least.” - -The bite of the wind warned them to get within their shelter again, and -they did so. The Eskimo, however, continued to work on the snow entrance -to their cave beneath the drift, and soon had it made into a veritable -tunnel, through which they could crawl, but which was long enough to keep -out the worst of the cold. Then he enlarged their igloo by pushing out -the sail, compacting the snow behind it, till they had quite a little -room in which to turn round, though they could barely sit upright there. -He almost blocked the far end of his entrance tunnel with snow, and -closed the nearer end with the boat’s thwarts. Thus the wind and cold -were shut out, and they were surprisingly comfortable, considering that -they had no fire. Their eyes became accustomed to the semi-darkness, and -they felt themselves quite at home. It was a long day, though they whiled -away the time talking with the Eskimo, who was quite recovered from his -nine days of starvation. - -At nightfall there was no change in the weather, and they resigned -themselves to a long siege. Neither was there any change the next day, -nor the next. Occasionally they went out and plunged through the snow -about their igloo for exercise, but the Eskimo warned them not to go but -a few steps away from it, for to be lost in the cold and black frost-fog -was to meet certain death from exposure. Now and then it snowed again, -but they did not care for this, as it drifted higher about their shelter -and made it warmer. On the third day a serious matter was forced upon -their attention. At breakfast, that morning, Joe divided the last of the -meat and hard-tack. Only a little tea stood between them and starvation. - -The night of the fourth day they were much disturbed by crushing and -grinding noises, and got little sleep. Sometimes the ice beneath them -seemed to jar as if hit by a tremendous blow. The Eskimo hailed this with -delight. - -“Nagouruk,” he said. “Ice talk. Bimeby get seal.” - -At the first light he was out, taking his spear with him, but he -returned at nightfall, thoroughly chilled and empty-handed. Matters -looked dubious. They drank tea and licked the inside of the can that -had held the condensed milk. It was a poor substitute for a meal. They -learned that the Eskimo had hunted long for an open lead, and had risked -his life by venturing far from their shelter, but had found only a small -crack, which he had watched all day without success. The next morning, -however, Joe, who was first out, gave a great shout of delight. The gale -had abated, and there was a faint glow through the black fog which showed -the direction of the sun. He wished to start southeast at once, for that -must be the direction in which they should go, but the Eskimo wished to -wait. - -“Get seal,” he said. “Much eat. Bimeby go;” and though Joe chafed at the -delay, the weakness of hunger made him think it wise to defer to the man -of the ice. The Eskimo went off with his spear, found an opening within -sight of the igloo, and stood there motionless for literal hours, his -spear poised, himself a statue frozen upon the frozen scene. Suddenly the -poised spear shot downward, and with a shout of triumph he hauled a seal -out upon the ice, tossed him upon his shoulder, and came running to the -igloo with him. - -It took him but a moment to strip off the already freezing hide, and -slice off big strips of blubber and meat from the carcass. Passing these -to the boys he proceeded to eat others immediately. Joe and Harry were -hungry enough to follow his example, but they nevertheless lighted the -oil stove and partly broiled their steaks before eating. It must be -confessed, however, that they were cooked rare. When they had satisfied -their hunger the Eskimo carefully rolled up the remainder of the meat and -blubber in the hide, and it soon froze solid, making a compact bundle. - -The cold abated with the wind, and as the sun struggled through more and -more, they made an immediate start. They dug the dingey out of the snow -shelter that had saved their lives, packed their belongings carefully -in it, and, with the Eskimo tugging at the painter, and Joe and Harry -lifting and sliding it over the snow and rough ice, headed southeast as -nearly as they could tell by the sun. - -[Illustration: ROUGH ARCTIC CLIFFS] - -It was hard work, but the boat was still their only salvation, and they -stuck to it. The good meal of seal meat had put renewed life into them, -and, in the clear Arctic air, headed toward safety once more, they -felt almost jovial. The brown man of the ice seemed to have completely -recovered his strength, and tugged manfully, working like a beaver, and -leading the way with a discretion born of generations of men trained to -the work. - -By mid-afternoon it had grown quite clear, and they paused for a rest, -making another meal of seal meat, very slightly cooked this time, for the -oil in the stove gave out as they were cooking. When they started on, the -Eskimo swung sharply to the south with a joyful shout. - -“Emik! Emik!” (Water! Water!) he cried; and soon they saw an open lead in -a southerly direction. It was not long before they had the boat in this, -and with a sigh of relief Harry settled to the oars, while Joe took the -tiller, and the Eskimo ensconced himself in the bow, spear in hand, in -the hope of seeing another seal. An hour or two later the clouds to the -eastward settled away, and they saw at no great distance the glimmer of -snow-clad peaks in the setting sun. Land was in sight, and it seemed as -if their troubles were soon to be over. The open water between the pack -and the shore could not be far ahead of them, and they found a place -where a haul over a space of ice let them into another lead that took -them in the right direction. Just before sunset a warning word from the -Eskimo bade Harry cease his rowing, and the boat glided gently along -through the water, while the Eskimo stood erect with poised spear. - -Again there was the sudden thrust and the shout of triumph, and another -seal was added to their larder. This was a larger one, and they had at -least no fear of the starvation which had threatened them at sunrise. -Still there was no sign of the ship, and even now a return of the gale, -with snow, might easily prove disastrous. Therefore, changing places at -the oars, they toiled doggedly on, making another short haul over the -ice, and finding the open water just at twilight. They found it full of -floating cakes, and as they neared the shore there was much “mush ice” -newly formed in the open, which made their passage difficult. It was well -into the night when they finally hauled the boat out on the snow-clad -land with a great sigh of weariness and relief. It was like coming to a -new and strange world, however. The brown tundra was now drifted with -snow, and the country round about was in the grip of the beginning of -the long Arctic winter. There are years in which this is delayed until -late in September, but in others it comes by the very first, and happy -are those ships which escape to the warmer waters of the south before it -happens. - -They had not got sight of the ship, but they hoped to on the morrow. -At least they were safe from the terrible drifting Arctic pack, and -with thankfulness for the watchful care of Providence they once more -overturned the dingey, rigged the sail over its open side, packed snow -from a drift about it, and crawled into the improvised igloo for the -heavy dreamless sleep that follows severe and long-continued toil. - - - - -CHAPTER VI - -WINTER LIFE AND INNUIT FRIENDS - - -That night as they lay sheltered from cold and from sound, snug in their -snow igloo, the four boats of the Bowhead battled past them on their way -down the coast, leaving no trace behind in the shifting ice and mush -of the narrowing waterway; the difference of a few hours in time, of a -few furlongs in distance, was so little, yet it meant so much! With the -passing of those four boats civilization shut her door upon the two boys, -and was to open it no more for a year and a half. - -Yet they knew nothing of this, and slept serene in the hope of soon -rejoining their comrades. They woke to find the sun already up, and the -Eskimo gone. His tracks lay through the snow inland. While they wondered -if he had abandoned them he reappeared, bearing a scant handful of willow -brush which he had dug out of the snow in the valley beyond. With this -they managed to roast some strips of seal meat and make a satisfactory -breakfast. The wind had ceased, the air was keen but bracing, and they -did not mind the cold, which, after all, was not great. The first warning -of the terrible winter was on them, but it was not yet severe. Their -young blood leaped in the keen air, and they felt a relief from danger -that made them fairly frolicsome. The ship could not be far away, they -were sure, and they would find it and all would be well. - -“There is one comfort about this way of living,” said Harry -philosophically; “you don’t have any dishes to clean up.” - -“No,” replied Joe; “nor much to put in them, either.” - -Then both boys noted the Eskimo’s manner. He stood looking toward the -north with a strange intensity. Over in that direction the snowy fields -of the pack ice stretched away to the limitless haze of the horizon. In -the distance these ice-fields seemed to quiver as the air quivers in -summer when the heat is intense. They trembled and wavered, and changed -from ice-fields to open sea that shone fair under the morning sun. This -sea was calm and free from ice, and seemed to move eastward, melting the -ice and snow before it as it went. They turned to watch this eastward -movement, and after a little a headland appeared in it, and both boys -gave a cry of delight. - -“The ship! the ship!” they cried, and danced and swung their hats and -hurrahed. There she was at anchor by the headland, safe and sound as they -had left her, and their hearts glowed within them at the thought of home -coming. - -“There she is!” cried Joe exultantly, “right north by Icy Cape! I -remember the headland there. Good Lord! What’s she doing?” - -The Bowhead moved out from her anchorage on this quivering open sea with -never a sail set, and no smoke from her engines, and lifting up and up -seemed to climb the horizon to the northeast and disappear, a speck in -the high heavens; and as she did so the shimmering waters vanished, -leaving only the rough, snow-clad ice-fields, bleak and impenetrable. - -Joe and Harry looked at each other. It was mirage, they knew that, yet -there had been the headland, and the ship, her every spar and rope -familiar to them. It was magic; that was what the Eskimo said, but he was -quite confident that it was bad magic, and that this was to show them -that ship and crew were lost, —had sailed far away to the unknown, never -to return. He would go to Icy Cape with them if they wished, but they -would find only winter ghosts there. - -Nevertheless it was their only clue, and they decided to go. With their -friends camped only a few short miles to the southwest, they headed in -the opposite direction and began struggling through the mush ice, across -floes, making a toilsome but sure progress to the northeast. At noon they -camped on a floe, ate seal meat, and, after a brief rest, toiled on. At -night they camped as before. Thus for two days they steadily worked up -the coast. At nightfall of the second the wind came in again from the -west, with squalls of snow and a recurrence of severe cold, but the next -day they went on still, and by noon were rounding the headland. The air -was thick with snow, but in a lull they sighted what seemed to be the -ship, and cries of thanksgiving went up from the weary wayfarers. - -“The ship! the ship!” they cried once more, confident that this could be -no mirage. The Eskimo shook his head. - -“Bad magic,” he said; “ghost ship.” But the boys knew better. The Bowhead -lay at anchor in mush ice and among floes, ghostly enough in the whirl -of flying snow that made the outlines of spar and sail white against the -leaden sky, but the ship in very truth, and never so welcome a sight in -any man’s eyes. They shouted and hallooed, and listened in vain for any -response as they neared her, and their exultant hearts grew cold with -fear as they got none. A terrible weird loneliness brooded over her, and -it seemed to the exhausted boys as if they struggled to her side through -a bad dream. - -There was no greeting as they stepped on deck, only the wail of the wind -through the icy shrouds. The deck was drifted with snow that held no -tracks. The cabin, the forecastle, the galley, all showed signs of hasty -leave-taking, and were untenanted. Then, once more in the cabin, the -truth came upon them with stunning force. The ship had been abandoned, -and they with it were left to face the long loneliness of the coming -Arctic night as best they could. Joe sat down with a pathetic slump in -his broad shoulders and buried his face in his hands, losing his cheerful -courage for the first time; nor did he note for quite a while that -Harry was face down on the captain’s berth sobbing with homesickness, -loneliness, and utter physical exhaustion. Of the hour that these two -spent in the full realization of their misfortune, it were best to say -little. Up to that hour they had been boys. In it they passed through the -crucible that melts and reshapes souls, and they came out of it men. - -His anguish over and once more master of himself, Joe rose, and, stepping -to Harry’s side, laid a hand on his shoulder. Then he saw that Harry had -found peace in sleep, and knowing how much he needed it, he threw a quilt -over his shoulders and left him, going on deck. - -The Eskimo had gone, and with him the dingey. - -It did not change the look of serenity in Joe’s face. He had met and -conquered all fears and apprehensions in the hour that had just passed, -and one more misfortune could have no effect on him. He turned to the -galley, where he started a fire, and from the cook’s stores took the -material for a first-class hot supper. When this was ready, he went and -wakened Harry. The two did not say much, but they clasped hands in the -dusk of the cabin, and each saw the change toward manhood in the other’s -face,—the look of greater sturdiness, greater self-reliance, together -with a certain serenity which surely marks the man. Some fortunate men -acquire this serenity, self-poise, in the face of fortune, good or ill, -early in life; some never acquire it, and they, as well as the world, are -the worse off for that. - -They slept warm and long that night, had a good hearty, hot breakfast the -next morning, and felt fit to face the world. It was a bright morning, -with the sun struggling through frost mists, and as they came on deck -they found quite a change in the position of the small floes overnight, -and some open water near the ship. Out of this open water came a -quavering hail. - -“Kile, innuit” (Come here, man); “kile, innuit,” cried Joe with delight, -and the Eskimo paddled alongside in the dingey. He touched the ship -gingerly, but it neither flew away nor burned him. He climbed aboard and -looked earnestly at Joe and Harry, who shook his hand cordially. Then his -face lighted up with a broad grin. - -“Nagouruk,” he said. “No more ghosts. Good magic. White man great ankut” -(wizard). - -That was all. He thought it great magic that the boys had made the ghost -ship real and were living aboard it in safety. Henceforth he did not -question his own safety there, but the night before he had feared to go -aboard lest it sail off with him into the undiscovered country, as it had -in the mirage. - -That day the two boys—we will call them boys still, though, remember, -they have the hearts of men—took stock of their situation, and found -it not so bad after all. The captain and crew were gone southward, -probably to safety, but they had left behind the ship, with abundance of -provisions and all sorts of supplies, including a good amount of coal. -There was really no reason why they should not be warm and comfortable -all winter long, and find safety with the returning whalemen the next -summer. If they had been short of provisions or without the splendid -shelter and the coal that they had, it might have been wise to attempt to -work south on the chance of catching a belated whaleship at Point Hope. -As it was, the chance was too slender, and it was best to face the winter -just where they were. - -Thus they planned their life anew, and went leisurely about their -preparations. The Eskimo wished to leave them for a time. His family were -at the village at Point Lay, and he would see them again. He would come -back, perhaps bring his friends with him, and they would build another -village ashore, so that he might be near his white brothers. The boys -thought well of this. The friendly Eskimos might be of great help to -them, and already there was in Joe’s mind a half-formed plan in which -they were to be partners. So, loading him down with such provisions as -he could best carry, a rifle, and abundant ammunition, to his great -delight, they bade him good-by, and he started bravely through the snow -alongshore. They had no fear for his safety. He would burrow deep in the -drifts at night or in case of severe weather, and reach the village safe -and sound. - -As if for his encouragement and their own, there followed several days of -halcyon weather. It was calm and the sun shone brightly; and though the -temperature remained below freezing and the thermometer went below zero -at night, the air was so dry that it did not seem nearly as cold as it -was. Yet they knew they were soon to face deadly cold, when the mercury -would drop to fifty below and fierce gales sweep over them for weeks, -and they must prepare for it. The position of the ship they could not -change, but it seemed reasonably safe. It was well behind the headland, -in shallow water; aground, as they soon discovered. The shore ice would -form thick about it, and it could not be touched by the moving pack, -which would grind back and forth all winter half a mile to seaward. Their -next care was to decide in what part of the ship they could live most -comfortably. The galley was large enough; it had the range, on which -they could best cook, and there were two bunks in it which the Chinese -steward and his assistant had occupied. No one is cleaner than a cleanly -Chinaman, and these bunks bore inspection. They might fumigate them and -bring up their own bedding and supplies, and it was by all odds the most -convenient place. For all this, Joe shook his head. - -“It won’t do, Harry,” he said; “the place will be too cold. It is on -deck; and when the thermometer gets way down and the gales blow for a -month steady, we shall surely freeze to death.” - -“I suppose so,” said Harry doubtfully; “but it is low amidships here -between the bulwarks. If we could only build a double house right around -it, the air space between the two would be a great protection,—and it is -_so_ handy. Tell you what, there’s some spare boards and stuff down in -the main hold. Couldn’t we do it with them?” - -“Couldn’t make it tight enough,” replied Joe. “The wind would shoot -through and get at us. If it was buried deep in snow—but the snow would -blow away in the wind.” He pondered a moment, and shook his head. - -“What’s the matter with ice, then?” answered Harry. “We’ve got all the -ice we want, right handy.” - -Joe sprang to his feet with a laugh. “I believe you’ve got it, this -time,” he said. “We’ll make a regular Eskimo igloo all around it with ice -blocks, same as we used to read about in the schoolbooks. We’ll chink -them with snow and pour water on, and when it freezes we’ll be snug as -need be.” - -They went immediately to work while the weather favored them. From the -floes alongside they cut cubical blocks which they hauled aboard with a -whip rigged to the main yard. These they piled one above another, about -three feet from the galley sides. A second row was then set up a foot -outside these, and the space between filled with snow. Thus they had two -ice walls with a free air space next the building. Spare spars placed -across this served for rafters, and they covered these with ice cakes -also. For cement, snow with water poured on was excellent, and at the end -of three days their protecting igloo was nearly finished. It filled the -space amidships from bulwark to bulwark, and the two architects were very -proud of their creation. - -“When you are in Rome,” said Harry, “you must do as the Romans do,” and -in this he had solved the real secret of successful winter life in the -Arctic. Through a thousand generations stern necessity has taught certain -things to the Eskimos, and the explorers who most nearly follow their -methods are the ones who winter in safety and with least loss of life and -comfort. - -Still in imitation of the ice-dwellers of the far north, they made the -only entrance to this big igloo through a low tunnel of ice cakes, well -chinked and mortared with snow and water, and with a deerskin doorway -that dropped curtainwise and could be fastened tight. Had Sir Christopher -Wren been viewing the completion of St. Paul’s Cathedral, he could have -done so with no greater thrill of pride than did these two beginners in -Arctic life their rough ice shelter from the cold to come. - -“I think that makes it all right,” said Joe, with great satisfaction. “If -it doesn’t work we can retreat below, but with a good fire in the galley -stove it seems as if we might be comfortable here, even in the coldest -weather.” - -They took stock of their provisions and coal and, as was to be expected, -found both ample for a large number of men. Trade goods still held out, -and they could purchase what the Eskimos had to offer during the winter, -if they cared to. Joe sighed as he looked at the whaling implements, -harpoons, bomb guns, and line, left just as they had been abandoned, -ready for instant use. He picked up a harpoon and handled it lovingly. - -“I’ll have a shot or two with you, yet,” he said, “before we get out of -the wilderness.” - -“How do you mean?” asked Harry; “there’s no chance to get whales in -winter, is there?” - -A half-formed plan in Joe’s head took shape in that instant. - -“No,” he said, “not in winter, but the whales begin to appear in the -leads in the ice very early in the spring. Long before the ships can get -up here to get at them, the most of them have gone north. Now, situated -as we are, we can do whaling right from the ice, if we can get the -Eskimos to help us. They will gladly do it for the blubber and meat, -and we shall have the bone. That is the best part of a whale nowadays, -anyway. Here’s what I plan for the spring and summer. We will get all the -bone and furs we can this winter to add to the cargo. We’ll be as careful -of the coal as we can, and if the Bowhead comes through the winter all -right, as I hope she will, we will try and take her south ourselves, with -the help of the Eskimos, when the ice opens next summer.” - -Thus, well provided for in the present, and with roseate plans for the -future, they began the winter. Daily the sun got lower; so did the -mercury in the thermometer; and often for days there was no sight of the -former because of flying snow and the deep haze of frost-fog. The ice set -more and more firmly about the Bowhead, and the pack which ground and -crushed against the edge of the shore ice outside the headland no longer -made any answering movement in the frozen stretch about her. The winter -was upon them, and there were times when their ice igloo was put to -severe tests as a frost defender. It stood them all well, and with a good -fire in the galley range, it was always comfortable within. In the open -space between the galley and the igloo frost crystals collected, till, -in the glow of lamplight, the narrow way looked like a fairy grotto, all -hung with spangles and frost gems. - -The temperature there was always below freezing, and Joe prosaically -suggested that it would be a good place to hang their fresh meat, if they -had any to hang. - -“I wish our Eskimo friend would come back and spear a seal for us,” said -Harry. “We’ve had no fresh meat since he left. Suppose he got home safe?” - -They were to have fresh meat soon, however, by way of a most interesting -adventure that began the very night after. - -October had come, and with the middle of it a few brief days of mild -weather. The sun slanted upward in a low sweep from the southern horizon, -then down, after scarcely three hours, leaving behind it, as it set, a -running fire of beams that swept along the horizon like a prairie fire, -then the dancing splendor of the aurora and a full moon that swung the -circuit of the sky without setting. The refraction in the air, first -cousin to the mirage, gave this moon odd shapes that were indescribably -weird. Sometimes it was cubical, sometimes an elongated oval, and often -there were rainbows in the frost about it that made mock moons, two or -three ranged in irregular order, with encircling fires that were as -beautiful as ghostly. The boys, warmly wrapped in furs chosen from their -stock, would, on these calm nights, often promenade the deck for an hour, -viewing these phenomena and listening to the crash and grind of the pack -against the shore ice beyond the headland. This night they had done so, -then retired to the glow of their evening lamp, with books from their -stock. They were studying navigation, and a book on engineering and -seamanship from the engineer’s locker, that they might be better able to -handle the vessel if the chance came to them in the summer. - -Weariness overcame them there, and Joe had already turned in, while -Harry dozed in the chair over his book. He started up once, thinking he -heard footsteps, then settled down again, sure that it had been only -imagination. There he slept while the footsteps came along the deck, -hesitated at the deerskin curtain, and then something tore it down. Harry -stirred uneasily, but did not wake. The steps, padded but scratchy, -came along the ice tunnel and hesitated again at the closed door to the -galley. Then something clawed at this door and shook it, sniffling. Harry -came to his feet with a bound and listened, uncertain whether he had -heard or dreamed. Then the sound went round the side of the galley, as if -something were crowding through the ice passage to the window. - -“Joe!” cried Harry; “Joe, there’s something here!” Joe roused sleepily, -then tumbled out of his bunk with a rush, for there was a crash of glass -and a great white forearm came through the little window with a black -palm and long, hooked nails. Then the lamp went out. - -Darkness, and the sound of heavy breathing, with a terrifying -recollection of that great arm and the palm with long nails! - -The two boys crowded together in the corner of the galley, quivering and -terrified. The thought of the winter ghosts that the Eskimo had said they -would find at Icy Cape came to both, and did not seem like a foolish -superstition now. - -“What is it? What is it?” cried Harry in terror. His voice sounded faint -and far away to him. - -“Can’t you find a match?” replied Joe between his set teeth. He was -trying hard to conquer this superstitious terror, but he only partly -succeeded. - -Harry tremblingly pulled a match from his pocket and struck it. The arm -was there, reaching and clawing, and behind it gleamed two fierce little -eyes. Joe snatched the 45-70 from the corner and began pumping shot after -shot at the little window. In the confines of the little room the report -was deafening, and the match went out at the first shot. - -Harry lighted another. The arm hung limp and there was a heaving and -straining without that fairly cracked the galley walls, then silence. - -“Ghost or devil or what all, I’ve finished him,” said Joe, after watching -for a moment with pointed rifle. - -Harry relighted the lamp. His courage was coming back, but his nerves -were still shaky. Then he flung wide the door while Joe held the rifle in -readiness. Darkness was there, but neither sound nor ghost. Cautiously, -lamp in hand and rifle ready, they entered the space between the ice and -the galley sides, and there they saw their ghost motionless. He was bulky -and white, so bulky that he filled the three-foot space tight, with his -arm still stuck through the cabin window. - -“Well,” said Joe, “he’s white enough for a ghost, but he isn’t one. He’s -a white bear, and a fine one. Let’s get him out of that and skin him -before he freezes.” - -In the light of the ship’s lanterns they tugged and wrestled for an hour -to get the great creature out through the igloo entrance to the deck. -There they skinned him and cut him up, hanging the four quarters in what -they henceforth named their refrigerator. The pelt was a fine one, in the -full strength of the winter coat. In spite of the cold and dim light, -they took it off carefully, muzzle, claws, and all. - -“There,” said Joe, “that skin will bring a hundred dollars in San -Francisco, if we can ever get it there. It is a good night’s work, if we -were scared to death. What do you suppose brought him?” - -“Don’t know,” replied Harry, “unless it was the smell of that salmon.” - -Both sniffed, and on the air from the igloo caught the faint odor of -the salted salmon that they had put on the galley range to simmer and -freshen. He was probably right. The white bear has a keen scent, and the -odor of cooking will draw him a long way across the ice. - -They repaired the window, re-closed the igloo entrance, and though -somewhat apprehensive, slept soundly and unmolested until daylight. Then -they sought and found tracks showing where the bear had climbed a drift -and come aboard by way of the stern. Other tracks seemed to show that -their intruder had a companion that had circled the ship on the snow but -had not boarded it. This adventure gave them fresh meat, the first for a -long time, and they ate bear steaks till they were weary of them; but it -also gave them an idea for the capture of more valuable pelts. - -“If white bears are coming our way,” said Joe, “we’ll try and fix things -so they’ll stop with us. We must make a little shelter on the deck aft, -and set a whale-oil lamp burning in it with a kettle of salmon stewing -over it. Then we’ll fix things so that if his bearness approaches it, -he’ll breast a string and set off a rifle. One of those old Springfield -muzzle-loaders that dad couldn’t sell, even to the mersinkers, will be -just the thing. We can load it half full of bullets, and it don’t matter -if it does burst. There’s plenty more of them.” - -“Good idea,” said Harry. “If bears are coming, I’d like to have something -stop them before they get far enough aboard to scare me the way the last -one did. We’ll do it to-day.” - -They did, but that night one of the terrible Arctic blizzards set in, -and it never let up for a month. Their trap was rigged, but they could -do nothing toward baiting it in such tremendous weather; they scarcely -ventured outdoors, and got along as best they could by the galley fire. -Yet the time did not hang very heavily on their hands. They read and -studied, played all the games there were aboard the vessel, and slept a -great deal. In the gloom and cold of the full Arctic night the tendency -to hibernate seems to come on men as well as animals, and they sometimes -slept the round of the clock at a stretch. - -The fifteenth of November the gale ceased as suddenly as it had come up, -and they ventured out at high noon. The air was still, but intensely -cold. Clad in reindeer-skin suits from head to toe, with fur hoods, and -little but the eyes exposed to the frost, they looked about. A luminous -twilight hung over all the wastes of snow. To the north the sky was -purple black, flushing pink in quivering streams of light toward the -zenith, where glowed great stars. The heavens seemed, through this -luminous pink haze, these quivering bars of aurora, to have wonderful -depth and perspective. Great golden stars shone there, some far, some -seemingly very near, and the distance between the two was very marked. -The wonderful depths of infinite space were revealed to them as never -before, and they gazed in awe and delight. - -“I never knew before,” cried Harry, “what was meant by the depths of the -heavens. At home the sky is a flat surface with holes poked in it that -are stars. Here you see them worlds, with millions of miles of space -before and behind and around them. It is wonderful. See the south, too; -it is afire!” - -A little to the east of due south lambent flames sprang above the horizon -as if a great fire burned there. They shot up and moved westward as -though a great forest was going down before a smokeless conflagration. On -to the west they moved, and sank, glowed, and disappeared—burnt out. - -It was the last of the midday sun, and they were not to see it again -until well into February. A faint breeze seemed to blow in from the -south, as if bearing a message and a promise that the sun would come -again. Joe sniffed this breeze. - -“Come,” he said; “let’s set that bear trap. This wind from the south will -send the smell of burnt salmon miles and miles out on the ice. It ought -to bring a lot of bears.” - -They did as Joe suggested, and as the south wind blew gently and a spell -of mild weather ensued, kept the toll-dish stewing for a long time. It -was two days before anything happened. Then they were both called from -the cabin by a tremendous explosion. They rushed to the trap and found -a bear sprawled before it, dead, with a big hole torn in his neck. -Nothing, moreover, was left of the Springfield musket but the breech. The -tremendous charge with which it had been loaded had blown the barrel to -pieces and shattered the bait stew as well. - -“Whew!” exclaimed Joe. “We did things that time, didn’t we! How much did -you put in that old musket, anyway?” - -Harry looked a little guilty. “Why,” he answered, “you said to fill her -about half full, and I did. There were nine bullets, I think.” - -“Well, I should say so,” replied Joe, “by the looks of the bear. Guess we -won’t load quite so heavy next time. I don’t care for the old musket, -there’s plenty more, but it don’t do to tear up the pelt too badly. Great -Scott, what’s that!” - -Both jumped, for, silhouetted against the aurora, figures stepped from -the drift to the deck and approached. The thoughts of both were of bears, -but a second glance showed these figures to be men, and in a moment they -were greeting their Eskimo friend of the ice and several others who had -come with him. Moreover, as they soon learned, the entire village was -ashore, having decided to move to the neighborhood of the ship, where -food and trade goods were plenty. They had come up with dog teams, and -the women were already carving huts from the deep snow just back of the -beach, in a spot sheltered from the north winds. - -It was not until these other human beings appeared that the boys realized -how lonely they had been, and in their joy at the sight of fellow -creatures they planned a feast, to which they invited the whole village. -This took place the next day, and though the village numbered scarce -fifteen adults, they ate up pretty nearly the whole bear. However, it -made them very friendly toward the two Crusoes of the ship, and the boys -did not grudge the feast in any case. - -You must not directly ask an Eskimo his name; they have a superstitious -dread of telling it to your face, but you may ask another, even in his -presence, and etiquette is in no wise outraged. So now, for the first -time, they learned that the one they had rescued from the floating cake -months before was Harluk, that his wife was Atchoo, while other men of -the village were Kroo, Konwa, Neako, and Pikalee. - -[Illustration: HARLUK AND KROO] - -They had plenty of dogs, sleds, two umiaks which they had brought on -the sleds, clothing, and a small amount of blubber and seal meat. That -was all; but they were happy, and viewed with no fear the narrow margin -which separated them from starvation in the Arctic midwinter. Their -snow igloos, carved deep in the drifts on the leeward side of a little -hill, and warmed by a stone lamp full of seal oil, were comfortable and -at first clean. When they were no longer so, they moved a few rods and -carved another without much labor. If the weather was not too severe, -the men watched the margin where the pack ice was ground back and forth -by the shore ice, and were sometimes rewarded with a seal. They tracked -white foxes, ermine, and now and then a wolf or a bear, and exchanged -the pelts with the boys for hard-tack, or blankets, or other necessaries -of life, and were singularly placid and good-humored. Everything with -them was “Nagouruk,” and their chief delight was to visit the ship, and -spend hours in the company of their white friends. The outer sheltering -igloo of ice cakes, which the boys had built over the galley, won their -admiration at once, and they gave it the greatest compliment that an -Eskimo can pay. Kroo, the oldest man, and in that respect the chief, -as chiefs go in a little Eskimo community, inspected it carefully and -solemnly, and then announced oracularly in his own tongue: - -“It is good. The white brothers are almost as wise as Eskimos.” - -Many conferences were held between Harluk and Kroo and the two boys as -to the prospects and methods of spring whaling in the ice, and as they -learned the ways of the whale from their dusky friends and the ease with -which they are captured by the Eskimos with their primitive weapons, -Harry and Joe became very enthusiastic as to the success which awaited -them with modern appliances. Harluk and Kroo were also greatly pleased. -The plan meant for them unlimited supplies of whale meat and blubber, and -both parties were impatient of the long night of fierce cold that must -still pass before they could begin. They got no more bears for a long -time, because the cold was so severe that their blubber lamps went out -and the tolling smell of stewing salmon failed them. Joe remedied this -in part by mixing the whale oil with kerosene, which did not freeze even -in the most severe weather, and finally he enlarged his lamp greatly, -using a square kerosene can for a reservoir, and filling it with kerosene -alone. This worked much better, and an occasional white pelt was added -to their store by this means. Out of this, too, came a most singular -adventure, which was of great service to the Eskimos, and no doubt saved -the lives of both boys, though it lost them a valuable bearskin. - -It happened late in February, after the sun had begun again to smile at -them for a moment above the southern horizon, though his brief daily -presence seemed in no wise to abate the cold. - - - - -CHAPTER VII - -THE GHOST WOLVES OF THE NUNATAK - - -The “Ankut,” as the Eskimos call him, the wizard, is the bane of -life among the peaceful Arctic villagers. He is generally of greater -intelligence than they, his craftiness mixed with great greed and -ferocity, and he brings strife and misery to the community on which he -fastens. Beginning with little tricks and pretended magic, he gains an -ascendency over the tribe which often ends in their giving up to him most -of their possessions and sometimes their lives. Growing thus in power -and audacity, he becomes a veritable tyrant, and his career usually ends -in the utter disaster of the people whom he rules, or else they in their -extremity overcome their superstitious fears and drive him out. In either -case he is apt to become an outlaw, living by brigandage, and working -ruin wherever he goes. Among the tribes of northern Siberia the Russians -have given him the name of “Shaman,” but in Alaska a Pacific coast term -is applied to him when he becomes an outlaw, and he is known to the -whalemen as a “highbinder.” Oftentimes he is a half-breed descendant of -a white father and Eskimo mother, and seems to inherit the evil cunning -of both races. Driven from a community by its utter ruin or by force, the -highbinders band together and rove about, preying upon the gentle and -superstitious villagers, and spreading disaster and terror wherever they -go. They play strange tricks, murder, and rob with no fear of anything -except superior force, and carry off boys and girls and sometimes grown -men and women into slavery. - -[Illustration: VISITING ESKIMOS] - -There came a week of chinook weather just at the last of February. The -Indian tribes a thousand miles to the south have named the warm wind from -the Japanese current “chinook,” from the name of a tribe whose habitat -was to the southwest of them, the direction whence this wind came, and -the name has come to be applied to it the continent over. Down there, no -doubt, this chinook melted the snow, and gave the first promise of coming -spring. The faint breath of it that reached the far Arctic regions where -our friends wintered could do nothing of that sort, but it did bring a -period of mild, clear weather, when the dry air seemed positively warm -during the few hours of sunshine, while through the long night, under the -dancing light of the aurora, the thermometer barely descended to zero. -The first night of this warm weather and faintly breathing southern air -brought two bears in from the ice-fields, one of which was killed at -the trap. The boys, rushing out, saw the other on the ice near by, and -Harry killed him by a lucky moonlight shot with the 45-70. Thus two fine -pelts were added to their collection, which now numbered ten fine and -three less valuable ones, captured by themselves or bought from their -Eskimo friends. Joe figured that the value of these in the San Francisco -fur market would not be less than a thousand dollars, and they decided -that they would keep watch while the south wind lasted and thus lose no -chances of getting more. - -That night Harry called Joe hastily, and the two, fur-wrapped and rifle -in hand, listened into the magnificent whiteness of the moon-flooded -night. - -“There!” cried Harry. “There it is!” - -A low, half-fierce, half-mournful, wailing howl came from the ridge of -land above the Eskimo village. It was repeated to the right and left, -and came again and again at brief intervals. - -“Wolves?” asked Harry. - -“I should think so,” said Joe; “but”— - -Both boys shivered and drew nearer together, as if for mutual protection. -The weird glamour of the Arctic night was upon them, and they thought -again of the story that Harluk had told them of the winter ghosts at Icy -Cape. - -“Look there,” cried Joe. “The Eskimos are out.” - -They dimly saw two figures, in the radiance of the full moon, come from -the direction of the Eskimo village. Silhouetted against the snow, they -moved to the right and left of the ridge, seemed to pause a moment, and -then went back. There came the wolf-like howling again, but this time -it had a sort of jubilant ring in it. It was heard no more that night, -though both boys were up for a considerable time listening for it. - -At dawn the next day Harluk appeared with woe in his countenance. -“Good-by,” he said; “Eskimo all go to-day.” - -“But why?” asked Joe in wonder; “are you not all right here with us?” - -“Yesterday,” said Harluk, “plenty all right. Last night Nunatak (ice -spirit) people send ghost wolves for food. Eskimo put out plenty. Then -they go away. To-morrow night come again. Bimeby food gone, furs gone, -then they take Eskimo. More better Eskimo go away first. Too much winter -ghosts at Icy Cape.” - -Joe was in dismay at the thought of losing the village. The companionship -of the Eskimos meant much to the two boys, and their leaving would break -up their plans for the spring. But at first all argument was in vain. The -Eskimos had had experience with the Nunatak people before. When Eskimos -settled in their realm, they must pay tribute to the ghost wolves sent or -move out. There was no alternative. If the wolves howled again, they must -put out something in food or furs or other property to appease them, or -else the ice spirit people would come and take the Eskimos themselves. -The boys conferred together about this new difficulty. - -“What do you suppose it is?” asked Harry. - -“I don’t know,” replied Joe; “but whatever it is, ghost wolves or real -ones, or just superstition, we must stop it. We can’t lose our friends -this way, and they must not lose their little stock of food and furs. -Will you guard the ship to-night and let me sit up with the Eskimos? -Ghosts must be pretty hard to hit, but we’ll see what a 45-70 will do for -them.” - -There was a grim set to Joe’s square jaw, and Harry felt the spirit of -battle rise within him as he saw it. - -“You go ahead,” he said; “and if the ghost wolves come to the ship, I’ll -deal with them.” - -That night Joe sat in the snow igloo with Harluk, Atchoo his wife, and -the two Eskimo babies, one a child of a year or so, the other four or -five, both fat and roly-poly youngsters with beady black eyes that looked -in wonder at the white man. A blubber lamp burned brightly in the centre -of this igloo, while over it hung a kettle of melted snow-water. Round -the wall was a seat of hardened snow covered with a few sealskins. In -the corner was a bundle. Joe examined this bundle. It contained a small -stock of food, all there was in the igloo, and some furs. Harluk was -prepared to propitiate the evil spirits, should they again send their -representatives. Later in the evening more of the Eskimos came in, until -all the members of the village were concentrated in this igloo and that -of Kroo, the head man, near by. Fear of their ghostly oppressors was -strong upon the village, which, but for Joe’s offered protection, would -have been already far on the road south toward Point Hope. - -About midnight Atchoo shuddered and drew her children to her. The other -Eskimos looked at Joe with their brown faces whitening with fear, for -right down the smoke-hole came that weird, wailing howl. Joe snatched the -rifle and scrambled out through the low passage. The moon shone brightly -on the still whiteness of the Arctic midnight, but there was no sign of -living creature in sight. Only over the ridge, some distance away, came -the howl again, this time with mocking intonation, as if the messengers -of the Nunatak people laughed at his futile efforts. Again it seemed to -come right from the ship, and Joe, baffled and angry, yet felt a chill -of fear thrill through him. He jumped as a figure appeared almost at his -feet, but it was only Kroo with a bundle of provisions and furs in his -hand, scrambling from the low passage of his igloo. - -“The ghost wolves must be fed,” said Kroo resignedly. “My white brother -is brave, but he cannot shoot spirits even if he could find them. I will -go.” - -Quaking with fear, but doggedly, the old man plodded through the snow -toward the ridge. He had gone but a step or two when Joe was close behind -him, walking as he walked, so close that from a little distance the two -would look like one man in the uncertain light. When they reached a -furrow between two drifts Joe dropped into this, out of sight. Kroo went -on a few rods farther, placed his offering on the snow, and turned back. -He would have paused by Joe, but the latter firmly motioned him on, and a -few moments later he entered the igloo. - -There was silence for a long time, while Joe watched the bundle narrowly -where it showed dark against the white surface, holding his rifle ready -for instant use. The minutes seemed to stretch into hours. He felt a -chill that was not altogether cold, and his hand shook with a nervous -tremor that was very close to fear. Real wolves he did not care for, yet -with all his sturdy Anglo-Saxon sense, something of the superstition -of the Eskimos seemed to touch him. Civilization slips easily from us -when face to face with night, the wilderness, and the unknown. He had a -haunting feeling that something was near him, yet peer as he would he -could see nothing but the whiteness of the moonlit expanse of snow and -the black bundle, untouched, where Kroo had dropped it. - -Suddenly he sprang to his feet with a gasp of alarm and surprise, for, -seemingly right behind him, sounded a snarling howl. He turned and looked -eagerly, and ran in that direction for a few steps, breathless, yet -there was no sign of man or beast. He listened intently. No sound for a -moment, then right behind his back the howl sounded again, this time with -a chuckle like laughter in it, and he gave an exclamation of disgust, -for the bundle no longer lay dark upon the snow. The ghost wolves had -found their offering and made off with it. It seemed to Joe, as he looked -about, as if he could see a blur of a white figure moving along against -a white snow ridge, and he brought his rifle to his shoulder to shoot, -then hesitated, thinking he must have imagined it, so indistinct was the -impression. As he hesitated, he saw another blur of white over a near-by -ridge, almost within arm’s reach, with what looked like an evil face in -it, and before he could turn, a heavy mass of frozen snow struck him in -the head and stretched him senseless. The figure of a white bear with the -face of a man leaned over him, then lifted its head and gave forth the -wolf howl, a different cry from the others heard that night. There was -no chuckle in this howl. It was rather a cry of rage which carried in -itself a command, and it had scarcely ceased before three other bear-like -figures hurried up. These, too, had the faces of men and they walked -erect, yet they left behind tracks of claws. Hurried low words were -spoken in Eskimo, and the four took up the motionless figure and carried -it away from the igloos, yet a little toward the ship, down a long furrow -behind a drift, to a place on the shore where the ice crushing in during -the early fall had left a sheltering ridge. Here they vanished with their -burden as if they had been dissipated into air. - -Harry’s watch was long that night on the deck of the Bowhead. He felt -appallingly lonely long before midnight, and it was all he could do to -keep from setting out for the shore to see what was happening at the -igloos. The ghost wolves seemed less a matter of superstition now that -Joe’s sturdy presence was lacking, and he waited with apprehension for -their howling, and shivered with nervous dread when it began. He watched -narrowly, and saw what he thought was one figure go out from the igloo -and return in the uncertain light. Again he heard the howling, now far, -now seemingly near, and watching, with his rifle under his arm, he was -surprised to see a figure appear dimly in the snow far over on the ridge. -He saw this figure move back and forth. Then, to his astonishment, it -seemed to rise up from the ground in a horizontal position and move off, -disappearing again. All this was strange and disquieting, and for a long -time there was silence. - -What seemed hours followed, and at last he could stand it no longer. He -fastened the galley door, took his repeating rifle under his arm, and -marched down the hard drifted snow off the Bowhead in the direction of -the igloos. As he did so, far off on the ice to the northward two great -white bears lifted their noses and sniffed the wind, which blew from the -south. On it came a faint odor of fish, always enough to attract any -white bear, but this odor was more appetizing than any the two had ever -smelled before. The salmon kettle was doing its work. Warily the two -great creatures took their way southward over the rough ice. - -At the igloos Harry’s call for Joe was answered by the furry Eskimo head -of Harluk. He put this carefully out from the tunnel-like entrance and -calmly said Joe was no more. He was a good man and a noble friend, but he -was no longer even a spirit. The ghost wolves had no doubt eaten him, and -thereby he became as nothing. Killed in battle, eaten by real wolves, his -spirit would yet remain, but when the ghost wolves of the Nunatak people -got a man, he simply vanished. If Harry did not wish to vanish, it would -be well for him to come into the igloo. - -Harry took Harluk by the shoulders and pulled the rest of him out into -the moonlight. - -“Look here, Harluk,” he said. “You stop this nonsense, and tell me where -Joe is. Is he with you? If not, where did he go? Tell me and tell me -quick.” - -Like cures like, says the old adage. Harry’s manner was so fierce that -he frightened his dusky friend, and for a moment drove some of the -superstitious fear out of him. He spoke to the point when he got his -breath. Joe, he said, had gone out with Kroo to bait the ghost wolves. -In this direction they had gone, over toward the ridge. Kroo had come -back, Joe had not. This was long ago. - -“Harluk,” said Harry, “you get that repeating rifle that we gave you, -load it, and come with me. Tell Kroo to come, too, and bring his gun and -Konwa. The others shall stay with the women and children.” - -The three came, reluctantly. Harry’s impetuosity carried them along, -but some distance behind. Any one of them would have faced danger and -probable death without a tremor, but this matter of ghosts was different. -They reached the place where Kroo had left Joe, and Kroo pointed out -his tracks, indistinct in the moonlight, then farther on they saw where -he had gone on. But they saw neither the bundle nor Joe. Unlike his -cousin, the Indian of the interior, the Eskimo has no special aptitude -in following a blind trail, hence it was Harry who first noted in the -snow the indistinct marks of clawed feet. At sight of this the three men -of the north collapsed together in a shivering bunch. The ghost wolves -had been abroad, their eyes saw the marks of their feet. Joe, brave and -able as he was, had been eaten and was now no more, even in spirit. -The Nunatak people were no doubt all about them at that moment, and -if they got back to the igloos safe, it would be a wonder. They headed -tremblingly for home, but Harry stepped resolutely in front of them. The -spirit of battle was fully roused in him now, and he had no thought of -ghosts. Joe was to be found, rescued if need be, and the Eskimos must be -made to help. Force would be of no avail. He must meet superstition with -superstition. - -“Look here, Harluk,” he said, “do you not know that the white man is a -great ankut, a wizard much greater than any? Did we not make the ghost -ship real? Can I not make the spirit of a man or a place go into a little -box and come out again so that you may see it and hold it in your hand? I -tell you, if we do not find Joe and you do not help me, the ghost birds -of the white man’s Nunatak shall fly away with you. They shall hang you -head down in the smoke-hole of his igloo, and with fire shall torment -your bones as long as the ice lasts in the sea. Now will you come with -me?” - -It was too bad, and Harry knew it, but there did not seem to be any other -way. It certainly had a great effect on his superstitious friends. They -drew suddenly back from him with an alarm that nearly made him laugh in -spite of the fact that he felt the situation to be critical. He held one -hand aloft and seemed to listen. “The ghost birds are coming,” he cried; -“I hear their wings!” - -Konwa’s teeth chattered audibly, Harluk was sullenly silent under this -counter pressure of conflicting ghosts, but Kroo, the old head man, drew -himself up with a certain dignity. He seemed to conquer his fears, and -for the rest of the night he acted the part of a brave man. “There be -many wizards abroad to-night,” he said, “and my white brother is perhaps -one. Kroo will help his friends in spite of evil spirits.” - -Then the hunt for the missing man began again. The full moon shone low on -the horizon, and the stately hosts of the aurora began to parade the sky -with flaunting crimson banners. The two lighted up the white wastes with -a radiance that was but little less than daylight, and with their help -they followed the claw tracks here and there. It seemed as if many ghost -wolves had been out that night, prowling along the hollows between snow -ridges. Here and there they found an imprint quite plain, showing the -mark of a heavy foot with claws on the front. By and by Harry found a -place where four of these converged in a spot, and something like a heavy -body had fallen in the snow. Kroo looked at this place intently. - -“Bundle here,” he said. - -Then the four tracks blurred into one another and went on. Harry had a -moment’s mental vision of the indistinct figure that had flitted back -and forth in the moonlight, then risen and gone off in a horizontal -position, and he guessed very nearly right as to the catastrophe. He -found shattered fragments of a chunk of ice on the snow, and on one of -these what looked like a spot of blood. A great anger swelled in Harry’s -breast at the sight of this, and for a moment he choked for words. - -“See,” he said, showing the blood-stained crystal to the Eskimos; “they -have hurt him and carried him away. Here are their tracks. It cannot be -ghosts. Ghosts do not draw blood. We shall find them and kill them. Kill -them, do you hear? whether they are men or beasts.” - -Kroo stepped forward and examined the deeper tracks critically. “Nanuk,” -he said; “bear; plenty bear.” Konwa, himself a mighty bear hunter, -corroborated the testimony. - -This put new courage into Harluk and Konwa. Bears they knew and would -fight in any number, and for the first time they took an active interest -in the proceedings. The trail was broad and easy to follow in the soft -snow, and they went on for some distance. Down near the shore, however, -they lost it, and did not pick it up again. Then, at Kroo’s suggestion, -they spread out far apart and began to zigzag along the snow, each -hunting carefully. - -But if the light-hearted Eskimos had in a large measure lost their -superstitious dread, the discovery of bear tracks had not helped Harry -to overcome his. Why should bears attack Joe and carry him off bodily? -Why had he not used his rifle before it happened? It was a good deal of a -mystery, and he could not help feeling that the whole affair was ghostly -and savored of the supernatural. This in no wise affected his courage and -eagerness in the hunt. - -There certainly were bears about, real bears, for the two that had been -attracted by the salmon bait had nearly reached the ship. They slipped -along cautiously from hummock to hummock, and were much disturbed by the -presence of men ashore. These they winded; but the salmon bait was too -much for their hungry stomachs, and they went cautiously toward it. The -curiosity of madam bear, or else her hunger, was greater, for she was -well in front and stepped forward and breasted the fatal line, while her -lord and master stood to one side. - -Meanwhile things had been happening rapidly over on shore. Harry, Kroo, -and Harluk, armed with rifles, Konwa with his great walrus spear, had -spread far apart and were hunting carefully for tracks in the snow, -but it was drifted so hard thereabouts that they found none. Harry was -nearest ashore of any, and he suddenly felt the snow giving way under his -feet. He gave a cry of alarm and went down out of sight, landing full -upon something solid, that in the indistinct light of an oil lamp looked -and felt like a bear. This creature turned and grappled him, yet there -was no clutch of bear’s claws, but rather the arms of a man that had -hold of him. The face that was turned toward him was not that of a bear -either, but seemed to be the evil face of a man. - -“Kroo! Harluk! Help!” shouted Harry, and wrestled desperately with his -opponent. - -Other bear-like figures seemed to swarm about him and join in the battle. -As he fought, he noted that he seemed to be in an igloo like that of one -of the villagers, and he backed toward the low entrance, clinging to -his adversary and dragging him with him. His rifle had dropped in the -beginning of the mêlée, but there was no chance to use firearms. It was -a hand-to-hand struggle, in which the numbers of his adversaries were -of little use to them. As he backed toward this igloo entrance, he saw -another figure rise from the further corner, not that of a man-faced -bear, this one, but of a fur-clad man. It seemed to take his part in the -conflict, and hustled toward the low entrance also. Then the lamp was -kicked over, and the affray went on in the dark. It was a strange mix -up, but Harry found himself outside after a little, where he could see -and act, and, seizing an opportunity, he dealt his opponent a stunning -blow in the face with his fist. It broke his hold, and he had a chance -to turn, just in time, for another man-faced bear was leveling a rifle -at him. Harry struck this aside as it went off, and the bullet whistled -harmlessly by. He grappled with this new adversary, and found himself -much stronger. Round and round on the snow they went; but another one -seized him from behind, and the two bore him to the snow, and held him -there. - -The next moment he saw Joe, struggling weakly on the snow beside him, -held down by other men clad in bearskins. He heard these bear-like men -speak in Eskimo to one another. His own hands and Joe’s were hurriedly -bound with walrus-hide thongs; then the five men,—he could count them now -and take note of their actions,—rifle in hand, advanced toward the ship. -They began to shoot hastily and inaccurately, as Eskimos will. - -The struggle had taken place almost entirely under the snow, and the -shot which had missed Harry was the first thing to call the attention of -Kroo and his men to the affray. Harluk and Kroo could not fire while it -lasted, lest they shoot their friends. Konwa, however, mighty bear hunter -and fearing nothing but ghosts, set his walrus spear at the charge and -plunged valiantly at the group. He received one of the first bullets from -the fusillade and fell. Kroo and Harluk, seeing themselves over-matched, -and both Harry and Joe out of the combat, emptied their rifles hastily -and without aim, then turned and fled before the superior numbers. - -The battle seemed lost. Joe and Harry tugged in vain at their bonds. -Konwa lay face down upon his walrus spear, and Kroo and Harluk fled for -safety. One, who seemed to be a leader of the enemy, spoke to the others. - -“Let them go,” he said in Eskimo. “We can get them later. Let us attend -to these two first.” - -He beckoned to another, and the two took a stand by Joe and Harry. Harry -recognized the one by him as the man with whom he had first struggled, -and he saw with much satisfaction that one of his eyes was well closed -by that last blow. The other eye, however, looked upon him with an evil -gleam of vindictive triumph in it. He leveled his rifle full at Harry’s -head. - -“Shoot,” he said to the other one, who had taken a similar position by -Joe. “We will be well rid of the dogs.” - -Over on the ship madam bear had just received the charge from the -Springfield musket, and was plunging and kicking in the death agony on -the snow. Her mate watched this with dismay, then anger, and finally -rushed in blind fury at the thing that had hurt her. He swept the rifle -three rods away with one blow of his mighty paw. Then he plunged at the -toll kettle, bit at it, and crushed it to his chest with one great bear’s -hug. The tin can flattened, the oil showered from his shoulders to his -feet as he stood erect in his rage, and igniting, made of him a huge -torch that rushed landward over the snow, a dancing figure of flame that -snarled and roared, leaped and somersaulted. - -Harluk and Kroo saw this strange apparition first, and fled to the right -and left with yells of superstitious fear. On it came, tearing across the -snow, right toward the outlaw Eskimos and their victims. The two about to -murder hesitated and lowered their rifles. - -“What is it? What is it?” asked the men of the bearskins, one of another, -and the reply was but one word, “Ghost.” - -Harry heard and saw, and quick-wittedly took advantage of the -opportunity. He struggled to a sitting position and shouted in Eskimo: -“Come, spirit! I, the wizard, command you. Come and burn them with great -fire. Come fire spirits all, and burn them.” - -The strange figure of flame seemed to obey his words. It rushed, roaring -and capering, at them. It was too much for the Eskimo mind to stand. -The men who had themselves posed as ghosts were astonished at this far -greater apparition than they could make. With one impulse of panic fear -they turned and fled inland, leaving weapons and shedding their bearskins -to hasten their flight. Nor did they stop till they had disappeared -beyond the ridge. - -The dancing figure of flame stumbled and stopped almost at the feet of -Joe and Harry. There was a groan, and it lay motionless, while the flames -flickered for a moment and then went out. - -For some time Joe and Harry struggled with their bonds, but at last Joe -slipped his and released Harry. They looked the field over. Konwa lay -motionless where he had fallen. They examined the blackened figure that -had been their flame deliverer, and finding it to be the carcass of a -bear, guessed the strange accident that had set them free at the very -moment when their case seemed hopeless. They shouted for Kroo and Harluk, -and by and by the two came, hesitatingly. The sorrow of these two at the -death of Konwa was genuine but undemonstrative. They were willing to -believe that the battle had been with men clad in bearskins, but their -theory of ghost wolves was in no wise shaken. Yes, there was the carcass -of a scorched bear on the snow. They saw that, but they had also seen a -fire spirit dancing and roaring across the snow. This spirit might have -tipped over the kerosene kettle and burned the bear, but to say that the -bear was the spirit was foolish. They knew enough about wizards and their -work to know better than that. The white men were certainly great ankuts -as well as good fighters. They had driven away the ghost wolves for the -night, and they had brought forth a spirit of fire that had driven away -men, or ghost wolves changed into men. Anyway, the spirit of the white -man was evidently much the stronger, and they would have no fear as long -as Joe and Harry were by. - -Thus reasoned Harluk and Kroo. The two boys saw that it was of no use to -argue with them and wisely let the matter stand. They gently carried the -body of Konwa back to the igloos, and Joe and Harry stayed with their -friends till daybreak. They had collected the weapons that their enemies -had dropped in their flight, and they stood watch lest they return, but -they saw nothing more of them. Joe’s head was slightly cut and somewhat -bruised from the blow he had received, and it ached, but otherwise he -was uninjured, and he made light of the whole matter. There was no sign -of the foe during the remainder of the night, nor did the ghost wolves -howl again. - -At daybreak, fully armed, they made a careful survey of the ground. The -Eskimos, having no fear of the Nunatak people or their messengers as long -as the sun was shining, turned out to a man. They found near the beach, -in a big drift behind a sheltering ridge of ice, the igloo into which -Harry had fallen. It seemed a temporary affair, built, perhaps, for the -use of the outlaws in a future attack on the ship, or for a convenient -hiding-place while they terrorized the Eskimos. Joe had no recollection -between the time he was felled by the chunk of ice and the time he came -to in the igloo and feebly joined Harry in his struggle there. The place -was empty, except for one bearskin, evidently shed during the fight, that -its wearer might have more freedom. An examination of this pelt showed -the ingenuity of the outlaw Ankuts. The carcass had been taken from it -through a slit beneath. This left the skin of the hind legs and feet -intact, with the claws on. Walking in this bearskin suit, a man would -leave the trail of an animal with claws, and be nearly invisible in the -night, the white skin being so like the snow in color. Slipping along the -drifts, they could thus play all sorts of pranks on the superstitious -Eskimos with little fear of detection, and, as we have seen, even a white -man could be much puzzled by their antics. - -The party warily followed the tracks inland. The blowing, fine snow had -nearly obliterated them in spots, but they found them again. Moreover, -they found two more bearskins, shed in the hurry of flight. A mile inland -they found also a larger and more carefully made igloo, with traces of -dogs and a sled. The marks showed that the outlaws had hastily harnessed -up their dog team and gone on, with all their belongings, straight toward -the interior. This probably ended them, so far as the little community -at Icy Cape was concerned, and they returned to the igloos, taking the -three bearskins with them. They were excellent pelts; and Joe, after -declaring the Eskimos to be half owners in them, proceeded immediately -to buy out their share. The Eskimos recognized this even-handed justice, -and admired and respected the boys for it. But when Joe tried to make -them see how foolish it was to believe in ghost wolves and the evil -spirits of the ice, the Nunatak people, they listened politely, but -smiled incredulously. Had the boys not fought with them and heard them -howl? Yes, there were bad men, too; but how did they know but the Nunatak -people changed their wolves into bad men and then back again at pleasure? -Thus the matter ended. - -They buried Konwa the next morning. Harry thought they should read the -service for the burial of the dead over him, but Joe vetoed it. He said -that the Eskimos had funeral ceremonies of their own, and they ought not -to be interfered with. They placed Konwa on a small walrus hide, dressed -in his best furs, with his walrus-gut rain-coat over all. At one hand was -his sheevee, or big knife, in the other the walrus spear with which he -had made his last charge, and beside him were his plate and cup. On the -very top of the ridge they laid him, carried thither by the men of the -village, while his widow wailed loudly in the igloo. They brought stones -from a ledge, blown bare by the wind, and piled these in a little cairn -above him. Then they walked three times around him, chanting a weird -chant, while the widow still wailed in the igloo. Reaching the igloo on -their return, they walked three times around this, and chanted again, -while the widow wailed more loudly. Then the chanting ceased, the wailing -was cut off with equal abruptness, and the little village resumed its -round of daily life. - -Harry carved the name “Konwa” deep on a board, and added the sentence, -“He died bravely, fighting for his friends,” and placed this over the -body, supported by the stones. - - - - -CHAPTER VIII - -WHALING IN EARNEST - - -The bowhead whale spends his summers among the ice-fields that surround -the pole. What he does in winter is still a mooted question, but there -are many old whalemen who declare that the bowhead hibernates. Many of -them, they say, spend the winter about Bering Straits, and as far south -in Bering Sea as the Seal Islands. Here it is claimed that they lie on -the bottom and sleep till the warmer currents of the spring rouse them, -as they do the marmots, badgers, and brown bears on land, and at about -the same time. At any rate, the bowhead goes north with the ice in the -spring, comes down with it in the fall,—and then vanishes. He is not -found in the southern part of Bering Sea, nor in the north Pacific. -Hence, say the whalemen, who make a business of following him, if he does -not hibernate, what does become of him? Ordinarily, in the summer time, -the bowhead comes to the surface and breathes every forty minutes or so. -But now and then, for some cause or other, one will sulk, and the natives -have watched them lying close in shore in shallow water for five days -without seeing a movement or attempt to come to the surface to breathe. -Such whales are denominated “sleepy heads,” and when killed are found -to have a blubber that is watery instead of full of oil. The blubber of -more than one whale is thrown overboard after being cut in, because it -is deficient in oil. Whether there is any connection between the sleepy -heads and the hibernating may never be known, but if a whale can stay on -bottom without air for five days simply because he is sick or sulky, say -the whalers, ought he not to be able to sleep all winter in good health? -There is no certain answer to the question. - -At any rate, the whales appear in the open leads from Point Hope to Point -Barrow about the middle of April. These are all young whales who seem -to be the early risers. After them come the cows and their calves, and -behind these, mostly in the open water, follow the older single whales. -Bachelors and old maids these, and perhaps lack of responsibilities -makes them lazy. As these are the last up in the spring, so they are the -first down in the fall. Sometimes they too go in with the ice, and in -that case the whaleships following do not get many. The whales which the -Eskimos capture are almost always the young, who go up first, and they -capture them quite easily from the ice. The Chuckchis about East Cape get -from twenty to thirty thousand pounds of bone annually, and the Alaska -natives about as much. This is bought in the main by traders or whalemen, -who pay in trade goods at the rate of about fifty cents a pound for the -bone. As good bone is worth about three dollars a pound in San Francisco, -it will be seen that the business is a profitable one for the buyers. -Yet the Eskimos are glad to dispose of their surplus for the white man’s -goods, and the returns are of great value to them. - -There used to be in Bering Sea and the Arctic a small black whale with -a white spot near the small, which was easily killed and yielded good -blubber, but was weak in whalebone. These whales were all killed off -as long ago as 1885. Before them, and now probably extinct, were the -old 100-ton gray backs, the monster bowheads of all. These whales were -leviathans indeed, yielding sometimes four hundred barrels of oil, and -often three to four thousand pounds of whalebone. These were the prize -monsters of the early days of the bowhead fishery, and the lucky ship -that got through the straits and fastened to one or two of them was well -along toward a full trip at a blow. The last record of the capture of one -of these whales was as far back as 1876. They were sly, lazy old chaps, -exposing often only the edges of the gray spout-hole when blowing, and -having thus the appearance of a gull sitting on the water. It is perhaps -plausible that these great-grand-fathers of whales had survived the -glacial epoch, as is claimed for them. At least, they were of as great -age compared with the smaller bowheads as are the giant sequoias of -California compared with the redwoods of the present day. - -After the battle with the highbinders, the community at Icy Cape saw -no more outsiders, but as day by day the sun rose higher and stayed -longer, they began to await impatiently the coming of the spring and to -prepare for it. March was a wild, uproarious month, intensely cold for -the most part, and with fierce gales blowing. The boys got a bear or two -and the Eskimos brought in a good number of smaller pelts, so that the -collection of furs grew steadily and bade fair to be of considerable -value. Joe used to figure it up every few days, and when it reached the -two-thousand-dollar valuation mark he was quite jubilant. - -[Illustration: LOCKED IN THE ARCTIC ICE] - -“Now,” he said, “if we can only get a good catch of whalebone while the -ice is melting and get the ship out safe, what happy fellows we’ll be!” - -The Eskimos too began to prepare for whaling after their own fashion, -and the second week in April began their ceremony of propitiation. They -blackened their faces with soot and streaked them with red. They dressed -in their best clothes, with hoods fringed with wolverine fur, giving -their faces thus a halo of bristling hair that made them look quite -savage and warlike. Then they took bits of blubber carefully saved from -the preceding year and cut into little dice-like cubes. These they bore -in pompous procession to the grave of Konwa, and placed them thereon -with much ceremony, that his spirit might be propitiated. They marched -about his grave as they had at the time of the burial, then passed down -to the ice and across it to the first open water. Here they strewed -the remaining bits of blubber, that the spirits of the ice might be -favorable. Nor would they consent that the boys, or modern weapons, -should participate in