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+The Project Gutenberg eBook, The Young Alaskans, by Emerson Hough
+
+
+This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere 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
+
+
+
+
+
+Title: The Young Alaskans
+
+
+Author: Emerson Hough
+
+
+
+Release Date: May 16, 2008  [eBook #25494]
+
+Language: English
+
+Character set encoding: ISO-8859-1
+
+
+***START OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK THE YOUNG ALASKANS***
+
+
+E-text prepared by D. Alexander, the staff of the Rare Books Collection at
+Marriott Library, University of Utah, and the Project Gutenberg Online
+Distributed Proofreading Team (https://www.pgdp.net) from page images
+generously made available by Internet Archive
+(http://www.archive.org/index.php) 
+
+
+
+Note: Project Gutenberg also has an HTML version of this
+      file which includes the original illustrations.
+      See 25494-h.htm or 25494-h.zip:
+      (https://www.gutenberg.org/dirs/2/5/4/9/25494/25494-h/25494-h.htm)
+      or
+      (https://www.gutenberg.org/dirs/2/5/4/9/25494/25494-h.zip)
+
+
+      Images of the original pages are available through
+      Internet Archive. See
+      http://www.archive.org/details/youngalaskans00hougrich
+
+
+
+
+
+THE YOUNG ALASKANS
+
+by
+
+EMERSON HOUGH
+
+Author of
+"The Story of the Cowboy"
+"The Mississippi Bubble"
+Etc.  Etc.
+
+Illustrated
+
+
+
+
+
+
+
+Harper & Brothers Publishers
+New York and London
+MCMVIII
+
+Copyright, 1908, by Harper & Brothers.
+All rights reserved.
+Published October, 1908.
+
+
+
+
+[Illustration: See p 66
+SUDDENLY DROPPING TO HIS KNEE HE FIRED WITHOUT LONGER HESITATION]
+
+
+
+
+CONTENTS
+
+
+ CHAP.                                                      PAGE
+
+ I.      AT HOME IN ALASKA                                    1
+ II.     AFLOAT ON THE PACIFIC                                7
+ III.    THE JOURNEY TO THE NORTH                            16
+ IV.     LOST IN THE FOG                                     23
+ V.      THE MISSING DORY                                    28
+ VI.     ADRIFT ON THE OCEAN                                 35
+ VII.    THE HUT ON THE BEACH                                41
+ VIII.   THE SALMON RUN                                      49
+ IX.     THE BIG BEAR OF KADIAK                              58
+ X.      THE SAVAGE REFUGEE                                  68
+ XI.     A TROUBLESOME PRISONER                              76
+ XII.    WAYS OF THE WILDERNESS                              80
+ XIII.   MAKING A LIVING                                     93
+ XIV.    THE SURPRISE                                       101
+ XV.     THE WHALE-HUNT                                     111
+ XVI.    THE MISSING PRISONER                               122
+ XVII.   THE ALEUT BOY                                      126
+ XVIII.  UNWELCOME VISITORS                                 130
+ XIX.    HOPE DEFERRED                                      136
+ XX.     THE SILVER-GRAY FOX                                143
+ XXI.    AN ALEUT GOOSE-HUNT                                159
+ XXII.   SPORT WITH THE SALMON                              170
+ XXIII.  AMONG THE EAGLES                                   182
+ XXIV.   AN ADVENTURE ON THE GULL ROCKS                     191
+ XXV.    CRIPPLES' CASTLE                                   207
+ XXVI.   THE JOURNEY AND THE STORM                          223
+ XXVII.  THE MAN-HUNT                                       245
+ XXVIII. A HUNT FOR SEA-OTTER                               255
+ XXIX.   UNCERTAINTY                                        263
+ XXX.    "BLOWN OUT TO SEA!"                                271
+ XXXI.   THE SEARCH-PARTY                                   276
+ XXXII.  THE DESERTED CAMP                                  282
+ XXXIII. SAVED!                                             287
+
+
+
+
+ ILLUSTRATIONS
+
+
+ SUDDENLY DROPPING TO HIS KNEE HE FIRED
+     WITHOUT HESITATION                          _Frontispiece_
+
+ HE SHIFTED HIS GUN TO HIS LEFT HAND AND
+     HELD OUT HIS RIGHT WITH A SMILE            _Facing p._ 102
+
+ THE ALEUT BOY LAUNCHED HIS MISSILE INTO
+     THE MASS OF FLYING FOWL                        "       164
+
+ BOTH OTTER AND ARROW HAD DISAPPEARED,
+     BUT THE ALEUT SAT WAITING GRIMLY               "       260
+
+
+
+
+THE YOUNG ALASKANS
+
+
+
+
+I
+
+AT HOME IN ALASKA
+
+
+"Steamboat! Steamboat!"
+
+Rob McIntyre had been angling for codfish at the top of Valdez dock for
+the past half-hour. Now, hearing the hoarse boom of the ocean vessel's
+whistle out in the fog-bank which covered the mouth of the harbor, he
+pulled in his fishing-line, hurriedly threw together his heap of
+flapping fish, and, turning, sent shoreward the cry always welcome to
+dwellers in Alaska coast towns.
+
+"Steamboat! Steamboat!" Some one at the freight office on Valdez dock
+heard him and repeated the cry. Again and again it was passed from one
+to another along the half-mile of high sidewalk which led from the dock
+to the town. Soon in every corner of the streets of Valdez there
+resounded the call: "Steamboat! Steamboat!"
+
+Now there came to the ears of all the low, hoarse boom of the steamer's
+whistle. The great vessel was lying out somewhere in the fog, nosing
+her way in carefully, taking care not to touch any of the hidden rocks
+which line the Alaskan shores. The residents of the town poured out from
+dwelling and shop alike, and soon the streets were full, almost the
+entire population hurrying over the long trestle to the dock where the
+boat must land. The whistle said to them that there were now at hand
+cargoes of goods for the merchants, machinery for the new railroad
+building inland, necessities and luxuries for every-day life, and, best
+of all, letters, books and papers from the outside world. "Outside" in
+an Alaskan coast town means the United States. Across the range of
+mountains which fence off the coast from the vast interior "outside"
+means the coast itself; just as to any town dweller of the Alaska coast
+"inside" means somewhere in the icy interior, vast and unexplored.
+
+Among the first to hasten down the long walk from the main street of the
+town were two friends of Rob McIntyre--Jesse Wilcox and John Hardy, the
+former ten and the latter twelve years of age, each therefore a little
+younger than Rob, who himself was now nearly fourteen. These boys might
+be called young Alaskans, for although the town of Valdez itself was not
+more than a few years old, their fathers had helped found the town and
+were prominent in its business affairs. Mr. Hardy was engaged in railway
+contracts on the new railroad, and Mr. Wilcox was chief of engineers on
+the same road. Rob's father, Mr. McIntyre, owned the leading store,
+where all sorts of articles were sold, from shovels and picks to needles
+and pins. The three boys, it need not be said, were great cronies, and
+many was the hour of sport they had had here in far-away Alaska.
+
+"Hello, Rob!" called John, as he hurried up; "how many fish did you get?
+What boat's that, do you think? Do you suppose my uncle Dick's on
+board?"
+
+"Hope so," rejoined Rob, now rolling up his fishing-line, and again
+kicking his codfish out of the road of the gathering crowd. "He's
+probably got something for us if he is."
+
+"How far is she out?" inquired Jesse. "She blows like the _Yucatan_, but
+maybe she's the old _Portland_ coming in."
+
+"If she's the _Portland_ my father might be aboard," said John. "If it's
+the _Yucatan_, and Uncle Dick's coming, then we'll get my new rifle,
+sure."
+
+"One apiece, then," said Rob. "If each of us had a gun we could all go
+hunting together."
+
+"Pack-train just came across the divide yesterday," said Jesse, "and
+they had four bear-skins. They got 'em less than thirty miles inland.
+The fellow that killed them threw away two skins because they were so
+heavy he didn't want to bother to pack 'em. But I don't suppose they'd
+let us go bear-hunting yet," said Jesse, hesitatingly.
+
+"The biggest bear in this whole country," began Rob, who was posted on
+such matters, "are over toward Kadiak Island. I heard a trader from
+Seldovia saying there were a few sea-otters over there, too."
+
+"Wouldn't you like to go over to Kadiak--just once?" said John. "A big
+bear-skin or two, and maybe a sea-otter--we could cash in our fur for
+enough to buy a mining claim, like enough! My uncle Dick's due to go
+over there, too, before long," he ruminated. "You know he's employed on
+the government survey, and they're making soundings on that part of the
+coast."
+
+Rob drew a long breath. "Well, maybe _sometime_ we could get over
+there," he said; and the others nodded, because they had come to look
+on him as something of a leader in their out-door expeditions.
+
+"Priddy soon dat fog shall lift," remarked Ole Petersen, an old sailor
+who was lounging about the dock. He nodded toward the mouth of the
+harbor, where now all could see the heavy veil of mist growing thinner.
+Little by little, even as the steady boom of the steamer's whistle came
+echoing in, the front of the fog-bank thinned and lifted, showing the
+white-capped waves rolling beneath. Suddenly a strong shift of wind
+descended from the cañon between two of the many mountain-peaks which
+line the bay, and broke the fog into long ribbons of white vapor. The
+sun shone through, and its warmth sent the white mist up in twisting
+ropes, which faded away in the upper air. At last there came into view
+the red-topped smoke-stacks and the gaunt, dark hull of the great ocean
+steamer, whose funnels poured forth clouds of black smoke which drifted
+toward the farther shore of the bay.
+
+"_Yucatan!_" sang out Rob--and Ole Petersen calmly seconded him with a
+nod--"_Yucatan!_"
+
+The gathered population of Valdez--men, women, children, and
+dogs--greeted the vessel with a general outcry of welcome.
+
+"In she comes," said Rob; and now, with two more long, hoarse roars from
+her giant whistle, the _Yucatan_ slowly forged ahead, and within half an
+hour majestically swept up to her moorings at the front of Valdez dock.
+
+
+
+
+II
+
+AFLOAT ON THE PACIFIC
+
+
+As the deck-hands cast ashore the light lines attached to the
+cable-loops, our young friends were among the first to lay hold and aid
+in dragging ashore the heavy cables which made fast the steamer to the
+dock-posts. Then they ran back amidships where the gang-plank was put
+out. The jingling of the ship's bells and general outcry from those on
+the dock or crowding along the rail of the vessel made everything a
+scene of confusion. Greetings were passed from ship to shore and back
+again. Friends now would meet, cargo would be discharged; touch with the
+outer world once more would be had.
+
+"But I don't see Uncle Dick anywhere," said John, ruefully, as he
+examined the throng of figures packed along the rail waiting for the
+gangway to be made fast.
+
+"Maybe he didn't come," suggested Jesse.
+
+"There he is!" shouted John; "he's waving to us, over there 'midships."
+
+"He's got something under his arm," said Rob, judicially.
+
+A tall, brown-faced man with a wide, white hat and loose gray clothing
+edged his way toward the head of the gangway. Catching sight of the
+boys, he called out a hearty greeting.
+
+"Have you got it, Uncle Dick?" asked John, excitedly, as at last the
+latter reached the dock.
+
+Uncle Dick's answer was to pass to his nephew a certain long package,
+which proved to be a fine rifle in a leather case. For the moment all
+three boys were so much engaged in examining this that they paid little
+attention to what was going on--hurry and confusion, shouting and
+laughing and excited talk, mingled with the creak of the hoists and the
+rattle of the donkey-engine as the ship's men now began the work of
+discharging the cargo of the _Yucatan_. It must be remembered that in
+Alaska few things are manufactured, and everything must be shipped in,
+fifteen hundred miles or more, from San Francisco, Seattle, and other
+points.
+
+"Well, young gentlemen," said Uncle Dick, at last, "you seem gladder to
+see that gun than you are to see me."
+
+"No, we're not, sir," rejoined Rob; "but we're pleased enough, even so,
+because now each of us has a rifle."
+
+"And no place to use one," answered Uncle Dick.
+
+"Well, we may be able to go inside, hunting, before long," said Jesse,
+stoutly. "My father doesn't care if I go with him."
+
+"How would you like to go over to Kadiak with me?" asked Uncle Dick,
+directly, looking at them keenly from his gray eyes.
+
+"You don't mean it!" exclaimed Rob. The three gathered round him.
+
+"Are you going over there right away?" asked Jesse, staring up at him.
+
+Uncle Dick nodded. "Same boat," he answered. "I'm going on with the
+_Yucatan_ to Seward, and will take the _Nora_ from there to Kadiak.
+Chance of your life to spend the summer, if your mothers will say the
+word. And not to hurry you any, you've got just about an hour and a
+quarter to get ready--that is to say, to get consent and get ready
+both."
+
+The three boys hardly stopped to hear the last of his words. They were
+off, running at top speed across the long sidewalk toward the town.
+Uncle Dick followed them at his leisure, talking and telling the news
+to his acquaintances, of whom he had many in the town. He explained to
+these that the government work in soundings would be done by the revenue
+cutter _Bennington_, along the shores of Kadiak Island, for the next
+four months. Now, although to those unfamiliar with Alaska, Valdez may
+seem as far away as Kadiak, the latter really is some hundreds of miles
+farther to the northwest, and near the base of that long peninsula which
+tapers to a point in the Aleutian Islands. A dweller in a coast town in
+Alaska knows what goes on immediately about him. There were few in
+Valdez who knew more of Kadiak than they did of Kamchatka.
+
+"G'long there, ye young rascals!" called out a hearty voice at the
+fleeing boys. Captain John Ryan waved a cap toward them as he came down
+the gang-plank. But the boys, usually ready enough to visit with him on
+his stops at Valdez, were now too much excited to more than wave their
+hands as they disappeared.
+
+"So ye're plannin' to take the rascals along with us, west, are ye?"
+asked Captain John Ryan of Uncle Dick. "A summer out there would be the
+makin' of the youngsters."
+
+Uncle Dick's eyes wrinkled in a smile as he and the sturdy sea-captain
+started on down and walked to the town. At the farther end they were
+met by the three boys and by three nice-looking ladies, each
+prosperous-looking and well dressed, and each bearing a very anxious
+expression of countenance.
+
+"I tell you it's absolutely absurd, Richard," began one of these, as
+they approached--"your putting such notions into the heads of these
+boys."
+
+"It's all utterly impossible, of course," said Rob's mother, in turn,
+her mouth closing tightly as she looked around at her son.
+
+Mrs. Wilcox said less, but kept her hand on Jesse's shoulder. "What
+would you do at night with no one to see you safe in bed, my son?" said
+she, at length.
+
+"Oh, mother!" began Jesse, shamefacedly.
+
+"I'll take care of the boys," said Uncle Dick, at length. "I won't
+mollycoddle them, and they will have to shift for themselves, but I'll
+see that they get through all right. Think it over, good people. It will
+be the making of the kids."
+
+"Oh, well now, Richard," began Mrs. Hardy, once more, "how do we know
+when you are coming back?"
+
+"You don't know. I don't know myself."
