The Van Buren press., 1898-10-22
other. wish the world held more such

keen. and carpenters ak that they
had brought and had managed to retain
among them. In addition TO these he
took an old boot 1t was made of seal
skin and had been oiled often. 1t was
good to chew on when hungry. Then
lie squatted down on the seat of the
sledge, and wrapped bearskin round
him, and shouted whit whit" to the
leader.
For a mile ne headed toward the
companys post; then he called out,
sharply; "Rara! raral" and the team
obediently turned to the left and
started out toward the ocean.
At dawn they had travelled 30 miles.
and the edge of the ice was before them.
Here Pomiuk stopped. built a snow
house, and taking his dogs in as bedfe!-
lows, that they might warm both them
selves and him, he chewed a bit of the
sealskin boot and went sound asleep.
Just one hour he slept and woke re-
freshed, gave each dog piece of the
boot an inch square, reharnessed them
TO the komatik and started again on his
journey. 1t would have puzzled you.
however, to tell where the lad was
going. A league TO the southwest.
then "Rara! rara" and league to the
southeast followed; AUX, aukl" and
a league to the southwest again, tack
ing back and forth like a sailpoat 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. If his young body
was stunted and crippled. Pomiuk's S
heart was big and strong; but it nearly
gave up hoping when midday came
without sign and the afternoon be-
gan to go and nothing had come of HIS
hunting. Again they stopped to warm
themselves and to chew a bit of the
sealskin. He was making mile to the
southwark each tack, and he thought:
Il am not disobeying the command; l
am travelling toward the post" But he
did no take care to figure out how long
ii would take him to reach there.
Nightfall, 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 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
tandax, he joyfully hobbled after
them. The half-famished dogs would
not let it escape. There WAS no need
to hurry. But, though they attacked
it valiantly, they could not succeed
without him; and it was we'll that he
made haste. When he reached them.
one of his very best dogs, the fiercest
one. the bully of the team, fell back
with his head crushed from blow that
Samuk, the bear, had given him.
Urging the dogs to do their best, he
approached the huge creature as near
as he dared, and sought to reach its
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 it al.
his strength and its head was COM
handle aside as if it had been a wisp of
straw and, with a roar, made toward
him.
Pomiuk might have Jared lily then,
had it not been for his faithful dogs.
They attacked the monster from all
sides at once. The smell of its blood
made them frantic, and seemed to
double and treble their strength. 1t
was we'll; for their crippled master, in
trying to elude the enraged beast, had
slipped on small broken hummock of
ice and the creature was nearly on
him.
1t was not a time to think, but to
act. Pomiuk' S instinct guided him. In
stinct is strong in the savage, and in
spite of his taste of civilized life he
was yet a child of nature. He lay
quite still where he had fallen, lay still
as death till the fighting bear stood
over his PROSTATE body. Then he drew
his knife and struck quickly. once,
twice; and the second time, leaving his
knife in the wound, sprang nimbly to
one side, hand ak in hand; but the
latter was not needed. Loaded down
by the wolfsh dogs the great bear tot
tered and fell to the ice, and the bloody
battle was over.
Pomiuk's first care was to beat off
the dogs and feed them his victim S
entrails. Next he set about skinning
the carcass. 1t was heavy work for
mere lad, in the dark and cold of an
arctic night, but at last it was accom-
plished; the meat was hacked into sec
tions that he could lift, the komatik
was brought and all was slowed as il
should be; then the snowhouse was
completed ard, with full stomachs,
they all turned in and slept soundly till
he morning.
With such refreshment ii did not
take long next day to reach the COM
panv's post. There the skin was traded
for powder, and bullets, and tobacco.
and -four, and molasses, and tea. which
summary comprise I'll of the Eskimo
desires.
With his komatik loaded with such
good things he returned TO the igloos
by nightfall, where the people greeted
him joyously aud could scarcely be-
lieve their good fortune.
"And the ring2" said Kangegatsuk.
Pomiuk showed it proudly. 1T was
the ring brought Nanuk," he said.
she will know me by that when we
meet again"-there was a choking in
Pomiuk's voice and his lips quiyered-