The Middleburgh post. [volume] (Middleburgh, Snyder Co., Pa.) 1883-1916, 1898-11-03

For . mfie he headed towsrd a.
companys post; then he called odN,
sharply: 'Rarai rural" and the team
obedieutly turned 10 the lefs and
started out toward the ocean,
At dawn they had trsveied 20 miles.
and the edge Of the loo was before them.
Here Pomiuk stopped. built snow
house, and taking his dogs In as bedfe!-
lows, that they might warm both them
selves and him, no chewed bit Of the
sealslein boot and went sound asleep.
just one hour he slept and woke re-
freshed. gave each dog q piece Of the
boot an inch square, reharnessed them
to the komatik and started again on his
journey. It would have puzzled you,
however. to tell where the lad was
going. A league to the southwest.
then "Raral rara!" and q League to the
southeast followed; "Auk! auk!" and
. league to the southwest again. tack
Ing back and forth like q snilboat beat
ing TO windward; and that was just
what he was doing, for the breeze was
blowing in his face and he steeled him
self to its biting. II his young body
was stunted and crippled, Pomiuk's
heart was big and strong; but II nearly
gave up hoping when midday come
without q sign and the afternoon be-
gun to go and nothing had come Of hts
hunting. Again they stopped to warm
themselves and to chew bit Of the
seaIskin. He WAS making mile to the
southwark each tack, and he thought:
II am not disobeylng the command; I
am travelling toward the post" But he
did no take care to figure out how long
II would take him to reach there.
Nlghtfall, and still nothing. The
boot must last them another day.
What was left was carefully portioned,
the dogs were embarrassed for the
night and the snowhouse was building.
Pomiuk paid no more attention to the
dogs, till there came a low growl from
the leader. Then he looked round
quickly. Far Off in the dusk, he could
not say how far, something white was
moving, and the dogs were bounding
toward It, Grasping his harpoon and
handax, he joyfully hobbled after
them. The half-famished dogs would
not let It escape. There was no need
to hurry. But. though they attacked
II vaiiantly, they could NOT succeed
without him; and n was wen that he
made haste. When he reached them,
one Of his very best dogs, the fiercest
one, the bully Of the tenn. fell back
with his head crushed from blow that
Namuk, the bear, had given him.
Urging the dogs TO do their best, he
approached the hinge creature as near
as he dared, and sought 20 reach NJ
throat with the harpoon; but when the
right moment came he thrust too low.
The weapon struck under the collar
bone and, though he had given II all
his strength and It's head was COM
pletely buried, ths bear brushed the
handle aside as II = had been wisp of
straw and, with roar. made toward
him.
Pomiuk might have Jared lily then.
had II not been for his faithful dogs.
They attacked the monster from oil
sides II once. The smell Of its blood
made them frantic, ana seemed to
double and treble their strength II
was we'll; for their crippled master, IN
trying to efudo the enraged beast, had
slipped on a small broken hummock Of
ice and the creature was nearly on
him.
II was not a time 10 think. but to
act. Pomiuk's instinct guided him. In
stinet Is strong In the savage. and In
spite Of his taste Of civilized life he
was yet child Of nature He lay
quite still where he had fallen. lay still
as death TIL the fighting bear stood
over his pros.rate body. Then lie drew
his knife and struck quickly. once,
twice; and the second time, leaving his
knife in the wound sprang nimbly to
one side, hand hx h hand; but the
latter was not needed. Loaded down
by the worfish dogs the great bear tot
tered and fell TO the ice, and the bloody
battle was over.
Pomiuk's first eare was TO beot of
the dogs ind feed them his Victims
entrails. Next he set about shinning
the carcass. II was heavy work for a
mere lnd, IN the dark and cold Of an
arctic night, but at last It wus accom-
plished; the meat was hacked into Sec
tions that he could lin, the komatik
was brought, and all was slowed as 1t
should be; then the snowhouse was
completed and, with full stomachs,
they all turned m and slept soundly till
the morning.
With such refreshment n did not
take long next day 10 reach the COM
pahy's post. There the skin was traded
for powder, and bullets, and tobacco,
and -four, and molasses. and tea, which
summary comprise all OF the Eskimo's
desires.
With his komatik loaded with such
good things he returned to the igloos
by nightfau. where the people greeted
him joyously and could soarce1y be-
lieye their rood fortune