+
+"But these boys have to go to school."
+
+"Oh, I'll get them back in time for the fall term. Boats are coming down
+from Kadiak every month or so."
+
+"But they say the storms out that way are perfectly frightful," began
+Mrs. McIntyre.
+
+"We'll not be in any storms. The cutter _Bennington_ anchors in the
+harbors, and, besides, the boys will be ashore in town at Kadiak. You
+don't suppose that Uncle Sam will let me have them around underfoot all
+the time, do you? I'll have something else to do."
+
+"But what could the boys do, then?" inquired Mrs. McIntyre.
+
+"Nothing much. Hunt seals and otters and whales and bears, and a few
+little things like that--catch more codfish and salmon than they ever
+thought of around here--go boat-riding with the Aleuts--"
+
+"In those tippy bidarkas?"
+
+"Tippy bidarkas," nodded Uncle Dick; "and go egg-hunting on the gull
+rocks, and all sorts of things. Why, they'd have the time of their
+lives, that's all."
+
+"But not one of the boys has a father at home now to advise in the
+matter," hesitated Jesse's mother. "They are all inside, and won't be
+back for a week."
+
+"They'll all be back just a week too late," answered Uncle Dick. "In
+about three-quarters of an hour from now, as Captain Ryan here will
+advise you, we start; and these boys, I think, will be on board the
+_Yucatan_ headed for Kadiak. You want to remember that this is Alaska,
+and that these are Alaskan boys. They've got to grow up knowing how to
+take care of themselves in this country. They're not sissies, with red
+morocco shoes and long yellow curls--they're the stuff we've got to make
+men out of up here. How'd Alaska ever have been found, in the first
+place, if there hadn't been real men raised from real boys?"
+
+"Oh, well!" began Mrs. McIntyre; and each of the other ladies echoed,
+"Oh, _well_!"
+
+"Oh, _well_!" echoed Uncle Dick. "I'll tell you what: you had better
+hurry back home and get their blankets rolled, and an extra pair of
+shirts and some spare socks thrown together. And, boys, the best thing
+you can do is to go down to the store and get some ammunition. We can
+get all the grub we want from the ship's stores out at Kadiak. Now,
+excuse me, ladies, but don't take my time arguing this matter, because
+I've got several things to do; and the boat's going to start inside of
+an hour, and we're going to start with her!"
+
+Sure enough, when at last the heavy boom of the _Yucatan's_ warning
+whistle caused the window glass along the main street to tremble, a
+little party once more wended its way down the sidewalk toward the
+wharf. Uncle Dick led the way, earnestly talking with three very grave
+and anxious mothers. Behind him, perfectly happy, and shouting excitedly
+to one another, came Rob, Jesse, and John. Each carried a rifle in its
+case, and each looked excitedly now and then at the wagon which was
+carrying their bundles of luggage to the wharf.
+
+"All aboard!" called the mate at the head of the gang-plank, laying hold
+of the side lines and waiting to pull it in. Again came the heavy
+whistle of the ocean steamer. The little group now broke apart; and in a
+moment the boys, somewhat sobered now, were waving their farewells to
+the mothers, who stood, anxious and tearful, on the dock.
+
+"Cast off, there!" came the hoarse order from the captain's bridge.
+
+"Ay, ay, sir!" rejoined the mate, repeating the command to the dock
+hands. Slowly the great propeller began to churn the green water astern
+into white. The bow of the great vessel slowly swung, and majestically
+she headed on her way out to the mouth of the bay. Clouds of white
+gulls followed her, dipping and soaring. Once more her whistle saluted
+the town from which she departed, its note echoing deeply from the steep
+fronts of the adjacent mountains. The wheelsman laid the course straight
+for the mouth of the gap between the outer mountains which marked the
+mouth of the bay. In less than an hour the bold headlands were passed.
+Beyond rolled the white-topped swells of the sea, across which lay none
+might tell how much of adventure.
+
+"Now," said Rob, turning to his friends, "maybe we'll see something of
+the world."
+
+
+
+
+III
+
+THE JOURNEY TO THE NORTH
+
+
+The good ship _Yucatan_ steadily ploughed her way along the rock-bound
+Alaskan coast until, at noon of the second day, she nosed her way into
+the entrance of that great indentation of the coast known as
+Resurrection Bay, and finally concluded her own northbound journey at
+the docks of the town of Seward, which lies at the head of that harbor.
+Here the voyagers were to change to a smaller vessel, the sturdy little
+craft called the _Nora_, which was to carry them still farther northward
+and westward. The young travellers, although before this they had known
+Alaska to be a great country, now began to think that they had not
+dreamed how large it really was, for Uncle Dick advised them that they
+would need to steam almost a week yet farther before they could arrive
+at Kadiak harbor.
+
+Once out of Resurrection Bay on their journey to the farther north, they
+began to see sights strange even to them, long as they had been used to
+Alaska. Hundreds of sea-lions crowded some lofty rocks not far beyond
+the entrance to the bay, roaring and barking at the ship as she steamed
+close in to the rocks, and plunging off in scores as the whistles of the
+boat aroused and frightened them from their basking in the sun.
+
+Rob's eyes proved keener than those of his friend, and he was always
+looking out across the sea in search of some strange object.
+
+"What's that, Mr. Dick?" he exclaimed, after he had been gazing steadily
+at the far horizon for some moments.
+
+Uncle Dick hastened to his state-room and returned with a pair of
+field-glasses.
+
+"That," said he, "is a whale--in fact, more than one; indeed, I think
+there is a big school of whales on ahead. We'll run almost square into
+them at this rate."
+
+Sure enough, within the hour they came within plain sight of a number of
+great black objects which at first seemed like giant logs rolling on the
+water. All at once there appeared splashes of white water among the
+whales, and the latter seemed to be much agitated, hastening hither and
+thither as though in fear. Captain Zim Jones, of the _Nora_, leaned
+down from his place on the bridge.
+
+"School of killers in there!" he sang out.
+
+"That's right," exclaimed Uncle Dick, handing the glasses to Rob. "Watch
+close now! Don't you see those smaller black things swimming along, with
+tall, upright fins? Those are killers, and they are fighting the whales
+right now!"
+
+Eagerly the boys took turns with the glasses, watching the strange
+combat of the sea now going on. Evidently some of the whales were much
+distressed; one large one seemed to be the especial mark of the enemy,
+which pursued him in a body.
+
+"Look, look!" cried John. "He jumped almost out of the water. He is as
+big as a house!"
+
+"I didn't know anything could hurt a whale, he's so big!" commented
+Jesse. "How do they fight a whale?"
+
+"Maybe they poke 'em with that big fin," said Uncle Dick. "But they do
+the damage with their jaws. One of them will bite a chunk out of a
+whale, and as quick as he lets go another will take his place. They come
+pretty near to eating the whale alive sometimes, although I don't know
+that they really kill them very often."
+
+"Well, I don't know," said Rob, who was looking steadily ahead. "There
+is one right ahead of us who just came up, and he's acting mighty
+stupid. See, he's coming right across the bows. If we don't look out
+we'll hit him. There!"
+
+Even as he spoke there came a heavy jar which almost stopped the ocean
+vessel. Her steel-shod bow had struck the whale full in the middle of
+the body.
+
+"Caught him square amidships," sung out Captain Zim from his station. "I
+guess we finished what the killers began!"
+
+The great creature lay for an instant stunned on the surface of the
+water, its vast body bent as though its back were broken. Then as the
+ship passed on it slowly sank from sight, even as the school of whales,
+diving and breaching, also fell astern, still pursued by their savage
+enemies.
+
+"Well," said Captain Zim, "I've sailed these waters thirty years, but
+that's the first time I ever struck a whale."
+
+"I've promised these boys plenty of exciting things," commented Uncle
+Dick. "But if you don't mind, I'd rather you wouldn't run over any more
+whales. You'll be taking the keel out of this ship the first thing you
+know."
+
+"I see something else!" called Jesse, who was examining the rolling sea
+studiously with the field-glasses. "See it--right over there about two
+hundred yards! It looks like a man standing up in the water."
+
+"Oh, _that_," said Uncle Dick, "it's only a seal."
+
+"Couldn't I shoot it?" asked Rob. "I'd like to get its fur."
+
+Uncle Dick laughed. "You wouldn't find its hide worth more than a dollar
+or so, if you got it," said he. "That's only a little hair seal. You
+won't find any fur seals until you get a good many hundred miles beyond
+Kadiak. And that's a good many hundred miles yet from here. Let the
+little fellow go, and turn the glasses on that big bunch of whale-birds
+over there. See them flying--there's a string nearly a mile long."
+
+"I see them! I see them!" called out Rob. "There are thousands and
+thousands of them. I've seen them before, and one of the sailors told me
+that there is always most of them where there are whales around. They
+seem to feed on the same sort of things in the water, someway."
+
+"There are plenty of things you see up in this country," said Uncle
+Dick, as he turned away. "You may have thought Valdez was pretty much
+all of Alaska, but I'll show you it is just the beginning."
+
+"Do they have shipwrecks up here, Uncle Dick?" asked John. "It looks to
+me pretty rocky along these shores."
+
+"Don't talk about shipwrecks!" replied his uncle. "This coast is full of
+them. I can show you the skeletons of four ships within two hours' sail
+of Kadiak, and how many small boats go ashore, never to be heard of, no
+man can tell. There are big ships lost, too, up and down this coast.
+Last year the natives below Kadiak brought in casks and boxes and all
+kinds of things bearing the name of the steamer _Oregon_. She was
+wrecked far to the south of Valdez, but the Japan Current carried her
+wreckage a thousand miles to the north and west, and threw it on the
+coast of Kadiak and the smaller islands west of there. It made the
+natives rich, they found so much in the way of supplies."
+
+"Are there any bears out there?" asked Jesse, wonderingly.
+
+"Biggest in the world!" replied Uncle Dick. "You'd better keep away from
+them. We're sailing now just south of the great Kenai Peninsula of
+Alaska. There's bears over there, but mostly black ones. Plenty of moose
+and caribou in these mountains, and once in a while a grizzly, but the
+biggest grizzlies are the brown bears of Kadiak and the peninsula on
+beyond."
+
+Rob was silent for a time, but at last remarked: "From what I hear of
+this Kadiak country, I believe we're going to like it. When'll we get
+there?"
+
+Uncle Dick smiled. "Oh, sometime within a week," he answered. "Distances
+are long up here, and wind and tide have something to do with even a
+steamer's speed."
+
+
+
+
+IV
+
+LOST IN THE FOG
+
+
+Sure enough, it took five days more of steady steaming before the _Nora_
+approached the shores of far-off Kadiak Island. In the nighttime the
+boys heard the steamer's whistle going, and knew that Captain Zim was
+sounding the echoes to get his bearings in the thick weather then
+prevailing. Sea-captains on those shores, when the fog is thick, keep
+the whistle going, and when they hear the echoes from the rocks too
+plainly they make outward to the open sea.
+
+The _Nora_ crawled down the coast of Afognak Island in the fog and the
+dark, but finally cast her anchor as near as could be told off the
+entrance to the narrow channel of Kadiak Harbor. Here she sounded her
+whistle for more than an hour at short intervals, waiting for a pilot to
+come out. At last, soon after those on board had finished breakfast,
+they heard the sound of oars out in the fog and a rough voice calling
+through a megaphone: "Steamer ahoy! What boat is that?"
+
+"_Nora_, from Valdez," answered Captain Zim. "Are you the pilot?"
+
+"Ay, ay!" came the voice through the fog.
+
+"Come on board--this way!" called Captain Zim; and once more the hoarse
+whistle of the steamer boomed out into the fog.
+
+Needless to say, the three boys now were on deck, and they leaned over
+the rail as there appeared at the foot of the rope-ladder a big dory
+with two native oarsmen, and a stout, grizzled man, whom the ship's
+company announced to be Pete Piamon, the pilot for that coast.
+
+"How are you, Pete?" said Captain Zim. "Can we take her in? I'm late and
+in an awful hurry."
+
+Pete grinned. "All the time you ban in awful hurry, Captain Zim. Dis fog
+awful tick. Yas, we shall take her in if you say so--and maybe so pile
+her up on de rock. You don' min' dat, eh?"
+
+"Where's the revenue-cutter _Bennington_ lying, Pete?" asked Uncle Dick.
+
+"Inside, beyond de town." Pete jerked a thumb over his shoulder.
+
+"I'll tell you what I'll do, captain," said Uncle Dick. "I'm in a big
+hurry to report to my commanding officer on the _Bennington_, for he's
+no doubt been lying here two or three days waiting for us. You keep
+Pete here, and let me and the boys take his dory and pull in--they'll
+take us through the tide-rips all right, if it gets bad. I won't ask you
+to put down one of the ship's boats."
+
+Pete looked at Captain Zim, who answered: "Oh, all right, if you're in
+such a hurry; though you might wait and let us all go in together. How
+are you going to get all of your hand luggage and all four of you into
+that dory, though?"
+
+"You couldn't spare us a ship's boat?"
+
+"Sure I can," answered obliging Captain Zim. "I'll tell you--put the
+boys in the dory, and I'll send you and the luggage over in the
+long-boat."
+
+"Get down there, boys," commented Uncle Dick, briefly, pointing to the
+rope-ladder. "Are you afraid to go down the ladder?"
+
+Rob's answer was to make a spring for the top of the ladder, and down he
+went hand over hand, followed by the others, each of whom could climb
+like a squirrel. The two natives, grinning, reached up and steadied them
+as they reached the jumping dory. The boys insisted on having their
+blankets and rifles in the boat with them--a part of Alaska education
+which had been taught them by old prospectors.
+
+Pete shouted something over the rail in the Aleut tongue. At once the
+two natives bent to their oars, and the dory slipped away into the fog.
+Uncle Dick, busy with hunting out his luggage for the long-boat, did not
+at first miss it from the foot of the ladder.
+
+"Hello! Where did that dory go?" he asked, finally. In the confusion no
+one answered him. So at last he concluded his own work in loading the
+long-boat and went overside, ordering the boat's crew to give way
+together, strongly, in order to overtake the dory.
+
+But when the long-boat, after feeling its way down the narrow channel,
+emerged from the fog and pulled up at Kadiak dock there was no dory
+there.
+
+"Hello, there, Jimmy!" cried Uncle Dick to the manager of the warehouse
+at the dock. "Where's that boat?"
+
+"What boat do you mean, sir?" answered the other.
+
+"Why, Pete's dory. We just sent it in by two natives, with three boys
+I've got along--friends and relatives of mine."
+
+"You're joking, sir. You can't have brought boys away up here. Besides,
+they haven't showed up here at the dock, nor any dory, either."
+
+"They must have got into the other channel mouth in the fog and gone
+down Wood Island way," said Uncle Dick, at last, beginning to be
+troubled.
+
+"Well, if an Aleut can do anything wrong, that's what he's going to do,"
+answered the dock-master. "We'll have to send a boat over there after
+those people yet. By-the-way, Captain Barker, of the _Bennington_, is
+waiting for you. And he told me to tell you to come aboard in Pete's
+dory as soon as you struck the town."