the taking of the first whale. The others might -be captured as they pleased, but the first must be taken with all the -ceremonies and in the accustomed manner of their forefathers, else would -not prosperity come to their whale hunting. - -They mounted walrus-tusk spears, tipped with slate, on long driftwood -poles. They sledded their umiaks out to the nearest open water, a half -mile or so from shore. Here they placed them ready for launching, and -built on the windward side a windbreak of ice and snow behind which they -found shelter, for it was still very cold. Painted and plumed, here they -waited for a week. One day the welcome cry of “Akovuk! akovuk!” (Whale! -whale!) rang from the watchers, and the spout of a whale was seen in the -open lead. The black body rolled along carelessly, heedless of danger, -till it was nearly opposite them. Then the harpooner took his place in -the bow of the umiak with two paddlers behind him. The others launched -the boat with a rush, and it slid of its own momentum across the space of -water till its bow gently rubbed the whale’s side. Kroo, the harpooner, -stood erect. With all his strength he drove the slate-tipped and barbed -harpoon into the whale’s side, pushing desperately on the long driftwood -pole. Then the paddlers backed rapidly away, while he threw overboard -about fifteen fathoms of walrus line fastened to the ivory harpoon, and -having along its length three sealskin pokes as floats. The wounded whale -sounded, and tried to roll the weapon out on the bottom, but failing in -this he rose again and began trying to lash the thing from him by blows -of his flukes at the pokes. By this time the other umiak was launched, -and another and another string of floats was made fast to him in a -similar manner, till, buoyed up so that he could no longer dive, and -exhausted with his battle with the light pokes, he lay sullen and was -lanced to death by Kroo, with an ivory lance on a driftwood pole. Then -there was great rejoicing among the villagers. The whale was hardly dead -before they began to cut bits of the outer epidermis, the blackskin, from -him and to bolt it raw, it being considered a great delicacy among “the -people;” indeed, many white men find its nutty, oily flavor pleasant. - -Then they towed the carcass alongside the ice, cut “jug handles” in the -heavy floes, and reeved their walrus-hide lines through these. With -this primitive purchase they hauled the head up so that one side of the -bone could be cut out. Then they rolled the whale and cut out the other -side. Each native present received five slabs of bone. The crew of the -boat making the strike received ten slabs more each, then the harpooner -received the rest. Blubber and meat there was enough, and more than -enough, for everybody, dogs and all, and the event closed with great -feasting. Thus for the first whale; but the ancient customs having been -complied with, and the spirits of the dead and the ice having been duly -propitiated, they turned quickly to modern weapons, and the boys had -no difficulty in getting them to use the whaler’s harpoon and the bomb -gun. Some of them had used these before, and all had seen the whalemen -use them and knew their efficiency. As the fishing progressed, the whole -village, children and all, turned out, and the boys learned to brave the -cold and be as hardy and patient as they. With the good supply of bomb -guns and lances and harpoons of all kinds aboard the ship, the little -army was well fitted out, and sometimes they were able to kill a whale -from the ice with a single shot from a bomb. One whale came up and died -under the ice, but they blew the floe up and shattered it with tonite -bombs, and got at the carcass in this fashion. When the weather became -too severe, they retreated to the ship, and the boys entertained the -village there, while the villagers in turn entertained the boys. - -The Eskimo women were greatly interested in the cooking methods and -implements of the boys and learned their use with surprising readiness, -though there were many laughable incidents. They gave names of their own -to many things, which were appropriate and interesting. Beans they called -“komorra,” from their word “komuk,” meaning little grub, the larva of -the gadfly. “Sava kora,” chopped larvæ, was rice, and they named baking -powder “pubublown,” their word for bubbling. Soap the children were -inclined to eat, but the older folks soon learned to use it, as well as -towels. - -Whalemen are apt to be fond of “chile con carne,” as the Mexicans call -it,—a red-pepper condiment for meat that is wondrous strong. Atchoo got -hold of this one day and wondered long what it was. Finally she gave some -to a boy who was waiting about, boy-like, for a chance to taste things. -The boy helped himself liberally, and the contortions through which he -went on getting the full strength of the pepper were near to causing a -stampede among the women and children, who thought him possessed of an -evil spirit. When matters had quieted down, Atchoo took the balance of -the can of “chile con carne” and dug a hole in the ice, burying it deeply -there, and saying over it the words of an Eskimo incantation, which is -supposed to keep the buried spirit of evil from ever rising again. - -The wife of Kroo was quite an old woman, and she did not take kindly -to the innovations in cooking. Finally, however, she was given some -rice, and persuaded to boil it for Kroo’s dinner. She retired to the -forecastle, and started a fire in the little stove there, that she might -not be observed in her work. Not long afterward cries of alarm were -heard, and Kroo’s wife rushed frantically from the forecastle, crying -that she had the devil in the pot. - -She had filled the kettle far too full of rice; and as it swelled and -continued to pour out over the rim, she concluded that an evil spirit was -in the white man’s food, pushing it out continually. - -But the matter of the explosive doughnuts was the most exciting, and -indeed came near being serious, not only in its immediate effects, but -in the setback which it gave the white man’s food in the opinion of -the Eskimos. Joe, who was the cook for the boys, had frequently made -doughnuts and fried them in oil for the delectation of the community, the -natives having a great fondness for them. Then he taught Atchoo how to -mix them up, and she seemed to learn very rapidly. One day, however, she -undertook to make them without supervision, and used water from melted -ice which had chunks of ice still in it. These chunks she incorporated -in the doughnuts, no doubt thinking, Eskimo fashion, that it was just as -good that way. The doughnuts fried, but the chunks of ice turned to steam -within, and about the time Atchoo was forking the doughnuts out into a -pan they began to blow up, scattering oil and the wildest consternation -among those waiting for the feast. - -The first one popped on the fork as Atchoo was handing it to Harluk, -that he first might see how good a cook she was. The largest chunk of it -landed square in Harluk’s eye, causing him to dance with astonishment and -alarm. - -“Hold on!” he cried. “No want to see him; want to eat him.” - -Others blew up in the kettle, scattering hot oil, and sending the crowd -in a wild plunge for the doorway. Out they scrambled, Harluk well in -advance, as he had had the first warning. He plunged head first from the -outer end of the entrance and butted Joe, who was about to enter, into a -sitting position on the snow. - -“Huh!” said Joe, partly because that is what one usually says when -suddenly butted in the stomach, but partly in surprise at this exodus -from the galley. “What is the matter?” he asked, as soon as he could get -breath. - -The answer came from Pickalye, who was fat, and who scrambled out on his -knees and one hand, holding a hot wad of half-fried doughnut to the back -of his neck with the other. Finding himself outside, he ducked until his -head was well under one arm and he could lay his burnt neck gently in the -snow. From this contortionist’s position he looked up solemnly sidewise -at Joe. - -“White man’s grub too much shoot,” he said. - -The appearance of this fat Eskimo, tied in such an absurd knot to keep -the back of his neck cool, was too much for Joe, who went off into howls -of laughter, which were answered by cries from within. Hurrying thither, -Joe saw the fat on fire on the stove, the feet of Atchoo and her older -child protruding from beneath his lower bunk, while in the upper one lay -Harry in a worse gale of laughter than he. Joe put out the burning fat, -prodded Atchoo and her youngster from beneath his bunk, and by the time -he had found out who was burned and how much, and attended to them by -binding the wounds with moist cooking soda, he and Harry had sobered down -a bit and learned the cause of the disaster. - -It was a good while before the Eskimos were willing to come into the -galley again, and Joe profited by it by having them set up housekeeping -in the forecastle while aboard ship. They did no more white man’s cooking -for some time, and doughnuts were especially avoided, but they were so -fond of them that Harluk finally induced Atchoo to try her luck again. -That day Harry beckoned Joe to look in on the forecastle. There was -Atchoo frying doughnuts, indeed, but she put them into the fat, turned -them, and took them out on the tip end of Harluk’s favorite seal spear, -which was at least six feet long. - -With the exception of using modern harpoons and killing their whales -directly, when possible, with the bomb gun, the boys and their -assistants followed Eskimo methods with great success. The whales are -particularly unsuspicious when in the ice, and the killing of them was -usually attended with little excitement or danger. They did not attempt -to do anything with the blubber, as the distance they would have to haul -it from the open leads to the ship was too great. The bone of these -smaller whales was not so good either as that of those which come later -in the open water, but it was nevertheless of much value, and footed up a -thousand pounds or so to each catch. Thus the value of the stores aboard -ship increased quite rapidly, and by the first of June half a dozen -whales had added twelve or fifteen thousand dollars’ worth of bone to -the credit of the adventurers. They had paid the Eskimos a satisfactory -amount of trade goods for their share, as well as the meat and blubber, -and the little community was quite literally rolling in Eskimo wealth. -Joe was afraid that prosperity would give them ideas above work, as it -does some other more civilized people, but it did not seem to. They did -not work for the returns alone, but out of loyalty and admiration for -their white friends. - -The sun now skimmed the northern horizon without setting, and daylight -was once more continuous. Gulls, terns, and ducks in clouds came along -the edge of the ice, working northward, and the weather was warm and -springlike. To the first gull seen the Eskimos sang a greeting. Just -as young people the world over apostrophize the first star they see at -night, and wish on it in the more or less firm belief that their wish -will be granted, so the Eskimos sang a greeting to this first gull:— - - “Now yakaro, now yakaro, - Too loo kotaro.” - - “Gull, gull, bring me good luck.” - -On warm days the snow melted with great rapidity under this continuous -sunshine, and the brown tundra soon began to show between the drifts. Yet -the ice held firm, except that narrow leads opened here and there, and -there was no hope that the ship would be able to get off for more than -a month, in fact nearly two, and it would be that time also before any -ships could come in from below. - -In this ice whaling the entire Eskimo community had participated, yet -such is the familiarity of the Eskimo with the world of ice that no -serious accident had happened to any one of them. It was not that -conditions were not often dangerous as well as uncomfortable, but that -the native instinct seemed always to find a way out of difficulty. -Pickalye’s two daughters, fine, strong young girls, were out on the -ice one day many miles from land, with a team of four dogs and a sled, -bringing in blubber from a whale that had been killed out there. A -sudden violent snowstorm came up, and they were in great danger of being -driven out into the pack and frozen to death. They lost the direction -and were obliged to abandon the sled, but each girl fastened two of the -dogs by their traces to her own girdle and let them go as they pleased. -The result was, that the homing instinct of the dogs brought them safe -to land, after many hours in the blizzard. They made the traces fast -to their girdles that the dogs might not break away and escape in case -they fell on the rough ice and were obliged to let go their grip on the -lashings. - -The natives gave Harry the nickname of “the whale walker,” because one -day he was on an ice cake near the open lead with a bomb gun, watching -out for a whale that had been seen heading up the lead. The whale came -up just beside him, and before he could fire, rolled against the cake -and capsized it. Harry sprang for the only available dry spot, the -whale’s back near his tail, and running hastily from that dangerous -weapon up along the black length, sprang from his head to another cake -of ice, reaching it before the lazy leviathan had made up his mind that -anything out of the common was happening. Then he turned and discharged -the gun into the whale’s neck, breaking it at one shot. This whale was a -particularly large one, with a tremendous spread of flukes, and Pickalye -was so impressed with this that he ran toward the other villagers -shouting,— - -“Come and see! Come and see! Our brother who walks on whales has killed -the one with the biggest feet in the ocean.” - -After the ice whaling was practically over the village held a feast, a -sort of thanksgiving, at which each man who had struck a whale gave to -everybody else as many dinner parties as he had killed whales. Each of -these was followed by games, in which the chief was blanket tossing. A -large walrus hide was suspended horizontally three feet high by ropes, -which ran to springy but stout poles of driftwood, thirty feet away. -These gave additional spring to the walrus-hide blanket, around which -stood a dozen adults lifting on the edges. All the people came in their -best clothes, and the prominent whale catchers had a smear of black on -the left cheek as large as one’s finger. This was a special mark of -distinction. The ancient wife of Kroo, the head man, was the first to be -honored, and she climbed into the centre of the blanket with surprising -agility. Beginning, she gave a leap in the air, then as she came down, -the spring of the walrus-hide ropes on the driftwood poles, supplemented -by two dozen lusty arms, sent her high in the air again. Up and down she -went, kicking and waving her arms amid cries of exultation and pleasure, -and ceased only with utter exhaustion. Half a dozen girls rushed for her -place, but all gave way to the most agile, who first reached the centre -of the hide. Thus the sport went on, each following in turn, until all -who wished had been tossed. - -Pickalye, fat and simple-minded, was one of the experts at this game. -He would take a sealskin poke and use it like a skipping-rope in the -air, and the great sport of the contest came in the sidewise yanks which -the crowd gave the hide as he leaped, in an attempt to upset him. This -was often successful, and when he came down on some one’s head, wrong -side up, as he generally did before the game was over, there was great -laughter. - -They danced by the light of the midnight sun to the music of tom-toms, -the musicians being sheltered from the cold wind by an umiak turned on -its side. They had wrestling matches, in which the winner had to hold the -ring until beaten or exhausted, all remaining as long as they had breath -or strength. The feast finally ended in a grand football game on the -sea ice, at the close of which the best-dressed player on each side was -ducked in a water-hole. - -The delicacies at these feasts were whales’ flukes and blackskin. The -blackskin, the outer epidermis of the whale, is best liked when frozen, -and then has a flavor something like that of muskmelon. The melting of -the snows had made the winter igloos uninhabitable, and they were now -living in their summer topeks,—cotton tents bought of the whalemen and -traders. There was much open water in the sea, and southerly winds were -beginning to crowd the main polar pack ice back toward the north. The ice -within the arm of the headland where the ship lay was beginning to show -many signs of weakening, and the boys began to look forward anxiously -to the time when they should get up steam on the engines and try to push -southward. They decided it was not wise to do this until the way was -fully clear, and meanwhile they kept good lookout for a final whale. -They were quite proud of their work during the winter and spring, as -well they might be: six heads of bone were worth at the lowest estimate -twelve thousand dollars; there were furs, principally white bearskins, -to the value of two thousand dollars, reckoning very conservatively; -and a few dollars’ worth of walrus ivory completed the list. They had -used a small proportion of the stores and a reasonable amount of the -trade goods left behind. They felt that it was a pretty good showing for -two boys. Moreover, Harry had a monograph on the habits of the bowhead -whale, gleaned from his own experience and the knowledge of the Eskimos, -which he felt ought to add value to his report to Mr. Adams. How far -away that other world which he had left only a year before seemed! His -father and mother—and Maisie; had they given him up for lost? A great -longing for home and friends and civilization came over Harry with these -thoughts,—that homesick longing which is like death itself, and which -sometimes kills when he whom it attacks cannot find relief in action, -cannot take some step, however slight, in the wished-for direction. He -went to Joe with tears in his eyes. - -“For God’s sake, Joe,” he cried, “let us get out of this. I want my home -and my father and mother so that I can’t think nor sit still. Can’t we -start up the engines and push out of this rotten ice? Once in the leads -we could work south.” - -Beyond a doubt homesickness is infectious. He had no sooner spoken than -Joe began to show symptoms of the malady. - -“Home?” he said. “Of course we’re going home. We’ll clear away this snow -and ice from the deck and get ready for a start as soon as we can. A -little more thaw would let us out.” - -They called the Eskimos to their aid, and began to work with feverish -haste. The ice igloo, which had been their protection for so long, but -which was now no longer needed, was chopped apart and thrown overboard. -They took soundings alongside, and found the ship still aground, but -thought perhaps that under a full head of steam they could work her off. -They sounded the wells and found she did not leak. They went over the -machinery carefully and made sure that it was all ready for use, so far -as they could tell from their studies of the previous winter. The thought -of really moving toward home filled them with a wild exhilaration, and -they hardly ate or slept for three days. - -In the midst of all this fever of preparation Pickalye, fat and foolish, -came aboard and told them that they must wait. There was a great storm -coming; his bear bite had told him so. They must not try to move before -it had passed, else they would meet trouble. A bear had bitten him badly -in the leg three years before. Since then, whenever there was a big storm -coming, the spirit of the bear came and bit his leg again. It was biting -it now. Therefore this was a warning, and he would like something from a -bottle to rub his leg with. - -Joe furnished the liniment, and the work went on. Nevertheless, two hours -afterward the wind blew up suddenly from the south, and increased in -violence rapidly, bringing snow with it. The Eskimos went ashore, nor -could they be prevailed upon to remain aboard ship. Their belief in the -power of prophecy of Pickalye’s bear-bitten leg was strong, and they -were familiar with these swift, terrible spring storms. At midnight, -though the sun was well above the horizon, the clouds were so thick that -it became quite dark. The boys felt the shoreward ice pressing against -the side of the ship. The vessel quivered and tugged at her anchor -chain. The ice was going out. They looked over the side and, to their -astonishment, found that it seemed to be dropping on the ship’s side. -That is, she stood up higher out of the ice than she had before. Joe -pointed this out to Harry; and when they were back in the galley, where -they could hear each other, he told what he thought the reason for it. - -“The gale,” he said, “is pushing the ice northward so fast that it is -making low tide on the shore. I think the Bowhead is sliding along the -bottom, dragging her anchor, pushed by the ice.” - -They could distinctly feel the shouldering crush of the ice and the -scraping as the vessel slid along. With much labor and difficulty they -put the other anchor overboard and let go a good length of chain cable. -Nevertheless, they drifted outward for some hours, slowly but surely. -Then there came a lull in the gale. It became light again, and the wind -went down rapidly. The sun struggled through the clouds that still flew -overhead, and showed them that, to their astonishment, they had drifted -and dragged the two anchors out well by the headland. To the northward -they could see in occasional flashes of sunlight the surf leaping high -on the main Arctic pack, driven back on itself, miles out. They were -dangerously near the headland, but the wind was offshore, and a heavy -floe lay between them and it, apparently grounded firmly at the shore -end. The ship swung free in water deep enough to float her, and the open -lead showed as far to the southward as the eye could see. Joe shouted -with exultation, and Harry fairly danced for joy. - -“Hurrah!” he shouted. “We can steam south as soon as we can get the fires -up. Set a signal for the Eskimos to come out and help us. Then let’s get -below and fire up.” - -The signal was set, and ten minutes later both boys were busy below -putting a fire under the boiler and getting everything in readiness for -departure. It was unaccustomed work, and though they had often planned -it together, there were many things over which they hesitated and were a -little in doubt. Thus the time passed rapidly, and though a black smoke -now poured from the Bowhead’s funnel, there was little steam on. Two -hours the boys were below before they realized it, and Joe finally said -with some uneasiness,— - -“Wonder why those fellows don’t come aboard?” - -“Don’t know,” said Harry. “You watch that steam gauge and I’ll go on deck -and see if they are coming. Is that their boat alongside?” - -Something bumped and grated along the Bowhead’s side. Harry started for -the deck. Then something struck the ship again, this time hard enough -to jar it from stem to stern. Joe followed Harry up the ladder. As -they reached the deck the most astonishing change met their eyes. The -treacherous Arctic gale had veered to the north and was blowing again -with unexampled fury. Where had been open water for miles the Arctic pack -was now crowding down upon them. The first scouts of ice were already -bumping their sides, and the roar of the wind through the rigging seemed -like hoarse shouts of derision at the thought that a ship might escape -its fury. They had swung up alongside the shore pack, which stood firm, -and already the seaward ice was crushing against them. Working in the -depths of the fire-room, they had sensed nothing of this change, and now -the realization of it came upon them with stunning force. - -Joe was the first to rouse from his stupefaction. “Go forward,” he said, -“into the chain locker. Knock the shackling pins out of both those cables -and let them run overboard. Then come down into the engine-room with me.” - -Harry did as he was bidden in a sort of dream, the plunge from bright -hope to chill fear was so great. In the engine-room he found Joe, -sweating. - -“We can’t do it,” he cried. “If the Eskimos had only come to us, we would -have been all right; but two of us cannot fire, and run the engine, and -steer ship, all at the same time, even if we could get out of the grip of -the ice. I’m afraid we’re done for.” - -Even as he spoke the ship staggered. The ice had crashed against her with -such force that both boys were thrown from their feet. Joe stopped the -engines, which had been turning slowly. - -“I’m afraid we’re done for,” he repeated, and took his way to the deck, -followed by Harry. The scene that met them there was one never to be -forgotten. No man may stand in the forefront of the onrush of the Arctic -pack and forget it. Cakes of ice leaped like wolves on its forward edge. -Behind them crushed the solid phalanx of the sea, white, resistless, -terrible. The wolf cakes sprang at the ship, and bit at it. They leaped -upon the solid shore floe, and climbed one another’s shoulders there, and -always just behind them came the forward impulse of that great white sea -of ice. The touch of this main pack crumpled the shore floe. It crushed -the Bowhead’s staunch sides as if they had been eggshells. The decks -burst from beneath with the pressure, the tall masts toppled and fell, -and the wreck, crashing and grinding into the shore ice, became but a -formless part of the ridge that the pack pushed up in front of it as it -moved majestically shoreward. Mightily, foot by foot, it moved. Ice cakes -burst with the roar of artillery, snapped like rifles, and the rumble of -floe on floe was like the onrushing hoof-beats of a million cavalry. The -cohorts of the ever-victorious Frost King were in full charge. Higher -and higher piled this ridge of onslaught, nearer and nearer the shore it -pushed, and the once staunch ship was rolled and pounded to chaff under -the hoof-beats of its white horses. - -Out of the white turmoil of death and terror it is hard to tell how the -two boys escaped. Certainly neither of them knew. There was a confused -recollection of planks bursting beneath their feet, of spars that, -falling, mercifully spared them, of leaping and scrambling from toppling -cakes to unsteady, crumbling ridges, of the howling of winds in their -ears, and the sting of brine on their faces. Then they were being pulled -and hauled and hustled across the heaving shore floe by Kroo and Harluk -and others, who had rushed to their rescue and endangered their own lives -to help their friends. Panting, exhausted, both in body and nerves, they -lay in the little tents and listened to the howl of the gale. - -They were safe; but the ship and its contents, their furs, their -whalebone, and all their dear and valuable possessions, were being rolled -and hammered in the mass of broken ice that the great Arctic pack was -still crushing and piling shoreward. - -Yet they did not give way to grief or repining. Nothing could show the -manly spirit and self-reliance which their lonely life had bred in them -more than this. They were calm, even serene, thankful for their lives, -and confident that, having been spared those, they would yet be able to -win their way back to civilization with honor, if not with fortune. - -It cured their homesickness, too. Nothing is so good for this as a batch -of real and present trouble and physical discomfort. Physical weariness, -a moderate amount of hunger, and something with which to battle, along -with a feeling that you can overcome it, will make any real man satisfied -with his lot. I know this sounds like a paradox; but just try it, as -Harry and Joe did. - - - - -CHAPTER IX - -IN THE ENEMY’S POWER - - -There are no tides on the Arctic coast as we of the temperate zones -know tides. In calm weather the rise and fall of the sea is scarcely -noticeable. In time of southerly storm, however, the wind and ice carry -the water out across the shallow sea, and when the winds rage from the -north they crowd it back again upon the land. Hence, with the rush of the -ice pack to the shore there came a small tidal wave, with the result that -the pack and the shore ice, crowded and crumpled together, were carried -far up on the land. With the subsiding of the gale two days later, the -receding waters left this great ridge piled there thirty to fifty feet -high, a monument to the brave ship that it had wrecked, and to the power -of the primeval Arctic forces. Scattered through this rough ridge were -the remnants of the wreck. Here a mast protruded, there a shattered -plank of the hull, but to find anything of use to the wrecked Crusoes -was difficult. When the ice melted, as it would in part during the brief -summer, more might be revealed, but for now they were dependent on the -hospitality of their Eskimo friends. - -Right royally was this hospitality exercised. The boys had reached shore -with only the clothes on their backs, but, thanks to the trade supplies -which they had earned in their whaling, the Eskimos were rich beyond -the dreams of Eskimo avarice. They had food supplies of all sorts, -clothing, blankets, and calico in plenty, rifles, shotguns, ammunition, -cooking utensils. Out of all these they outfitted the boys, even giving -them an extra tent of their own in which they might set up their own -housekeeping. To be sure the disaster was a bonanza in a way to the men -of the ice. The broken timbers and spars of the staunch vessel would -furnish fuel and wood for them for a long time to come, any iron which -they might find as the ice melted would be eagerly seized upon, and they -might even hope, as the summer proceeded, to get much in the way of food -supplies. Yet their hospitality was in no wise tinged by this. The custom -of sharing prosperity with all has come down to the tribes from time -immemorial, and is never questioned except by the outlaw “highbinders.” -The boys, aided by their dusky friends, searched long and diligently, and -were finally rewarded by finding a portion of the galley. This was buried -in the top of the ridge half a mile from where the disaster had occurred -and a mile from the place where other portions of the ship, the spars and -one mast, protruded. Such is the rending and disintegrating force of the -floes grinding one on another. - -In this portion of the galley they found the chest which contained the -ship’s log and other papers, including Harry’s report of the conditions -of the whaling, some extra paper, and his entire camera outfit. There -also was Joe’s journal of the events of the trip to date. They were -overjoyed at this, but search as they would, nothing further of value -turned up. The hull below decks seemed to have been carried down in the -crush and sunk; at any rate, they never saw it more. Two busy weeks -passed thus, and they were not altogether unhappy. They had seemingly -lost all chance of returning with wealth, but their lives were spared and -the summer was at hand, when ships would surely appear and rescue them. -They talked this matter over together and with Harluk and Kroo. The -ships, said Harluk wisely, would be late in that summer, if they came at -all. He knew this, because each storm had ended in a wind from the north -which brought the pack in. He had noticed that when the storms began this -way, they kept it up through the summer. The main pack was very heavy, -and was crowded up against the shore now. It might not move for weeks. If -there did come a southerly blow and carry it off for a day or two, the -wind would end up in the north and bring it back. The boys had seen. - -Harluk indicated the mighty ridge of ice alongshore with a sweep of the -hand, and Kroo nodded confirmation of this. The boys looked at each other. - -“Then,” said Harry, “if the ships cannot come to us, we shall have to go -to the ships. They will surely be at Point Hope, and if we go there we -shall meet them.” - -“Of course they will,” agreed Joe. “Father will be up here on a ship of -some sort. He will be anxious to see if there is possible news of us. He -is a whaler, and he will not go out of the business just because one ship -is lost. We will go to Point Hope. How long will it take, Kroo?” - -Kroo meditated. “When the ice is gone,” he said, “s’pose take umiak. Not -blow too much, you catch Point Hope in twenty sleeps. S’pose blow a good -deal, no can tell.” - -“But if the ice stays, we will have to go overland,” replied Joe. “How -long will that take with a good dog team?” - -Kroo’s answer to this was “Ticharro pejuk?” which is a sort of Eskimo -“How do I know?” There was some snow left in places, and they might -follow the coast on the ice for a good way. At Cape Beaufort they would -have to make a turn inland, as no one could pass Lisburne heights on the -coast. There were mountains and there would be much soft tundra. It was -a good deal of an undertaking. He could not tell. It was better to stay -till the sea opened. - -Thus reasoned Kroo and Harluk, and the others gave assent to this, but -the boys were not to be moved. There was nothing for them to stay for -now, and they were determined to go, even if the trip was to be a hard -one. The Eskimos said little more. They knew if the boys had decided to -go, go they would, and in their own way. A team of three dogs was picked, -the best in the village, their goods were packed on the sled,—food enough -to last for weeks, rifles and ammunition, blankets, and their little -tent. - -The parting was hard. The two boys had not realized before how much -attached they were to these brave, gentle, kindly friends; and as for the -Eskimos, they were like children about to be deprived of their parents. -The village wept, and at the last moment Harluk declared that he would -not let his brothers go alone. He would travel with them to Point Hope, -guide them on their journey, and then come back to his wife and children. -Atchoo embraced him and bade him go, and Kroo came gravely forward to -Harry and made him an address in Eskimo that was quite flowery, and the -purport of which was that he wished Harry to become his brother, to which -Harry cheerfully assented, assuring him that he was the brother of them -all, and wrung his hand, thinking the matter was to end there. - -Not so. Kroo took from his poke his ancient ivory pipe, carved from -a walrus tusk to represent the body and flukes of a whale, its stem -cunningly fashioned of whalebone. He held this toward the sun with one -hand, pointed at Harry with the other, and solemnly recited something -which sounded like poetry but which had few words which Harry could -understand. It seemed like an ancient ritual. Then he passed the pipe -to Harry and looked at him expectantly. Harry looked at Joe in some -dismay. He did not know what ceremony demanded of him in return. But the -ever resourceful Joe pulled from his own pocket a briarwood pipe with -imitation amber mouthpiece and German silver mountings, quite a pretty -pipe. - -“That belongs to the mate,” he said, “but I guess he won’t mind. I found -it in the cabin one day, and it has been in my pocket ever since. Hurry -up, he’s looking anxious. Recite him something or other.” - -Kroo was indeed looking anxious, and Harry hastened to imitate him so far -as he could. He held his pipe up to the sun, pointed at Kroo, and recited -with all the elocutionary power he could muster:— - - “Hickory, dickory, dock, - The mouse ran up the clock, - The clock struck one, - And down she run, - Hickory, dickory, dock.” - -He looked at Joe with nervous eye as he did this, but Joe was solemn as -a deacon, never moving a muscle. Kroo and the other villagers seemed -much impressed with the Mother Goose rhyme, no doubt thinking it an -incantation of much power, and the incident was happily ended with the -transfer of the pipe and another hearty handshake. - -Thus they bade good-by to their friends, and with Harluk in the lead and -the dogs tugging at the loaded sled, took their way down the coast on -the ice. For the first few days travel was not difficult, and they made -good progress. They were inured to Arctic weather, and the mildness of -spring and the thought that they were headed toward home, even though -defeated and impoverished, filled them with exhilaration. In three days -they made something over sixty miles, taking them well below Point Lay -and promising an exceptionally quick trip. The Arctic pack was still -glued to the shore, and the travel over it was safe. After the third -night’s sleep, however, they found an unexpected obstacle. The river -known to the Eskimos as the Kukpowrak enters the sea here, flowing far -from the interior and flooded by the spring thaw, a rushing torrent. It -was impossible to ford this river, and its warmer waters had opened the -sea ice for a broad space as far out as the eye could see. It effectually -blocked their further passage. Harluk wished, Eskimo fashion, to sit -down by the bank of this river and wait till the snows were fully melted. -Then the floods would fall as suddenly as they had risen, and they would -be able to ford it. - -“How long will that be?” asked Joe. - -Harluk meditated, and then answered with the vague and irritating -“Ticharro pejuk.” - -“Ten sleeps?” said Joe; “twenty sleeps?” but the answer was still -“Ticharro pejuk,” and it was evident that Harluk himself did not know. To -attempt to pass the river mouth on the ice was a doubtful thing at that -season. At any time a wind from the south might send the floes out to -sea, and those on them would be lost. - -It was possible that by proceeding up river they might find an ice jam -on which they could cross, and after thinking the matter over for half a -day, Joe decided that it would be wise to go upstream for a considerable -distance in the hope of finding a passage. There was still snow in many -places on the banks, and they took advantage of this where possible. -In other places the sled did not go badly over the tundra moss, yet -travel was much slower than on the ice, and in thirty-six hours they had -hardly made fifteen miles. They found dwarf willows and alders, scarce -three feet high, plentiful along the banks of this