+
+"But the dory's gone," commented Uncle Dick. "I don't like the look of
+this."
+
+Both men, with lips compressed, stood staring out into the heavy blanket
+of fog.
+
+
+
+
+V
+
+THE MISSING DORY
+
+
+What happened was this: The two natives in the dory were unable to
+understand English, and of course the three boys knew nothing of the
+native language. Yet from the hasty instruction of the pilot, Pete, the
+natives had gathered that "the boss gentleman"--that is to say, Uncle
+Dick--wanted to go to the revenue-cutter _Bennington_. Accordingly they
+concluded that the boys also were bound directly for the cutter, and so
+instead of heading to the channel which led to the town, they proposed
+to take a cut-off behind Wood Island, best known to themselves. Thus
+they rowed on for more than half an hour before any of the boys
+suspected anything wrong. Rob made signs to them to stop rowing. All the
+boys looked about them in the fog. They were still in the roll of the
+open sea, and the dory pitched wildly on the long swell, but, listen
+intently as they might, they could hear no sound from any quarter.
+
+"We ought to have stayed with Uncle Dick," suggested Jesse.
+
+"That's right!" admitted Rob. "But the question is, what ought we to do
+now? They pointed out town that way from the _Nora_, and I know we're
+not going the right direction."
+
+To all inquiries and commands the natives did nothing but shake their
+heads and smile pleasantly. At last they resumed their oars and began to
+row steadily on their course. The sea now came tumbling in astern in
+long black rolls, broken now and again by whitecaps. Like a cork the
+dory swung up and down on the long swells, and all the boys now grew
+serious, for they had never been in so wild a water as this in all their
+lives.
+
+They progressed this way a little while, until Rob bethought himself of
+the plan employed by the captains when skirting the shore in fog. He put
+his hands to his mouth and gave a loud, drawn-out shout, and then
+listened for an echo. Sure enough it came, faint and far off, but
+unmistakable.
+
+"We're running down the coast, or else the channel is wide here," said
+Rob, "because the echo is only on one side."
+
+From time to time they renewed these tactics, and for mile after mile
+kept in touch of the shore, on which now and then they could hear the
+waves breaking wildly. At last Rob set his jaw tight in decision.
+
+"I tell you what," said he; "we're going the wrong way. We ought to have
+been at the town long before this. I'm for going ashore and waiting till
+the fog lifts."
+
+Both Jesse and John agreed to this, for now they were thoroughly
+alarmed. Rob made motions to the two native oarsmen that they should
+head the dory inshore. They, always disposed to be obedient to the white
+race, agreed and swung the dory shoreward. "_Karosha_," said the older
+of the two men; by which they later learned he meant to say, "All
+right."
+
+The two natives were well used to making a landing through the surf.
+Arrived off shore, they waited till a big wave came directly at the
+stern, then with a shout gave way and rode in on its crest, jumping out
+into the water and pulling the dory high up on what proved to be a
+shingle beach backed by a high rock wall a hundred yards or so inland.
+
+All the boys now scrambled out, glad enough to set foot on shore. But
+they found their surroundings cheerless rather. The soft blanket of the
+fog shut in, white and fleecy, all about them. Now and again they heard
+a wandering sea-bird call, but they could see neither the sea nor any
+part of the shore beyond the rock wall near at hand. They no longer
+heard the whistle of the _Nora_ lying at anchor at the mouth of the
+channel.
+
+Both the natives now pulled out pipes and began to smoke silently. One
+produced from his pocket an object deeply wrapped in a bundle of rags
+and hide, which finally proved to be an old brass watch, which he
+consulted anxiously.
+
+"Him sleep," he remarked, shaking the watch and putting it to his ear.
+By this Rob knew that he meant that the watch had stopped.
+
+"I knew he could talk," said John. "Ask him where we can get something
+to eat. I'm getting awful hungry."
+
+"You're always hungry, John," said Rob. "The most important thing for us
+is to find where we are. Here, you!" He addressed the natives. "You can
+talk English. Which way is town? How far? Why don't we get there at
+once?"
+
+The wrinkled native smiled amiably again, and remarked "By-'n-by"; but
+that seemed to be the extent of his English, for after that he only
+shook his head and smiled.
+
+"This is a fine thing, isn't it?" said Rob. "I wonder what your uncle
+Dick will think of us. Anyway, we've got our guns and blankets, and
+there's a box of crackers and some canned tomatoes under the boat seat."
+
+At last the two natives began to jabber together excitedly. They turned
+and said something to the boys which the latter could not understand,
+and then, without further ado, made off inland and disappeared in the
+fog. Some moments elapsed before the boys understood what had happened,
+and indeed they had no means of knowing the truth, which was that the
+two natives, who were perfectly friendly, had started across to the
+Mission House of Wood Island, some two miles or more, in search of
+something to eat, and possibly in the wish of getting further
+instructions about these young men they found in their charge.
+
+"Why don't they come back?" asked Jesse, in the course of half an hour
+or so, during which all were growing more anxious than they cared to
+admit.
+
+"Who knows how long 'by-'n-by' may mean? I'd like to get out of here,"
+added John.
+
+"I'll tell you what we'll do," said Rob, after they had waited for
+perhaps another half-hour. "These men have left us, and now we'll leave
+them in turn. The sea is pretty rough, but this is a good boat and we
+can run her. We can go back that way, and get to the mouth of the
+channel, because I noticed which way the wind was blowing. Town must be
+off to the left, and we can keep track of the shore by the echo. I'm for
+pulling out right away."
+
+"So am I," assented John. And Jesse, although he looked rather sober at
+the sight of the white-topped waves, agreed.
+
+By great good-luck they were able to push the dory out with the receding
+crest of a big wave, and the first thing they knew they were pitching up
+and down in the white water. By hard pulling they got the boat offshore,
+and being there outside the more broken water made fairly good headway,
+although they found the boat heavy and hard to pull.
+
+"We can't make it," said Rob, at last. "She's too big for us to pull
+against the wind, and that's the way we must go if we go toward town.
+I'm afraid we'll have to go ashore again."
+
+"Look, look there!" cried John, suddenly.
+
+They all stopped rowing for a moment and gazed ahead.
+
+A towering ridge of white, foamy waves arose directly in front of them,
+higher than their heads had they stood upright in the boat. Swirling
+and breaking, it seemed to advance and march down upon them. The surface
+of the water was agitated as though some great creature were lashing it
+into foam. But soon they saw that this was something worse than any
+creature of the deep.
+
+"It's the tide-rips!" cried Rob, anxiously. "The tide-bore is going out
+the channel--I've heard them tell of that before. Look out, now! Give
+way, and put her into it quartering, or it'll swamp us, sure!"
+
+
+
+
+VI
+
+ADRIFT ON THE OCEAN
+
+
+A thousand angry, choppy waves pitched alongside the dory, as though
+reaching up and trying to come aboard. Time and again the boys thought
+all was lost. Instead of passing through the tide-rips, the dory seemed
+to be carried on with them as they shifted.
+
+The tide, indeed, had now turned, and with its turn the fog began to
+lift. Getting some idea of what now was happening, Rob undertook to make
+back toward the shore, where they could hear the surf roaring heavily.
+Perhaps it was lucky they did not succeed in this attempt, for the boat
+would no doubt have been crushed like an eggshell on the rocks. Instead,
+they began to float down parallel with the coast, carried on the crest
+of the big tide-bore which every day passes down the east coast of
+Kadiak between the long, parallel islands which make an inland channel
+many miles in extent. As the boys called now they could hear an echo on
+each side of them, and indeed could see the loom of the rock-bound
+shore; but all about them hissed and danced these fighting waves,
+tossing the dory a dozen ways at once, and all the time there came
+astern the long roll of the mighty Pacific in its power, the Japan
+current and the coast tide in unison forcing a boiling current down the
+rocky channel. Escape was hopeless.
+
+"Boys," said Rob, his face perhaps a trifle pale, "we can't get out of
+this. All we can do is to run."
+
+The others looked at him silently.
+
+"She's a splendid boat," went on Rob, trying to be cheerful. "She rides
+like a chip. I believe if we keep low down she'll be safe, for it
+doesn't seem to be getting any worse."
+
+A powerful steamboat, if it were caught under precisely these
+conditions, could have done little more than drift down the channel. The
+boys resigned themselves to their fate. Now and again the fog shut down.
+Wild cries of sea-birds were about them. Now and then the leap of a
+great dolphin feeding in the tide splashed alongside, to startle them
+yet more. Each moment, as they knew, carried them farther and farther
+from their friends, and deeper and deeper into dangers whose nature
+they could only guess.
+
+"I wish we'd never left Valdez," said Jesse, at last, his lip beginning
+to quiver.
+
+"That's no way to talk," said Rob, sternly. "The right thing to do when
+you're in a scrape is to try to get out of it. This tide can't run clear
+round the world, because your uncle Dick said this island wasn't over
+one hundred and fifty miles long, and there must be any number of bays
+and coves. Pull some crackers out of that box and let's eat a bite."
+
+"That's the talk," said John, more cheerfully. "We'll get ashore
+somewhere. It's no use to worry."
+
+John was always disposed to be philosophical; but the great peculiarity
+about him was that he was continually hungry. He found the crackers now
+rather dry and hard to eat, so worried open a can of tomatoes with his
+hunting-knife, complaining all the time that they had no water to drink.
+
+Their hasty meal seemed to do them good. Finding that their dory was
+still afloat, they began to lose their fears. Indeed, little by little,
+the height of the waves lessened. The tide was beginning to spread in
+the wider parts of the channel.
+
+"Let's try the oars again," said Rob, at last.
+
+To their delight they found that they could give the dory some headway.
+But in which direction should they row? Small wonder that in these
+crooked channels, with the wind shifting continually from the shore and
+the veil of fog alternately lifting and falling again, they took the
+wrong course.
+
+They had now been afloat for some hours, although at that season of the
+year there is daylight for almost the entire twenty-four hours, so that
+they had no means of guessing at the time. They had passed entirely
+across the mouths of two or three of the great inland bays, which make
+into the east shore of Kadiak Island. At the time when they flattered
+themselves they were making their best headway back toward town, they
+were really going in the opposite direction, caught by the stiff tide
+which was running between Ugak Island and the east coast of Kadiak. In
+all, they remained in the dory perhaps ten or twelve hours, and in that
+time they perhaps skirted more than one hundred miles of shore-line,
+counting the indentations of the bays, although in direct distance they
+did not reach a total of more than fifty or sixty miles. At the head of
+one of these bays, had they but known it, there were salmon rivers where
+fishing-boats occasionally stopped; but all that they could do was to
+use the best of their wisdom and their strength, and they kept on,
+steadily pulling, believing that the tide had turned, whereas in truth
+they were going down the coast still with the tide and approaching the
+mouth of the vast crooked bay known as Kaludiak, half-way down the east
+coast of the great island. Thus they were leaving behind a possible
+place of rescue. Although their first fright had in time somewhat worn
+away, they were now tired, hungry, thirsty, and, in fact, almost upon
+the point of exhaustion.
+
+All at once, at an hour which in the United States would probably have
+been taken to be just before sundown, but which really was nearly eleven
+o'clock at night, a change in the contour of the coast caused the wind
+to whip around once more. The fog, broken into thousands of white, ropy
+wreaths, was swept away upward. There stretched off to the right the
+entrance of a vast bay, with many arms, whose blue waters, far less
+turbulent than these of the open sea, led back deep into the heart of a
+noble mountain panorama of snow-covered peaks and flattened valleys.
+
+"It's almost like Resurrection Bay, or Valdez Harbor," said Rob. "At any
+rate, I'm for going in here. There will be streams coming down out of
+the mountains, and we can stop somewhere and make camp."
+
+
+
+
+VII
+
+THE HUT ON THE BEACH
+
+
+Rob pointed to a valley which made down to the bay some distance ahead.
+
+"There must be a stream somewhere in there," said he. "Besides, it looks
+flat, as though there were a beach. We'd better pull over there."
+
+So, weary as they were, they tugged on the oars until finally they drew
+opposite this narrow beach. A long roll from the sea came down the bay,
+but the surf did not break here so angrily, so that they made a landing
+with nothing more serious than a good wetting. They pulled the dory as
+far up the beach as they could, and made it fast by the painter to a big
+rock.
+
+They now found themselves in a somewhat singular country. The beach, of
+rough shingle, rose at an angle of thirty degrees for perhaps a hundred
+feet, where it terminated in a long, low ridge which, like a wall,
+paralleled the salt water as far as they could see on either hand.
+Inside of this wall, which was not very many yards across the top, they
+beheld a flat valley lying between the ocean and the foot of the
+mountains, perhaps a quarter of a mile across. A part of this valley was
+occupied by a long lake or lagoon, into which the water from the
+mountains seemed to come, and which found its outlet through a creek,
+which made off to the sea, far to the right.
+
+All this country is covered with the heavy moss, or tundra, peculiar to
+Alaska, which, when covered with a heavy growth of grass, as was the
+case here, affords rather difficult walking. But as the boys left the
+edge of the sea-wall Rob uttered an exclamation.
+
+"Here's a path!" he cried. "It must go somewhere. There have been people
+here!"
+
+"Look yonder!" said Jesse, pointing ahead. "There is the reason. There's
+a house over there!"
+
+The three now stopped and looked ahead anxiously. There was, indeed, a
+low hut built of drift-wood and earth--such a dwelling as is used by the
+Aleuts in their native condition and is called by them a "barabbara."
+
+"There's no smoke," said Rob. "Maybe it's deserted. We'd better be
+careful, though."
+
+They had been told by Uncle Dick that there lived on the east coast of
+Kadiak Island a part of the Aleut tribes who still remained savage, and
+who never visited a white settlement unless obliged to do so. Many tales
+of theft and bloodshed came from these natives, who had always refused
+to come under the influence of the missions or schools, one or two of
+which are established near Kadiak. In short, as Rob especially very well
+knew, there was no wilder or more dangerous portion of Alaska than that
+in which they now found themselves. It was very well to be cautious when
+approaching the dwelling-place of any of these wild natives, who had
+reasons of their own for putting out of the way any stray white man who
+might come into the country.
+
+Thirst, however, drove them on. They watched the low house for several
+minutes, and then cautiously advanced along the path. They found the
+place to be a typical native camp. Pieces of drift-wood lay about,
+mingled with skeletons of foxes, bones of salmon and codfish--all the
+uncleanliness of an Aleut dwelling. The only opening of the low, round
+hut itself was fastened by a square door about three feet across. No
+sound came from it.
+
+"Who's afraid?" said Rob, at last, and boldly pushed open the door. He
+stooped and entered, and the others followed him.
+
+They found themselves now in the interior of a low hovel, perhaps
+fifteen feet across, and rudely circular in form. A wall of roughly laid
+timbers extended all around, perhaps three feet from the ground, and
+from these eaves to a conical point there rose the rough beams of the
+roof, which was covered heavily with dirt, grass, and moss. A hole was
+left in the middle of the roof for the smoke to escape. In the centre
+lay the white ashes of many fires, on opposite sides of which stood two
+half-burned sticks which had supported kettles. The plan of the
+barabbara, in fact, is precisely similar to that of the tepee of the
+Plains Indians, except that it is not movable and is lower and even less
+roomy than a good tepee.
+
+"Nobody home!" said Jesse, looking about the dark interior, where the
+smoke had blackened all the wood, and where only a little light came
+through the door and the smoke-hole, there being no window at all.
+
+"Nor has there been for a long time," said Rob. "These bits of fish are
+all dried up. The ashes have been wet with rain for a long time. See,
+back there under the eaves there are a lot of _klipsies_. That's what
+they call their fox traps. Yes, this no doubt is the camp of a trapper
+or two who live here in the winter-time."
+
+"But where do they go in the summer?" asked John.
+
+"Probably to some of their own villages. It's almost too late now to
+trap foxes for their furs, so the chances are there will be no one here
+until next winter."
+
+"Why, then," said Jesse, his eyes brightening, "we could use this for
+our house, couldn't we?"
+
+"Precisely," said Rob. "That's just what we will do."
+
+"That'll be fine," said John, his eyes brighter than they had been for
+many an hour. "Now if we only had something for a good meal."
+
+"Here's an old tin lard-pail they no doubt used for a water-pail," said
+Rob, kicking about in the heavy covering of grass which lay on the
+floor. "Now, I tell you, I'll go get some water; you clean the hut,
+Jess; and, John, you go to the boat and bring over the box of crackers
+and tomatoes."
+
+With light hearts the others complied, each glad that now at least they
+were free from the dangers of the sea.
+
+"I believe we're going to be all right here, John," said Jesse, as the
+latter started toward the boat.
+
+"Surely we will," said John. "Only I know I want a drink pretty badly."
+
+When they met at the door of the hut a few moments later Rob offered
+them his kettle of water, from which he had not yet drunk. John took a
+deep draught and spat it out with a wry face.
+
+"Salt!" he exclaimed. "That's awful!"
+
+Rob looked at him in surprise.
+
+"That's strange," said he. "I saw the creek tumbling right down through
+the alders into this little lake, and it must be fresh water." He
+scratched his head. "Oh, I know," said he. "The tide backs up in here to
+the foot of the little falls. Give me the kettle. It's shallow out there
+in front, and there's rocks. We'll cross the lake to get a drink!"
+
+Suiting the action to the words, he went off on a run, and this time
+when he returned he had the pail full of excellent fresh water, cold as
+ice.
+
+"I got my feet wet," said he; "but never mind that. I've learned
+something else--or, at least, I think I have."
+
+"What's that?" asked Jesse.
+
+"Why, it's this. Our crackers and tomatoes won't last very long, and we
+can't eat moss or dried grass. We've got our fishing-lines done up in
+the bedrolls in the boat, and if we can't catch any codfish in the bay,
+there'll be a time before long, unless I'm mistaken, when there'll be
+salmon in this creek. They say they run in every river on the Alaska
+coast, and I suppose it's the same here."
+
+"We'd better not eat up all our crackers right away," suggested Jesse,
+hesitating.
+
+"No," said Rob, who seemed to drop into the place of leader. "We'll have
+to do the way people do when they're shipwrecked and cast away. We'll go
+on short rations for a while."
+
+"Well," said John, "let's have a cracker, anyway, and the rest of that
+last can of tomatoes we opened. I'd like a cup of tea pretty well; but
+it may be some time before we see tea again."
+
+"Worry enough for the day," said Rob. "And what we ought to be is mighty
+thankful we got off as well as we have. Anyhow, we're alive; and,
+anyhow, we'll camp here to-night. Now you boys go over to the boat and
+get the bedrolls, while I pick up some wood and get some fresh grass for
+the beds. It'll be dark now before long. We'll make a fire and cook the
+tomatoes in the can."
+
+Following Rob's advice, each now busied himself at these different
+tasks. In the course of an hour they had a fire glowing at the centre of
+the barabbara, which now would otherwise have been quite dark. The smoke
+did not seriously trouble them after they had learned to keep down low
+on the floor. Each unrolled his blankets on the deep, sweet-scented
+grass near-by the fire. Thus, alone and far from home, in a situation
+stranger than any of them had ever fancied himself about to see, they
+lay about the fire at midnight of the short Alaskan darkness. Each
+without instruction took his rifle from its case and put it on the
+blankets beside him, taking care that it was loaded. Outside they could
+hear the calls of flying birds; otherwise deep silence reigned. They
+felt, although they could not see, the presence of the surrounding walls
+of the great white mountains. Now and then they could hear the faint
+boom of the sea on the opposite side of the inner wall. It was a wild
+and new experience for them as at last, one by one, each nodded and
+dropped back upon his blankets for such sleep as he could find in his
+first night in camp on the unknown Kadiak coast.
+
+
+
+
+VIII
+
+THE SALMON RUN
+
+
+Worn out as they were by the adventures of the preceding day, the boys
+slept long and soundly. When at length Rob awoke he saw that the sun was
+shining brightly down through the smoke-vent in the roof. He called the
+others, who rolled over sleepily in their blankets.
+
+"Time for breakfast, John," said he, laughing.
+
+"Yes, and no breakfast," grumbled John--"at least, nothing but more
+crackers and tomatoes, and not very much of that."
+
+"I'll have a look outside first," said Rob, crawling over to the door
+and pushing it open. "I say, it's a fine day! You can see the mountains
+all around as clear as you please. Wherever we are, it's a big country
+at least."
+
+"What was that I heard just now?" exclaimed John, joining him at the
+door; "it sounded like a splash."
+
+They both crawled out of the door and stood up where they could see the
+surface of the lagoon, which lay but a few yards distant from the front
+of the hut. Sure enough, a series of spreading wrinkles marked the
+water.
+
+"Must have been a fish," said John. "There he goes again!"
+
+Even as he spoke Rob had left him and was running to the edge of the
+water. "Salmon!" he cried. "Salmon! I thought so. Now we're all right!"
+
+These were Alaska boys, and a run of salmon was nothing new to them,
+although it is something never failing of interest no matter how
+often one sees it. The three now gathered at the shallow water a short
+distance below the hut. All along the creek crows and ravens were flying
+in great flocks. From the heavy grove of cotton-wood beyond the
+creek there arose several great birds, soaring majestically
+across--eagles--also interested in the coming of the fish. Suddenly one
+of these made a swift dart from its poise high in the air, straight as
+an arrow, and flinging the water in every direction as it struck.
+Struggling, it rose again with a great fish in its talons.
+
+"He's got _his_ breakfast, anyhow," said John, ruefully. "But now how
+are we going to get ours?"
+
+"Run to the boat, John," said Rob. "I remember seeing some cod-lines
+with big hooks under the back seat. Must have belonged to those natives.
+You bring me those hooks while I hunt for a pole."
+
+Excitedly they all now began to see what might be done toward making a
+salmon-gaff such as Indians use; for all these boys knew very well that
+the Alaska salmon will not take any sort of a bait or lure when they are
+ascending a stream; and these were the red salmon, fish of about eight
+or ten pounds in weight, which in that part of the world are never known
+to take any kind of lure.
+
+In a few minutes Rob, having found a longish pole in the grass near by,
+had hurriedly bound with a piece of cod-line the three large hooks at
+the end so that they made a gang or gaff. Taking this, and rolling up
+his trousers high as he could, he waded into the shallow, ice-cold
+water.
+
+"Where are they now?" he asked of the others, who remained on the bank.
+
+"There they come--there's a school coming now!" cried Jesse.
+
+All at once Rob could see the surface of the water below him just barely
+moving in low, silvery ripples as though a faint wind touched it. A
+sort of metallic lustre seemed to hang above the water--the reflection
+from the bright scales of the many fish swimming close to the surface.
+Presently, as he looked into the water directly at his feet, he could
+see scores of large, ghostly looking creatures, pale green or silvery,
+passing slowly by him, some of them so close as almost to touch his legs
+as he stood motionless. Once or twice he struck with his gaff, but the
+quick motions of the fish foiled him; and it looked as though the boys
+would wait some time for their breakfast, after all. At last, however,
+he waded closer to the shore and half hid behind a bush, extending his
+gaff in front of him with the hooks resting on the bottom.
+
+"Now, drive them over this way--throw in some stones," he directed.
+
+The others did as he said, and all at once Rob saw the water directly in
+front of him full of a mass of confused fish. A quick jerk, and he had a
+fine, fat fish fast, and the next instant it was flopping on the bank,
+while all three of them fell upon it with eager cries.
+
+"Now another!" said Rob. "They may not be running all day."
+
+He returned to his hiding-place near the bush, and thus in a few
+minutes he had secured a half-dozen splendid fish.
+
+"That will do for now," said he. "What do you think of the chance for
+breakfast now, Mister John?"
+
+John grinned happily. He already had a couple of the fish nicely
+cleaned.
+
+"I'll tell you what," said Jesse, "after we've had breakfast we'll catch
+a lot of these fat ones and split them open the way the Indians do. I
+think we could make a smoking-rack for them without much trouble."
+
+"Capital," said Rob. "We ought to dry some fish when we have the chance,
+because no one can tell how long we may have to live here."
+
+"But we won't do anything till after breakfast," said John, looking up.
+
+"No," laughed Rob, "I'm just as hungry as you are. So now let's build a
+little fire and, since we have no frying-pan as yet, do what we can at
+broiling some salmon steaks on sticks."
+
+It was not the first time they had cooked fish in this way, and although
+they sadly missed the salt to which they were accustomed, they made a
+good breakfast from salmon and a cracker or so apiece, which Rob doled
+out to them from their scanty supply.
+
+"We ought to keep what we have as long as we can," said Rob. "For
+instance, we've only a couple of boxes of matches, and we must not waste
+one if we can help it. We'll look around after awhile and see if we can
+scare up a frying-pan. But now I move that the first thing we do be to
+explore our country just a little bit."
+
+"Agreed," said John, who was now well fed and contented. "Suppose we
+walk down to the mouth of the creek over there."
+
+Following along the winding shores of the small stream, which here at
+high tide was not above the level of the sea, they found themselves
+finally at the angle between the creek and the open bay, beyond the end
+of the low sea-wall which has earlier been mentioned. The creek here
+turned in sharply toward the foot of the mountain, and across from where
+the boys stood a sheer rock wall rose several hundred feet. This shut
+off the view of a part of the bay on that side, but in other directions
+they could see the white-topped waves rolling, eight or ten miles across
+to the farther side, where there were many other bays making back among
+the mountains.
+
+Out in the bay where the stream emptied, schools of salmon, apparently
+thousands in number, were flinging themselves into the air as they
+started toward the mouth of the creek. At the last angle of the stream,
+where it turned against the rock wall, there was a pool perhaps fifty
+feet across and twenty feet in depth, and as the boys looked down into
+this it seemed literally packed with hundreds and thousands of great
+salmon, which swam around and around before picking out the current of
+the stream up which they were to swim.
+
+"Here's fish enough for us whenever we want any," said Rob. "We can
+catch them here without much trouble, I think."
+
+"I don't know, we may not be so badly off here for a while, after all,"
+admitted John.
+
+"Just look at the gulls," said Jesse, idly shying a pebble at one great
+bird as it came screaming along close above them, to join its kind in
+the great flocks that circled around above the salmon, which they were
+helpless to feed upon, not being equipped with beak and talons like the
+eagles.
+
+"Yes," said Rob, "thousands of them. And every pair of them with a nest
+somewhere, and every nest with two eggs, and a good many of them good to
+eat. Do you see those tall, ragged rocks out there? That looks to me
+like their nesting-ground."
+
+"But we can't get there," said John, pointing to the creek.
+
+"Oh yes, we can, in two ways. We could wade the creek up above and climb
+across the shoulder of the mountain there, and maybe cross the next
+creek beyond, and so get out to those rocks on the point below. Or we
+can launch the dory up above and come down the coast to the mouth of the
+creek, and then skirt the shore over there."
+
+"Why don't we bring our boat over here and take it up the creek?" asked
+Jesse. "We wouldn't have to row more than a mile or so, and then we'd
+always know our boat was safe."
+
+"That's a good idea," said Rob. "We'll do that this very day. Suppose we
+go back now to the house."
+
+They now turned and began slowly to walk up the creek again. Suddenly
+Rob stooped down and parted the grass, looking closely at something on
+the ground.
+
+"What is it, Rob?" asked John, joining him.
+
+The two now pushed the grass apart and looked down eagerly. Rob rose to
+his knees and pushed the cap back on his forehead.
+
+"If I didn't know better," said he, "I'd call that the track of an
+elephant or a mastodon or something. See, there it goes, all along the
+shore."
+
+"But it can't be an elephant," said Jesse.
+
+"No, it can't be anything but just what it is--the track of a bear! What
+Uncle Dick said is true. Look, this track is more than half as long as
+my arm."
+
+"We'd better get back to the house as quick as we can," said Jesse,
+anxiously. "That bear may come back any minute!"
+
+
+
+
+IX
+
+THE BIG BEAR OF KADIAK
+
+
+The three now started up the creek toward the barabbara, their steps
+perhaps a little quicker than when they came down-stream. Rob was
+scanning the mountain-side carefully, and looking as well at the sign
+along the creek bank.
+
+"That's where he lives, up in that cañon across the creek, very likely,"
+he said, at length. "Here's where he crossed in the shallow water, and
+last night he fished all along this bank. My! I'll bet he's full of
+bones to-day. It's the first run of fish, and he was so hungry he ate
+pretty near everything except the backbone." He pointed to a dozen
+skeletons of salmon that lay half hidden in the grass. The latter was
+trampled down as though cows had been in pasture there.
+
+"I don't know," said Jesse, soberly. "I always wanted to kill a bear,
+and there's three of us now and we've got guns; but I don't believe I
+ever wanted to kill a bear quite as big as this one. Why, he could
+smash in the door of our house in the night and eat us up if he wanted
+to."
+
+"We'll eat _him_, that's what we'll do," said John, decisively. "I only
+wish we had a kettle or a frying-pan or something."
+
+"Seems to me you'd better get the bear first," said Jesse. "But we might
+look in among the traps in the back of the hut and see what we can find.
+These hunters nearly always leave some kind of cooking things at their
+camps."
+
+Sure enough, when the boys entered the barabbara to look after their
+rifles, and began to rummage among the piles of _klipsies_ which they
+found thrown back under the eaves, they unearthed a broken cast-iron
+frying-pan and, what caused them even greater delight, a little, dirty
+sack, which contained perhaps three or four pounds of salt. They sat on
+the grass of the floor and looked at one another with broad smiles. "If
+everything keeps up as lucky as this," said Jesse, "we'll be ready to
+keep house all right pretty soon. But ought we to use these things that
+don't belong to us?"