river, and flocks of -ptarmigan in these so tame that they would not rise at a rifle-shot. -They killed many of these, and with plenty of willow wood for fire, -lived well. Yet it was anxious work, and, as they proceeded, much more -difficult; moreover, twenty miles from the coast they entered a height of -land, almost a mountain range, through which the river broke in a series -of falls. Here in three days’ struggle through ravines and up limestone -slopes they hardly made ten miles. At the top they found better going, -but here the river seemed to trend more to the east, and they had the -humiliation of working away from their destination in spite of their -labor. - -“Confound it,” said Joe ruefully, as they camped late one afternoon, -“we’d have done better to start before it began to thaw at all. Then it -would be a straight trip on the ice and nothing to bother us but cold, -and that’s no great harm.” - -“I don’t see much use in this,” replied Harry, weary and somewhat -discouraged. “We might follow up this river a hundred miles. Seems as if -we had gone most as far as that already, and still there is no chance to -cross. We’ll have to do as Harluk says, sit down and wait for the water -to run out.” - -“I think we’ll camp here for a day,” said Joe. “The dogs are tired and so -am I. Besides, we are almost out of dog feed. If we watch out, we may get -a caribou. There were tracks back there. I’d like some deer meat myself.” - -[Illustration: CAMP ON THE TUNDRA] - -The northernmost deer of the American continent is the caribou, sometimes -called the American reindeer. He differs from the Asiatic reindeer -mainly in size and length of limb, the caribou being taller and larger. -Otherwise, physically, they are much alike, live on the same food, and -have the same general appearance. But while the Siberian deer is easily -domesticated and is bred and handled in vast herds by the natives, the -American type is wild and untamable. He loves the barren wastes of the -far north, and every summer migrates to the northernmost shores, even -passing on to the unexplored islands off the coast in the Arctic sea. -Here he roams and feeds until the fierce gales of winter drive him -south to the first shelter of the low clumps of firs and birches which -mark the limits of the barren grounds. Hardy, restless creatures, the -caribou often wander in immense herds, following a leader as sheep do. -The Eskimos hunt them in summer when they approach the Arctic shores, and -know their habits well, taking particular advantage of their curiosity. -The hunter sits down among the rocks when a herd is in sight and imitates -their hoarse bellow. Some of the herd will surely draw near to see what -this motionless object is. Round and round it they circle, approaching -nearer and nearer, until one is within reach of the hunter’s weapon. -Sometimes the herd will run the gauntlet of a line of hunters just -because one stupid animal has gone that way in his attempt to escape, -and the rest are determined to follow his lead. At such times the Eskimo -hunters lay in large stocks of meat and furs and consider themselves -wealthy, for the hide of the caribou makes splendid clothing for them. -It is very light and impenetrable to the wind, and no garment so -successfully resists the Arctic cold as this. The Eskimo uses the hide, -tanned, for thongs for nets and lines. A split shinbone makes a good -bone knife, and fish-hooks and spears are made from the horns, while the -tendons of certain muscles make fine and strong thread for sewing with -the bone needle. Hence, as with the walrus and seal, the whole animal is -utilized. The caribou has a great hoof, split nearly to the hock, which -spreads and enables the animal to travel in soft snow or boggy tundra, -where an ordinary deer would sink. - -This hoof, too, is sharp, and gives the animal a firm footing on ice. It -is also a weapon of defense far more formidable than the horns. A blow -from it is like that of an axe, and woe to the hunter who comes within -reach of the fore hoofs of a wounded and desperate caribou. Thus shod the -caribou can travel faster on the ice than any other animal, and, when at -bay, can slay a wolf with one well-directed blow of its hoof. Yet the -animal is so stupid and timid that it rarely uses this weapon, and then -oftener in a blind struggle than with intent to do harm. Such are the -deer of the barren grounds, which Harluk and the two boys set forth to -hunt. - -Harry and Joe had repeating rifles, but Harluk was armed only with his -ivory-headed spear, tipped with a triangular steel point. With this -in hand he led them, first, to a pinnacle of limestone, about three -miles away. The tundra was bare and brown, patched here and there with -snowdrifts, and undulating to the southward in a sort of rolling -prairie. Behind them and on either hand were the rough peaks of the -height of land which they had gained the day before,—a scene bare, -desolate, but fascinating, a bit of primeval chaos left over in the -making of the world. Standing on this summit, Harluk scanned the horizon -to the east and south, and finally pointed due east in silence. Joe and -Harry looked carefully. They saw slowly moving dots on the plain some -miles away. These had not been there a moment before. As they watched, -others appeared, as if out of the ground. - -A herd of caribou was rounding a low hill at a swinging trot. By and by -there were perhaps forty in sight, traveling northwest at a quite rapid -rate, as if fleeing before something. - -“Kile,” said Harluk, and putting his head down, he started north at a -good rate of speed, evidently bound on intercepting them. The Eskimo -is not a good runner, but he is persistent. Harluk plunged on, falling -over his own feet, but scrambling up again, leaving dents in the soft -tundra moss, and still keeping up the pace, which bade fair in the end -to wind Joe and Harry, until he reached a place that suited him in what -seemed to be the path of the advancing herd. It was a wide, shallow -valley between two low limestone hills. It was dotted here and there with -scattered boulders, and the ground was rough with broken rock chinked -with deer moss. Harluk placed the boys behind boulders at the extreme -right and left of this valley, and bade them wait motionless until deer -came near enough to shoot. He himself hastily built a little circular -inclosure of stone in which he could crouch unobserved. - -A half hour passed, during which there was no sign. The sun was low, -and Harry shivered, sitting motionless in the chill of the valley. A -snow-bunting came flitting along and lighted fearlessly beside him, and -the next moment a great snowy owl swept over the ridge and down upon -the snow-bunting, which wriggled between Harry’s feet for protection. -The owl glared at him fiercely for a moment with great round eyes, then -slipped into the air again, and vanished down the valley. As Harry -watched him, he saw branching antlers, and a caribou came around the -curve, followed by more and more, feeding and wandering toward him. -He sat rigid, his eyes fixed upon them like a dog at the point. They -nibbled at the gray moss, unconscious of danger, but lifted their heads -and gazed in surprise as a most discordant bellow came from the circle -of stone where Harluk lay hidden. Their manner changed in a moment from -shambling and slouchy to alert, upheaded, and vigilant. They pawed the -earth and sniffed suspiciously, then began to move toward Harluk’s stone -fort. Their heads were high, their muzzles thrust forward, and they -trod with dainty alertness where before they had shambled. Out of the -tail of his eye Harry could see Harluk’s hand and fur-clad arm waving -grotesquely above the stones. It was this that had held the attention -of the herd and toward which their curiosity was leading them. Within -twenty minutes the whole herd were circling about the little inclosure of -stone, drawing nearer and nearer to the hand that waved above it. They -were within gunshot of either Harry or Joe now, but neither might shoot -lest he endanger Harluk. Moreover, neither boy had shot deer before, and -the sight of forty of these great creatures within gunshot had given both -the buck fever. Harry found himself shaking as with the palsy, and had an -almost irresistible desire to throw his gun in the air and halloo. - -The deer were very near Harluk now, and his beckoning arm had shrunken to -the tip of his mitten, now lifted a little, then slowly withdrawn. The -deer fairly crowded forward to look for it. As their muzzles appeared -over the stones, Harluk leaped to his feet with a tremendous yell. The -effect was to paralyze the herd for a second. They stamped and snorted, -but stood firm while Harluk lunged with his spear full at the shoulder -of the nearest. The shaft went home, and the deer sank to the ground -transfixed to the heart. Immediately there was a tremendous stampede -among the deer. The stupid creatures rushed this way and that, colliding -with one another in a paroxysm of terror, then started down the valley -again in the direction whence they had come. In this sudden confusion a -caribou was knocked fairly from his feet, falling against Harluk from -behind and tripping him. He scrambled to his feet again with a rush and -carried Harluk clinging mechanically to his back, too surprised to do -anything else. As the herd clattered by, Harry saw Joe spring to his feet -and begin to jump up and down, wave his rifle in the air, and halloo. He -shouted to him to quit that and shoot, and then it came to him that he -was doing precisely the same thing, nor did he seem to be able to stop, -even when he was conscious of it, until the herd was well by him. - -Such is the effect of the buck fever. In its delirium people are -sometimes conscious that they are acting absurdly, but do not have the -power to stop it. - -By the time the herd was so far down the valley that it was nearly out of -gunshot, Harry and Joe had come to sufficiently to do some wild shooting. -This had no effect but to bring an equally wild yell from Harluk, who -rolled from his perch at the whistling of the bullets and abandoned his -quarry. Of the forty caribou among which they had been for a half hour -or more, they had secured but one. However, they had enough meat for the -present, and they divided up the animal and started back for the camp -with it on their shoulders. - -They reached the spot where they had camped before the hunt, and stared -and rubbed their eyes with many exclamations of astonishment and alarm. -There was no trace of tent, sled, or dogs. All had vanished. They threw -down their burdens and looked at one another. - -“Are you sure this is the place?” asked Harry. - -In reply, Harluk nodded his head vehemently, and Joe pointed in silence -to the heavy stones they had used in place of tent-pegs. They still made -a quadrilateral which marked the spot, but there was nothing more. - -“What are we going to do?” faltered Harry. For a moment he felt as if -the ghost people of the Nunatak were not so unreal after all. He thought -he saw the same feeling reflected in Harluk’s face, and the fantastic -loneliness of the country seemed to impress itself upon him more than -ever. It was like a bad dream, in which, all things being unreal, nothing -was too strange to happen. - -Joe broke the spell with sturdy common sense. “I’ll tell you what we are -going to do,” he said. “Here’s deer meat in plenty, and I’ve got matches -in my pocket. We’re going to cook some venison and have a square meal. -Then we’ll hunt for tracks. I don’t believe anybody could get away with -that outfit without leaving a trail behind. You and Harluk cut some -steaks off that rump while I get wood.” - -The two turned to the carcass of the deer, while Joe started down the -bank and round a jutting corner of cliff, toward some willow shrubs. As -he passed down along the side of the cliff, he had a strange feeling that -some one was looking sharply at him, and turned just in time to see a -face at his elbow,—the same evil, half-white face that he had seen in the -night at Icy Cape, when he was struck on the head with the piece of ice. -He gave a cry of astonishment and alarm, but was seized and tripped from -behind, and any further outcry stopped by a blanket being bound tightly -over his head. In spite of his struggles, he was effectually gagged, -bound, and carried behind a projection of the cliff. - -Harry heard this cry of Joe’s, and answered it, thinking it was a call. -Then, getting no reply, he went on with his very simple preparations for -the meal. These done, he went in search of Joe. He could not see him -among the willows. He called and got no answer. The ghostly loneliness of -the Arctic came over him with telling force. Was Joe, too, to disappear -and leave no trace behind? - -“Joe!” he shouted; “Joe!” and the cliffs across the Kukpowrak answered -with mocking echoes; that was all. Then he turned, and he, too, was -seized by three men, who had stealthily approached him from behind. He -was bound and silenced as Joe had been, but not before he had shouted -twice for Harluk at the top of his lungs. - -One of the men who had captured him swore at this in good round English; -then, leaving one to guard Harry, two of them hastened to the camp with -rifles, but Harluk the wise had followed Harry empty handed, seen his -capture, fled back to the camp, and with both Joe’s and Harry’s rifles -was scurrying across the tundra in the direction of the sea, as fast as -his Eskimo legs could carry him. Fired upon, he dropped behind a boulder, -and pumped such a fusillade of shots back at his two would-be captors -that one of them dropped his rifle with a cry of pain, put his hand -to his leg, and went hopping off toward shelter in a hurry. The other -followed; but just before he reached safety he threw up his hands, and -plunged heavily forward on his face. Harluk’s last shot had caught him -under the left shoulder blade and passed through his heart. - -The Eskimo gave a yell of triumph and defiance, and then fled on, with -his two rifles, over the ridge and out of sight; nor did the enemy make -any attempt to follow him. Had they done so, they might have seen that, -after he had placed a good safe distance behind him, he climbed the -highest peak near by, and sat there, motionless, watching for hours. -Then he carefully picked his way back, keeping in shelter as much as -possible, still clinging to his two rifles, one of which held a few -cartridges. The magazine of the other was full. - -Of the party which had captured Joe and Harry, the evil-faced half-white -man, who had sworn in English, seemed to be the leader. He took his way -back to those who were guarding Joe and Harry, and bade them take the -gags from their mouths and the bonds from their feet. Harry no sooner -found his tongue free than he used it. - -“Look here,” he sputtered; “what does this mean? Why have you attacked -us? We have done you no harm.” - -The half-breed smiled an evil smile, and pointed at his eye. Harry -remembered the fight in the snow igloo, the blow with which he had closed -his opponent’s eye, and now he remembered the face. - -“Bimeby plenty sorry,” the half-breed said. “No fire ghost come now.” - -Harry and Joe were led back to the camping-spot. There lay the body of -the dead; and as the half-breed looked at it he scowled and looked at -his own roughly bandaged limb, which caused him to limp painfully. He -pointed at the corpse and then at the two prisoners. - -“One dead now,” he said; “bimeby two dead.” Then he laughed a mirthless -laugh. - -Strongly guarded by five fierce-looking outlaws with rifles, there was -no reasonable chance of escape, even when the lashings were taken from -their hands as well, and the two boys submitted to being loaded with -the venison they had shot, and marched on up river. A quarter of a -mile away they found their dog team harnessed into the sled and their -belongings securely packed upon it, guarded by a single outlaw. Here, -too, was another team of four dogs and a sled, and traces of several -days’ camping. It was evident that in coming up the Kukpowrak they had -marched right into the camp of the outlaw Ankuts who had personated the -ghost wolves, and whom they, with the lucky aid of their impromptu fire -spirit, had so signally defeated. Now the tables were turned; but they -were totally unprepared for the further surprise that was in store for -them. That was to come many days afterward, however. - -The Ankuts cooked venison here and made a meal. The chief outlaw bound up -his wound more carefully, and though it was slight, insisted on riding -as they went on up river. This overweighted the sleds, and the boys were -forced to shoulder part of the load. Indeed, they soon found that, though -they were not treated harshly, their position was much that of slaves, -and they were so closely watched that escape seemed impossible without -great risk of being shot down in the attempt. Thus for two days they -followed the course of the Kukpowrak, then they bore off to the left -across a nearly level table-land a day’s journey. - -There was no sign of human being on this three days’ march; bare tundra -and gray limestone or blue slate rocks made the scene one of peculiar -desolation, yet, though neither the highbinders nor the boys knew it, -a solitary figure kept watch of all their movements and was never far -behind them. All the savage hunter had been roused in Harluk, and he -trailed the band with the vindictive persistency of an Apache brave. He -lived on an occasional ground squirrel or small bird knocked over among -scrub willows, and kept his precious ammunition for more deadly use. It -had been well for the highbinders if they had reckoned more carefully -with Harluk. He had seen his comrade Konwa dead. He had seen one of the -enemy fall by his own hand. Henceforward the gentle and timid Eskimo was -changed into a bold, aggressive, cunning, and bloodthirsty fighting man. -The highbinders were to hear from Harluk again. - -At the end of the third day’s journey they came to a scene of wild and -singular beauty. The table-land opened out into an oval valley rimmed at -the further end with abrupt, sharp-pointed hills, at the base of which -another river flowed northward. This valley, to the surprise of the boys, -seemed a bit out of another world. In it was no snow, and the grass was -already tall. Moreover, there the willows grew to a much greater height -than elsewhere, and were already pale green with young leaves. Compared -with the gray, bare, Arctic desolation through which they had traveled, -it was like a bit of paradise. - -Harry, tired out and discouraged, groaned at the sight of this beauty -spot. “What’s the matter with you?” asked Joe. - -“It makes me homesick,” said Harry. “It reminds me of the marshes down by -the Fore River in early May. It’s like home.” - -“Well, I guess it’s likely to be home for us for a while,” said -Joe philosophically. “It looks as if the highbinders made it their -headquarters. See all the igloos down there, and the people, too!” - -They noted many good sized stone igloos, chinked with deer moss, at their -right as they wound down into the valley, and a small stream, which -seemed to issue from the ground near by. It seemed as if little clouds of -steam rose from this stream, especially at its source, and at sight of -it Joe gave an exclamation of appreciation. “I know about this now,” he -said; “it’s one of those hot springs I’ve heard the Eskimos tell about as -being inland here. That is why the willows are so tall and everything so -forward. It keeps the place warmed up the year round.” - -But it was little of the brightness and beauty of this little -warm-weather oasis in the bleak surroundings that the boys were to see. -They were ordered to drop their burdens on reaching the igloos, and -presently conducted to one of the strongest built and least prepossessing -of them. Once within this, the low entrance was blocked with stone and -they were left to themselves. - - - - -CHAPTER X - -“THE FEAST OF THE OLD SEAL’S HEAD” - - -The igloo in which Joe and Harry were confined was unlighted except by -sundry chinks in the stones through which rays of light pierced the -gloom. These showed, as soon as their eyes had become accustomed to the -semi-darkness, the customary raised bench at one side covered with some -ancient deerskins for a couch, a stone blubber lamp, a stone fireplace in -the centre, where charred willow twigs showed that some one had once used -it, and nothing more. Yet so weary were the boys with their day’s toil -that they threw themselves on this questionable couch and soon slept the -sleep of utter fatigue. Some hours later they roused refreshed, and were -greeted by a cautious “’St! ’st!” from the blocked entrance. Stepping -quickly there, Joe, saw through an opening in the stones a good-natured -Eskimo face that lighted up with a smile at sight of him. - -“Here,” it said in Eskimo. “Plenty eat. By and by have trouble.” - -A fur-clad arm thrust what looked to be a bundle of grass through the -aperture in the stones, and the Eskimo hurried away. Joe opened this -bundle and found in it several small white fish, just warm from the fire -and cooked without salt, yet appetizing to the hungry boys, who made a -meal of them forthwith. Nevertheless, though it was evident that they had -a friend, his words were far from reassuring, and the boys speculated -much as to what was to happen to them. Through the chinks in their rough -stone prison they managed to see a good deal that was going on in the -little village, and it did not take them long to guess something of -its ways of life. It was evident that it was a highbinder stronghold, -and that a band of a dozen or so of these marauders lorded it over the -rest of the community, which seemed to consist of a dozen more Eskimos, -one or two men, but mainly women and boys and girls. They saw these -latter bring fish from the river and firewood from along its banks, -one or two women cooking, boys and girls doing menial service at the -bidding of the Ankuts, who stalked among them with airs of superiority -that were comical. Not so comical was their brutality to their youthful -slaves, whom they did not hesitate to strike or kick brutally at -little provocation. These seemed to be in a state of abject submission -to their oppressors, and the sight made the blood of the boys hot with -indignation, not unmixed with apprehension as to their own treatment -in the near future. They discussed the situation, and tried to make -plans for an escape, but it did not seem that this could be attempted -immediately. To get out of their stone prison would be an easy matter, -but once free, the chances of further escape from among the band of -well-armed men who surrounded them would be slight, indeed. They must -wait a more favorable opportunity, reserving the chances of a dash for a -last resort. - -As they talked and watched, they heard low moans of pain that came from -a near-by igloo, and a wail of “Ah-nu-_nah_! Ah-nu-_nah_!” (Sick! Sick!) -This was repeated at intervals and seemed to grow louder. By and by a boy -issued from this igloo and went with seeming reluctance to another one -some distance away, whence he issued with one of the Ankuts. The two came -back to the first igloo, and the wizard took up his position in the open -space directly in front of it. This was in plain view of the boys, and -they watched further proceedings with much interest. - -Soon the Eskimo boy appeared again, bringing a couple of white fox skins. -These he laid at the feet of the wizard, who regarded them contemptuously -for a moment and then spurned them with his foot. The boy retired again, -and after a longer time reappeared with several small ermine pelts. These -he added to the fox skins and waited. The wizard shook his head, but the -boy also shook his despondently, saying “Naume” (No more). - -This seemed to satisfy the wizard that he was receiving all that he -could get in payment for his services, and he finally picked up the -pelts and laid them behind him. The boy reentered the igloo and came -out leading an old woman, whose wails of “Ah-nu-_nah_!” were louder as -they reached the spot where stood the wizard. She pressed both hands to -her head, as if that were in great pain, and crouched before the Ankut, -who was immediately transformed from an immobile and haughty personage -into a sort of wild skirt dancer. He whirled about the old woman in a -circle, and from his clothes somewhere appeared a couple of great knives -with which he juggled in an astonishing manner, tossing and catching -them deftly, and surrounding himself with a circle of flashing steel. -Harry gave an exclamation of astonishment at this. It was so little -like the clumsy and awkward manner of the every-day Eskimo. A crowd of -people had surrounded the group, and gazed with wonder and awe on this -performance, scattering like leaves in the wind when the dancing juggler -of knives swung too near them. The wizard soon began to howl and clap -his hands to his own head, still in some mysterious manner keeping the -knives whirling. The sick woman had forgotten her own pain in wonder -at this exhibition, and sat mute and open-mouthed. Suddenly the wizard -shouted, “Come out, spirit! Leave the woman’s head and come out!” He -whirled up to the side of the sick woman before she could recover from -her astonishment, slipped one of the knives out of sight again in his own -clothes and with the other made a slash that cut deep into her temple, -and pretended to draw something from the wound. This he held up in the -sight of the surrounding crowd. - -It was a curious, brown, many-legged worm, such as are found in rotten -wood, and which no doubt infest the tundra moss, or might have been -obtained from driftwood from the sources of the Kukpowrak, which has its -rise far inland in the timber line. The crowd murmured with astonishment -at this, the wizard retired to his igloo with his fox and ermine pelts, -and only the boy remained, sitting in stolid grief beside the old woman, -who lay where she had dropped at the slash of the knife. It had cut -deeper than the wizard perhaps intended. Certainly he had cured her -headache, for she was dead. - -The barbarous cruelties of the Ankuts, in their attempts to deal with -the sick, are beyond description, and the boys had seen only one of the -least, but they turned away, sick at heart, and willing to believe that -the little oasis in the midst of the barren wastes was anything but an -Eden to those who must live there under the cruel rule of the pretended -wizards. - -It seemed, however, that they were soon to be released from their -confinement. When they again looked out, they saw that the body of the -old woman had been removed, and there was a considerable stir among the -inhabitants of the little village. In the open within the circle of -igloos sat the Ankuts, cross-legged, each with a rifle in his lap and -a big knife at his hand. About them, at a respectful distance, stood -the others of the community: two men, dejected and spiritless looking -chaps, among whom Joe thought he recognized his friend of the fishes, -three women, and six or seven boys and girls. All had the indifferent -and apathetic air of slaves, which they were. As they looked, the boys -saw two of the Ankuts approaching, and a moment after the stones which -blocked the entrance of their prison were removed and they were bidden to -come out. The two Ankuts marched them to the circle and stood by them. - -Harry had a singular feeling of weakness in the knees in this march, a -wild desire to put out across the hills at top speed coupled with this -feeling that his legs might give way under him at any moment. Somehow -he had not feared these men before, but now things looked ominous. He -glanced at Joe, who was watching him narrowly. Joe walked erect and -defiant. - -“Whatever you do,” said Joe, “don’t let them see that you are afraid of -them. Put on a bold front; it may help us.” - -So Harry braced himself and tried to get the limp feeling out of his -knees, and hoped he succeeded in looking brave and cool. It was evident -that they were before a sort of self-constituted board of judges. The -evil-faced half-breed seemed to be the head of these, at once chief judge -and prosecuting attorney. He spoke somewhat at length, always referring -to Harry and Joe as “our white brothers.” He told of their interference -between the Eskimos at Icy Cape and the “ghost wolves of the Nunatak.” -Such interference with the Nunatak people, who were the fathers of -wizards, he explained, was deserving of punishment. He told how the two -had battled with the Ankuts in the snow igloo and outside, that night. -How they had driven them away with fire spirits, robbed them of their -bearskins, and otherwise ill-treated them. Such actions were deserving -of punishment. He told how one of their comrades had fallen before the -rifle of Harluk when the Ankuts had captured the two. For this also, he -argued, they were deserving of punishment. The slayer of the Ankut was -not there. Then these, his friends, must answer for his misdeed. This is -the barbarous idea of atonement the world over. - -To all these statements the other Ankuts solemnly wagged their heads and -chorused: “It is so.” Especially were they vigorous in their wagging when -the half-breed said: “They are deserving of punishment.” - -“And yet,” continued the half-breed with a malicious smile, “the white -men are our brothers. They, too, are wizards. They work with spirits of -fire, and they rob the Innuit, the people, even as we do.” - -“It is not so,” broke in Joe fiercely. “We do not rob the people. -Instead, we trade with them, and give them good things in exchange. We -are the friends of the people, as you well know. We are truly their -brothers, as you call us in derision. But have a care. The white men are -very many. They are more than the grass in summer in number. They are -very wise, and can see far. Have a care how you punish us. The great -chief of the white men will know of it, and will send his thunder ships -to punish you, if you do us harm. If you do not set us free, there shall -be no more Ankuts among the tribes. The great white chief will see to -that.” - -Thus spake Joe, indignantly and fearlessly. Harry thought him very -handsome as he stood erect and thus poured out defiance at his armed -enemies; but he could not help wondering what the effect would be and -whether such talk was wise. He was surprised to see the apparent change -in attitude of the Ankuts after it was made. They looked at one another -in silence. Then the half-breed spoke again. - -“What my white brother says may be true. Yet the white chief is a long -way off, and the Ankuts are very near, if they choose to punish. Still, a -feast is better than a fight. What say you?” he said to the other Ankuts, -looking from one to another with his evil smile still on his face. “Shall -our white brothers suffer punishment, or shall we bid them to a feast?” - -The same smile seemed to run around the circle of Ankut faces, and they -all wagged their heads vigorously. “It shall be a feast!” they affirmed -in unison, and there was something sinister in their satisfaction in this -change of programme. - -Harry poked Joe with his elbow. “Great Scott!” he said in a low tone, -“but we are pulling out of this in great luck.” - -His knees ceased to feel weak under him, and he had great admiration for -Joe’s boldness, which had seemingly brought this happy change about. But -Joe did not altogether share his delight. - -“I don’t know about this,” he replied in an equal undertone. “They don’t -look very feasty.” - -It was a fact that they did not, nor did the listening drudges who stood -outside the circle. A certain wide-eyed horror seemed to pierce their -stolidity and apathy, and their faces, as they looked at the boys, showed -it. The two wizards who had brought them out conducted them back to the -igloo with much ceremony. - -“Our brothers will rest here,” they said, “while the feast is prepared -for them. It will be a great feast,—and there will be nothing but the -bones left when it is over.” - -Joe and Harry entered the igloo and sat down on the bench. The doorway -was not blocked again, but the two Ankuts stood just outside, rifle in -hand, as if on guard. A little later one of the Eskimo servants appeared -bearing on a flat slate stone the head of an old seal. This he placed on -the floor in the middle of the igloo, looking appealingly at the boys, -but hastening away without a word. Then two Ankuts appeared, each leading -by the leash three heavy-chested, wide-jawed dogs that snarled and fought -one another as they came. These six dogs were hurriedly released at the -igloo door and driven in. Then the Ankuts again blocked the entrance -with the heavy, flat slate stones, making it much more secure than -before; so secure, in fact, that escape from within would be well-nigh -impossible. Then one of them cried out in a loud, jeering voice:— - -“This is the feast, O white men, to which you are bidden,—the feast of -the old seal’s head. Eat and be merry,—and there shall be nothing but -bones left.” - -The sound of retreating footsteps was drowned in the snarling and -scrambling of the six wolf dogs, already fighting in a blurred mass in -the centre of the igloo over the old seal’s head. - -The Eskimo wolf dog that one sees in Arctic Alaska is quite different -from the Eskimo dog of the Yukon and the lower mining camps on the great -northwest possession. The latter are more often mongrels, interbred -with all sorts of dogs from civilization, and lack much of the robust -fierceness of the Arctic type. On the desolate northern shores the pure -type is much like the gray wolf, and is no doubt a descendant from him, -sometimes intermixed with latter-day blood from the same source. Indeed, -it used to be no uncommon thing in the Eskimo villages to see a captured -wolf tied to a stake in the village and used for breeding purposes. The -usual color is a dingy gray black; sometimes almost pure black, as is -the occasional wolf. These dogs are large, very agile, and have a jaw -that is full of great teeth and as strong as iron. Ordinarily, when well -fed, they are not vicious; oftentimes they are even frolicsome, like -the civilized dog; yet such is the strength of their iron jaws that -even a playful nip from them is a serious matter, and hence the Eskimos -never encourage them to sportiveness. Neither do white men who have once -experienced a grip from those jaws. Their wolf blood, while making them -hardy and strong, gives them an understrain of fierceness which is apt -to make them dangerous neighbors, especially when hungry. Their fights -among themselves are tremendous and bloody, and at such times a man who -would separate them must enter the combat armed with a heavy weapon -capable of laying one out at a blow. Otherwise his own life is in danger. -It was six magnificent specimens of this type that were walled into the -igloo with the boys and were already battling fiercely at the feast of -the old seal’s head. Purposely left unfed since the boys arrived, they -were in a ferocious mood. Joe and Harry drew together and tried hard -to make themselves very small against the wall at the farthest corner -of the igloo. As yet the dogs paid no attention to them, and after the -seal skull had been well polished and the battle subsided, they still -were unmolested. Yet the intent of their captors was evident. Such is the -cruel custom that has come down in the traditions of the Ankuts of Eskimo -land from time immemorial. The enemy of the wizards is put to the feast -of the old seal’s head. If he survives, he, too, is a wizard, and wins -the equal respect of the tribe. If he is not a wizard, in very truth, -his polished bones are all that remain when the igloo is opened and the -famished wolf dogs are taken out. - -Harry had felt fear and discouragement before in the midst of his strange -adventures in this strange land, yet never had terror possessed him so -completely as now. In the gloom of the igloo he could see the glare of -the eyes of the savage creatures as they crouched on the floor, half -lazily, yet half ready for a spring, and he expected every moment that -one would attack him. This he well knew would be the signal for a rush -from them all, for the instinct of the wolf pack is strong even in the -most docile Eskimo dog, and when one fights they all do. He could feel -the quiver of Joe’s elbow where it touched his as they shrank to the -igloo wall side by side, and knew that his consciousness of the danger -was equal to his own. Yet though filled with a dumb terror of what was to -come, neither lost his self-control. Their hardy, independent life, the -dangers and disasters which they had already faced, had bred in each the -courage of strong men, the self-reliance of pioneers, and, though their -case was desperate, neither was willing to think that it was hopeless. -Quietly Joe was feeling with one hand along the rough stones of their -prison. By and by he found something, and passed it over to Harry without -a word. It was a long, angular piece of the slaty rock, something like a -rude stone hatchet. Such a weapon might save a man’s life. Yet it could -save but one. The man who wielded it might escape in the mêlée which was -liable to come at any moment. It was a slim chance, but it was all there -was. The weaponless man would be torn to pieces. Harry felt the devotion -and courageous self-sacrifice which could make this priceless gift to a -friend at such a moment, and his heart swelled within him as he clasped -Joe’s hand in the dim light. He tried not to take this rude weapon, but -Joe pressed it on him, and after a little he consented, mentally resolved -that he would wield it in Joe’s defense in preference to his own. It is -such deeds and such resolves that try the temper of men’s souls and prove -them truly noble. - -Time passed, how slowly only those who have faced similar terrors can -tell. Moments seemed to stretch out into hours that in turn became an -eternity. It seemed to Harry as if he were growing numb with waiting, and -he had wild thoughts of forcing the attack with his primitive weapon. -He even suggested it to Joe, who promptly vetoed the idea. Their low -voices seemed to rouse the dogs