+
+"Surely we may," answered Rob. "It is always the custom in a wild
+country for any one who is lost and in need to take food when he finds
+it, and to use a camp as though it were his own. Of course we mustn't
+waste anything or carry anything off, but while we're here we'll act as
+though this place were ours, and if any one finds us here we'll pay for
+what we use. That's the Alaska way, as you know."
+
+"You're not going out after that big bear, are you?" asked Jesse,
+anxiously, of Rob.
+
+"Of course; we're all going! What are these new rifles for--just look,
+brand-new high-power Winchesters, every one--and any one of these guns
+will shoot as hard for us as for a grown man."
+
+They sat for some time in the hut discussing various matters. At last
+John crawled to the door and looked out. He was rather a matter-of-fact
+boy in his way, and there seemed no special excitement in his voice as
+he remarked: "Well, Rob, there comes your bear."
+
+The others hurried to the door. Sure enough, upon the bare mountain
+slope beyond the lagoon, nearly half a mile away, there showed plainly
+enough the body of an enormous bear, large as a horse. It was one of the
+great Kadiak bears, which are the biggest of all the world.
+
+"Cracky!" said Jesse; "he looks pretty big to me. Do you suppose he'll
+find us here in the house?"
+
+Rob, the oldest of the three, who had been on one or two hunts with his
+father, looked serious as he watched this giant animal advancing down
+the hill-side with its long, reaching stride. Suddenly he uttered an
+exclamation. "Look!" said he; "there's two more just come out of the
+brush. It's an old she bear and her cubs coming down to fish!"
+
+All could now see the three bears, the great, yellow-gray mother, huge
+and shaggy, and the two cubs, darker in color and, of course, much
+smaller, although each was as large as the ordinary black bear of the
+United States. Certainly it was an exciting moment as the boys looked at
+these great creatures now so close at hand.
+
+Presently the old bear seemed to suspect something, for she stopped and
+sat up on her haunches, swinging from side to side a head which was
+fully as long as the arm of any one of the boys.
+
+"She probably smells the smoke," whispered Rob. "Oh, I hope she won't
+get scared and run away! No, there she comes; it's the first salmon run,
+and they're all hungry for fish."
+
+They watched the bears until at last they disappeared in the brush which
+lined the creek on the farther side. Rob kept his eye intently fixed on
+the place where they had disappeared, but made no motion to leave the
+hut until finally all three of the bears once more appeared, this time
+splashing across the creek.
+
+"She knows the tide as well as we do," muttered he. "It won't be long
+now before the fish begin to move up the creek again. Now, come on,
+fellows, if you're not afraid!"
+
+Rob looked around at John, who had his new rifle in his hand, but looked
+none too eager, now that the opportunity had come to use it. Jesse's
+lip, it must be confessed, trembled a little bit, and he was pale. The
+first sight of a large bear has been known to unsettle the nerves of
+many a grown man, and it was not to be wondered at that it should
+disturb one of Jesse's years. There was, perhaps, in the wild and remote
+situation in which they found themselves something which gave them
+courage. They had escaped such dangers of the sea that now the danger of
+the land seemed less by comparison. Moreover, they all had the hunting
+instinct, and were accustomed to seeing big game brought in by their
+relatives and friends. Had an older person been with them, no doubt they
+would all have been frightened; but there is something strange in the
+truth that when one is thrown on one's own resources courage comes when
+needed--as it did now to these three castaways.
+
+Without any further speech Rob passed out at the door and stood waiting
+for the others to follow. Each was silent as he held his way down the
+creek.
+
+For some distance they did not need to conceal themselves; then their
+leader took them along the edge of the creek, where their heads would
+not show above the grass. Thus following down the stream, and carefully
+peering over the banks at each bend, they worked along until they were
+perhaps three or four hundred yards above the big salmon pool and near
+to a flat piece of water which extended above it. Rob raised a warning
+finger.
+
+"Listen!" he hissed.
+
+They could hear it now distinctly--heavy splashing in the water, broken
+with low, grumbling whines in a deep, throaty voice, something like what
+one may hear in a circus at feeding-time. Once in a while a squeak or a
+bawl came from one of the cubs. Rob laughed. From his position near the
+top of the bank he could now see the picture before him.
+
+The old mother was sitting on her haunches out in the middle of the
+stream, with a cub on either side of her. She was trying to teach them
+to fish. Once in a while she would make a sudden, cat-like stroke with
+her long forearm, and almost always would throw out a fine salmon on the
+bank. Toward this the cubs would start in their hunger, but the old
+lady, reproving them for their eagerness, would then cuff them soundly
+on the head, knocking them sprawling over in the water, to their very
+great disgust. Once in a while one of them, his ears tight to his head,
+would sit down in the water, lift up his nose and complain bitterly at
+this hard treatment. Then again he would make a half-hearted stroke at
+some of the fish which he could see swimming about him; but his short
+claws would not hold like the long, curved ones of his mother, and no
+fish rewarded the efforts of either of the cubs. The boys lost all sense
+of fear in watching this amusing scene, which they studied for some
+minutes. They really lost their best opportunity for stalking their
+game, because presently the old grizzly changed her mind and led the way
+out to the bank where several fish were lying flapping. Upon these they
+all fell eagerly, grunting and grumbling, and now and again fighting
+among themselves.
+
+Rob turned toward his friends. "Quick now!" he whispered, sternly, and
+led the way, crawling into the high grass which would afford them cover
+for a closer approach to their game. The hearts of all of them now were
+throbbing wildly, and probably each one doubted his ability to do good
+shooting. Something, however, led them on, and although Rob saw two pale
+faces following him when he looked back, there was a glitter in the eyes
+of each which told him that at least each of his friends would do his
+best.
+
+Passing now out of the grass to the cover of the bank again, Rob ran
+along crouching, until he pulled up under cover of the bank at a point
+not more than seventy-five yards from where they could now distinctly
+hear the bears at their feeding.
+
+"Get ready now!" he whispered.
+
+Slowly the three crawled to the top of the bank. Rob laid a hand on
+Jesse's rifle barrel, which he saw was unsteady. He made motions to both
+of the others not to be excited. A strange sort of calm seemed to have
+come upon him. Yet, plucky as he was, he was not prepared for the sight
+which met him as he gazed through the parted grass at the top of the
+bank.
+
+The old grizzly, once more suspicious, had again sat up on her haunches,
+and turning her head from side to side began to sniff as though she
+scented danger. Her shaggy hair shone silvery now in the sun, and she
+seemed enormously large. Rob's heart leaped to his mouth, but suddenly
+dropping to his knee, and calling out to the others "Now!" he fired
+without longer hesitation.
+
+The sound of the other two rifles followed at once. The great bear gave
+a hoarse roar which seemed to make the hair prickle on the boys' heads;
+but even as she roared she dropped and floundered in the mud of the
+bank, up which she strove to climb. Again and again the rifles spoke.
+
+"Now the little ones--quick!" cried Rob, half springing to his feet, and
+continuing to fire steadily. Some one's shot struck the first cub square
+through the spine and killed it instantly. The second cub stood but a
+moment longer. These boys had used rifles many times before, and
+although not every shot went true, perhaps half of them struck their
+mark; and it was as Rob had said--the rifles shot as hard for them as
+for a grown man.
+
+The great she bear, possessed of enormous vitality, was not easily
+disposed of. The magazines of all the rifles were emptied the second
+time before Rob would allow them to go a foot closer, and even so, the
+great gray body retained life enough to roll half down the bank as they
+approached. This time Rob finished the old bear with a shot through the
+head, at a distance of not more than thirty yards.
+
+The game was down and dead--three great bears, one of them huge beyond
+the wildest dreams of any of them, and unbelievably large even for the
+most widely experienced sportsman. Indeed, any sportsman might have been
+proud of this record. Rob turned to look at his friends.
+
+Suddenly he himself sat down, and to his surprise found that he was
+trembling violently all over. Jesse and John were both doing the same.
+He saw that their faces were deathly pale.
+
+"I'm--I'm--I'm sort of--sort of sick at my stomach!" said Jesse.
+
+
+
+
+X
+
+THE SAVAGE REFUGEE
+
+
+"Well," said Rob, finally, looking around at his friends and grinning,
+"I don't know which of us is the worst scared; but, anyhow, we've got
+our game, and a lot of it. Do you suppose we can skin these big
+fellows?"
+
+"We'll have to," said John. "There's meat enough to last us a year. That
+old bear is bigger than any horse in Valdez."
+
+"And tough as any horse, too," said Rob. "The cubs may be better to eat.
+I have heard my father say that bear liver isn't bad; and certainly we
+can get all the fat we want to fry our fish. Lucky we've all got our
+hunting-knives along; so here goes!"
+
+They now arose and began the difficult task of skinning out the great
+bear--slow work for even an experienced hunter. They kept at it,
+however, and had made a good beginning when all at once a slight sound
+at the edge of the creek bank attracted Rob's attention.
+
+As he turned the others noticed him, and all three of them stood staring
+an instant later at the same object: a round, dark face gazing at them
+motionless through the grass--a face with cunning little eyes set
+slantwise, like those of a Japanese, and long, stringy locks of dark
+hair hanging down about the cheeks. Instinctively each boy reached for
+his rifle, which he had left leaning against the carcass of the great
+bear. Apparently not alarmed, the face kept its place, staring steadily
+at them. Rob now guessed the truth, which was that this Aleut savage had
+heard the shots and had entered the mouth of the creek in his boat. Not
+knowing whether he was friend or foe, Rob motioned the others to follow
+him, and approached him with his rifle at a ready.
+
+Seeing that they were not afraid, nor disposed to be driven from their
+place, the Aleut savage--for such it proved to be--arose, and with what
+he meant to be a smile stretched out his hand as though in friendship.
+His gun, a rusty old affair, he left lying on the ground at his side.
+Rob kicked it away as he approached.
+
+They now saw how the Aleut had reached them. His boat, a long, native
+bidarka, lay in the creek, up which the native had paddled silently on
+his own errand of discovery. This boat interested the boys very much.
+It was nearly twenty feet long and not more than two feet wide, covered
+entirely with tightly stretched skin. In the deck were two round holes,
+around each of which there was a mantle, or hood, of oiled hide or
+membrane, which could be drawn up about the waist of a man sitting in
+the hatch. On the narrow and sloping deck there was lashed a long spear
+and an extra paddle. The boys also noticed sticking to the deck a
+stringy-looking mass of grayish white, which at first they could not
+identify, though later they found it to be a collection of devil-fish,
+or octopi, which the native had gathered among the rocks for later use
+as food. Peering into the hatches they saw a copper kettle partly filled
+with a whitish-looking meat, which later they found to be whale flesh.
+There was a ragged blanket of fur thrust under the deck between the
+hatches.
+
+"He's been cruising along the coast," said Rob; "but this is a two-hatch
+bidarka, so probably he's got a partner somewhere around."
+
+"Maybe he's up at our house now stealing everything we left there,"
+suggested Jesse.
+
+"Yes, and maybe it's his house that we've moved into," added John.
+
+Rob, the older of the boys, and the one on whose judgment they had come
+to rely, remained silent a moment.
+
+"Boys," said he, at last, "this fellow looks like mischief to me. We
+can't let him go away, to come back after awhile and rob us. We can't
+leave his gun here with him and go on with our work. The only thing we
+can do is to take him in charge for a while."
+
+"Let me get his gun away from him," began John.
+
+Possibly the Aleut understood some of this, for all at once he made a
+sudden spring and caught at his gun.
+
+Quick as a flash Rob covered him with his own rifle. "No, you don't," he
+said; "drop it! That settles it for you!"
+
+Again the Aleut seemed to understand, for he stood up, tried to smile
+again, and once more held out his hand.
+
+"Take his gun and chuck it in the boat, Jess," commanded Rob. "Now you
+mush on!" he ordered the Aleut, pointing to the carcass of the bear.
+("Mush on," in Alaska dog-train vernacular, means "march on," being a
+corruption from the French word _marchons_.)
+
+The native sullenly walked on ahead, and finally sat down by the side of
+the bear.
+
+"You watch him, John," said Rob. "I've got to go on skinning this bear."
+So saying, he resumed his work, presently rejoined by Jesse.
+
+The native watched them, but finally began to smile at their clumsiness.
+
+"I'll tell you what," said Jesse; "if he's so smart about this, let's
+make him help skin."
+
+"A good idea!" added Rob. He began to make signs to the Aleut. "Here,
+you," said he, "get up and go to work--and keep on your own side of the
+bear."
+
+He pointed to the crooked knife which he saw in the native's belt. The
+latter, none too well pleased, sulkily arose and began to aid in
+skinning the bear. It was easy to see that it was not the first work of
+the kind he had done. He laid the hide off in folds, with long, easy
+strokes, doing twice as much work as all the other three. After a time
+the boys stopped their work entirely and stood watching him with
+admiration. The Aleut paid no attention to this, but went on with his
+work, once in awhile helping himself to a piece of raw fat. In the
+course of half an hour or so he had the great robe spread out on the
+grass, with the difficult work of skinning out the feet all done, and
+the ears, nose, and all parts of the head skinned out without leaving a
+slashed spot on the hide.
+
+"This beats doing it ourselves!" said John, who was not especially fond
+of work.
+
+"We ought to thank him some way," said Rob. "You know a little Chinook,
+John; why don't you talk to him?"
+
+John grinned.
+
+"_Kla-how-yah, tillicum!_" he began. "_Klosh-tum-tum_, eh? _Skookum!
+Skookum!_"
+
+Again the Aleut smiled in his distorted way, but whether or not he
+understood no one could tell.
+
+"What did you say to him, John?" asked Jesse.
+
+"Asked him how he was; told him that we were all pretty good friends,
+and that he had done mighty good work," interpreted John, proudly.
+
+"Well, it didn't seem to do much good, anyhow," said Rob. "But what
+shall we call him?"
+
+"Call him Jimmy," said Jesse. "He looks as though his name might be
+Jimmy as much as anything else."
+
+"All right!" agreed their leader. "Here, you, Jimmy, catch hold here!
+I'll show you a better way of getting this hide up to camp than
+carrying it there."
+
+He motioned that they should put the hide on the deck of the bidarka,
+and in time this was done, although the great weight of the green hide,
+a load for two strong men, sunk the bidarka so deeply that half its deck
+was covered.
+
+"Now get in, Jimmy," ordered Rob, pointing to the rear hatch. The native
+stepped in lightly, paddle in hand, and showed his ability to handle the
+little craft, even heavily loaded as it now was. Rob pointed up the
+creek, but with a sudden sweep of his paddle the Aleut turned the other
+way and started for the sea.
+
+"Quick, get the guns!" cried Rob. "Head him off across the bend!"
+
+Quick as were their movements, they were none too soon, for as they
+rushed across the narrow part of the creek bend they saw the Aleut
+almost upon them. He made no attempt to get at his gun, which was buried
+under the hides in the front hatch, but was paddling with all his might.
+Without hesitation Rob fired two shots into the water ahead of his boat,
+and held up his hand in command to him to stop. These things were
+language that even an Aleut could understand. Scowling and sullen, he
+slowly paddled up to the bank. He understood the fierce menace of the
+three rifles now pointing at him. This time he obeyed the gestures made
+to him, and, turning about, proceeded to paddle slowly up the creek,
+followed by the boys along the bank.
+
+
+
+
+XI
+
+A TROUBLESOME PRISONER
+
+
+When they reached the lagoon in front of the barabbara they stood for a
+time closely watching the latter. No sign of any visitor appeared,
+however. At last Rob boldly went on, kicked open the door, and called to
+the others to follow. Evidently, if the Aleut had any companion, he was
+not in that part of the island.
+
+"You watch me make this fellow work," said John. "I know a few words of
+Aleut as well as some Chinook. Here, you, Jimmy," he went on, "_sashgee
+augone! Skora!_"
+
+To the surprise of all the Aleut actually smiled, as though in pleasure
+at hearing his own tongue.
+
+"Got him that time!" said John, importantly. "Why, I can talk to these
+people all right. _Skora_, Jimmy!" he added, sternly, pointing to the
+fireplace.
+
+"_Da! Da! Skora!_" said the Aleut, and began to hunt about for wood.
+
+"What did you tell him that time?" asked Jesse.
+
+"Told him to make a fire, and be jolly quick about it," said John. "If
+you want to get anything done, come to me, fellows. Look at Jimmy build
+that fire!"
+
+In truth the Aleut seemed to accept the place assigned him. He not only
+built the fire in the middle of the hut, but picked up the skillet as a
+matter of course, wiped it out with some dried grass, put into it some
+of the bear fat, and added a part of the liver which they had brought
+along. He handed out the empty pail to John, grunting something which no
+one understood; but John, passing the pail in turn to Jesse, said he
+thought that what the Aleut wanted was some water to boil.
+
+"_Chi?_" asked the Aleut, suddenly, of John.
+
+"_Natu chi_," said John ("Haven't got any tea").
+
+In reply to this the Aleut stooped down, went out of the door, and
+walked over to the bidarka, where it lay at the bank. Rob followed him
+to see that he attempted no treachery, but the Aleut seemed to have no
+intention of that. He pulled out from his boat a dried seal-skin or two,
+his old blanket, and his gun, which latter Rob took from him.
+
+"He's been hunting and fishing," said Rob. "Looks like he had a
+bear-hide of his own underneath there. He's got two or three fresh
+codfish, and here's his cod-line of rawhide--with bone sinkers. And
+here's a bow and some bone-tipped arrows, besides his spear there on the
+deck. If we kept his rifle and turned him loose he could make a living
+all right."
+
+"But we don't want to turn him loose," said John; "he's too useful. Look
+at that."
+
+The Aleut finally produced from under the deck a dirty little bag
+tightly tied.
+
+"_Chi!_" he exclaimed, holding it up in triumph.
+
+"You see," said John, "we've got tea all right. Now it looks to me that
+we could get a pretty good meal."
+
+By the time the Aleut had prepared their supper for them, and had made
+each a tin can of hot tea, all the boys began to feel tired and sleepy,
+for now the hour of night was well advanced, although the Alaskan sun
+stood well above the horizon.
+
+"I'm mighty sleepy," said John, yawning.
+
+"I should think you would be," said Jesse, "after all you ate. But if
+we're sleepy, why can't we go to sleep?"
+
+"That would never do," spoke up Rob. "We don't know what this native
+might do while we were all asleep. I've been thinking that over. It
+seems to me the only way we can do is to tie his hands together, so he
+can't do any harm, and then take turns in standing watch."
+
+"Have we got to do that always?" asked John, sleepily.
+
+"We've got to do it to-night, at least," said Rob, emphatically. "Take
+that piece of hide rope, John, tie his wrists together, and pass it down
+to his ankles behind his back. He can sleep a little in that way, at
+least; and I'll stand the first watch."
+
+The Aleut, not doubting at the first of these motions that they intended
+to kill him, fell upon his knees and began to jabber, apparently begging
+for mercy. At last he grinned as he looked down at his manacled hands,
+and presently, without much more ado, rolled himself over on his
+blankets and seemed to fall asleep. On the opposite side of the hut
+Jesse and John followed his example, and soon were fast in real sleep.
+Rob sat by the failing fire, his rifle across his knees. He, too, was
+tired with the work of the day. At times, in spite of himself, his head
+would drop forward and he would awake with a start.
+
+
+
+
+XII
+
+WAYS OF THE WILDERNESS
+
+
+Rob awoke with a sudden jerk. A slight sound had disturbed him. He gazed
+steadily at the figure of the Aleut in the faint light of the embers.
+The latter was lying quite motionless, but something caused Rob to feel
+suspicious. He put out a hand and awakened his two companions, who sat
+up, rubbing their eyes sleepily.
+
+"What's the matter?" asked Jesse. "Where are we, and what sort of a
+place is this? My! I was dreaming, and I thought I was back home in
+bed."
+
+"John," said Rob, "crawl over and look at that fellow's fastenings. I
+thought I heard him move. Don't be afraid. I'll keep him covered with
+the rifle. Build up the fire a little."
+
+John complied, presently stooping down to examine the cord with which
+the Aleut had been confined. He gave an exclamation. "Why, he's loose!
+He's gnawed the hide clean in two with his teeth. He could have got
+away any time he liked."
+
+Rob admitted his fault. "The truth is," said he, "I was very sleepy, and
+I must have dozed off. But now, what shall we do? Here we've got this
+man, and he evidently doesn't intend to stay a minute longer than he can
+help. Whether he would hurt us or not is something we can't tell; but we
+don't dare take the chance."
+
+"It'll be a great deal of trouble to watch him this way all the time,"
+suggested John.
+
+"True, but we must watch him. On the other hand, what right have we to
+take him prisoner, since we don't know that he ever meant any wrong?
+We're not officers of the law, and this man has not committed any crime,
+so far as we know. The question is, what would he do to us if he got us
+before a law-court and accused us with making him a prisoner for no
+cause?"
+
+The three sat in the dim light of the hut for a time and pondered over
+these matters. At length Rob spoke again with decision.
+
+"It's the greatest good for the greatest number," said he. "It seems to
+me that the best thing we can do is to treat this man well, but not let
+him get away. He ought to do his share of the work, and he's stronger
+than any of us. Then, if we should ever be rescued--"
+
+Jesse's lips began to twitch. Evidently he was getting rather homesick.
+Rob noticed his face, and went on: "Of course we will get out of here
+before long, someway," he said. "Meanwhile, we will have to make the
+best living here we can. If we ever get this man to a white settlement,
+where we can find out who and what he is, why, then, we can pay him for
+his time, if it should prove that he is only an innocent native hunting
+away from his village. On the other hand, if he turns out to be a
+criminal of any kind, then we've had a right to arrest him, and can't
+get into any trouble over it."
+
+"It's a pretty rough joke on him," said John, "if he hasn't done
+anything wrong. He acts as though he had been here before. For all we
+can tell, he may own this house that we've taken over for ourselves. The
+only thing sure is that he's a better hand in camp than we are, the way
+things stand now. I'm for keeping him and letting him work. My folks'll
+pay him whatever is right, if it comes to that; and you never saw an
+Aleut who wasn't glad to get hold of a little money, I'll warrant that."
+
+"Well," said Rob, "we'll let it stand that way. And now, as the night
+seems to be about half done, suppose you and Jess keep watch together
+and let me take a little nap. If one of you gets sleepy the other can
+waken him. I suppose there's no use tying that man again, for he's got
+teeth like a beaver."
+
+The Aleut made no further disturbance during the long hours of waiting,
+which seemed endless to the two young watchers. At last, however, the
+light grew stronger in the dark interior of the barabbara. John
+announced his entire willingness to eat breakfast, and, pushing open the
+door, motioned for the Aleut to go and get some wood. Without any
+resistance the man did as he was bid, shaking the remaining thong off
+his wrist with a grin. They finished their breakfast of bear meat and
+tea, the prisoner seeming immensely to enjoy the biscuits which the boys
+offered him as pay in return for his contribution of tea.
+
+"Now, what's on the programme for to-day?" asked John, finally. "It
+certainly looks as though we ought to take care of all that meat."
+
+"Yes," assented Rob. "We'll see if we can't dry some of it, at least.
+Suppose you go on down the creek, John, and keep the crows and eagles
+away from the meat, while the rest of us bring the boat down the beach
+and into the mouth of the creek. That'll give us plenty of boat room to
+bring up quite a cargo of meat to the camp here."
+
+"There's another thing we ought to do," said John, "and that is to put
+up some kind of a signal in case a boat should come down into the bay
+here. Of course Uncle Dick will be looking for us, and there might be a
+boat in here almost any day."
+
+"That's a capital idea!" exclaimed Rob. "Now, Jesse, if you'll get a
+long pole and tie this handkerchief to it, I'll meet you over at the
+dory with the other things which we'll need on our trip this morning."
+
+Rob left the Aleut's gun on the deck of the bidarka, but carried along
+his hide fishing-line and both the bidarka paddles. His own rifle and
+that of Jesse he put in one end of the dory, opposite the seat where he
+intended the Aleut to sit. Telling Jesse to watch the latter, he once
+more ascended to the top of the sea-wall, and here erected his
+signal-flag, piling up a heap of stones at the foot of the staff. Long
+and anxiously he gazed out toward the mouth of the bay, but only the
+long green billows of the sea came rolling in, unbroken by any sail or
+cloud of smoke. Across the bay, a half-dozen miles or so, the great
+mountains stood grim and silent, the tops of many of them wreathed in
+fog. It was a wild and desolate scene, and one to try the courage of any
+young adventurer. But Rob, seeing how homesick Jesse was becoming, did
+his best to cheer him as he joined him at the dory.
+
+"Plenty to do to-day!" he said. "And now for a good boat ride. It's
+lucky we've so good a sea-boat along as this dory--it's far safer than
+Jimmy's bidarka over there."
+
+Rob seated himself at the stern and put Jesse in the bow. He motioned to
+the Aleut to take up the oars and row, and the latter, without
+objection, skilfully got the dory out through the surf, and at once
+proved himself master of the white man's oars as well as the native
+paddle. The wind was coming astern, and their run of something like a
+mile down to the mouth of the creek was made rapidly. Just around the
+point from the mouth of the stream Rob motioned to the Aleut to stop
+rowing.
+
+"It looks deep here," said he to Jesse. "Maybe we could get a codfish.
+Here, Jimmy, take a try with your own fishing-line."
+
+The Aleut grinned as Rob tossed him his rough-looking line of hide, and
+at once set to work. Nor did he prove inefficient, even with this rough
+tackle of hide and bone. He baited the crude hook with a piece of meat
+which he took from his pocket, and dropped it overboard in twenty
+fathoms of water. Motioning to Rob to keep the boat steady, he began to
+pull the line up and down in long, steady jerks. Before long he gave a
+short grunt and began to pull it in rapidly hand over hand. Rob and
+Jesse, gazing over the side, at length saw the gleam of a large fish
+deep down in the water. The Aleut, with another grunt, pulled the fish
+in, swung it over the sides, and threw it flopping at the bottom of the
+dory. It was a fine codfish weighing perhaps a dozen pounds.
+
+"Well, I'll say one thing," said Jesse, finally, smiling: "since we have
+to make a living for ourselves, this is about as easy as any country we
+could have gotten into. Try it again, Jimmy."
+
+Whether or not Jimmy understood any English they never knew, but at
+least he cast over his bone hook once more, and, continuing his
+operations as the dory slowly drifted, in less than half an hour he had
+eight fine fish aboard.
+
+"That'll do, old man!" said Rob to him, and motioned to him now to row
+into the mouth the creek which was nearly opposite. They now could see
+John waiting for them on the shore. He had seen them fishing, and
+congratulated them on their fine catch, agreeing with Jesse that
+certainly they at least would not lack abundance to eat.
+
+"I've heard you can make salt by boiling sea-water," said John, who,
+although a hearty eater, was sometimes rather particular about his food.
+"That is almost the only thing we need that we haven't got now. Our
+little sack won't last forever."
+
+"Yes," said Rob, "it would be all the better for our bear meat in this
+moist climate. But we'll have to do the best we can by drying it with
+smoke."
+
+They now pulled the dory into the mouth of the little creek, turning it
+at the face of the high rock wall, and noticing the thousands of salmon
+that swam round and round the deep pool just above the entrance of the
+stream. From this point up the crooked bends to the place where the dead
+bears lay was perhaps a quarter of a mile. But presently they all met
+there.
+
+"There is pretty near a ton of meat," said Rob, looking down at the dead
+bears. "We ought to have skinned those young bears yesterday, but will
+do that now before they spoil. Then maybe we can make Jimmy understand
+what we want to do about saving the meat."
+
+They all fell to work now, the boys at one of the cubs and the Aleut at
+the other. The latter, with a grin of triumph, held up his fresh hide
+entirely skinned out before the three boys together had finished theirs.
+In some way he seemed to understand what they wished to have done about
+the meat, perhaps himself being inclined to see that plenty of food was
+on hand, since his captors were not disposed to let him go away. The
+Aleuts, who never see any fresh beef, and who live in a country where
+not even caribou are often found, are very fond of bear meat, which the
+more civilized ones call "beef." The captive seemed to understand
+perfectly well how to take care of this "beef," and he took out the long
+tenderloins from the back of each cub and separated the hams. For the
+big bear he did not seem to care so much, and made signs to show that it
+was tough and hard to eat. Rob insisted, however, that he should take
+some of the choicer parts of the bear also, since it seemed a shame to
+let it waste. They loaded their dory down as heavily as they dared, and
+so, dragging on the painter and poling with the oars, at last they got
+their cargo up to camp, mooring the dory alongside the bidarka.
+
+Without much more ado Jimmy began to search around in the grass and
+found some long poles, one end of which he rested on the roof of the
+barabbara, supporting the other on some crotches which he set up. Across
+these poles he laid smaller sticks and made a rough drying-rack. He
+showed the boys how to cut the meat into long, thin strips, and under
+this, after it was stretched on the rack, he built a small fire, so that
+the smoke would aid the sun in curing the meat--none too sure a process
+in a country where rain was apt to come at any hour. After this the
+Aleut turned toward the dory, and hauled out something which the boys
+had not noticed before. He busied himself at the edge of the lagoon.
+
+"What's he doing, John?" asked Rob.
+
+They all stepped up and watched him.
+
+"Why, that's the intestines of the old bear," said Rob, at last. "I
+didn't see him throw them into the boat."
+
+"I know what he's doing," said John. "He's going to clean 'em out. They
+make all sorts of things. For instance, that hood around the bidarka is
+made out of this sort of thing, I believe. And then they make other
+outfits--"
+
+"_Kamelinka!_" said Jimmy, suddenly, holding up a part of the intestines
+and smiling. He motioned to his own sleeves.
+
+"_Da! Da!_" exclaimed John, in Aleut language. "Yes, that's so! Sure!