and make them more uneasy, and they said -no more. By and by, in the passing of what seemed weeks, they began to -hear sounds from outside. It was a low murmuring, which grew louder into -sounds of hilarity. There seemed to be shouts and laughter and the rude -music of tom-toms. The Ankuts were feasting in celebration of the cruel -death which they thought might be already coming to their enemies. About -this time both pricked up their ears with a vague feeling of hope. -Somebody or something was scratching and working at the wall of the igloo -outside,—the wall directly behind them and toward the low bluffs that -rimmed the little valley. The change from dull expectation of calamity -to a thought of hope sent a thrill of energy through each. Yet there was -renewed danger in it, too, for the sound roused the wolf dogs, and made -them more restless. They began to growl and move uneasily about. It was -an ominous moment. Then there was the scraping of a stone, and a bar of -light shone into the gloom of the igloo, bringing with it a voice,—the -voice of Harluk. It was tremulous with excitement and apprehension. - -“Oh, my brothers,” it cried, “are you there?” - -“Yes, yes,” answered Joe. “Quick! Something to fight with.” - -The need was indeed great, for the six wolf dogs were already crouching -and snarling. Another moment would bring the conflict which they so -feared. Quick as a wink Harluk’s hand was thrust through the aperture -with his sheevee, his long knife, in it. Joe snatched this with a cry of -delight. It was long, heavy, and keen,—an admirable weapon for a fight to -the death at close quarters. The flash of this knife in their faces had -its effect on the pack. They drew back and hesitated. In their lives they -had learned well the prowess of a man with a weapon in his hands; and the -wolf dog of the tribes is as wise as he is fearless. - -Joe took a single step, coolly, toward them. “Help Harluk,” he said -briefly to Harry; “I’ll keep these devils at bay. But for God’s sake, -hurry!” - -There was no need of this admonition. Harluk and Harry pried and tugged -desperately at the stones. They came slowly, but surely. The pack were -bounding over one another now on the far side of the igloo, lashing -themselves into a fury of onslaught. - -“Quick, my brothers!” cried Harluk. “It is big enough.” - -Harry looked at Joe. Moments were precious, yet still the pack hesitated, -awed partly by the flash of the big knife, partly by his cool and -constant gaze. “Go!” cried Joe. “I’ll follow you.” - -Harry plunged through the narrow opening with a great thrill of delight -as he felt himself in the outer air. As he disappeared from the igloo, -the pack surged forward, but Joe had been waiting for this. He met the -foremost with a reach of the long knife full in the breast. With a howl -of pain that was his death cry, the brute turned, biting the animal next -to him in his agony, and starting a fight among themselves, which took -their attention from Joe for a moment. Deftly and quickly he backed -through the opening, keeping his eye upon the whirling pack, and holding -the bloody knife still in readiness for instant use. A moment and he was -safe outside, where he found Harluk and Harry, each with a rifle cocked -and ready in his defense. - -Without a word Harluk passed his rifle to Joe and hurriedly thrust the -stones back into the wall of the igloo, shutting in the struggling and -bloody pack. They were safe from this danger, but outside a new one -menaced them. The hilarity among the dozen well-armed Ankuts was rapidly -approaching a state of frenzy. A chief item of their feast was a peculiar -liquor made by steeping toadstools in water, which produces what is -known to the whalers as a “toadstool drunk.” This potion first induces -an ordinary sort of intoxication, but this soon passes into a sort of -fury, in which its victims seem possessed with a demoniacal strength and -ferocity. Under its influence the Ankuts were far more to be feared than -before. Hiding behind the igloo, the three watched them carefully. As yet -they had no suspicion that their prisoners were escaping, and after a -little Harluk touched each of his friends. “Come,” he said quietly, and -they followed where he led. - -To make the situation clear, we must go back to Harluk’s previous -movements. He had followed the band of Ankuts warily on their way to the -stronghold with their prisoners. Not once had he lost sight of them, not -once had they suspected that he followed. He had not been sure, however, -in which igloo the boys were confined until he had seen them taken out -for the trial and then escorted again to the prison. He had seen the -wolf dogs shut in with them, and knew that he must act at once if he -would rescue them. The beginning of the Ankut feast had favored this, -as well as the lay of the land. From the low bluffs a narrow ridge ran -down nearly to the igloo. This gave him shelter in his approach, and it -was behind this that he led the boys away from the igloo, but only for -a little way. Then, still sheltered by the intervening rise of ground, -he turned and led them down to the bank of the stream of warm water, -just where it emptied into the larger river. Here was an umiak, turned -bottom side up on the bank, with a couple of paddles beside it. As they -stooped to lift this umiak into the water, there was a wild howl from the -direction of the village. - -“Hurry, my brothers!” cried Harluk; “they are coming.” - -There was now a tremendous uproar, and the Ankuts were seen tearing down -the slope toward them at full speed. They hurriedly pushed off, and Joe -and Harluk seized paddles and sent the light boat spinning out into the -stream. There was the sound of shots and the spattering of bullets around -them as they did so. The Ankuts had opened fire. Harry reached for a -rifle and Joe nodded to him. - -“See if you can’t stop some of that,” he said. “Plug that white-faced -one, if you can.” - -Harry hesitated a second. He had never before attempted the life of a -fellow creature. Then something stung his left arm. One of the Eskimo -shots had grazed him. His hesitation vanished in a second, and he fired -coolly at the foremost Ankut. The man stumbled and fell headlong. - -“Good!” cried Joe. “You poked him. Give ’em another.” - -Again Harry fired, and another Ankut spun round like a top and rolled in -a heap. Had not the toadstool poison been working in the Ankut veins, -they would have been more cautious, and it would no doubt have gone hard -with the three, but in their drunken frenzy the wizards came right on, -firing a wild fusillade and yelling at the top of their lungs. They ran -faster than Joe and Harluk could paddle, and drew steadily nearer. Two -shots pierced the skin boat, and the water began to come into it. Joe -laid down his paddle and took up the other rifle. - -“We’ll fight it out right here,” he said. - -The interchange of shots grew more rapid. Two more Ankuts fell, and even -their crazy ferocity began to waver before so well-directed a fire. The -umiak was a third full of water now, and Harluk turned its prow back -toward the shore. There was an ugly gleam in Harluk’s eye, and he gritted -his strong white teeth together, and now and then snapped them as a -dog might. The Ankuts hesitated and stopped. Then an unexpected thing -happened. Two shots came from behind them, and a fifth wizard sank to the -ground. - -“Nagouruk!” yelled Harluk, in his own language. “Kill some more; I come!” - -The two Eskimo men whom Harry and Joe had seen treated as slaves had -slipped up to the dead Ankuts, taken their rifles, and joined the fray. -The Ankuts were bewildered. Drunk as they were, they realized that the -tide was turned against them. Five of their number were already dead, and -shots were coming upon them from seemingly all sides. They wavered. The -bow of the umiak struck the bank and Harluk, with a yell, sprang from it -and ran toward the wizards. His big knife flashed in his hand, and he -yelled in a berserker rage. The stumbling, shambling run of the coast -native was no longer his. He seemed to bound like a panther toward his -prey. The apotheosis of the timid Eskimo had come, and he was a barbaric -war god, glorying in the fray. - -Cowards always at heart, the Ankuts turned and fled across the tundra -toward the hills, pursued by shots from Joe’s and Harry’s rifles and -those of the two village Eskimos. All but the white-faced half-breed. -He stood his ground and reserved his fire as Harluk approached. His lip -curled in that evil smile, and he leveled his rifle coolly. Harluk was -face to face with doom. - -Yet he never hesitated, but leaped on, shouting his defiance and -swinging the big knife, yet red with the blood of the wolf dog. At ten -feet the half-breed pressed the trigger. Surely Harluk’s amulet was -potent that day, for the cartridge failed to explode. The half-breed -cursed, snatched at the lever, then cursed again, for that, too, failed -to work. The cartridge was jammed. Then he clubbed the rifle and swung it -full at Harluk’s head. The Eskimo yelled derisively, ducked, and sent the -big knife home to the heart of the chief of the Ankuts. His blood mingled -with that of the wolf dog that had been less fierce and vindictive than -he. - -A moment Harluk stood over him with the dripping knife in hand, then -turned with Joe and Harry to the pursuit of the other Ankuts; but fear -added to their toadstool frenzy lent them speed, and they disappeared -over the hills, plunging through the soft tundra moss. The battle was -over. - -Harry sat down on the battlefield, feeling faint and sick. The horror -of carnage was on him. True, they had fought in self-defense, and the -Ankuts richly deserved death, yet the sight of men slain with his own -hand filled him with remorse, and he felt for a time that his own safety -was dearly bought. The sting in his arm, unnoticed during the excitement -of the battle, came back and turned his thoughts away from this after a -moment. He examined it. The Ankut bullet had cut a slit in the fleshy -part and passed on, doing little damage. He bandaged it as best he could, -and, though Joe was solicitous, declared it was nothing. - -The Eskimos came flocking about, and their gratitude at their deliverance -was so great that he felt better. After all, great good had surely come -to these poor people, and he felt that the traditions of his nation -justified a war of emancipation. That was the way Joe put it, and he was -no doubt right. They buried the dead wizards in the unfrozen earth, not -far from the hot spring, and then ate a hearty meal, prepared for them by -the grateful Eskimo women. - -Not until then did they remember the wolf dogs shut up in what had been -their prison. Harluk and the two Eskimo men released them from the igloo, -nor did they, at Joe’s orders, attempt to either harm or tie them up. -He said that he had no wish for revenge on them, but he did not care to -have such animals around, and in this Harry agreed with him. Some time -afterward the two Eskimos reported to Joe that the other dogs had also -vanished. No doubt they had joined the fugitives, and the dominant wolf -blood would again make a wild pack of them. It was really a serious -matter, but somehow the boys did not care. They found the presence of an -Eskimo dog of any sort very distasteful to them. - -For some days they waited in the Ankut stronghold, keeping watch lest -the enemy return, but seeing no signs of them. Harluk declared that they -probably would not. They had received such a trouncing, and the odds -were so much against them, that they would no doubt go on either to -some other outlaw rendezvous, or else take up peaceful life with some -Eskimo community for a while. This is the way of the defeated Ankut. -And now, rested and recuperated, the problem of further action came up, -and was discussed in a council of the whole. To travel across the fast -softening tundra toward Point Hope, without dogs, was a difficult, if -not impossible, matter, and they decided not to try it. By this time -the ice must be out of the sea, and there was a chance of a ship. Their -wisest course would be to proceed again to the coast. This would not be -difficult. There were two umiaks at the village. They patched the one -riddled by Ankut bullets, and, loading their belongings into the two, the -whole community set gayly forth downstream. To the Eskimos who had been -held in subjection it was a happy deliverance, and their gentle natures -brightened up wonderfully at the thought of escape. They would not allow -either the boys or Harluk to do any work. They paddled, prepared meals, -made camp, and showed their gratitude in a hundred ways, till they bade -fair to spoil their deliverers. - - - - -CHAPTER XI - -“THE VILLAGE WHERE NO ONE LIVES” - - -The sudden summer was upon the Arctic, and in the days that followed the -boys, in spite of their homesickness and anxiety in regard to the future, -reveled in it. The tundra grew green, and seemed almost in a night to be -spangled with countless flowers. Once, at camp, Joe wandered back into a -grassy meadow, and found Harry there before him. Tears were running down -his cheeks, but they were happy tears. - -“Look, Joe!” he cried. “Come and see our old friend here. Oh, how good it -is!” - -The meadow was blue in patches with myosotis,—forget-me-nots,—and among -them a yellow bumble-bee was buzzing and bustling in busy way, just -as contentedly fussy and self-important as he would have been among -the buttercups two thousand miles south. Down on his knees beside this -messenger went Joe, with tears in his own eyes and thoughts of the -Nantucket meadows of his childhood. - -“And oh!” cried Joe. “Here’s another one. See!” This other one was a -little brown butterfly that flitted gayly along in the warm breeze. Thus -the two worshiped these spirits of sunshine, translated to their desolate -northern wilderness for its brief summer festival. The snow-buntings and -Arctic sparrows, already happy with nests and eggs, sang rapturously, -and the ground squirrels sat at the mouths of their burrows and wrinkled -their rat-like noses at the voyagers. It was a happy season, coming so -soon after struggle, death, and disaster. The Eskimo boys and girls had -lost that look of stolid misery which their life under the rule of the -highbinders had given them, and blossomed into joyous, playful children. -Even the river seemed to dance and dimple along its shallows. - -Perhaps the daintiest spirit, the most chastely exquisite creature of -the whole Arctic summer, is the little bird known to the naturalists as -the hyperborean snowflake. Verily, a snowflake it is as it flits through -the rosy glow of misty mornings over the tundra bog so richly carpeted -with purple, yellow, and white. Here, in a fairy garden, grow the purple -primrose, the golden cowslip, and the white-cupped dryas, and here -flits and sings its dainty song the snowflake bird. Its plumage is as -pure as a newly opened lily, the spotless white showing more perfectly -by contrast with the jet-black bill and wing tips. At the edge of its -snowy tail are two black dots. All else is a fluttering flake of purest -snow, and it seemed to the boys as if in it summer had transformed the -frost-flakes into a living, breathing spirit of melody. - -Thus for many days they glided along the placid shallows of this winding -river, content in freedom, sunshine, and bits of summer, that reminded -them of home. Yet by and by Harry became uneasy. - -“Joe,” he said one day, “it seems to me we have traveled far enough to -reach the sea. Where do you suppose this river empties? Its course winds -so that it is hard to say just which way it carries us, though, to be -sure, the general direction is northerly, but don’t you think it is -pretty well to the east of north?” - -“That’s what is worrying me,” confessed Joe. “In the nature of things we -must come out north of our old camp at Icy Cape, but I had hoped for no -great distance north of that. Yet no man knows what river’s headwaters -we struck. I hope it is not the Colville. That would land us a couple of -hundred miles to the east of Point Barrow, and unless we had phenomenal -luck we’d have to winter up here again.” - -“I wouldn’t do it,” cried Harry hotly. “I’d sooner turn and tramp south -across the tundra. We’d at least be headed toward home, and every mile we -made would be sure gain.” - -Thus anxiety came to them again, and they began to watch with care the -general direction in which they were floating. It proved to be, as near -as they could guess, northeast. - -“This won’t do,” said Joe, “northeast is the trend of the coast up here; -we’re not getting much nearer the sea. However, we’ll hold on a few days -longer.” - -Neither Harluk nor the other Eskimos could help their knowledge of the -river. The Eskimo knows the coast well and the streams for a few miles -back of it. Beyond that, except in particular instances, the land is -unknown to him. After another week, and just as they were about decided -to camp and make a land reconnoissance to the westward, their stream -took a turn to the northwest and they paddled on merrily. The course lay -through low bluffs that bordered the river on either hand, and in these -bluffs, one day, Harry noted strata of dark stone. They landed, out of -curiosity, and examined these black veins. - -“Why, it’s coal!” exclaimed Harry in astonishment; and so it was,—a sort -of semi-bituminous coal that is not so very different from cannel coal. -The low bluffs were full of it in veins varying from a few inches wide to -eight or ten feet. There was enough coal in sight to supply a city, with -the promise of countless thousand tons in the veins beneath the surface. -“Coal,” he explained to Harluk and the other Eskimos who had gathered -about them, much interested by their enthusiasm, “to burn, makes fire, -like wood.” - -At this the men of the ice shook their heads incredulously. It was time -for the midday meal, and Harry essayed to show them that he was right. He -built a good fire of willow wood and piled bits of the black stones on -it, but it would not ignite that way, and his Eskimo friends wagged their -heads and murmured “Kukowillow,” which is an Eskimo word which may be -freely translated “big fool.” Here Joe came to his rescue. He carefully -built a cylindrical oven of the larger blocks that had fallen from the -bluff, and started a snapping wood fire in it. Little by little he added -fine coal to this, and was soon gratified to find it ignited. The Eskimos -looked on, with smiling incredulity at first, then with wonder, but as -the fire grew and began to consume the oven itself, they calmly withdrew -from the burning black stones. It was magic, and the stones did not -really burn. Joe had only made them think so. Harluk knew he was a great -wizard. He had seen his performances at Icy Cape, and this was another -one. It was all very well for wizards to burn stones, but the Eskimos -knew better than to try it. - -This was the Eskimo solution of the matter. The coal measures of northern -Alaska extend from the coast near Cape Lisburne eastward far into the -interior. The rivers that run to the sea cut through them and expose vast -quantities of the precious fuel. On the seashore at Cape Sabine the coal -falls from the bluffs under the action of the frost, and may be picked -up by the ton. With a little ingenuity this coal may be made to burn -and give heat even by very primitive methods, yet the tribes freeze, -and eat uncooked food, with these vast reservoirs of warmth untouched -beneath their feet. They have seen it burn in the stoves and under the -boilers of the whaleships, yet they take no advantage of it. Some have -tried to burn it in the open, and failing, were convinced that only the -white man’s magic could make use of it. Others have found heat enough in -blubber and driftwood or willow twigs, and do not care to try to utilize -the more difficult fuel. - -Some days later, they found their little river flowing gently into an arm -of the sea which Joe, climbing a bluff and taking a survey, declared to -be Wainwright Inlet. Harluk, too, recognized the place, and said that the -river which they had traversed was the Koo of the tribes. Just north of -them was Point Belcher, and Harluk pointed out, on the other side of the -inlet, a place which he called “Nunaria,” otherwise “The Village where No -One Lives.” - -The story of this “Village where No One Lives,” of the events which led -up to its settlement and abandonment, is one of the most extraordinary -which the Arctic has yet revealed. The annals of New Bedford whaling -contain the first part of it. The traditions of the coast tribes reveal -the latter part, the wild and tragic sequel. These last Harluk knew well, -for the tale has come to be an epic, related about the blubber lamp -during the winter night, when the bitter wind blows without, and the -Nunatak people are abroad and shout down the smoke-hole. - -This is the story compiled from both sources:— - -In the summer of 1871, forty or more splendid ships, the pick of the -New Bedford fleet, were following the whales along this ice-bound -coast. The pursuit had been one of more than common difficulty. The -ice was everywhere, and again and again, even in midsummer, the ships -had been in great danger from it. Boats were crushed by the shifting -floes, and before September was fairly in, three staunch ships, the -brig Comet, the barks Roman and Ashawonks, had been wrecked and their -crews transferred to other vessels. The season was at an end, and the -situation of the remaining ships one of grave peril, for the ice was -closing rapidly around them and it seemed impossible to work out of it. -There were not provisions enough to winter the crews, and frequent and -serious consultations were held by the captains. By way of precaution, -men were set to work building up the gunwales of the boats that they -might better resist the waves, and they were sheathed with copper to -keep the ice from harming them. An expedition of three boats was now -sent down the coast to see how far the ice extended. This returned and -reported that it was utterly impracticable to get any of the main fleet -out; that the Arctic and another vessel were in clear water below the -fields which extended to the south of Blossom Shoals, eighty miles below -the imprisoned crafts; and that five more vessels, now fast in this lower -ice, were likely to get out soon. The leader also reported, what every -man knew, that these free vessels would lie by and wait to aid their -imprisoned comrades. It is a part of the whaleman’s creed to stand by his -mates. To remain with the imprisoned ships was to perish with them, and -they decided to abandon them. - -It was a sad day. The signals for departure,—flags at the masthead, -union down,—were set, and with heavy hearts they entered their boats and -pulled away, a mournful flotilla. Women and children, families of the -captains, were there, and the keen north wind blew over the frozen sea, -chilling the unfortunate fugitives to the marrow. At night they camped on -the beach, turning the boats bottom upward and covering them with sails, -making a comfortable refuge for the women and children. The rest found -shelter as best they might. - -“On the second day out,” says one who took part in the expedition, “the -boats reached Blossom Shoals, and there spied the rescue vessels lying -five miles out from the shore and behind a long tongue of ice that -stretched like a great peninsula ten miles farther down the coast. Around -this point they were obliged to pull before they could get aboard. The -wind blew a gale, the sea threatened the little crafts with instant -annihilation, but still the hazardous journey must be performed, and -there was no time to be lost in setting about it. The boats started on -their almost hopeless voyage, the women and children stifling their fears -as best they could. On rounding this tongue of ice, they encountered the -full force of the southwest gale, and a sea that would have made the -stoutest ship tremble. In this fearful sea the whaleboats were tossed -about like corks. They shipped quantities of water from every wave -that struck them, and all hands bailing could hardly keep them afloat. -Everybody was soaked with freezing brine, and all the bread and flour -aboard was spoiled. The strength of the gale was such that the Arctic, -after getting her portion of the refugees aboard, parted her cable and -lost her port anchor, but brought up again with the starboard one, which -held until the little fleet was ready to sail. By the second day all were -distributed among the seven vessels, from two to three hundred souls -each,—a total of 1219 refugees. They set sail, and reached Honolulu in -safety.” - -Thirty-four staunch vessels were thus abandoned to their fate, and only -one, The Minerva, was released in safety the next summer from the grip -of the frost king. More than a million dollars was abandoned to the ice -and the Eskimos, and ruin brought home to many a fine old New Bedford -shipping concern. - -The sullen winter set in. The ice closed rigidly about the doomed ships -scattered along the coast from Point Belcher to Blossom Shoals, and a -wild carnival of loot began for the natives of the north coast. News -seems to spread in strange ways in the Arctic. The Eskimo tells much, yet -he learns more by the observation of his fellows. Most of all, however, -he seems to have an instinct which is more subtle still; and the tribes -learned the news in all these ways. To the place of great riches traveled -all who had the means of travel. From the bleak coast east to the mouth -of the Mackenzie, from the sandy peninsula of Point Hope and from points -between, each community saw another pack up and move, and hitched up -their dogs and followed, knowing well that the prize for such a journey -at such a time of year must be great, else it would not be attempted. -By the time the winter sun ceases to rise in the southward, but merely -lights the southern sky with a rosy glow at what should be noon, three -thousand Eskimos had assembled and begun to build the greatest Eskimo -village known to history. - -The skin topeks were set up. Caves in the bluff became dwellings. Where -the wind had swept the ledges bare, they quarried rough stone and built -igloos of these, chinked with reindeer moss and banked with snow for -warmth. Many of them, too, began to dismantle the ships and build rude -cabins of the wood and sails. Such were the nondescript abodes of the new -village, and here they settled down in the darkness and terrible cold -of the Arctic midnight, content, for near at hand were provisions and -loot such as had never been dreamed of in the wildest flights of Eskimo -imagination. The looting went on continuously and peacefully, at first, -for there was more than enough for all. The village became crowded with -cabin fittings, wrecked deck houses, spars, ropes, sails, and all the -metallic paraphernalia of a full-rigged ship. In the holds they broke -into the flour barrels and scattered the contents about in willful play, -for they knew nothing of the value of flour. Hard bread they prized, but -flour was then to them a thing of no meaning, and there are aged Eskimos -alive to this day who will tell with sorrow how they wasted the precious -stuff, throwing it at one another and setting it adrift down the wind in -glee. - -The ivory, they prized, the oil, and especially the whalebone, which they -eagerly appropriated and took ashore, hiding much of it as well as they -could from one another. Later, when all had been taken from the ships -and trouble and distrust had come, the villagers began looting from each -other. - -But at first all went well. With plenty of the prized hard-tack, with -meat in barrels, with oil in great profusion, and wood and iron galore, -it seemed as if the Eskimo millennium was at hand, and that the tribes -might live in peace and plenty here for a long time to come and—who -knows?—out of their prosperity found a permanent city and develop a -higher scheme of Eskimo civilization than they had hitherto known. -Yet it was not to be, and the very plenty that might have been their -upbuilding became their undoing. The serpent of envy entered their -below-zero Eden, and set tribe against tribe and family against family. -Men began to quarrel over articles of loot aboard ship. There was not -room to stow their wealth in the igloos, and the women and children -fought over what was outside. - -The supply of liquor had been in the main destroyed, but on one or two -ships this had been overlooked in the haste of leaving, and after a time -it was discovered. It was not very much among three thousand Eskimos, but -a little liquor goes a long way among these hardy men of the north, and -once this began to get in its work among them, no man can describe the -extraordinary scenes which ensued. Tribal animosity which had been dulled -by plenty and a common object grew keen again, and the men of one village -fought with those of another until sometimes a whole tribe was wiped out. -As the wild orgy increased and the supply of liquor gave out, they broke -into the ships’ medicine chests, and tinctures and solutions of deadly -drugs were used with fatal effect. - -The horror lasted until the spring sun was well above the southern -horizon, and scarcely half the people of the new city were left to see -him rise. These were half-clad, and emaciated by the terrible deeds -and mishaps of the winter. The dogs, neglected and unfed, had gone -“molokully”—crazy—with the cold and hunger, and were roaming the waste of -snow, or were mercifully dead. The remnant of the people had no means and -were in no condition to travel, yet travel they must. The daze of their -orgy was over, and the place was become a place of horrors to them. Dead -lay in every igloo, and in Eskimo land an igloo in which some one has -died is henceforth a place of evil, and no man must take shelter there. - -There were no doubt stores and material enough left in and about the -vessels that were unburned to support the people remaining in comfort for -a long time to come, and could they have had a chance to recuperate, they -still might have made a village unique in size and prosperity, but they -would have none of it. - -Silently and in terror the remnant of the tribes scattered and hastened -to their former homes, but only a part ever reached them. Sick and -emaciated, their dogs dead or scattered, the journey was one of hardship -long to be remembered, and the miles were marked with the bones of those -that fell by the way. - -This is the story of “Nunaria,” a place of ghosts and of the dead. To -this day no Eskimo will willingly enter its precincts. The ice and gales -of winter, the frosts and thaws of spring, the deluges of rain and the -grass of summer, work hard to obliterate it, yet still it may be found, -and its ruin tells the tale of one brief winter of too much plenty, and -the evil effect of a sudden plethora of the good things of civilization -and city life on the Innuit. With him, as with the rest of us, -self-control is not easily learned where abstemiousness is continually -forced. It takes a far greater man to stand sudden great prosperity than -it does to survive lean years and narrow opportunities. Harluk expressed -this in one brief Eskimo phrase. “Amalucktu amalucktu, peluk,” he said. -“Too much plenty is no good.” - -There is a brief sequel to the story. The next spring an enterprising -trader brought up in his ship a three-holed bidarka from Unalaska. When -the ship was stopped by the ice, he manned the bidarka, and went on, -paddled by two men. He reached the village of death through the narrow -leads opening in the pack. Here he found no living thing save the foxes -and crows making revel among the bodies of the dead. But he found much -store of whalebone and ivory,—so much that he reaped a harvest and was -able to visit the capitals of Europe in the style of a bonanza king. -Yet, after all, what he got was not the half of the store the ships had -accumulated during their summer cruise. What had become of the balance? -Let us see. - -Harluk would not join Harry and Joe in their exploration of Nunaria. It -sufficed for him to point it out from the bluff opposite. They set out -alone. Strange sights met their eyes in this village. Traces of former -topeks could be found here and there by the white bones, which showed -in the grass. Others built of stone had partly fallen in, but still in -part retained their shape. From one of these a white fox bounded, and, -on looking within, they found a litter of young foxes snuggled within -the remnants of some ancient fur garments, among the bones of the man -that had worn them. Here an arm bone was stretched out through the tundra -grass, as if reaching up for aid. There a white skull grinned at them -from the dark corner of a tumbled heap of rocks which had been a home -of the ancient village. They found the brass cover of a ship’s binnacle -over the ashes of a long-abandoned fire. The dark and mouldy remnants of -an uneaten meal were in this strange pot, showing to what base uses the -tribes had put the ship’s instruments. Scattered about in inconceivable -confusion that time could not obliterate were the useless fragments of -the loot of the ships,—rotten ropes, decayed canvas, rusty iron, blocks, -and wooden wreckage of all sorts, grown with tundra moss, half buried -in waving grass, yet visible still in dismal disorder. There were many -spots, very many, where this grass was longer and greener than the rest, -and they knew that underneath were the bones of the dead of that dread -winter of too much plenty. - -In one of the igloos they found a couple of splendid walrus tusks, half -hidden in a corner, and in two others single slabs of whalebone, still -but little harmed by the weather and the passage of time. - -“Queer there isn’t more of this stuff,” said Harry, as he kicked out the -slab of whalebone from the dark and grewsome hole. - -“I don’t think so,” replied Joe. “Of course the traders and whalemen knew -of the place and carried off all they could find. They never got half -that was on the ships, though. I imagine the natives never brought it -off, but that it was burned or sunk with the vessels.” - -“Hum,” said Harry. “But it might pay us to look pretty closely.” - -Joe looked at him with a new thought in his eye. “Do you think so?” he -said, meditatively. - -“Why not?” asked Harry in reply, and they continued their search. Yet -they found nothing more of value among the igloos or on the tundra. It -was after they had given up the search and were on their way back along -the low bluff that they made a further discovery. - -“Harluk told about part of the village that lived in what he called a -‘kitekook.’ What sort of an igloo is that?” - -“That’s so,” replied Joe; “I had forgotten. Why, ‘kitekook’ is the Point -Hope word for cave. We haven’t seen any caves yet. They would be in the -bluff, seems to me.” - -For a long time they searched the bluff without finding anything. The -disintegrating forces of frost and thaw each spring change the face of -all Arctic cliffs. Crumbled by the frost and torn off by the water, the -warm weather often brings the fronts down in little landslides. The -streams gully through them and cut them away so that the face of nature -often changes greatly in a single year. The low bluffs along the inlet -showed many marks of this violence. By and by Joe, scrambling along the -débris at the foot of the bluff, gave a shout to Harry, farther on. -“Here’s a wolf’s den, or a cave, or something,” he said. “Come and see -it.” - -The wolf’s den was a hole in the bluff, half smothered in the débris -which had fallen and obscured it. There was hardly room to crawl in, -but Joe managed it, while Harry waited outside in some excitement. In a -moment Joe called out:— - -“Here,” he said in a smothered voice; “take this.” - -A splendid slab of whalebone was passed up through the hole. After a time -Joe followed it, much besmeared with dirt, but with a radiant face. - -“I think we’ve made a find, this time,” he said excitedly. “That is one -of the ‘kitekooks,’ and it is chock-a-block with the finest bone you ever -saw.” - -The slab which he had passed out was, indeed, a beauty, and was worth -many dollars. They proceeded with the hunt with great enthusiasm and -found several other “kitekooks” well stored with bone. Joe’s eyes snapped -with excitement. - -“There’s fifty thousand dollars’ worth of splendid bone stowed right in -this cliff,” he said, “and it has been waiting for us for twenty-five -years. The people who came here that summer after cleaned up what was -in the other igloos, but they never found this. Probably there had been -a landslide that spring and blocked the caves. The Eskimos could not be -hired to come here, and only they knew about it. It’s a bonanza! Hurrah! -this will pay for the loss of the Bowhead, twice over.” - -Harry examined the five caves that they found, and decided that Joe’s -estimate of the value of their find was a very conservative one. To him -it seemed nearly double that, and after excitedly figuring the probable -value, Joe was inclined to agree with him. It was certain that they had -found a fortune, and the only question was as to how they might realize -on it. The bone was worth that in San Francisco, to be sure, but they -were a long way from San Francisco, and the problem of getting there -themselves was still a great one. Their great hope was that Captain -Nickerson would be on the coast again with a vessel and would find them -that summer. They decided to keep the presence of the bone a profound -secret even from Harluk and his fellows. They returned to the camp and -said very little about what they had seen. Harluk thought this reasonable. - -“None but wizards,” he declared solemnly, “might unharmed visit a place -of ghosts, and he saw that they even were wise enough not to talk about -it.” - -This find in the Village where No One Lives kept the boys chained to the -locality, much to the sorrow of the Eskimos, who wished to get farther -away from it. There were plenty of fish in the inlet, and wild ducks -were tame and present in great flocks. They lived well, but they did not -like to be so near the place of ghosts. But the boys were firm. It was -midsummer, and just about the right time of year for ships to be off that -coast, and they did not wish to leave their find. They decided that the -bone must stay where it was until they could take it out and place it -on a ship of their own, and they would better wait right there on the -chance of such a ship. Thus they lingered on, week after week, in a vain -hope. No ship came. As a matter of fact, it was one of those seasons that -Harluk and Kroo had predicted, when the Arctic pack hugs the coast and it -is difficult and often impossible for ships to get beyond Blossom Shoals. - -All too soon the brief summer waned, and their hopes waned with it. While -they hesitated, the heavy sea ice pressed in nearer the coast and cut off -any possible chance of a ship. The ducks flew away, the river froze over, -and there was mush ice all along the coast where the pack had not frozen -to the shore. The cold was coming on exceptionally early, and they were -much dejected over the prospect. The wind blew keen from the north, and -snow whitened the once blooming tundra. The winter was upon them before -they knew it, so rapidly does it come in that land of ice. - -In the midst of this trouble Harluk came to them with a face of good news. - -“My brothers,” he said, “good luck is surely coming to us. The dogs have -come back.” - -Eight or ten gaunt dogs were eagerly snatching at food that the Eskimos -threw to them; then, their hunger satisfied, they allowed themselves to -be tied up, and lay down by the topek doors in contentment. - -The Eskimo dog grows very fond of the people with whom he is brought -up, and never forgets them, no matter how long separated. Thus, though -he runs away and sometimes roams wild over the tundra for months, he is -almost sure finally to find his way back to the friends of his puppyhood. -It was what had now happened. - -Some hours afterward Joe found Harry gazing moodily at the icy sea with -tears in his eyes. It was not the cutting wind that had put them there -and Joe knew it. He laid his hand gently on his friend’s shoulder. - -“Cheer up, old fellow,” he said, trying to smile and making hard work of -it. “Cheer up, the worst is yet to come.” - -“I should say the worst was here,” replied Harry dejectedly. “It’s almost -winter again and we are farther from home than ever. We haven’t any ship -for a refuge this time, either.” - -“I know it,” said Joe, “and we’ve got to get out of this right now. We’ll -have to leave our bone behind, but that has been safe there a good many -years, and I guess it will stay one more. At any rate, we’ll risk it. -What do you say, old chap, if we go south?” - -“What do you say if we have a little excursion to the moon?” said Harry -bitterly; “the one seems as likely as the other.” - -“I don’t think you ought to feel that way,” replied Joe. “The tundra and -the rivers are frozen, the dogs have come back, and I have a plan. We -will not attempt to find a ship. I doubt if one is up as far as this this -year. Nor will we try to meet one at Lisburne, the chances are too slim. -We will pack up and start straight south. The traveling is good. The -north wind will be at our backs, and we are used to the cold. It seems -a bold scheme, but it has been done before. Funston made the trip north -and back to the relief of shipwrecked whalers in the dead of winter, some -years ago. He was no better fitted than we to endure the cold and the -hardships. Come into the topek a minute and I’ll show you something.” - -In the topek Joe unfolded the chart of northern Alaska, which was among -the papers saved from the wreck of the Bowhead. He showed Harry the -distance almost due south to the Yukon River, not five hundred miles. -There they should strike the well-traveled Yukon winter trail from St. -Michael to Dawson City and find civilized men. The very thought of it -made them both wild, so weary were they grown of barbarism and the frozen -wilderness. - -“Strong and well as we are, with a good dog team,” said Joe, “we ought to -be good for fifteen miles a day, even in poor traveling. Let us call it -a hundred miles a week. It should take us not over five weeks to reach -the Yukon. Then with a good trail we can go either to Dawson City or St. -Michael. In any case, it means that we get out and get home. It is now -September. If we could reach St. Michael before the last of November, we -might catch a late steamer for San Francisco or Seattle. At any rate, we -would be among white men. It is better than staying on this coast for -another winter, which is just what we’ll have to do unless we start.” - -It was rather a desperate venture, but neither was willing to live Eskimo -fashion on Eskimo food for another eight months of terrible cold. It -made their hearts sick to think of it. On the other hand, the thought of -heading toward home, with a chance of reaching it, set the blood leaping -in their veins again, and they went about preparation with feverish -haste. Fortune favored them, as it does the brave. The very next day a -school of belated beluga came puffing and plunging alongshore headed -south through the mush ice, looking like a foam-crested wave as they -rolled along. - -The Eskimos seized this opportunity with keen delight, and Harry and -Joe joined in the hunting. The beluga is the stupid little white whale -of the Arctic, fifteen or twenty feet long and white as milk. The whole -community hastened out on the floes and in the umiaks on the seaward -side of the school. Here, suddenly, they attacked them with shouting and -shooting, with beating of paddles and thrusts of lances. A part of the -school got away, but a dozen or more were shot, lanced, or driven ashore, -where they stranded in shallow water and were easily killed. It was a -feast in store for the natives and provision laid up for the winter, -but it meant much more for the boys. The flesh of the beluga is not bad -eating for man or beast, and it furnished supplies for themselves and -dogs, sufficient to undertake the trip. - -They were not long in getting away. The gratitude of the natives still -held good, and they could have anything they wished. They took five of -the strongest dogs and a good sled. They loaded this with beluga meat, -furs, a slab or two of whalebone slipped slyly in, “for a sample,” as Joe -said, ammunition, their papers, and the two repeating rifles. They did -not ask Harluk to accompany them. Such a trip meant taking him from his -wife and children for a long time, and he was perhaps needed for their -support. He and his Eskimo friends would work down the coast to Icy Cape -and join the little village there. - -Good-bys were said with genuine sorrow on both sides, and the boys set -their faces to the south, toward new and stranger adventures. - - - - -CHAPTER XII - -IN THE HEART OF BLIZZARDS - - -Joe estimated that they made their fifteen miles the first day. The -tundra was smooth, and had just snow enough for good traveling. The next, -the dogs, unused to their masters, balked, and they hardly did five, to -their great vexation. The day after was better, and with patience and -firmness they taught the animals that they must obey. Then some rough -traveling bothered them. Still they got on, and at the end of the first -week they had probably eighty miles to their credit. They were hopeful, -and planned to do more the next, but they made Sunday a day of rest. - -It was a solemn thing, this cutting loose from friends and supplies and -braving the unknown interior, and it made them thoughtful of observances -that they had neglected in igloo and topek. Harry took from his inner -pocket the little Bible that he had carried all through the trip, and, -opening its pages, stained with Bering Sea water, at random, found the -book of Psalms. He read aloud to Joe, and the simple grandeur of thought -and eloquent beauty of phrase steadied and heartened them both. Then -they talked long of their home and friends, and, resting in the shelter -of their tent while the dogs lay content in the snow outside, felt that -the observance of the day had been worthy, and a wise thing. They made -it their custom thereafter. Yet in all this talk of home Harry never -mentioned Maisie to Joe. But that is not saying he did not think of her. - -The fourth day of the next week carried them over a range of hills to a -second, higher table-land. They had been helped in their journey by a -river, on whose level, snow-covered ice they worked southward at a good -rate of speed. Its course seemed fairly direct, and they made in speed -what they lost by not going in a straight line. The four days must have -added nearly another fifty miles to their journey, and Joe was jubilant. -He began to predict that they would reach the Yukon in good season, and -get out by steamer from St. Michael that fall. - -The very next morning they waked cold, in spite of their furs, and found -a gray and sunless dawn, across which a keen north wind sang. They -hitched up and pressed on, but the sky grew grayer, and soon the world -was a whirling mass of snow. They drifted before this wind for a mile or -two, the snow getting deeper, and their progress slower every moment. -Soon it was half knee deep, and the load began to be heavy for the dogs. -Now and then they looked up at the boys wistfully, as if wondering why -they did not seek shelter. For two hours they struggled on, not so much -because they wished to as that on the level plain there seemed to be no -cover. - -By and by Harry began to wonder if he was dreaming. The snow under foot -seemed to be trodden and the walking easier. Then he began to have what -he thought were fleeting glimpses of shadowy forms that surrounded them, -yet never came near enough to be really seen. He spoke of this to Joe, -who had been plugging along in a sort of weary daze behind the sled while -Harry led the way for the dogs. - -Joe waked up at this, and together they examined the ground. There -certainly were countless tracks of hoofs under foot, though the rapidly -falling snow blotted them out very soon. - -“They are caribou tracks,” said Harry. - -“But where are the caribou?” asked Joe. - -“All about us,” replied Harry. “I keep thinking I see them, but the snow -is so thick and blinding that I can’t be sure. See!” - -They had stopped during this consultation, and, looking directly back, -they could see dim antlered forms that divided as they approached, and -went to the left and right of them, passing on into the blur of snow. -An immense herd of caribou, perhaps miles long, was drifting before the -gale, and by some strange chance had inclosed them within itself. The -animals, stupid, and dazed by the snow, paid little attention to them, -but pressed aimlessly on, as if blown by the storm. It was a strange -experience, this being the centre of an invisible herd that made a path -for them in the wilderness of snow. It lasted for another hour, and -yet they had hardly a glimpse of the deer. It came to an end when they -reached a broad gully that marked the course of a stream. In the shelter -of the bank of this the snow had drifted deep, and here the tracks -swerved and left them in the snow. - -“We’d better camp here,” said Joe. “We’ve had enough for one day, and -here is a good spot.” - -The weary dogs dropped panting at the word, but Joe took a rifle from the -sled. - -“It seems a shame,” he said, “after they’ve broken a path for us for -hours, but I want one of those caribou.” - -He stepped back a few rods into the fog of the storm, and in a moment a -single shot sounded. After making the dogs fast, Harry went back to him. -A fine buck lay dead with a bullet through his heart. - -“I could have had more,” said Joe, “but one is all we can carry with our -other luggage.” - -As they stood, two gray, shaggy forms sprang out of the storm, and would -have fallen upon the dead caribou, but seeing the boys they hesitated -and drew back with red tongues hanging from between their gleaming white -teeth. A shot from the rifle laid one low, and the other vanished like -a flash. They were gray wolves, which always hang about the flank of -the caribou herds and fall upon the weak or wounded. Half frozen as the -boys were, they skinned and cut up the caribou the first thing. Then in -the shelter of the gulley they set up their tent, and with their meat -and sled-load inside it banked it deep in the drift. For the dogs they -dug a snow igloo and made them fast to the sled, with which they blocked -the entrance to it. Thus the dogs, well fed on deer meat, had shelter -sufficient for their needs in spite of the blizzard. They themselves were -snug in the little tent banked deep in the drift. There was no chance to -get wood for fuel, but here they learned the wisdom of Harluk, who had -insisted that they make a part of their load a seal poke of blubber and -a rude lamp. With this they toasted caribou steak, and it added to the -warmth of their den. - -[Illustration: TOILING ON THROUGH THE DRIFTS] - -The storm continued for a week, the third since their departure, and -when it broke and they struggled on through the deep drifts, they at -once realized that their progress must be slow indeed. Yet, after all, -they made about ten miles a day by patient toil, one going ahead and -breaking a road for the dogs, the other following the sled and helping it -along. They had ten days of beautiful weather, too, and at their end they -guessed that they had made, altogether, nearly two hundred miles south. -It was early October now, with the Arctic winter well upon them, yet they -did not suffer from the cold, so well had they learned Eskimo methods of -defense against it. To their great delight, about this time they began to -find timber. It was small, it is true, and consisted of scattered clumps -of little birches and alders, with here and there a pigmy fir. They -danced and shouted about this first fir till the dogs no doubt thought -them “molokully.” It seemed like an outpost of the home land of trees, -real trees! They had seen none for a year and a half, and were fairly -homesick for timber. They had wood now for their cooking, yet the timber -was a hindrance to them. The wind-swept and hardened snow gave way under -its protection to soft and fluffy drifts, which made the traveling far -more difficult. And about this time they caught another storm. A genuine -blizzard, this was, with some fall of snow, but mainly wind and cold. - -They were obliged to camp, as before, nor did the gale let up for three -weeks. It was maddening, but there was no help for it. These terrific -Arctic gales sometimes last for literal months, and they were fortunate -to escape as they did. - -They fed the dogs lightly during their enforced leisure, but even thus -their provisions began to run low, and they were anxious. It began to -look as if it would be months instead of weeks before they reached the -Yukon, yet they were not discouraged. It was better to steadily, though -slowly, progress toward home than to wait in inaction. When fair weather -came, Joe decided that they must hunt before going farther. This they did -for two days steadily, plunging round through the waist-deep snow, with -a fox, a white owl, and several ptarmigan as the result, just about what -they ate during that time. This was not worth while, and they struggled -south again, with the fast lowering sun as a guide. Another week passed -with slow progress, but the timber got thicker and ptarmigan became -plentiful. There was hardly need to shoot these. They were tame enough to -be knocked over with a stick. - -It was weary work, and the last of their supplies was gone when they came -out on a low bluff, the bank of a considerable river. Below them, on the -river ice, was a winding mark through the snow. It might be a caribou -trail, and they plunged eagerly down to it. - -There were the footprints of moccasins and marks of a sled! - -Harry felt much as he thought Robinson Crusoe must have when he saw the -famous footprints in the sand. They had been so long without seeing human -beings that it seemed as if the country must be utterly uninhabited, but -this proved something different. They turned and followed this trail up -river. Then they rounded a bluff, saw smoke and heard the barking of many -dogs, and from a cluster of timber huts a group appeared, and a man came -to greet them. - -“Nagouruk, nagouruk,” shouted Joe, and greeted him in Eskimo, to which -the other replied hesitatingly in a few words of the same language. -Others, men, women, and children, poured out of the village and received -the two adventurers hospitably. - -“We’ll camp with these people for a while,” said Joe. “We must till we -can get provisions enough to move on.” - -Harry assented. Indeed, both boys were heartily tired of their struggle -against the odds of snow and fast approaching darkness. They were -assigned an empty igloo, but preferred to build one of their own out -of wood, brush, and snow, which had the merit of being clean. Their -new-found friends were generous, had plentiful supplies of dried fish and -frozen meat, and the boys lingered with them at first to rest. Later, the -midwinter blizzards made it impossible for them to travel. - -The inland Indians of northern Alaska are few, but scattered villages -of them may be found along the larger rivers. They are much like the -Eskimos in their habits and dress, but are taller and of stronger build. -Their dialect is different in many respects from that of their cousins of -the coast, yet they have many words in common, and meet in trade often -enough to be able to talk to one another. The boys learned that the -river on which they dwelt flowed into the sea to the westward, and were -convinced from their chart that they had reached the headwaters of the -Kowak, which empties into Kotzebue Sound. When they talked of going on, -the Indians told them it would be impossible. The snows, they said, were -very deep, which the boys knew to be true. The country to the south was -one of rugged mountains, which they would be unable to cross. Besides, -they argued, what was the need? As soon as any one could travel in the -spring, they themselves were going down river to meet the tribes of the -great sandspit at the meeting of rivers with the sea. Thither, they said, -came all the tribes of the coast to meet those of the rivers and exchange -goods. Sometimes, too, ships appeared, and they would perhaps find white -men there. - -Thus, still baffled, the two waited doggedly for the spring, hopeful -still, not giving way to useless repinings, yet very weary of the bonds -of frost that held them fast. The Indians lived a simple life, not so -very different from that of their Eskimo friends. They kept their igloos -in severe weather. When it was mild, they trapped red and white foxes, -wolverines, and ermine, and kept a keen eye out for caribou, whose coming -meant a feast and many hides for traffic in the spring trading-meet, to -which they looked forward. The sun vanished and came again. The winter -solstice passed, and day by day he rode a little higher in the southern -sky. February came and March, with its wild gales, and the flying snow -that drifted back and forth across the country in clouds that obscured -the sun at noon, and sometimes wrapped the igloos deep beneath its -whelming white volumes, again drifted away from them and left them half -bare to the keen winds; then April with its mild air, a sun that left -them little night and settled the snow till it was as hard as a floor -where packed in solid drifts. The Indians prospered, and the boys shared -their prosperity. Early in April a great herd of caribou shambled by the -village, and the whole community turned out to slaughter them. Never -had they killed so many deer; indeed, far more were shot than could be -properly attended to, and many were left to the wolves. There was little -hunting to this. The stupid caribou, running hither and thither, were -shot down with repeating rifles, which are as plentiful among the wild -tribes of Alaska as among civilized hunters. Then the herd, so great that -the slaughter seemed in no wise to diminish it, passed on. - -“Our white visitors,” said the head man of the village, “have brought -good fortune with them. There shall be a feast.” - -“Look here,” said Harry to Joe privately, on hearing this; “you don’t -suppose this is any seal’s head business, this one, do you?” - -“Oh, no,” said Joe, “this is to be a real banquet, I think.” - -A real banquet it was, indeed. The largest igloo in the village was the -scene, everybody in the place was present, and the amount of deer meat -eaten was astonishing. Then there followed an entertainment in the nature -of private theatricals. Each hunter in turn gave a description of the -most exciting event in his life, suiting the action to the word, and -making of it an exceedingly interesting and dramatic recital. Humorous -scenes in every-day life, and amusing mishaps in hunting and fishing, -were also acted out in realistic fashion, and brought shouts of laughter -from all. - -The crowning number in the entertainment, however, was a cake walk done -by the boys, who blackened their faces with soot and gave the burlesque -with much spirit. They were called upon to repeat this until they were -obliged to quit from sheer weariness, and then they laughed themselves -out of breath at the queer antics of their friends, who began immediately -to imitate this novel form of entertainment. It was the first really -hearty laugh they had had for a long time, and it did them both a world -of good. - -Then came the start down river, and the bustle of preparation, together -with the homeward thought, put them in great spirits. Half a dozen -sleds, each with its team of dogs, were piled high with provisions, -caribou hides, fox, ermine, and wolverine pelts, and the whole community -started down the stream on the hard settled snow. The boys computed -that they had a journey of two hundred miles ahead of them, taking into -account the windings of the river, and that their destination was the -sandspit at Hotham Inlet. The Indians verified this on being shown the -chart, and seemed to have a good understanding of a map. They moved by -leisurely stages, stopping often for a day or two to rest or on account -of bad weather. Yet the weather in the main was delightful, varying -between the freezing-point and perhaps zero or a little below, with a -dry air and mainly a bright sun that made it a pleasure to be alive. -In traveling, the head man of the village led, over the hard crust, or -breaking a path through softer snow on rude snowshoes. His own team and -sled followed, then another team with a man or boy leading, and so on. -The women and children strung along between the teams where the snow was -soft, or on either side where it was hard. The dogs were intelligent and -well trained, and the work of guiding them thus in single file was not -difficult. - -Early May found them a hundred miles toward their destination, and here, -in one day, many interesting things happened. They had found their two -slabs of whalebone, brought from the Arctic coast, of great value to them -in trade. They had split one of these into small strips and peddled them -out in barter to the men of the tribe, who coveted whalebone, and were -as eager as stage Yankees for a trade. They had bought with this, among -other things, two pair of rude snowshoes, and on the day I speak of, -while the tribe rested, they started down river on an exploring trip. It -was warm and bright, and thawed a little in the sun in sheltered nooks. - -The Kowak in its middle course winds among cliffs, carving its way -through high bluffs on one side, leaving alluvial stretches of level -flats at the base of other heights opposite. From one of these sheer -bluffs, facing the south, wind and sun had taken the snow, and as they -approached they saw sticking from the dark soil of its surface white -objects like weather-worn logs of driftwood. - -“Funny!” said Joe; “they look like bones, those logs. See, there are -some that look like the knuckle-bone of a ham, and there are others like -rib-bones.” - -“Yes,” said Harry, taking up the simile, “and there are two that stick -out of the frozen mud like an elephant’s tusks, only they are curved too -much and about fifteen feet long. Let’s get nearer.” - -As they approached, their interest gave way to wonder. The seeming bones -were bones in very truth, piled fantastically and protruding in strange -profusion. Harry climbed by knobs and steps of bone part way up the bluff -and shouted down to Joe. - -“These are tusks, mastodon tusks, sticking right out of the bank, and -here is a bit of the skull sticking out with shreds of hide and hair on -it. There must be a whole one frozen into the bluff here.” - -Joe climbed up and viewed the remains with him. It really seemed as if, -concealed in the frozen mud behind the great tusks, the whole creature -might be preserved, in cold storage as one might say, kept during the -long centuries, and exposed by the crumbling of the bluff during the rush -of the river torrent in spring. An astonishing number of bones were in -this place, all of the mastodon, and the only explanation seemed to be -that in the forgotten ages when the frozen zone was a warm one and the -mastodon roamed there in large numbers, this ground must have been a deep -bog, in which many of the creatures became mired and were in a great -measure preserved, as peat preserves things. The boys settled it in this -way to their own satisfaction, at least. - -“Come on,” cried Joe, in exuberance of spirits, “let’s ride the -elephant.” - -“Ride the mastodon, you mean,” replied Harry; and each scrambled for a -tusk. “Get up!” cried Harry, “cooning” along to the tip of his tusk. “Get -up old fellow and give us a ride. Great Scott, he’s moving!” - -The tusks of the mastodon, moving together, dipped gently and easily -downward and both boys shot off them into space. - -It was a matter of twenty feet to the soft snow, and they plunged into it -out of sight. - -Behind them came the great tusks, hundreds of pounds of weathered ivory, -plunging through the snow nearer the base of the cliff. They missed the -two by a little, but they missed them. Harry felt himself smothered in -a whirl of snow, then falling again for a short distance, and finally -brought up on a soft turf, where he lay for a moment half dazed by the -thud with which he struck. Then he scrambled to his feet and looked -around. He was in a low-roofed, wide cavern, dusky with a greenish pale -twilight. Joe was sitting up on the ground by his side, rubbing his elbow -and leg alternately and looking foolish, as no doubt he felt. - -“Where are we, anyway?” asked Joe, and the query was pertinent if the -answer which he got was not. - -“Riding the elephant,” replied Harry, with a rueful grin. - -Over their heads, ten feet away in the snow roof through which they had -come, were four holes which let in the nebulous twilight by which they -saw. They and the mastodon tusks had come that way. To get back was -another matter. - -They looked about with much curiosity not untempered with dismay. They -were beneath the crust of an enormous drift that the winter storms had -whirled over the mastodon cliff. Under their feet was a mixture of mud -and bones from the cliff, carpeted with grass and moss. Around them grew -willows. The slender top branches of these had been caught by the first -damp snow of early autumn and bent beneath it till they twined, holding -the bulk of it up. This had frozen there and the succeeding snows had -piled above it, leaving the place free, an ideal natural cold frame for -the shrubs and grass of the bottom land. These appreciated the shelter, -and feeling the thrill of spring in their dark world, were already -putting forth young green leaves. Up and down stream the cavern extended -indefinitely. On one side it ended abruptly against the cliff, on the -other it tapered down to the river ice, already worn thin on its edge -and beginning to thaw. - -For an hour they wandered back and forth in this strange cavern, their -eyes becoming accustomed to the darkness. It was fortunate that this -had not happened a few weeks later. Then the freshening flood of the -river would no doubt have drowned them like rats in a hole. Now they -were free—to wait for the flood, unless they could get out. But both -boys were Yankees, and there is always a way out of a scrape, though it -sometimes takes a Yankee to find it. Joe suggested that they climb the -stubby willows and thence dig their way up, but his plan failed, for he -could not get footing enough to get through the snow. Instead, he fell -again to the bottom and rubbed his other leg. Harry suggested the plan -that ultimately succeeded. With his knife he cut stout willow stakes and -sharpened them at the end. Then walking toward the ice till they were -blocked by the low roof, they began to dig a tunnel slanting upward and -outward. It was a long dig through frozen crust and layers of damp snow, -but they finally emerged like ground squirrels in the spring, and found -the glare of the sun on the snow quite blinding. - -That night in camp the head man of the tribe came to the boys to trade. -He wanted more whalebone, and he offered them things which they had not -seen before. These were rough ornaments of green jade, some mere bits of -stone, others rudely chipped into shapes. One of these was a rude image -of Buddha such as Harry had seen in Chinese collections. Harry marveled -at this greatly, but the Indian could give no explanation concerning it -except that his father had got it in trade from a coast native. By what -strange mutations this had come from its Oriental fatherland may never -be known, but the north has its routes of trade as have other regions. -Things go from hand to hand among the tribes, and this had probably -passed in centuries of time through Tartar tribes to the Chuckchis, over -to the Diomedes, down the coast to Hotham Inlet, and up the river to the -father of the head man. Now it was on its way back to the sea, and may -ultimately reach its fatherland by circumnavigating the globe. Who knows? - -It was while examining these jade ornaments that Harry noted something -else that gave him a start of surprise. He thought at first it was a -yellow and dirty image of a seal carved from a walrus tooth, such as -he had bought at the Diomedes as a curio and lost in the sinking of the -Bowhead. He picked this up carelessly and was astonished at its weight. -He put the point of his knife to it and it left a clear, dull yellow -streak. Then he passed it to Joe without a word. - -It was a two ounce nugget of pure gold, hammered or carved into that rude -semblance of a seal which is the delight of the Eskimo image maker. Joe’s -eyes snapped at sight of it and he bought it forthwith, though he had to -give a good deal of bone for it. The head man had seen his eyes snap when -Harry handed it to him, and made him pay accordingly. - -The head man could not tell whence this little image of pure gold came -except that he had got it in trade from a man of the coast tribes who -came in to the sandspit to trade from along the coast to the south. -Like the jade Buddha, it might have passed from hand to hand for a long -distance. - -As they continued their journey, another tribe joined them, coming down a -tributary of the Kowak; then others came, and soon the little expedition -was a large one, steadily and leisurely progressing down river. It was -toward the end of May. The days were long and warm; indeed, there was no -night, for though the sun set for a few hours each day, only a gentle -twilight marked his absence. The tributaries from the hills were running -free of ice and threatened to flood the surface of the river, which was -still solid. Signs of the spring break-up were numerous, and when the -little army reached a long winding canyon among abrupt hills, there was -much discussion whether they should continue on the ice or take to the -banks. The easy but unsafe route of the main river ice was decided upon, -and they entered between the hills and pressed on. They traveled rapidly -now, and there was much uneasiness among the Indians, who seemed to fear -something from behind. The ice was solid in the main, yet in spots it was -flooded, and the increase in volume and rush of the water beneath had -worn holes through it in other places. They pressed on with all the speed -they could command, watchful always of the menace from behind. - -It was on the second day that it came. They were between perpendicular -bluffs, difficult if not impossible to climb, when a shout went up from -those in the rear. As if at a signal, every one stopped and listened. -Far behind them could be heard a dull sound, faint, yet ominous. Somehow -it reminded Harry of a still spring night when he had been boating late -on the Charles River, and had heard across the water the steady hum -of electric cars, speeding hither and thither in the city, a vibrant -undertone like the quivering of tense wires in a gale. - -A shout went from one end of the long line of sledges to the other. -“Emik kile! Emik kile! Gur!” it said. “The water is coming! The water is -coming! Go!” - -At the word dogs and men, women and children, sprang from listening -immobility into intense action. The dogs surged against their collars, -and the sleds bounded forward. The men, shouting, ran beside them, urging -them on with whip and voice. Mothers caught their smaller children to -their shoulders, the older ones scampered beside them, and all rushed -forward down the river, fleeing from that menacing hum, which was drowned -for the moment by their own uproar. On they went, splashing across the -flooded places, daring the thin edges of the water-holes, unmindful of -the danger under foot, thinking only of what was bearing down upon them, -still miles behind. As they plunged on, they scanned the rude cliffs -anxiously for a gully or a break that would give them passage to the -upland, but they found none. Little need to lash the dogs; their own -instinct told them the danger only too well. Their tawny sides panted, -and their tongues hung from their dripping jaws. - -A half mile, and still no escape to the right or the left. The women and -children kept up with wonderful endurance, yet the pace was telling on -them, and the weaker already lagged behind. - -They had ceased to shout and urge one another on now. The race for life -took all their breath. Out of the unknown distance behind them the low -vibrant hum had increased to a grinding roar, in which there were sounds -like cannon-shots,—the bursting of the ice under the pressure of the -oncoming flood. Just ahead of Harry a youngster stumbled, then sprang to -his feet, limping badly. The fall had wrenched his ankle, and he could -no longer run. Harry hesitated for a second. There was an indescribable -terror of that mighty uproar thrilling through him. What was the life -of a little Indian boy to him? But it was only for a second, this -hesitation. Then with a gasp of shame at the thought, he snatched the -youngster to his shoulder, and ran on, panting for breath, his nerves -quivering with the bodily fear which no man can avoid, yet strong in the -determination that his manhood should not fail in the crisis. - -The roar of the flood suddenly grew louder yet, and he looked behind -as he fled. Round a bend in the river he caught a glimpse of what was -coming. The ice sprang into the air in great cakes, that were caught by -a white wall behind and crushed into whirling rubble. It did not seem to -come fast, this great white wall of ice and foam, yet it gained on them -rapidly. In this look behind he saw Joe. He was near the end of the line -of flight, helping along an Indian grandmother, who bore in her arms her -little granddaughter, while the mother with a babe stumbled along at her -side, her black eyes wide with terror. Their dogs with the loaded sled -had outrun them both in this wild race. - -Cries of encouragement sounded ahead once more. Those in the front of -flight had seen a gully in the bluffs through which they might escape. -Harry saw them turn toward this, and he stumbled and gasped along under -his burden with renewed hope. Dogs and men foremost in the race leaped -into this gully and scrambled upward. He was near it now, running in a -sort of bad dream, with the tremendous crushing roar of the flood seeming -to whelm him in its waves of sound. Cannon boomed in this uproar, volleys -of musketry pulsed through it, and the steady hoof-beats of the white -horse cavalry of the flood rolled deafeningly on. Now he was at the bank, -and plunging up it, too weak to do anything more than drop with his -burden at the safety line. He was among the last to reach safety, but Joe -was behind him. - -The Indian mother with her babe was at the edge of the ice. Twenty -feet behind them were Joe and the older woman and the child. Behind -them again, not a dozen rods away, rolled the great white wave in the -forefront of the flood. The river ice swelled to meet this wave. It -rounded up, bulged, burst, and was tossed in the air in huge cakes, -springing a dozen feet upward, engulfed in the white seething wall as -they came down. In front of this the grandmother fell, sending the girl -rolling ahead of her on the ice. Joe snatched up the child, turned as -if to help the woman, and then the ice lifted under him, sending him -spinning toward the bank. A moment and the ice burst beneath his feet. A -great cake rose and tossed him up, still clinging to the child, and then -he was half smothered, bruised, and soaked in a whirl of ice-cold water, -and sank and rose on the edge of the flood, washed into the eddy that -whirled in the gully, and still he clung half unconsciously to the child. - -It was the little one’s father that pulled him out, with Harry a good -second, yet distanced by paternal love. The flood was roaring through the -canyon, breaking its fierce way to the sea, but the careless travelers -were safe from its tumult; all but the old grandmother, whose devotion -to the child had cost her her life. She had found the death that is so -common to the Eskimo and the other folk of the wild north,—to vanish into -the white arms of the flood, or go out to sea with the ice. - -They traveled on by land, over melting snow, and across ravines in which -splashed torrents. The Kowak was open to the sea, and summer