+
+"He means he is going to make one of their rain-coats out of it," he
+explained to the others. "A _kamelinka_ is made out of these membranes,
+and they put it on like a coat, and no water can get through it. Didn't
+you ever see one? They tear if they're dry, but if you wet them they're
+tough, and no water will go through them. Mr. Jimmy puts on his
+_kamelinka_, and gets in the bidarka and ties the hood around his waist,
+and there he is, no matter how high the sea runs. No water gets into the
+boat, and when he comes home he is dry as when he started. Pretty good
+scheme, isn't it?"
+
+They watched Jimmy for a time at his work before they finished
+stretching all the meat. Then they cleaned the codfish and put them
+inside the hut, so that the crows could not get them. Over the fresh
+meat on the scaffold they now spread some damp grass, because it was
+their intention to leave the place for a little while.
+
+"We'll make a hunt this afternoon," said Rob, "and see whether we can
+find any gull eggs. First we want to see what our resources are, and
+after that we can help ourselves as need be."
+
+Accordingly, after they had taken the cargo out of the dory, and thus
+completed their labors for the time, they all four embarked in the dory,
+pushed rapidly down the creek, and out into the open waters of the bay.
+Here, a half-mile ahead of them, below the mouth of the creek, they saw
+some rough pinnacles of rock, over which soared thousands of sea-birds.
+As they approached these rocks they found a narrow beach wide enough to
+hold the dory. It took them but a few moments' climb to gather all the
+eggs they wanted. These they were obliged to carry in their pockets or
+in the folds of their jackets. They trusted Jimmy to tell them which
+were fresh. Jimmy seemed always to know what ought to be done, and now
+without any advice he left the boys and proceeded to climb up to the
+steeper part of the rocks, where the nests of the gulls and sea-murres
+were so thick that he could scarcely avoid crushing the eggs as he
+walked. Evidently it was not eggs he sought. Agile as a cat, he climbed
+to the top of a sheer face of rock, and leaning over put his hand into a
+hole. A moment later the boys saw a dark body hurtle through the air and
+fall on the beach. It proved to be a stout, heavy, dark-colored bird
+with a strong, parrot-like beak and a crest of long yellow feathers on
+each side of the head.
+
+"That's a sea-parrot," said Rob, picking it up. "Look out, Jesse, there
+comes another!"
+
+Sure enough, one after another of the dead bodies of the sea-parrots
+fell on the narrow beach, until two or three dozen were lying there.
+
+Jimmy ceased his labors, climbed down the rocks, and calmly began to
+skin off the breast plumage of the birds.
+
+"What's he doing that for?" asked Jesse of Rob.
+
+"They're not good to eat," said Rob, "that's one thing sure. I'll tell
+you what--I've seen some dark-colored feather coats and blankets at the
+trader's store down below Valdez. I'll warrant they were made out of the
+breasts of these very sea-parrots here."
+
+Whatever were Jimmy's plans he could not or did not disclose them. After
+a time he threw his heap of parrot-skins into the front of the dory, and
+stood waiting at the side of the boat, as though ready to go home if the
+others wished it. They therefore embarked for return to their camp.
+
+
+
+
+XIII
+
+MAKING A LIVING
+
+
+"If any of our people were along," said John, as they headed the dory
+back toward the mouth of the creek, "I would say we could have a pretty
+good time here."
+
+"I don't doubt," answered Rob, "that we can get along all summer without
+trouble. I believe, too, that the natives come here so often we may be
+able to send out word even if we can't get out ourselves. We can't
+possibly be a hundred miles from Kadiak town, and although we might get
+there in our dory, the chances are so much against it that I think we
+would do better to stay right where we are for a time at least. As we
+were saying not long ago, this country furnishes a living without much
+trouble."
+
+"And without much work," added John, "as long as we have Jimmy."
+
+"He's stronger than we are," admitted Rob; "still, each of us must do
+his share of the work around camp, because that's the only right way to
+do. He's a good teacher, for we're in his country and will have to live
+in his way--What's on his mind now, do you suppose?" Rob continued, as
+Jimmy suddenly stopped rowing and began to look keenly off toward shore.
+
+"I see him!" exclaimed Jesse, eagerly. "It's a seal! Look at him!"
+
+About sixty yards away there was a round object with two shining spots
+on it standing just above the water--the head of a seal which was
+closely examining the strange object which approached it. All at once,
+as they looked at it, the seal suddenly sank out of sight. Without
+instruction the Aleut now bent to his oars as hard as he could, and
+hurried to the beach which lay not far beyond. Hurriedly pulling the
+dory up, he motioned to Rob to get out with his rifle.
+
+"There he is again!" called John, pointing. "He's closer in now. Look,
+he isn't a hundred yards away! You try him, Rob; you're the best shot."
+
+Crouching down, Rob hurried toward a big rock which lay at the water's
+edge. Here he rested his rifle and, taking quick aim, fired. The splash
+of the ball on top of the intervening wave showed that he had missed.
+Once more the seal sank, but in the course of a few minutes it appeared
+yet again, this time still closer in. Carefully Rob fired a second time,
+and this time they all heard distinctly the thud of the bullet, which
+proved that the shot had struck true. With a splash the seal
+disappeared, but giving a shout the Aleut pushed off the dory and called
+to them all to get in. In a few moments he brought them alongside the
+still struggling body of the seal, which appeared now above and now
+beneath the surface of the water. Hurriedly catching up his long spear,
+the native made a thrust at the seal and fastened it with the barb, and
+with many grunting chuckles drew it alongside. Soon, with a heave, he
+got it inboard--a small hair seal not much more than three feet in
+length.
+
+"_Karosha!_" exclaimed the Aleut, with a grin.
+
+"He means that it's good--that it's all right," explained John, who
+seemed to be the official interpreter.
+
+"Well, I don't believe that I care to eat seal meat," said Rob; "but
+maybe Jimmy knows what he can do with the hide, or something else. We'll
+skin Mr. Seal and peg his hide out up at the camp. It's time now we got
+the bear hides stretched so that they can begin to dry."
+
+Much elated with their successful day's work, the boys now assisted the
+native in stretching all the green hides, flesh side upward. The native
+showed them how to flesh and scrape the hides, and they spent an hour or
+so at this until each complained that his back was aching.
+
+"Suppose we cross the creek and take a little climb up the
+mountain-side," suggested Rob. "We can get a good look out from there."
+
+"All right," said John. "Of course we'll have to take our _tillicum_
+along. Mush on, Jimmy!"
+
+The Aleut, although apparently a native of the country where the
+language of the dog-train was little known, nevertheless seemed to
+understand the Alaskan command to "March!" He stood ready, only looking
+to see which way they wished him to go. Rob set off in advance, and they
+all splashed through the waters of the shallows at the lower end of the
+lagoon.
+
+"Here's where Jimmy has a good deal the best of us," said Rob, pointing
+to their wet feet. "Our shoes will be gone in a little while; but look
+at his seal boots with high tops. They keep his feet dry."
+
+"They call them _tabosas_," said John. "The Eskimos use boots like that,
+but they call them _mukluks_. You see, I used to know a native from
+up-coast who was a waiter in a restaurant at Valdez. That's how I
+picked up my knowledge of the Aleut language--which, you see, is quite
+considerable," he concluded, swelling out his chest a trifle.
+
+"I see now why he wanted that seal," commented Rob. "Every country has
+its own way of getting along, hasn't it? Now, I suppose Jimmy here is
+about as comfortable when he is at home as we are in our houses down in
+Valdez; and he certainly does know how to make his living off the
+country."
+
+They now continued their slow climb up the steep mountain-side, which
+lay beyond the little creek. Here the deep moss or tundra extended quite
+to the top of the smallest peak, but although heavy snow-fields lay at
+the top, the spring sunshine had now melted the snow at the lower
+levels, so that continually they were walking in little pools of
+ice-water, none too pleasant to persons shod as they were.
+
+Jesse, the youngest of the party, now and then stopped for a moment to
+catch his breath; and, in fact, he seemed none too happy with some of
+these hardships of their experience.
+
+"Come on," said Rob; "we'll stop when we get to the thicket just up
+above there. Jimmy acts as though he was looking for something up
+there--I don't know what."
+
+They toiled on upward, now and again turning to look at the great
+expanse of country which lay below them--the wide bay shining in the
+sunlight, the magnificent panorama of the mountains beyond, and the line
+of the deep sea beyond the entrance to the bay. They turned as they
+heard a sudden exclamation from Jimmy, who was prowling at the edge of
+the alder thicket where they had stopped for the moment. As he pointed
+down they saw the surface of the ground among the alders ripped up as
+though by a giant plough.
+
+Jimmy held up three fingers and pointed below toward their camp, the
+smoke of whose fire they could dimly see. At first they could not
+understand him, until he made motions as if digging, and swung his head
+from side to side, grunting in such plain imitation of a bear that they
+could not mistake. Then they saw that this had probably been the
+feeding-ground of the three bears which they had killed. Apparently the
+bears had been living high up in the mountains for a long time, waiting
+for the salmon run to begin. The country was all torn up where they had
+dug for roots and bulbs.
+
+"Well, now, what's Jimmy going to do this time?" asked Jesse,
+interested.
+
+The Aleut, talking to himself in some unknown words, was down on his
+hands and knees, himself digging in the holes among the alders.
+
+"_Karosha!_" said he, at length, holding up several long, white bulbs
+about as thick as his finger; and he made a motion as though to eat
+them.
+
+"Ah, ha!" said Rob. "This is an Aleut potato-patch, it seems. All right,
+we'll just gather some of these and use them for vegetables. They'll
+help out the meat and fish, perhaps."
+
+As Jimmy dug the bulbs they put them into the folds of their jackets and
+sweaters until they had a good supply. After this they made their way
+down the mountain, splashed through the creek again, and threw down
+their new discoveries beside the meat scaffold. Jimmy indulged in a
+broad smile.
+
+"Plenty soup!" said he, suddenly.
+
+"The beggar!" said Rob. "I shouldn't wonder if he understood English as
+well as we do!"
+
+They could not, however, induce him to use any further words than this,
+which is common among the Aleuts as the meaning of "food" or "plenty to
+eat," they having got this word from their association with
+English-speaking persons. The Aleut language now is a mongrel, made up
+largely of Russian, with many native words and a few of English.
+
+Jimmy proceeded to show that he meant to use in his "soup" some of these
+bulbs which they had brought down, for now he began to strip them down
+to the clean white inner portion and half filled their water-can with
+them, presently setting it on the fire to stew. The boys never knew the
+name of this bulb, but they found it not unpleasant to eat--rather
+sweetish and insipid without salt, however.
+
+They were all very tired that night; but they felt it necessary to keep
+some watch upon their Aleut prisoner, obliging as he had proved himself
+throughout the day. Again Rob stood the first watch, until he grew so
+sleepy that he was obliged to waken the others. Thus the long and
+uncomfortable night wore away, the prisoner being the only one who slept
+undisturbed.
+
+
+
+
+XIV
+
+THE SURPRISE
+
+
+As daylight began to shine more clearly in the interior of the
+barabbara, John, who was standing the last watch, suddenly reached out
+an arm and wakened his companion. "Listen!" he whispered. "I hear
+something outside."
+
+As they all sat up on the blankets they were surprised to see their
+prisoner also waken and lift himself half on his elbow. He, too, seemed
+to be listening eagerly and to feel some sort of alarm.
+
+"Some one is coming!" said Rob. Now, indeed, there was no doubt. They
+heard shuffling foot-falls and many voices in some confused speech which
+they could not understand.
+
+"I'm afraid!" said Jesse. "They're not white people."
+
+Rob raised a warning hand that they should all be silent. At last a loud
+voice called out to them in broken English:
+
+"White mans there! You come out! Me good mans! All good mans!"
+
+The faces of all inside the hut were now very serious, for they did not
+know what might be the nature of these visitors, and there was no window
+or crack through which they could peer. Jimmy made no motion to go out
+of the door, but, on the contrary, was trying to hide behind the pile of
+fox-traps under the low eaves.
+
+"One thing is certain," said Rob, with determination: "we're trapped in
+here, and can't get out without their seeing us, whoever they are. So
+come on and let's go out and face them. Are you ready now?"
+
+The others, silent and anxious, crawled close behind him as he pushed
+open the door and sprang out, rifle in hand.
+
+They found themselves surrounded by nearly a score of natives--short,
+squat fellows with wild, black hair, most of them in half-civilized
+garments. They bore all sorts of weapons, some of them having rifles,
+others short harpoons, and bows and arrows. A large, dark-faced native
+seemed to be their leader, and seeing the boys now ready to defend
+themselves, he shifted his gun to his left hand and held out his right
+with a smile, continuing his broken English.
+
+[Illustration: HE SHIFTED HIS GUN TO HIS LEFT HAND AND HELD OUT HIS
+RIGHT WITH A SMILE]
+
+"Good mans me," he said. "You good mans. Plenty fliend, all light, all
+light, all light!"
+
+He continued to repeat these last words as though they would serve for
+the rest of the conversation. Rob, willing enough to accept his
+assurance of friendship, shook him by the hand, all the time, however,
+keeping his eyes open for the wild-looking group around him.
+
+"Come dat ways, bidarka!" said the chief, pointing to the beach beyond
+the sea-wall. "Hunt bad mans. You see-um bad mans? Him steal."
+
+John touched Rob quietly on the arm and whispered to him: "He means
+Jimmy," he said. "They are after him, and he knows it. That's why he
+wouldn't come out."
+
+"You see-um bad mans?" asked the chief, eagerly. "Him there?" He pointed
+at the door of the barabbara, and would have stepped over to look in.
+Rob moved in front of him.
+
+"No!" he said. "All good mans here. What you want?"
+
+"No want-um white mans," answered the chief. "Village over dar." He
+pointed across the mountains.
+
+Rob guessed that these natives had therefore followed around the
+coast-line from their town, although he was not yet clear as to their
+purpose in coming hither.
+
+"You got-um bad mans here," said the chief, sternly, at last. "See-um
+boat dar." He pointed to the bidarka at the edge of the lagoon.
+
+"What you do with bad mans?" asked Rob.
+
+"Plenty shoot-um!" answered the chief, sternly, slapping the stock of
+his gun. "Him steal! Him steal dis! Steal-um _nogock_! All time my
+peoples no get-um whale. Him steal-um _nogock_!"
+
+Rob was puzzled.
+
+"Now what in the world do you suppose he means?" asked he of John. "And
+what is that thing he's got?"
+
+The chief was holding up a strange-looking object in his hand--a short,
+dark-colored, tapering stick, with hand-holes and finger-grips cut into
+the lower end, and with a long groove running toward the small end,
+which was finished with an ivory tip.
+
+"I saw that thing in the boat," said John. "That must be what he means
+by _nogock_. I don't see how they would kill a whale with it, though, or
+anything else."