navigation -had begun. - - - - -CHAPTER XIII - -THE MEETING OF TRIBES - - -The Kirghis and Tartars of eastern Europe and Central Asia have held -annual trading fairs from a time beyond which record does not go. Their -restless progenitors, moving eastward, took the custom with them to the -shores of the northern Pacific, northeast to Bering Sea and the limits of -Siberia, and with them it must have crossed the narrow ice-ridden straits -and found a resting-place in Arctic America. The great sandspit between -Hotham Inlet and the waters of the ocean, at the head of Kotzebue Sound, -has been the scene of this meeting for no one knows how many centuries. -When the chinook winds melt the snows, and the Arctic ice pack retreats -northward from Bering Sea and the straits, thither the tribes flock from -hundreds of miles in all directions. Down the Kowak, the Selawik, and -the Noatak rivers from the far interior come the taller, more distinctly -Indian-featured men of the mountain fastnesses and scant timber, -bringing jade from their mysterious hills, and fox, ermine, wolverine, -and caribou pelts. From Point Hope and the coast far to the north come -the squat tribes of the sea line with their ivory, blubber, whalebone, -and white bearskins. From the Diomedes and East Cape sail the dwellers on -the straits, their umiaks built up with skins on the sides, that the rush -of waves may not whelm them in mid sea, their wives and children at the -paddle, and their leathern sails spread to the favoring gale. From King’s -Island, rocky eyrie to the south, where they dwell in huts perched like -swallows’ nests on the side of sheer cliffs, come others, while even the -far shore of Norton Sound sends its contingent. - -Wives, children, dogs, boats, sleds, and all earthly possessions they -bring, leaving nothing behind but the winter igloo with its entrance -gaping lonely where barbaric life had swarmed. They set up their topeks -on the sandspit, which, for eleven months in the year so desolate and -bare, now seethes with life. They visit back and forth. They exchange -news of the berg-battered coast and the snow-smothered interior, and they -trade. Hunting and fishing and trapping is business with an Eskimo; -trade is his dissipation. During the weeks of this annual fair, things -pass from hand to hand, and come back and are traded over again, in the -pure joy of bargaining. Not only inanimate objects pass current, but the -tribesmen, in the exuberance of barter, sell their dogs, their children, -and sometimes their wives. It is a mad carnival of exchange. - -The spirit of barter was in the air, and the boys found themselves -entering keenly into it, yet with an eye to the future rather than for -the purposes of mere trade. Their future travel must be by water, and -they wanted an umiak, but those who had them also wanted them. They found -one that belonged to a Point Hope man, however, that could be bought, -but not at the price which they could pay. In vain they offered caribou -hides, wolverine pelts, and almost everything they had. The price was not -sufficient, and they would have given up had the eye of the Eskimo not -lighted on the jade Buddha. Harry noted his interest in this, and the -Yankee in him rose up. - -[Illustration: ESKIMO FAMILY TRAVELING] - -He vowed that the bit of green stone was priceless and could not be -parted with on any account. The Eskimo offered various articles for it. -Harry would not sell. The owner increased the price. Harry turned his -back with much indifference. He remembered the lesson of his trading -with the little people of the Diomedes. How long ago that seemed! But -the recollection of it was still there. Joe looked on this with much -interest, well concealed. He had failed to buy the umiak. If Harry could -do it, he was glad, but it would not do to show his gladness. At length, -baffled, after offering everything but what the boys wanted, the Point -Hope man went away. Joe laughed at Harry, who was chagrined. But the -next day the Eskimo came back, bearing the umiak, which was a small one, -upside down on his shoulders. He staggered beneath its weight, and it -so nearly covered him that only his feet appeared. It had a ludicrous -appearance of walking by itself. He emerged from beneath this and laid it -at Harry’s feet. - -“Will the white men give me the little stone for this?” he asked. With -wonder in his heart Harry waited a moment, not to seem to yield too -easily. Then he passed over the bit of jade and placed his hand on the -umiak. The bargain was completed. - -Thus it is with the Innuit. He is a shrewd trader, yet, sometimes, for no -explainable reason, will give his all for a bauble, and in this he is -perhaps not so very different from white men, after all. This peculiar -trade left the boys with much merchandise still on their hands, and with -this they bought trade goods and supplies for the furtherance of their -journey. They sold their dogs and sled, and prepared for a boat trip -to Bering Straits, where they might find ships. Failing in this, they -planned to work south along the coast. Under no conditions would they go -north. They had had enough of that. - -About this time they took an inventory of their possessions. They had a -tent, umiak, rifles, and ammunition, flour, sugar, salt, matches, and -clothes rather the worse for wear, but new muckalucks. They had a few -battered kitchen utensils, sufficient for rough camp housekeeping, a -little dried fish, and some caribou meat, but not much. They had also -vigorous health, courage, and a great desire to get home, and they -planned to make a start soon, but while they planned things happened. - -As may be imagined, among such a horde of barbarians from strange -villages all was not law and order. At first the excitement of trading -and the novelty of the situation kept everybody busy, but by and by -barter got to be an old story. Contests and games became prevalent, -trials of strength in wrestling, shooting-matches, blanket-tossing, in -which if no one volunteered to be tossed they went out and caught some -one, who was tossed whether he needed it or not. Barbarians are like -children, and those who lost at the games were not always good-natured. -But the sport of all others at this meet seemed to be football. Not the -Rugby game, but a sort of go-as-you-please match, in which a few started, -then newcomers joined the weaker side, till hundreds swept back and forth -across the tundra, sometimes for many hours. There were no rules to this -game; it was simply get the ball back any way you could, and some of -these ways proved to be rough indeed. Yet all these things caused only -minor fracases and individual discontent. There was another matter which -threatened to make things more serious, and in fact did so. That was the -making of “hootch.” - -If you mix flour and water and let it ferment, then distill the mixture -by means of a rude apparatus, the result is “hootch.” Probably the -coast natives learned this method from some renegade white man; then -the business spread. It came to the sandspit that summer, and, as a -result, old single-barreled shotguns were in great demand. If you take -one of these and put the butt of the barrel in a good hot fire, the block -becomes unbrazed from the breech and the barrel is a tube. It serves as -the worm of a primitive still. Many of these machines were set up in the -topeks on the sandspit, and the resultant hilarity became noticeable long -before the boys discovered its cause. They foresaw trouble, but they -could do nothing to prevent it. They did remonstrate with old Panik, the -head man of the tribe with which they had come down river, and toward -whom they had very friendly feelings. Indeed, since the kindness of the -village to the boys had been in part repaid by their help in saving the -youngsters from the river ice, there had been strong bonds of brotherhood -between them all. - -Panik had become infected with the desire to make the new drink, and had -paid many skins to a Chuckchis for the old gun. He built a small fire at -his topek door, and while Harry argued with him he thrust the butt of the -barrel into it with a cheerful grin. - -“You shall drink with me,” he said. “The new drink is very good.” And -then there was an explosion, and Panik sank to the ground without a cry. -The old gun was loaded, and the heat of the fire had discharged it. The -chief was dead, and Harry and Joe were much pained and horrified by the -accident. - -They helped bury him with much ceremony and genuine sorrow, but the -matter did not end here. The Indian is more vindictive than the Eskimo, -and the relatives of the old chief took up the matter. They blamed the -Chuckchis who had sold the gun, even intimated that he had loaded it -purposely, and they demanded either his life in return, or the payment -of a large amount of goods. The Chuckchis, as I have said before, are -a truculent and warlike people, and this one resolutely and scornfully -refused reparation. Then there was a fight, and the Chuckchis killed one -of Panik’s relatives with his own hand. - -The feud thus begun spread rapidly, the hootch adding fuel to the flames, -and in twenty-four hours the camp was a pandemonium. All took sides, -though few knew just why, or with whom, and a wild free fight ensued. -Eskimos, maddened with the vile liquor, ran amuck, killing whatever came -within reach, until they were themselves killed, and life was nowhere -safe for a moment. - -It was of no use for the boys to interfere, and they soon saw that their -only safety lay in flight. This agreed with their plans to get away as -soon as possible, and they were fortunate in having a boat and sufficient -outfit. Accordingly they quietly loaded the umiak, bade good-by to such -of the villagers as were sober and they could reach without danger, and -were about to embark when the Point Hope man who had sold them the umiak -appeared. He was tipsy, like most everybody else, and in quarrelsome -mood. He laid his hand on the umiak and demanded it back, saying that he -was not satisfied with the terms of the trade. It was of no use to reason -with him; he was not in a condition to understand things. Behind him came -other Eskimos, also armed and equally tipsy, and matters looked decidedly -unpleasant. It seemed as if they would have to fight to retain their -property. - -Joe took the matter in hand. “Stand by,” he said, “ready to shove off; -I’ll reason with this fellow.” He beckoned the Eskimo back a step from -the water, and the other followed with a satisfied leer. Probably no one -can be so insolent in the eyes of a white man as a half-drunken barbarian -when he thinks he is safe in the abuse of power. - -“You say the umiak is yours?” said Joe, quite humbly. Harry’s blood began -to boil at this submissive tone, but he held his tongue. - -“Yes,” replied the Eskimo, stepping nearer to Joe threateningly, “it is -mine, and you must—ugh!” - -Joe had suddenly caught a wrestling grip on him, and before the tipsy -man of the ice knew what had happened, he was swung into the air and -sent whirling into the shallow water of Kotzebue Sound, gun and all. Joe -sprang to the umiak. “Shove off!” he said sharply, and putting his own -shoulder to the light boat, with Harry’s help it slid into deep water -while Joe sprang aboard. A roar of laughter went up from the crowd on -shore as the discomfited Eskimo staggered to his feet, and tried in vain -to use his wet gun on the fast receding boat. Then a moment after, the -mood of the crowd changed, and they began to shoot, but none of the shots -took effect. The wind was at their backs, and under steady strokes of the -paddle the umiak was soon out of shooting distance. The last the two boys -saw of the great trading fair at Hotham Inlet was a group of their former -companions standing on the beach shooting at them. The last they heard -was the uproar of drunken riot and occasional rifle-shots as the land -blurred in the distance behind them. They were free once more, headed -south, and the dancing waters of Kotzebue Sound flashed around them as -they spread their deerskin sail before the freshening breeze. - -“We are well out of that,” said Joe, glancing to windward with a -sailor-man’s eye, “but I don’t exactly like the looks of the weather.” - -Harry noted the gathering clouds to northward, the discontent in the -voice of the wind overhead, and agreed with him. The shallow waters of -the sound were already leaping in a jumble of waves, from whose white -caps the wind-snatched spindrift swept to leeward. Their light boat -danced along like an eggshell before the wind, safe as yet, but with it -he well knew they could go only with the gale. They were bound to sail -before it. After all, what matter? That was the direction in which they -wished to go, and the harder it blew the faster they would go. So while -Joe stood by the steering paddle, Harry busied himself in making all snug -aboard, and tried not to fret about the weather. - -Meanwhile the weather was fretting all about him. An hour, two hours -passed, and what had been a little blow grew into a big one. The skin -boat, light as a cork, fairly flew before it. Often it seemed to skip -from wave to wave, taxing Joe’s skill at the steering paddle to the -uttermost to keep it head on. To turn sidewise to the wind and sea was -to be rolled over and over in the icy waters and be lost. Yet Joe kept -her straight. Now and then some invisible force seemed to drag the -cockleshell down, and a rush of foam came aboard, but she rose again, and -Harry bailed out before the next volume of water could come in. It was -wet and exciting work, but still neither boy lost his head, and still -they kept afloat. There was a hissing roar in the waters and a howl of -the wind overhead that made it difficult to hear one’s own voice even -when shouting, but a nod of the head or a look of the eye was enough for -a command from the skipper, and Harry obeyed promptly and steadily. Never -had he admired Joe so before. The sturdy young whaleman seemed to glow -with power as he sat erect in the stern of the umiak, his cap gone and -his long hair blown about his set, watchful face, his will dominating the -elements and shaping their fury to his purpose. - -On they drove through a period of time that seemed endless. There was -no night to fall, else Harry was sure that it would have come and gone, -and still Joe steered, erect and immobile as the Sphinx, while Harry -bailed till he felt as if all the waters of Kotzebue Sound must have come -into the boat and been thrown out again. His very arms were numb with -weariness and the chill of it. How long a period five hours is can be -known only by those who have passed it in physical discomfort and with -great danger continually threatening, yet even such a period passes. Five -hours, ten miles an hour at the very least, they were making a record -passage of the sound, yet the lowering clouds and the mist blown from -tempestuous waves gave them no glimpse of any land. - -Once Harry thought he could hear a dull booming sound, like the roar -of cannon, but he could not be sure. The strain was telling on him, he -knew, and he laid it to fancy. Then after a time he forgot it, for they -seemed to enter a stretch of tremendous cross seas, seas which fairly -leaped into the umiak and filled it faster than he could bail out. He -worked with the tremendous energy of despair, and then the tumult ceased -more quickly than it had arisen. The boat seemed gliding into still -waters, and the booming roar grew very loud, for it sounded from behind, -down the wind. He looked at Joe and saw his face lose its look of grim -determination for the first time since the wind had begun to blow. Joe -nodded his head over his left shoulder, and as Harry looked, a trailing -cloud of mist lifted and showed a rugged cliff, in the shelter of which -they were. - -The umiak had made port, where, they knew not; it was enough that it was -a haven of refuge. The boat glided gently up to a shelving beach and -touched. Harry attempted to spring out, and fell sprawling to the earth, -which he embraced, partly because he was so glad to see it, but mainly -because his legs were so cramped and numb that he could not use them. -When he scrambled to his feet, he found Joe limping painfully out, much -like an old man, so great had been the strain of his vigil, so cold the -water that had deluged him. They set up the tent in a sheltered nook, and -Harry made a fire from driftwood, which was plentiful. He had matches in -a waterproof safe in his pocket, else their plight had been worse, for -everything in the boat was wet through and had been for hours. They made -a meal of what they had, the last of their caribou meat and some dried -fish, put great driftwood logs on the fire in front of their tent door, -turned in beneath the canvas in its grateful warmth, and slept for hours -and hours, utterly exhausted. - -The storm continued for two days more, in which they did little except -keep warm and pile driftwood on their fire, drying out their supplies as -best they might. These were in sad shape. The flour was nearly spoiled, -the sugar and salt melted and mixed, and the bulk of their matches -soaked. These last they dried with much care, and made some of them -serviceable again, but the most of their provisions were practically -ruined. - -When the storm broke, they climbed the hills behind them and looked -about. Then their wonder was great. The umiak had been driven to the -one harbor on that rocky shore, the one spot for miles to the east or -west where they could land in safety. Had they come to the land a dozen -furlongs either side of it, the surf must inevitably have overturned -their frail boat and drowned them in the undertow. The discovery chilled -them at first,—death had been so very near, so seemingly inevitable. -Then it heartened them greatly. They felt that the watchful care of -Providence was over them still, and that its aid was ever present, -however great the unknown dangers about them. - -Descending the hills again, they took their rifles and began to explore -the little inlet, following it back into the hills, and keeping a sharp -outlook for game, which they sadly needed. They found nothing but a -snow-bunting or two, too small to shoot except in extremity, and a sort -of gray Arctic hawk, which promised to be but poor eating. Probably there -would be ptarmigans back farther, but they did not see any. At the head -of the inlet they found a brawling stream which descended from the hills -over mica-schist ledges and along sands that sparkled with yellow mica. -Harry sighted this mica as he stooped to drink from the stream, and -scooped up a handful of it with eagerness. He called to Joe, and both -examined it closely, but it was plainly mica. - -“What did you expect it was?” asked Joe. - -“Well,” replied Harry, “the same as you, judging from the way you rushed -up when you saw me scoop it up.” - -Then they both laughed, and Joe took the yellow seal from his pocket and -looked at it lovingly. “It was down this way somewhere that this came -from,” he said. “What we’ve got here is fool’s gold, though.” - -“So it is,” said Harry. “All the same, a mica-schist country is liable to -be gold-bearing. We had a course in mineralogy at the prep school, and I -learned about such things. What do you say if we prospect for a day?” - -They would better have been hunting. They knew that, but the gold fever -is a strange thing. The germs of it had been planted in their systems by -the purchase of the singular nugget from the old Kowak River chief; now -the sight of some mica in a stream had stirred the dormant microbes into -action. - -They tore back to camp and brought the umiak paddle to use as a rude -shovel. They had nothing better. Harry also brought their one pan. Hunger -was not to be thought of, home and civilization could wait; they had the -gold fever. There is surely something in the Alaskan air that makes men -peculiarly susceptible to this disease. During the last fifteen years a -hundred thousand men have left home and friends, lucrative positions, all -the comforts of “God’s country,” and risked fortune, health, and life -because of this burning fever in their veins. Where one has succeeded -thousands have failed, yet still they throng to the wild north, driven -by the insatiable thirst for sudden wealth. Though the boys did not know -it, the crest of this wave of hardy immigrants, wild fortune-seekers, -and adventurers was already surging toward them from the south, and had -nearly reached the wild coast that harbored them. Perhaps its enthusiasm -had preceded them in the air. Anyway, they had the gold fever. - -They dug the sparkling micaceous sand from the banks of the little creek, -and Harry panned it, as the miners say. He filled the pan with it, added -water, and by whirling and shaking the pan and flipping the water over -the sides of it, he washed out all the lighter particles. As he reached -the bottom, he proceeded more carefully, and both boys watched the -result with eagerness. To “pan gold” well is not easy and requires much -practice, but almost any one can with a trial or two pan it roughly. As -the last of the sand was washed away by the whirling water, Harry set up -a shout. - -“Black sand!” he said. “We’ve got black sand!” - -“Humph!” said Joe, much disappointed. “What of it? It isn’t black sand -we want, it’s gold.” - -“Yes,” replied Harry excitedly, “but that’s a sign. The black sand always -comes with the gold in placer mines. Wait till I wash this sand away.” - -He whirled the pan with great care, and the heavy sand gradually -disappeared. Then the boys looked at each other and shook hands. In the -bottom of the pan lay several yellow flecks. Gold without a doubt, but -not much of it. As a matter of fact, their discovery amounted to very -little. Scarcely a stream in the Rocky Mountains, from Central America to -Cape Lisburne, but in it you may find these occasional flecks of gold. -To find it in paying quantities is altogether another matter, as many a -gray-bearded prospector has learned after years of toil and rough life. -But the boys were too young and inexperienced to realize this. They -thought that fortune was verily within their grasp. They prospected up -and down the stream, and never realized that they had not eaten dinner -and were very hungry. - -Yet wherever they went they found nothing but these faint prospects, and -after long hours, fatigue and hunger finally asserted themselves and -they started back for camp. As they tramped, weary and disappointed, they -came round a bend in the creek and Joe’s eyes lighted up. There on the -water’s edge, strolling along a clay bottom thinly strewn with micaceous -sand, were three ptarmigans, picking up bits of gravel for the good of -their crops, as such birds do. They looked large and plump in the eyes of -two hungry boys. - -“Lie low,” whispered Joe, “and we’ll have one of those birds.” - -They watched them eagerly from behind a sheltering mound on the bank. The -birds pecked leisurely for a while, then went toward the bank and settled -contentedly beneath some dwarf willows in the sun. Paddle in hand, Joe -slipped noiselessly forward, got behind the clump of willows, crept round -it, and with a sudden blow of the paddle laid out a ptarmigan. The others -flew. - -“There!” said Joe. “Here’s a good bite for dinner. Let’s hurry back.” - -With renewed energy they hustled back to the camp, three quarters of a -mile away, and soon had the ptarmigan broiling over a good fire. They -made some rude flapjacks with the remnants of their spoiled flour, and -ate the bird pretty nearly bones and all. - -“There,” said Harry, “I feel better. Pity we did not have the rifle -along. We could have had the two others. However, they’re up there -somewhere and will do for another meal. Wonder what these fellows find to -eat.” - -He picked up the crop of the ptarmigan and opened it with his knife. -“Buds, bugs, and gravel,” he said. “Not a very tempting diet, but we may -have to come to it ourselves. Hello, what’s this?” - -In the gravel in the bird’s crop were three or four pebbles, not much -larger than grains of rice, but flattened and yellow. They examined these -with growing excitement. - -“It’s gold!” exclaimed Harry. “It’s gold! we’ve been prospecting in the -wrong places.” - -“I should say we had,” said Joe, giggling somewhat hysterically; “but we -can’t kill ptarmigans enough to make a gold mine.” - -“No, no,” cried Harry, too much in earnest to appreciate a joke. “It’s -the clay bottom. The birds picked up the nuggets there. Gold sinks -through sand in the stream just as it does in the pan. We should have -gone down to ‘bed rock,’ as the miners say. There’s where it is. Come on -back!” - -The sun had swung low to set behind the northern cliffs, and it lacked -but two hours of midnight. But there would be no darkness in that -latitude in late June, and forgetting fatigue, they hurried back to the -spot which they now called Ptarmigan Bend. Here a bed of stiff clay -seemed to underlie the bed of the stream, leading down to a mica-schist -ledge over which the waters rippled as if from an artificial pond. - -From the edge of this little lagoon they scraped sand and pebbles, -getting well down into the clay with the now frayed and worn paddle. The -clay flowed from the pan in a muddy stream, the sand easily followed, and -they scraped out the larger gravel with care, panning the sand beneath it -again. Then they set down the pan and shook hands with each other once -more. - -In the bottom of the pan were a dozen of the flat nuggets such as had -been in the ptarmigan’s crop, and one large one, the size of a large -bean! They were on bed rock surely, and the gold that had tantalized them -for a time seemed about to yield itself up in quantity. - - - - -CHAPTER XIV - -STAKING OUT A FORTUNE - - -The red sun sank behind the northern cliffs, hid there three hours, -and slanted eastward and upward again, and still the boys toiled on, -oblivious. Panful after panful of the sand they scraped from the clay -bottom, now in the edge of the stream, now back toward the tundra, and -always they found gold. At length their rude paddle-shovel was worn to a -frazzled stick and they themselves were in not much better condition, but -in Harry’s worn bandana handkerchief was a store of coarse and fine gold -and nuggets that was quite heavy. - -Fatigue will finally, however, get the better even of the gold fever, and -along in mid-morning, pale and hollow-eyed, quite exhausted with toil and -excitement, but triumphant, they stumbled down to camp and turned in, too -tired to eat,—indeed, there was little but damaged flour that they could -eat. They slept ten hours without stirring, and the sun was low in the -northwest when they awoke. - -Joe rubbed his eyes open and sat up. He found Harry, the bandana in his -lap, poring over the store of gold. - -“Gold,” said Harry, “is worth about sixteen dollars to the ounce, as -the miners reckon it. I should say we had about three ounces here. -Forty-eight dollars,—not bad for a first day’s work!” - -“Um-m, no,” said Joe; “but I wish you’d take part of it and go down to -the store and buy some provisions. I’m hungry.” - -Harry looked at him. Was Joe daft? But no, Joe was the saner of the two. - -“We’ve got gold,” Joe continued, “and we’ve got grit,—at least some of -mine’s left, though not much, but what we haven’t got is grub. Seems to -me the next thing to look out for is something to eat. The gold will wait -a day for us, but there is something inside me that says the other won’t. -We’d better go prospecting for food this time.” - -Harry put his hand on his stomach. “Joe,” he said, “I declare you are -right. You generally are. Fact is, I was so crazy over this yellow stuff -in the handkerchief that I had forgotten everything else. We’ll hunt -to-day.” - -They made a sorry breakfast of some heavy cakes made from the last of -the spoiled flour, then took their rifles and went down toward the sea. -The cakes were heavy within them, but their hearts were light. They -ranged through a little gully seaward and to the east, seeking for -ptarmigans but finding none. They might have hunted for the other two -up at Ptarmigan Bend, but each felt that it would not do. The moment -they sighted the diggings it was probable that they would fall to mining -again, and they knew this and kept away. Through the gully they reached -the shore, a narrow strip of pebbly beach at the foot of rough cliffs, -and here in long rows, sitting on their eggs on the narrow ledges, they -found scores of puffins. They are stupid little fellows, sitting bolt -upright on greenish, blotched eggs that are not unlike those of the -crow, but larger. The flesh of the puffin is not bad eating when one -is hungry, and the boys found these so tame that they hardly flew at a -rifle-shot. In half an hour they had a dozen, and tramped back to camp, -well satisfied that they need not starve. By the time two birds were -cooked and eaten the sun was behind the cliffs, and the gray of the -Arctic midnight was over all. They sprang to their feet refreshed and -about to plan to resume digging, when Joe held up his hand with a look -of consternation on his face. A long unheard but familiar sound came to -the ears of both boys, and Harry’s face reflected the dismay that was in -Joe’s. - -The sound was the rhythmic click of oars in rowlocks, and it came up the -placid waters of the inlet from the sea. - -A few days before, how gladly they would have heard that sound. Oars in -rowlocks meant white men. Eskimos and Indians paddle. Each stepped to his -rifle and saw that it was loaded, and then they stood ready to defend -their claim against all comers. So quickly does a white man distrust -another when there is gold at stake. - -A moment, and a boat came round the bend, a rude boat, built of rough -boards and well loaded, but with only one occupant. This seemed to be an -oldish man, a white man, roughly dressed. He rowed steadily but wearily, -without looking up. By and by the bow of the boat struck the beach not -far away, and the man turned his head over his shoulder toward the bow -and seemed to speak to the air. Then he nodded his head, stepped out, -drew his boat up a little, and came toward them. - -“Morning, gents!” he said. “How you finding it?” - -The boys put down their rifles and greeted him cordially. They had -nothing to fear from this little unarmed man who limped as he walked. -After all it was good to see a white man, and his coming presaged much -for their safe return to civilization. - -“You’re not miners,” he said, after looking them over keenly. - -“No,” replied Joe, “not exactly. We’re whalemen. We were wrecked up on -the Arctic coast about two years ago, and we’re working our way back to -civilization.” - -“Want to know!” exclaimed the other. “Well, you’re most to it now. -Civilization is working right this way pretty fast, that is, if you’ve a -mind to call it that.” - -“What do you mean by that?” asked Joe in wonder. - -“Mean?” replied the little man. “I mean that there’s sixty thousand -people up in this country at this minute, only none of ’em have got quite -up to here except me. They’re piling into Nome as fast as the steamers -can bring them, and they’re spreading over the country as fast as horse -and foot will take them. It’s the biggest rush the Alaska diggings ever -saw.” - -“Nome!” queried Joe. “Where’s that?” - -The little man looked at him a moment. “Oh, I forgot,” he said. “You’ve -been away two or three years, and it all happened since then. Nome is -about two hundred miles south of this by sea. I’ve just rowed in from -there. They found beach diggings there a year ago that were mighty rich, -and the whole earth piled up there this spring. You can’t get a foot of -ground anywhere down there for fifty miles. It’s all staked. I came in -there late last fall and couldn’t get anything then. Got a notion in my -head that there was good ground north here and started across tundra in -the winter. Froze my feet and had to crawl back on my hands and knees. -Started out again this spring with this boat. Paid a hundred dollars -for it. Rowed alongshore as far as Cape Prince of Wales. Father-in-law -got aboard the boat there, and he’s been sitting in the bow ever since -telling me where to row. He directed me here. Father-in-law has been dead -these ten years.” - -Joe and Harry looked at each other, and the little man noted it and -smiled sadly. - -“I know,” he said, “it sounds queer. Well, it _is_ queer. Course ’tain’t -so, but it seems so. Ain’t nobody there, it’s jest my notion. A man gets -queer up in this country if he’s too much alone. I reckon it’s a sign, -though, and I’m going to find something good. Now, I’m hungry. Will you -eat with me? My name’s Blenship, what’s yourn?” - -The boys helped Blenship get his outfit ashore, assured that they had -found a friend. He had a pick, two shovels, two regular gold pans, a -queer machine something like a baby’s wooden cradle which he called a -rocker, and a good quantity of civilized provisions and utensils, besides -a camp outfit. The boat was heavily loaded, and it was a wonder to them -how he had made the long trip in it in safety. This he could not tell -much about. He had simply “followed directions.” He had “sour dough” -bread of his own cooking, and it did not take him long to broil some ham -in a little spider. Then he invited the boys to fall to with him, and -they were not shy about doing it. What if they had just eaten puffin? -Real bread and ham! It made them ravenous. - -After the meal they told Blenship of their discovery. His eyes glistened -at sight of the nuggets, but he did not seem much surprised. - -“Just as I expected,” he said. “I’ve come at the right time for you, -though. You want to stake that ground right away, and then I’ll stake -what’s left. We can’t be too quick about it, either. You may see forty -men coming over the hill at any minute. If you got all this with a wooden -stick and a bread pan, there’s stuff enough there for all of us. Wait a -minute, though, let’s see what father-in-law says.” - -He stepped down to his boat for a moment, then came back. - -“Father-in-law is gone,” he said. “Couldn’t raise him anywhere. Guess -this is the place he meant for me to come to. No need of his staying -round, long as the job’s done. Now let’s stake that ground, then we’ll -be safe. You are entitled to five claims. One of you is the discoverer. -He can stake discovery claim and number one above and number one below; -then the other can have one above him and one below him. That’s all you -are good for. Then I come in with one above and one below, and I’ve got -powers of attorney enough in my pocket to stake all the rest of the -creek. Got about forty men to give me powers of attorney when I left on -this trip. They get half of each claim I stake for them. I get the other -half, which ain’t so bad in this case. Come on.” - -They worked steadily for several days, cutting and shaping stakes from -driftwood, measuring distances carefully with Blenship’s fifty-foot -tape, posting location notices, and now and then stopping to prospect -a locality. Blenship always went down to “bed rock” for his prospects. -He handled a pan with the marvelous skill of an old timer, and his eyes -always glistened at the result. - -“Boys,” he declared one day enthusiastically, “this is the richest creek -the world ever saw, I believe. I want you to elect me recorder of this -district. We’ll call it the Arctic District, and I have a notion that I’d -like to call this ‘Candle Creek,’ ’cause its prospects are so bright. -Then I’ll record the claims duly, and we’ll be all registered and can -hold everything according to law. What do you say?” - -The boys were only too glad to thus find a mentor and friend, and -cheerfully agreed to everything. An Alaska mining claim, according to -United States law, consists of twenty acres, generally laid out in a -parallelogram, 330 feet each side of the creek, making a width of 660 in -all. Their five claims meant a hundred acres, and, if even moderately -rich, were a fortune. In the end they had the entire creek staked from -source to mouth, the number of powers of attorney which Blenship -produced being prodigious. - -In spite of the hard work, perhaps because they were living well on -civilized food, they never seemed to tire, and were as frisky as -young colts. Ten days had passed, and never a sign of the invasion -of prospectors which Blenship had so confidently predicted. Since -the father-in-law episode the little man had given no signs of his -“queerness,” unless this story of thousands to the south were one. On the -other hand, he seemed very sane and shrewd, and kindly in all ways. He -shared his provisions in return for help in staking his numerous claims, -and the boys could see that his advice was friendly and worth following. -The day the last stake was driven he insisted that they celebrate, and -got up a bountiful meal with his own hand, making a bread pudding with -real raisins from his stores, which filled the boys with unalloyed -delight. - -“There!” he said, as he lighted his pipe after the meal was finished, -“now we’re fixed. If old Tom Lane comes up here and wants the earth, -he can have it, but he’ll have to pay good for it. You and I could -work those claims and take out a few hundred dollars’ worth of gold a -day until the ground freezes up, and then we wouldn’t more’n pay our -expenses up here and back and the cost of living. That isn’t the way -money is made in the mining business. You just stake the claims and hold -on to them until the man comes along who has the millions to work ’em in -a big way. There’s several of those men up in Nome already, but the king -of them all is old Tom Lane. He’s got his men out spying round all over -the country, and it won’t be long before one of them drops on to this -place. Then we’ll drive a bargain that’ll make the old man’s eyes stick -out. Meantime I’ll just show you boys how to build and work a rocker, and -we’ll get out a few hundred a day and wait developments.” - -Blenship showed them how to handle the rocker that very day, and left -them at Ptarmigan Bend gleefully running sand through it while he -prospected his various claims more thoroughly. - -[Illustration: PROSPECTOR AND HIS OUTFIT] - -A miner’s rocker is ingenious in its simplicity. It is generally a wooden -box, having a rough sieve-like hopper at the top, and an inclined plane -of canvas within. You shovel the sand into the hopper, then pour in water -and rock gently. The water washes the sand down along the inclined plane, -where riffles catch the heavy gold, while the sand washes over and out -at the bottom. It is a simple matter to work this, though, like the gold -pan, its perfect manipulation requires much skill and judgment. At the -end of an hour the boys made their first clean-up, and were delighted -at the amount of gold that lay yellow in the riffles. They worked thus -with great glee till Blenship returned, long past the supper hour. He -inspected the results, and even he was roused to enthusiasm at the -quantity of gold that they had. - -“I declare,” said he, “it’s about ten ounces, and most all small nuggets. -Probably as much more fine gold went right through. You’ve been rocking -too hard. A rocker is like a woman; you’ve got to humor her or she won’t -work well. Let me try the tailings.” - -He panned the heap of sand that had gone through the rocker, and showed -them the fine gold still left in it. - -“You only got about half on’t,” he said. “Geewhillikins! but that little -pond is a pocket for you. There’s a young million right in a few rods, or -I miss my guess. I’ve got some rich spots upstream myself, but they ain’t -in it with this one. I’d like to try some sluicing on that. It would be -dead easy. You could dam the creek at that little gap up above and get -at all this clay bottom, and have plenty of water for the sluice. How -would it do for me to go into partnership with you boys for a time, and -we try this thing? Reckon we could fix up some kind of a trade, couldn’t -we?” - -“What do you think?” said Joe to Harry. - -“I think,” answered Harry, “that Mr. Blenship is more than kind to us. I -for one will heartily accede to any agreement that he wants to make.” - -“And so will I,” Joe assented warmly. - -“Listen to that, now,” said Blenship in mock despair. “Here I was -planning to drive a hard bargain with them, and they put me on my honor. -Anything I want to do! Humph! Well, this is what I propose. Suppose we -get to work and sluice here at Partridge Bend. You give me a hundred -dollars a day every day of actual sluicing, as general manager; you take -the rest. If you ain’t suited at the end of the first three days, we’ll -call the bargain off.” - -“Agreed!” said Harry. “Agreed!” said Joe, and they set to work. - -They blocked the stream with stones, and stuffed tundra moss into the -crevices, then piled turf over the whole. With the pick they hewed a -gully in the mica-schist ledge that dammed the little pond and let the -water out. Then they knocked Blenship’s boat to pieces and made a rude -sluice with the boards. This they braced upon driftwood logs set on the -right slant for sluicing. Blenship, skillful as a woodsman with his axe, -hewed more sluice timber out of driftwood logs, and finally the structure -was complete. There were still no signs of other prospectors, and the -boys began to think Blenship’s story of the thousands in the country just -south of them must be another delusion of his. - -Finally, everything was complete. Blenship showed them how to shovel into -the sluice so that enough but not too much dirt should be present in it, -and then turned on the water. For two hours the boys swung the shovels -lustily, and found it very fatiguing work indeed. Blenship managed the -flow of the water so that it should work to the best advantage during -this time. Then when the boys were thoroughly weary he shut it off and -called a halt. Joe and Harry rested on their shovels, puffing. - -“Time to clean up,” he said. “Now we’ll see whether I’m worth a hundred -dollars a day or not.” - -With water in his gold pan he washed the remaining sand from riffle to -riffle, and finally collected the gold in a yellow heap in the pan at the -bottom of the sluice. It was quite a little heap, and Blenship weighed -it, pan and all, in his hand, thoughtfully. - -“Reckon there’s about three pounds of it,” he said coolly. “Say seven -hundred dollars.” - -Joe and Harry looked over his shoulder with bulging eyes. Seven hundred -dollars! Two hours’ sluicing! Neither before had realized the full import -of their good fortune. If they could do that in two hours,—in a day, a -week, a month! Their heads whirled. And then all three started. - -A shadow had fallen across the pan. - -Blenship whirled sullenly and savagely, reaching toward his hip with an -instinctive movement, though no weapon hung there. Then he laughed. - -“Oh, it’s you, Griscome, is it? Be’n expecting some of you fellows this -ten days. Come to camp and have a bite with us?” - -“No, thanks,” said the other, a tall man in a blue shirt, stout boots, -and a slouch hat, “my outfit’s back here. Pretty good clean-up for a -little work.” - -“That’s so,” replied Blenship. “And that ain’t all. The whole creek’s -like that from top to bottom, and it’s staked from bottom to top, and -recorded. I’m the recorder. We’d ’a’ staked the benches, only the powers -of attorney give out. Better stake ’em, they’re likely good.” - -“Much obliged,” said the other. “Guess I will. So long.” - -He went out of sight over the hill in long, swift strides. - -“What are the benches?” asked Joe. “Will he stake them? Who is he?” - -“One at a time, young feller,” said Blenship. “He is one of Pap Lane’s -men. The benches are the hillside claims. He may stake ’em, but I doubt -it. He won’t wait. He’ll light out across tundra as fast as his horse can -carry him, and tell his boss about this. Meanwhile we can wait, and we -might as well get what’s coming to us. If one of you boys will try and -handle that water, I’ll show you how to shovel.” - -Joe thought himself a good deal of a man, but he could not keep up with -the other in shoveling. He hung sturdily to his task, however, and for -three hours more shoveled wet sand and clayey gravel into the sluice -while Harry regulated the water according to occasional directions from -Blenship. The latter instructed Joe in the best methods of scraping bed -rock, and showed him how the best of the gold was liable to lie in the -little hollows of the clay, and be missed by an inexperienced hand. -At the end of three hours Blenship ordered a cessation of work once -more, much to Joe’s relief, for five hours of labor with the shovel had -thoroughly exhausted him. He lay back on the tundra while Harry and -Blenship cleaned up. The result showed Blenship’s superior skill in -mining, and the longer run. It was nearly double the other. - -“Guess we’ll call it a day’s work,” said he. “Pretty near two thousand -dollars. Have I earned my hundred?” - -The boys thought he had indeed, and pressed him to take more for his -share, but he resolutely refused. In the tent he took from his outfit a -pair of miner’s scales and weighed out his wages carefully, putting them -in a little chamois bag in his bosom. The balance he turned over to the -boys, and they stowed it in the bandana with what they already had. - -“You see,” said Blenship, “the better showing your little pocket makes in -the next ten days, the better price the whole creek will bring when Pap -Lane or the Alaska Commercial Company or some of those fellows come up -here to buy it.” - -“But why should we sell?” asked Joe. - -“Young feller,” said Blenship, “don’t you make no mistake. If you can -sell out your share of this creek at a good price, you do it. You’ve got -a little spot that’s mighty rich. The rest of your claim may not pay for -the labor of working it. Two months from now it will be frozen up, and -will stay so for nine months more. A man with a million behind him can -take this creek and work it to advantage. You and I might peck at it for -ten years and then not get a living out of it. If you get a good chance, -sell.” - -As if in proof of what Blenship said, the next day it rained, the -swelling waters carried out their rude dam, and it was three days more -before they got it repaired and began sluicing again. Yet when they did, -they took out three thousand in a single day. The next day it was only a -thousand, because they had used up part of their ground and had to move -their sluices, which took time. But on the third they found a hollow in -the clay bottom that was a veritable treasure house, and yielded up over -five thousand dollars in fine gold and nuggets. - -That morning three men came over the hills with packs on their backs. -They camped near by and examined the notices with much disgust. It did -not please them that the whole creek was staked. - -Blenship greeted them jovially, showed them his records in proof of -the validity of the claims, and advised them to stake the benches, -which they did. They prospected these and found a certain amount of -gold there. Others came, on foot and with pack-horses,—evidently the -story had spread. The place began to assume quite a mining-camp air. -Meanwhile Blenship and his lieutenants worked on industriously. They were -questioned much, but not otherwise disturbed. The newcomers were as yet -too busy prospecting and staking ground for themselves. - -One day Harry dropped his shovel with a start. The long roar of a steam -whistle sounded from the sea. A steamer! How it brought back memories of -the Bowhead, now scattered in ruin along the Arctic shore, and through -her the home thought again. Suppose Captain Nickerson should be aboard. -Perhaps he was bound north once more in search of them. The bustle of the -new camp and the glamour of the greed of gold slipped from him like a -garment, and his soul soared from it, free, back to the home fireside and -his father and mother. The voice of Blenship recalled him. - -“Come on, boy,” he said kindly; “let’s keep her a-going. I reckon that’s -old Pap Lane come up in his steamer to see about this new strike. We want -to have a good clean-up just going on when he strikes camp.” - -An hour later Blenship stood by his tent door talking with a -square-shouldered, resolute-looking man of perhaps sixty. His hair was -gray, but there was no stoop in his figure and he seemed in the prime of -forceful life. - -“Pshaw! Blenship,” he was saying, “you have no business to stake all this -creek. Even discovery would only entitle you to three claims, and you -must have twenty. You’ll have to pull up and let my boys go in.” - -“Nearer forty claims than twenty,” Blenship declared coolly, “and every -one of them staked on a good power of attorney from good hard-headed men -in Nome. If you try to cut them out, they’ll fight you, every one of -them, and you know what that means in the Alaska courts. No, sir, those -claims are legally staked, on the square, and I propose to hold ’em.” - -“But you can’t stake except on an actual discovery of gold,” continued -the big man. “Do you mean to say you have found prospects on every one of -them?” - -“Colonel,” said Blenship, “you come with me and see.” - -The two were gone two hours and came back, still arguing the matter. - -“All the same,” said the big man, “it’s only prospects, and the ground -is more than likely to be spotted. What I want to see is actual outcome -of gold from it before I consider any such preposterous price for a -controlling interest in it.” - -“You do, do you, colonel?” queried Blenship calmly. “Well, just step this -way.” - -Blenship stepped down toward the sluices where Harry and Joe stood, as -had been quietly planned by the wily little man. - -“Colonel,” said he, “these are Mr. Nickerson and Mr. Desmond, discoverers -of Candle Creek diggings, the richest in the known world. Boys, this is -Colonel Lane, of California, now of Nome. He’s also about the richest in -the known world, but, like Julius Cæsar or whoever it was, he’s looking -for more mining-fields to conquer. Gentlemen, show Mr. Lane what’s in the -riffles.” - -The boys stepped aside and Colonel Lane stepped up to the sluice boxes. -He looked from riffle to riffle without a word. It was the result of a -full half day’s shoveling, and fate had been kind to them. - -The big man looked long in silence, then he whistled. But in a second he -chuckled. - -“Blenship,” he said, “I wouldn’t have thought it of you. You salted the -sluice boxes. You’ve put in all the gold you had in camp when you heard -me coming.” - -“Oh-h-h!” exclaimed Blenship, with scorn, “all the gold we have in camp! -You must think we are pretty slow miners. Boys, come down to the tent and -open the poke for him.” - -With trembling hands Harry drew out the bag of dust and nuggets from its -hiding-place and opened it. The colonel looked long into this bag, lifted -it, and then whistled softly for the second time. - -“Why, confound it!” said he. “There’s a good twelve thousand dollars -there. Do you mean to say you got it out of that little mud-hole you are -working out there?” - -“All on’t, colonel, all on’t. That’s the richest bank—mud-bank—I’ve seen -yet, and I’ve been in placer mining all my life. Now, colonel, come out -here and talk with me. There’s no man in this world can handle this creek -the way you can. It’s the biggest thing the country ever saw. Come out -back while I argue with you.” - -The two walked back on the tundra together, and Harry tied up the poke -and put it in its hiding-place again. Joe, weary with his morning’s work, -sat down in the tent, but Harry wandered outside. His thoughts were still -of home and the people there. He had heard the steamer whistle again, why -he did not know. Home was not so very far away now, he felt that, but -the thought made him only the more homesick. He noted some men coming up -the creek, seemingly strangers, but strangers were plentiful there now. -Probably these were more people from the ship coming up to join those who -were with Colonel Lane. There was a big man a little ahead of the group, -and Harry did not notice that as he approached he looked earnestly at him -and almost broke into a run. The great man rushed up to him, took him by -the shoulders, and turned him round, looking him square in the face, -then let out a roar that echoed from the surrounding hills. - -[Illustration: SLUICING AT CANDLE CREEK] - -“It’s him!” he bellowed. “It’s him! Great jumping Jehoshaphat, it’s him! -I knew he’d turn up. You couldn’t lose him. Didn’t I see him go overboard -in the straits in a livin’ gale of wind and come back bringing a Yukon -goose with him? It’s the seven-time winner, cap. But where’s Joe?” - -Joe answered for himself, rushing out of the tent and flying by the great -boatswain of the Bowhead,—for who else would it be?—into his father’s -arms. A moment later Harry was gripping Captain Nickerson’s hand with -one of his, the big boatswain’s with the other, and laughing and crying -and talking all at once, while Mr. Jones, the taciturn first mate stood -by, erect and solemn, and seeming to look as if all this waste of words -was a very wrong thing. When the two boys were released from the hands -of Captain Nickerson and the boatswain, the first mate extended his, and -though his face twitched with emotion all he said was, “How d’ do. Glad.” -Evidently Mr. Jones’s characteristics had lost nothing in two years. - -Captain Nickerson was grayer, and there were lines of care about his eyes -that had not been there before. But these seemed to slip away as the -boys told their story and he realized that he had them both back again, -sound and hearty. Mr. Adams had fitted out another ship for him the -following spring and he had made a trip north, but the ice had been very -bad and he got no certain news of the boys, yet somehow neither he nor -the folks at home had been willing to give them up for lost. Therefore he -had come up again this summer, whaling, but determined to lose no chance -to get news of them. By chance he had found at Point Hope the native -from whom they had bought the umiak. He had told him how two white men -who might be the missing ones had been at the Hotham Inlet trading fair -and gone south across the bay. He had followed on the slender clue, had -sighted Lane’s steamer, and landed. And so they talked on, oblivious of -all except that they were reunited again after so long a time. Harry and -Joe forgot their gold, and the captain, full of news from home for them, -asked nothing about their present condition. - -Meanwhile Blenship and the colonel, arguing earnestly back on the tundra, -had noticed the commotion. - -“Who are those people?” asked the big man. - -Blenship did not know, but he was not going to let a little matter of -ignorance spoil a good bargain. “Those,” said he, “must be the wealthy -friends of my partners from the States. They’ve been expecting some -people up on their own steamer, exploring. I reckon they’ll be glad to -see how well the boys have done.” - -“Look here, Blenship,” said the colonel hastily, “I reckon I’ll have -to take your figures on this trade. You are empowered to act for your -partners, aren’t you?” - -“Certainly, colonel, certainly,” replied Blenship, with a twinkle in his -eye. - -“Well, it’s a bargain, then,” declared the colonel. “Shake hands on it.” - -The two shook hands solemnly and hastened back to the tent. Mutual -introductions followed, then Blenship spoke. “I’ve sold the creek, -boys,” he said, “and the colonel has driven a hard bargain with me, but -I reckon we’ll all have to stand by it. In the first place he gets my -rights in all the claims I’ve staked, and that’s most of the creek, for -fifty thousand dollars. Ain’t that right, colonel?” The big man nodded. -“Next he buys a controlling interest in discovery claim and the two above -and below, belonging to you two boys, fifty-one per cent. of the five -claims, for just a hundred and twenty-five thousand dollars, cash and -notes, you to retain forty-nine per cent. interest in them all and to -receive that proportion of the net earnings, the proper share of expenses -being taken out. Reckon he’ll stick you bad on them expenses.” - -“Look here,” said Captain Nickerson. “What’s all this?” - -“Oh,” said Blenship, “I thought you knew.” The colonel was shaking his -fist at Blenship, but he pretended not to notice it. “Show him the poke, -man!” he said to Harry. - -Harry drew the gold from its hiding-place and untied the neck of the sack -once more. The big boatswain waited just long enough to see this gold, -then he bolted from the tent. Outside they could hear him slapping his -great leg with a noise like the report of a pistol and gurgling something -about seven-time winners, but within they were too much interested in the -story of the placer discoveries to heed. - - - - -CHAPTER XV - -HOME AGAIN - - -The boys slept that night in clean linen on board the Maisie Adams, -Captain Nickerson’s new ship. What a thump Harry’s heart gave when he -saw the name on the stern and realized who it was that had come to -rescue him! A thought that had been vaguely his for long, a desire that -had been but a blush deep down in his heart, grew to a dominant purpose -in a moment, then. Maisie’s clear gray eyes shone out of memory with a -new light in them, and the thought of home-coming thrilled him with an -ecstasy more potent than ever before. - -The next day the final papers in the mining deal were passed on board -Colonel Lane’s steamer, a splendid vessel, the T. H. Lane, named for -himself. It is thus that the pioneer of the present day exploits the far -regions of the earth. He comes with an army at his command, with every -resource that steam and modern invention and unlimited capital can -furnish, and at the nod of his head cities spring up, great industries -flourish, almost in a day. - -What pleased Captain Nickerson more than anything else in the adventures -which Joe and Harry related to him was the story of the finding of -the stores of whalebone at the village of Nunaria. His own father had -been an officer in the unfortunate fleet, and the finding of the bone -seemed to come to him as a fitting inheritance. But before he sailed -north to make the discovery good he turned the vessel’s prow toward -Nome, and there transferred the boys to one of the numerous steamers -ready to sail for Seattle. The two should bear home the news of their -own good fortune,—home to the waiting, anxious mothers in the east. -And so they parted, and the boys, steaming south on a staunch vessel, -gazed with tears in their eyes on the smoke of the Maisie Adams, which -bore resolutely north again toward the straits and the fascinating, -mysterious, dangerous region where they had been the captives of the -frost for two long, eventful years. It may as well be said here that -Captain Nickerson found the long lost bone without difficulty, and on his -way south stopped at the little village of Point Lay, where he found -Harluk and Kroo living frugally and contentedly. Before he sailed away he -rewarded the gentle friends of the two boys with stores and supplies that -made them far richer than they had ever dreamed of being. - -Seattle and civilization in very truth came next. How the city had grown, -and what a pleasure there was in its bustle, the roar of traffic, and the -throngs of well-dressed, busy men and women in its streets. Here they -stopped only long enough to replenish their wardrobes, bettered already -somewhat by the “slop chest” of the Maisie Adams, but still far from what -they should be, and to send two telegrams to the people at home. They -followed the messages on the first train for the east, and now let us -leave them, flying across country as fast as steam can carry them, and -see how matters stand at Quincy Point. - -Like Captain Nickerson, Mr. Desmond had grown grayer in the years that -had passed. To take up the débris of a broken fortune and out of it -build a new one is no easy task. He had toiled faithfully, yet only a -very slender success had thus far rewarded him. There was depression in -his line of business, and the limited capital which the downfall of -the house had left him made it uphill work. Yet it was not so much the -business cares as anxiety as to the fate of his only son that weighed -most upon him. He had never for a moment given him up for lost, yet when -the first summer passed without news of the absent ones the stoop came -into his shoulders again, and the lines of care deepened on his face. -More and more he had come to depend on the simple, cheery faith of Mrs. -Desmond, whose hope and trust in the watchful care of Divine Providence -had never for a moment seemed to waver. What it had cost her to keep up -this cheery calm, no one but a wife and mother can tell. It is upon the -good women of the world that these burdens come, and right nobly do they -bear them. - -It was on a bright day at the last of August that Mr. Desmond received -that telegram at his office, gave the clerks a half holiday as a slight -token of thanksgiving, and came down on the noon train. Mrs. Desmond met -him at the door. - -“What is it, Frank?” she said. “Aren’t you well?” - -“Why, yes,” replied Mr. Desmond, casting about for a way to break the -good news to her gently; as if news could be broken, or good news ever -needed it! “Why, yes, I’m more than well, I”—And then Mrs. Desmond took -him by the shoulders and looked once in his face, and knew. - -“Who can deceive a lover?” said one of the wise ones of old, and these -two were lovers still and always would be. The father had brought the -happy story in his face, and when he clasped his wife in his arms and -told it in words, it was the second telling. - -I’ve said something in this story about the rapidity with which news -travels in Eskimo land, but you ought to see it go in a New England -village. It flutters with the pigeons from house-top to house-top. It -comes to the doorstep with the morning’s milk, before you are up, and the -expressman leaves it with a package at eight at night. You may start the -story ahead of you and then follow it down street on a bicycle, but it -will leave you a poor second at the far end of the town. Thus it became -known before sunset that Harry Desmond, whom everybody thought had been -lost in the Arctic, was on his way home, alive and well, and great was -the rejoicing thereat. Everybody seemed to take especial pride in the -safe return of the young man, and the Adamses were in quite a flutter of -excitement about it. - -“Isn’t it splendid?” said Mrs. Adams to Maisie. “I feel as if Harry quite -belonged to us since he pulled you out of the water that day nearly three -years ago. He must be almost a grown man now, and you’ve grown up quite a -bit yourself. How the time does fly!” - -Maisie had indeed grown up quite a bit. The change from girlhood to young -womanhood, which seems to come so suddenly with the lengthening of the -skirt and the doing up of the hair, had come to her, and the coupling of -her name so intimately with Harry’s sent a swift flush mantling her round -cheek. Harry had been her playmate and friend since early childhood, -and now he was coming back grown up, and she was grown up too. She felt -her cheeks burn under her mother’s kindly scrutiny, and she hastened to -change the subject, but the thought of Harry came back now and then, and -the color with it. - -Harry’s father and Mr. Adams met the two boys in Boston, but Joe left -immediately on the train for the Cape. His mother was waiting for him, -he knew, and the thought would brook no delay. Mrs. Desmond waited for -Harry at the house. She knew that if she came to the station, she could -not help laughing and crying over him at once, and the reticence of the -New England blood bade her avoid the chance of a scene. Queer thing, the -New England blood,—sensitive, full of pathos and lire and enthusiasm, all -masked beneath the cool steel of seeming indifference. All the neighbors -saw her meet him at the door quite sedately; none of them saw the passion -of mother love revealed after the door was shut, nor would she have had -them see it for worlds. - -Harry sat for a long time with his strong brown hands clasped tight in -his mother’s slender white ones. Now she wondered at his height and manly -strength, again flushed with secret pride at the new look of character -and decision in his face, and vowed that she had lost her boy after -all,—he was a man now. He told them in brief the story of his adventures, -but said nothing of the placer mine and the bargain with Colonel Lane. -Somehow he wanted to wait on that, to keep it till the last. - -“How has the business gone, father,” he asked after a while. “Did you -manage without me in the office?” - -“Not over well,” replied his father soberly. “It has been a long hard -pull on very little capital. Still, we are getting on.” - -Harry noted again the gray in his father’s hair and the lines of patient -determination about the mouth that had not been there when he went away, -and felt his heart thrill with joy at the thought that he had come back -amply able to help him. He knew now that he had not cared for the money -for its own sake. He had enjoyed the excitement of getting it. He had -been glad that he and Joe could go to college together; they had planned -that on the way home, and he felt now that he realized the value of a -college education as he had never done before. But here was a better use -for money than all that. He could lift the burden that his father had -borne so patiently and put the family back where it had been before the -business disaster. This was a greater happiness yet in his home-coming. - -“Would fifty thousand dollars help you, father?” he asked quietly. - -“It would indeed, my boy,” replied his father, smiling rather sadly, “but -I don’t see where I am to get it.” - -“Well, I do,” said Harry triumphantly. “I’ve some things up my sleeve, as -the boys say, that I haven’t said anything about yet. I wanted them for -the last. In the first place, though, here’s a little present from the -Arctic for you and mother. Wait till I open my grip.” - -His hands trembled as he pulled out the bandana handkerchief and opened -it, just as they had when he did the same thing for Colonel Lane up at -Candle Creek. - -“Why, my son,” said his father in astonishment, “what’s this?” - -“Gold, daddy, gold!” shouted Harry, dancing round the two in his -excitement and delight. “Just a little souvenir that I mined up in the -Arctic with my own hands. We got out twelve thousand, Joe and I. That’s -only a little of it, but I thought it would make a nice thing for a -present when I got home. There’s about a thousand there. I’ve got notes -for the rest.” - -“Why, Harry!” ejaculated his mother, her eyes gleaming with delight in -her son’s success. “Don’t tear around so. The neighbors will think the -house is afire.” - -“And so it will be in a minute, mother. That isn’t half of it. Look at -this, and this.” He threw down two long envelopes filled with documents. -“There’s notes of Colonel Lane, the millionaire mining magnate of -California, for about seventy thousand dollars, and there’s the papers -that show I am a quarter owner in the richest placer mine in all Alaska.” - -His father’s eyes gleamed as he looked carefully at these papers, and -Harry gave his mother a hug that he must surely have learned of the polar -bears up at Point Lay. - -“Mother,” he said, “when I was a little fellow” (you would have thought -him at least thirty now to hear that, though not to see him), “you used -to fry doughnuts for me and make one that was like a man. I want you to -fry me two now, big ones, and make ’em twins. That’s Joe and me up at -Candle Creek.” - -Harry caught up his mother in his arms and danced a wild whirl about the -room, finally seating her breathless and laughing on the sofa, while -his father looked on with pride in his face and two tears shining on -his cheeks. No one but he knew what a load the tidings of good fortune -had lifted from his shoulders. With ample capital he would show the -business world what the house of Desmond could do. The stoop was out of -his shoulders again and Harry knew it, and would have gone through every -hardship of the two years again for the sight. - -Supper was announced before they had done talking over this glorious -news, and Harry was not so excited but that he did full justice to home -cooking. In the evening there came a ring at the doorbell, and Mr. and -Mrs. Adams came in—and Maisie. - -“Well,” Mr. Adams said, “you went away a boy and you have come back a man -grown. If being lost in the Arctic for two years or so will give people -such size and rugged health as that, I should advise it for lots of them.” - -Harry blushed and stammered at the sight of Maisie. She had grown up too, -he thought, and how lovely she was! As for Maisie, she was cordially glad -to see him, but as demure about it as the most proper young lady should -be. Only when she went away she glanced up at him shyly and said,— - -“Did you bring me that aurora borealis that you promised me the last -thing when you went away?” - -Then indeed Harry found his tongue, though he blushed in the saying. “You -are like the aurora yourself. Come sailing with me to-morrow, will you -not?” - -Maisie blushed too, as who would not at so direct a compliment from a -handsome, broad-shouldered young man. - -“Why, yes, thank you,” she answered. “I’d like to very much. Shall it be -at ten? Your knockabout is down at the boat-house. Good-night.” And as -she tripped daintily down the broad walk to the street, Harry wondered -what need there was of street lamps when she was out. - -During the evening Mr. Adams asked him if he was ready to make that -report concerning the whaling in Bering Sea and the Arctic, and was much -pleased when Harry handed him quite a pile of manuscript, some of it -written in pencil, and all stained with salt water. - -“I’ll put this in better shape in a day or two,” he said. “It contains -all I could find out about the subject, and I think is accurate.” - -“Well, well,” exclaimed Mr. Adams, “this looks good. The company is -already formed and ready to start business. They will be glad to get -this;” and he tucked it under his arm just as it was, saying it bore -greater evidence of reliability in that shape, and he wanted to show it -to the directors without change. - -“Let us see,” he said, “you were to have a salary of twenty dollars a -month for this work, and you have been gone practically thirty months. I -will see that a check for six hundred dollars is made out to you.” - -Harry had another thrill of pleasure at this. It was not the money so -much, but he felt that to have won Mr. Adams’s approval in this way was -worth while. He determined privately that Joe should have half. He had -certainly helped him earn it. - -The next day was one of those rarely perfect days that often come to -New England in early September. The warmth of summer still lingers in -the air, but there is with it too the glow and exhilaration of autumn. -A faint breeze blew in from the west and lifted the August haze till -distant objects stood out clear and sharp in outline,—a glorious day. - -It was quite a bit before ten when Harry called for Maisie, but she -was all ready, and chatted demurely of many things as they walked down -the well-remembered path to the boat-house. There Griggs, the ancient -ferryman, greeted Harry with a whoop, much like that he had raised two -years and a half before in answer to his shout for assistance. - -“W-e-ll, I swanny!” he exclaimed. “But I’m glad to see ye. Allus knew -you’d get back somehow. How you have growed, though! Well, well! this is -like old times, ain’t it? Ain’t been a day go by but I think how you -swum for the young lady here, an’ I pulled you both out. How be ye?” - -Harry shook hands with Griggs cordially, and noted that the old man had -not changed a particle in the time that had passed. - -“Kept the boat all ready for ye ever since,” said Griggs. “S’pected you’d -be along some day and want a sail in her. Here she is.” - -There she was, indeed, with every line and cleat in place, and Harry -felt as if greeting an old friend as he helped Maisie in and hoisted the -sail. The little boat glided gently down the river, and out into the -wider waters of the bay. As Harry looked about and noted every object in -the familiar scene, it seemed to him as if he had hardly been away a day -instead of two years and a half, as if the home life only was real, and -all the strange things that had happened to him had been but a dream. Yet -when he looked at Maisie and found her grown up to the verge of young -womanhood, he felt as if he had been away for years and years, and hardly -knew the dainty lady who sat on the windward side and trimmed ship as a -good sailor should. He was thoughtful and silent until Maisie looked up -at him roguishly, and said,— - -“Well, why don’t you tell me all about it? It must be something very -serious that keeps you silent so long. You used to chatter fast enough. -Is it an Eskimo young lady?” - -Harry laughed. “I’ve seen Eskimo young ladies,” he said, “though I wasn’t -thinking of them at just that moment. Some of them are quite pretty, -too,”—Maisie pouted a bit at this,—“though they don’t dress in what you -would call good taste.” - -“Tell me about them, tell me all about everything,” said Maisie, and -Harry, nothing loth, launched into stories of his adventures, and the -strange sights he had seen, that lasted till it was time they were home -for lunch. He was modest in relating his own share in the dangers and -excitements, but Maisie saw through this and gave him perhaps a larger -share of credit than he deserved. How strong and handsome he was, she -thought. Of course he had been brave and noble, and now her eyes filled -with sudden tears, and again shone with excitement and admiration, as he -told of being lost in the Arctic pack, battling with the highbinders, and -being chased by the river ice on the Kowak. - -And so this modern Desdemona listened to her sun-bronzed Othello until -the boat had swung gently back with the tide almost opposite the cottages -at Germantown. - -There Harry finished the tale, and Maisie noted that they were almost -back again, with a sigh. A sudden impulse seized her. - -“Let me take the boat in to the landing,” she said. “There isn’t much -wind.” - -She slipped quickly to the stern and seated herself the other side of the -tiller. The boat was lazing along with the helm amidships and there was -no need for Harry to move. Maisie’s hand dropped beside his, and with a -sudden masterful impulse he laid his own over it. - -And Maisie? She looked up at him with those clear, cool, beautiful eyes, -and he said— But I shan’t tell you what he said. It is no affair of ours, -and nobody was supposed to know it for a time, except, indeed, their own -fathers and mothers, who, of course, vowed that the young people were -altogether too young for such plans, and then gave their blessing. - -Nobody was supposed to know, but it is funny how news will travel in a -New England village, and the fact is, all this occurred right opposite -the cottages, and as likely as not some one was using a field-glass at -that very moment. - -At any rate, the knockabout sailed herself for several minutes right -across the place where Harry plunged in to save Maisie once, and only -the kindness of fate and a very light wind prevented them from being in -danger of another ducking. - -Griggs, the old ferryman, was not so very far away either, and he looked -at them with a very knowing smile as they walked soberly up the path to -the house. So perhaps _he_ told, but I am not going to. - -*** END OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK THE YOUNG ICE WHALERS *** - -Updated editions will replace the previous one--the old editions will -be renamed. - -Creating the works from print editions not protected by U.S. copyright -law means that no one owns a United States copyright in these works, -so the Foundation (and you!) can copy and distribute it in the -United States without permission and without paying copyright -royalties. Special rules, set forth in the General Terms of Use part -of this license, apply to copying and distributing Project -Gutenberg-tm electronic works to protect the PROJECT GUTENBERG-tm -concept and trademark. Project Gutenberg is a registered trademark, -and may not be used if you charge for an eBook, except by following -the terms of the trademark license, including paying royalties for use -of the Project Gutenberg trademark. 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