+
+The chief evidently understood their ignorance. With a smile he fitted
+to the groove of the short stick the shaft of a short harpoon, whose
+head, about a foot and a half in length, they now discovered to be made
+of thin, dark slate, ground sharp on each edge and at the point. When
+the chief had fitted the butt of this dart against the ivory tip, he
+grasped the lower end of the _nogock_ firmly in his hand, steadying the
+shaft in the groove with one finger. He then drew this back, with his
+arm at full length above his head, and made a motion as though to throw
+the harpoon. In short, the boys now had an excellent chance to see one
+of the oldest aboriginal inventions--the throwing-stick, used from
+Australia to Siberia by various tribes in one form or another. As they
+themselves had sometimes thrown a crab-apple from a stick in their
+younger days in the States, they could readily see that the greater
+length added to the arm gave greater leverage and power.
+
+"I'll bet he could make that old thing whiz," muttered John. "Still, I
+don't see how he could hurt a whale with it."
+
+None of them knew at that time anything about the native Aleut method of
+whale-killing. Neither did they know that the _nogock_, or whale-killing
+weapon, is a sacred object in the native villages, where it is always
+kept in the charge of the headman, or leader in the whale-hunts, who
+wraps it up carefully and hides it from view. The Aleuts never allow
+the women of their villages to look at the _nogock_, saying that it
+brings bad luck for any one to look at it or touch it except the chief
+himself. Therefore, had the boys known that their prisoner had stolen
+this sacred object, as well as the bidarka and much of its cargo, they
+would better have understood the nature of this pursuit and the
+intentness of the Aleut chief to punish the offender, who had been
+guilty of a crime held, in their eyes, to be as bad or worse than
+murder.
+
+Not, however, understanding all these things, and being very well
+disposed toward their captive, who had been of such service to them, the
+boys were not willing to turn him over at once to these people whom he
+so evidently feared, and who with so little ado announced their
+intention of killing him. For the time Rob could think of nothing better
+than continuing the parley.
+
+"You got-um bad mans!" asserted the chief again.
+
+"One mans," admitted Rob. "Maybe so good mans; we don't know."
+
+"Where you comes?" asked the chief, presently, looking about him. "This
+my house here. White mans come here now?"
+
+Rob did not think it best to admit that they were castaway and lost on
+these distant shores, so he determined to put on a bold front.
+
+"Heap hunt here," he said, pointing to the meat and the hides stretched
+on the ground. "Kill three bear. Catch-um plenty fish. By-and-by
+schooner come."
+
+"When schooner come?" asked the chief, with a cunning gleam in his eye.
+
+"Pretty soon, by-and-by," said Rob, sternly. "Plenty white mans come
+pretty soon."
+
+The chief was not to be balked of his purpose, and kept edging toward
+the door of the barabbara. "Kill-um bad mans," he muttered. "Him steal."
+
+Rob, seeing that he was bent on this, and unable to dissuade him from
+his certainty that the fugitive was inside the hut, for the moment
+scarcely knew what to do.
+
+"No touch-um mans!" he finally commanded, sternly. "White mans come here
+by-and-by--Uncle Sam white mans. Suppose bad mans steal; Uncle Sam
+catch-um. You no touch-um bad mans!"
+
+The chief hesitated, for he knew perfectly well that all the villages of
+this island were under control of United States law, and although the
+natives sometimes kept their own counsel and wreaked their own
+punishment on those whom they held to be offenders, they were, if
+detected, certain to be held to account by the United States government,
+which holds control over all this country to the uttermost point of the
+Aleutian Islands, although little enough law reaches enactment in these
+far-off regions. As he hesitated the chief turned away from the door,
+and the Aleuts now began to jabber among themselves. They pointed to the
+meat, and made signs that they were hungry.
+
+"_Da, karosha!_" assented Rob, who was beginning to learn Aleut from his
+friend John.
+
+He motioned them to help themselves. Without much more ado the natives
+proceeded to take off pieces of the meat from the scaffold, and drawing
+a little apart they built a fire. Rob observed that they used matches,
+and so knew that they must be in touch with civilization at least once
+in a while.
+
+"It's all right, Jess," said he. "We're going to get out of here sure
+before very long. These people can take us to the settlements any time
+they feel like it. I only wish we could talk more of their language or
+they more of ours."
+
+The Aleuts for the time did not talk much of any language, for presently
+their mouths were too full for speech. Each would stuff his mouth full
+of meat, and then with his knife cut off a piece so close to his lips as
+would seem to endanger his nose.
+
+"We won't have much meat wasted if they stay around," remarked John,
+ruefully. "For my part, I wish they'd go. It's trouble enough to take
+care of one native, let alone more than a dozen."
+
+The chief seemed to be actuated with some sense of fair-play, or else
+wished to continue in the good graces of the whites. Some of the men
+began to boil a kettle and to make tea. The chief picked up the bag of
+tea and made a gesture of inquiry of Rob. "_Chi?_" he asked.
+
+Rob shook his head, and made a motion signifying that they had but very
+little. The chief poured out in his hands what must have represented to
+him considerable value in tea.
+
+"Now ask him for salt, John," said Rob.
+
+This was too much for John's knowledge of the Aleut language. He got a
+little red in the face as he admitted this.
+
+"Here, you mans," he said. "You got-ums salt?"
+
+The chief shook his head.
+
+"Salt! Salt-ums! Heap salt!" went on John, frowning. He made a motion
+as of sprinkling something on the meat, then touched his fingers to his
+mouth, smacking his lips.
+
+The chief grinned broadly. "_Da! Karosha!_" He jabbered something to one
+of his men, and the latter went down the path toward the beach.
+Evidently he had supplies there, for in a few moments he returned
+carrying a dirty sack in his hand. The chief took this in his hand and
+grinned, addressing John.
+
+"Salt, salt-um, salt! All light, all light, all light!" he explained,
+and divided generously with the boys, giving them something which was of
+great value to them.
+
+For a time attention seemed to be diverted from the purpose of these
+strange visitors, the chief making no reference to the man for whom they
+were searching, but seeming to be content to sit at the fire and eat.
+What might have been the result was not determined, for all at once
+something happened which set them all on a run for the beach.
+
+A man appeared at the top of the sea-wall excitedly shouting, waving his
+arms, and pointing toward the sea. The others answered with loud cries,
+and in a moment the space immediately about the barabbara was entirely
+deserted.
+
+
+
+
+XV
+
+THE WHALE-HUNT
+
+
+For a moment Rob, John, and Jesse stood looking after the natives as
+they hastened toward the beach. Their first thought was one of relief
+for the present at least; the prisoner in the hut remained unmolested.
+Then their curiosity as to the cause of all the excitement led them to
+forget everything else.
+
+"Come on!" called Rob; and in an instant they were hurrying to join the
+scene of confusion which now was enacting on the beach.
+
+As they reached the top of the sea-wall they saw for the first time the
+full party of natives, not more than half of whom had come over to the
+camp. More than thirty bidarkas lay pulled up along the beach, most of
+them two-hatch boats. To these boats the natives were now hastening;
+indeed, some of them had already launched their bidarkas and were
+paddling back and forth, as much at home on the water as on the land.
+With much shouting and gesticulation, one after another bidarka joined
+these, the hunter in each hurriedly casting off the lashings of his
+harpoon which lay along deck.
+
+At first the boys could see no reason for all this hurry, but as they
+gazed out across the bay all at once there arose in plain sight of all a
+vast black bulk which at once they knew to be a whale. The white spray
+of its spouting was blown forty feet into the air as it moved slowly and
+majestically onward deeper into the bay. It was plain that the natives
+meant to attack this monster in their fleet of bidarkas.
+
+The old Aleut chief saw the boys as they came up. He motioned hurriedly
+to Rob as he ran to his own bidarka, grinning as though he hardly
+expected Rob to accept the invitation to come and join the hunt. Not so,
+however; for Rob was so much excited that he did not stop to think of
+danger. As the chief thrust the long, narrow craft into the water,
+steadying it with his paddle, Rob sprang in behind the rear hatch. In an
+instant they were off!
+
+Rob looked around to see Jesse and John both crowded together in the
+rear hatch of yet another bidarka, where they did what they could to
+help a swarthy boatman to propel their craft. Rob noticed now that each
+hunter had his paddles, his harpoon, and his arrows marked in a certain
+way with red-and-black paint, so that they could not be mistaken for the
+property of any one else. All the hunters made ready their gear for the
+chase as they paddled on, perfectly assured and apparently not in the
+least anxious about the result of the hunt.
+
+The other boats held back until the chief had taken his place at the
+head of the procession. It now became plain that his was the task of
+using the mysterious _nogock_, over whose loss he had seemed so
+concerned. Even as his bidarka shot forward with its own momentum, he
+drew out from the forward hatch this sacred instrument and fitted to it
+the short harpoon. He made over the weapon some mysterious passes with
+one hand, and as he fitted the harpoon or heavy dart to the
+throwing-stick he blew three times on the point of it, passing his
+fingers along the edge. Finally he held the weapon up toward the sky and
+uttered some loud words in his strange tongue. Having completed these
+ceremonies, he placed the _nogock_ and harpoon crosswise on the deck in
+front of him and bent again to his paddle. Rob himself, no bad canoeman,
+had meantime been paddling as though he quite understood what was
+expected of him.
+
+The head bidarka now passed steadily and swiftly on toward the great
+bulk of the whale, which lay plainly visible not more than a quarter of
+a mile away. As the other boats came on in squadron close behind, Rob
+could hear a sort of low, rhythmic humming, as though all the natives
+were joining in an incantation. It was his privilege to see one of the
+native hunts for the whale in all its original features--something which
+few white men have ever seen. The strange excitement of the scene, so
+many savage hunters all bent upon one purpose, and evidently using every
+means to screw their courage to the sticking-point, did not lack its
+effect upon the young adventurers who found themselves, with so little
+preparation or intent, swept on in this wild scene.
+
+Once in a while Rob cast his eye about to see how his friends were
+prospering. Jesse looked a little pale, yet both he and John were eager.
+Crowded as they were both in one hatch, they could not paddle to much
+effect, but the native in the bow managed to keep his place in the
+procession. The first thought of Rob was that it was absolute folly to
+think of killing so great a creature with the insignificant weapons
+which he now saw ready for use.
+
+As the chief began to approach the great whale more closely, he slowed
+down the speed, creeping cautiously onward at times when his instinct
+told him his boat was least apt to be discovered by the whale. The
+latter seemed ignorant or careless of the approach. Now and again it
+blew a vast spout of water into the air, and sometimes it rolled and
+half lifted its vast bulk free of the water, until it seemed larger than
+a house. The humming chorus of the Aleuts continued, but fell to a lower
+note as the boats drew near.
+
+For what seemed an interminable time the bidarka of the headman lay
+silent, trembling and heaving on the swell of the choppy sea, while the
+huntsman sat steadily and studied the giant quarry in front of him. Once
+or twice he gently turned the prow of the bidarka, using the least
+possible motion. Again, a few feet at a time, he would edge it on in,
+pausing and crawling forward, his hand motioning back to Rob to be quiet
+and steady.
+
+Now the Aleut showed at his best. There was no fear or agitation in his
+conduct. Without hesitation he gazed intently at the dark, glistening
+bulk in front of him, apparently hunting for the exact spot which he
+wished to strike--a point about a third of the way back from the angle
+of the jaw. The whale itself seemed to be stupid, as though sleepy,
+although now and again it rolled slowly from side to side as though
+uneasy.
+
+Like a cat the huntsman crept in and in toward his prey, scarce more
+than an inch at a time, till at last Rob saw the boat reach a point
+where the body of the whale seemed to tower above their heads.
+
+Finally the hand of the chief was raised to signal Rob to stop paddling.
+
+With his own paddle in his left hand clinched against the rim of the
+bidarka hatch, the chief with his right hand slowly and deliberately
+raised the _nogock_ and its slate-tipped harpoon. His arm, extended at
+full length and quite rigid, passed now in a straight line above his
+head and slightly back of his shoulder. Rob, intent on all these
+matters, saw the native's thumb and fingers whiten in the intensity of
+their grip on the butt of the _nogock_; yet the middle finger lay light
+and gentle, just holding in place the slender shaft of the harpoon,
+whose slate head, blue and cold, extended down and in front of the
+throwing hand.
+
+Still the chief poised and waited until the exact spot he wished to
+strike was exposed as the whale rolled slowly toward the right. Then
+suddenly, with a sighing hiss of his breath, the dark huntsman leaned
+swiftly forward. The motion of his hand was so swift the eye could
+scarcely follow it.
+
+After that all that Rob could tell was that he was in the bidarka
+speeding swiftly away from a churning mass of white water, in the middle
+of which a vast black form was rolling. He heard a sort of hoarse roar
+or expiration of the breath of the stricken monster. Once he thought he
+caught sight of the slender shaft of the harpoon, which in truth was
+buried, head and all, eighteen inches or more deep in the side of the
+whale, the point passing entirely through the blubber and into the red
+meat of the body. Although Rob did not know it, the shaft did not long
+remain attached. The struggles of the whale broke off the slate-head at
+a point near to the shaft, where it was cunningly made thinner in order
+that it might break. A foot or fifteen inches of the slate-head remained
+buried deep in the body of the whale. The _nogock_ had done its work!
+
+A loud chant now broke from all the boatmen, who joined the head
+bidarka, all backing away from the struggling whale. To the surprise of
+Rob, no further effort was made to launch a harpoon, and he saw that the
+presence of these other boats was rather intended as a part of the
+ceremony than as an actual assistance in the hunt, the savage mind here,
+as elsewhere, taking delight in surrounding itself with certain
+mummeries.
+
+As Rob gazed back of him to watch the struggle of the whale, he saw the
+sea gradually becoming quiet. The giant black form was gone, the whale
+having sounded, or dived far below the surface.
+
+"Plenty sick now," said the chief, sententiously, motioning toward the
+spot where the whale had disappeared. Then all at once he gave a loud
+whoop and started paddling toward the shore, followed by the entire
+fleet of bidarkas, all the occupants of which were singing joyously. Rob
+could not in the least understand all this, for it seemed to him the
+hunt had met with failure; but there seemed to be some system about it,
+for nothing but satisfaction marked the faces of the hunters as they
+finally drew up their bidarkas again upon the beach.
+
+"Maybe so two--tree day, him die now," said the chief, at last. Rob did
+not even then understand what he later found to be the truth: that what
+the Aleut really does with his slate harpoon-head is not to kill the
+whale with the wound, but to poison it. If the stone harpoon-head
+passes through the blubber and into the red meat the wound is sure to
+fester, and in the course of a few days to kill the whale, which then
+floats ashore somewhere and is discovered by the waiting hunters.
+
+There continued some sort of system in this hunt, even though it was now
+arrested for the time. Men kept an eye out on the bay, where in a few
+moments the whale arose, spouting madly, and once more stirring the
+water into foam. Swimming on the surface, it then took a long, straight
+run apparently for the mouth of the bay. The chief gave some hurried
+command, and a dozen boats shot out, whether to head it or to watch it
+Rob could not tell, for presently the whale once more sounded, and when
+it next arose it was deeper into the bay. The situation now seemed to
+please the old hunter.
+
+"Maybe so him stay here now," he said, briefly, though why he thought so
+Rob could not tell.
+
+No one made any attempt to pursue the whale after that. The chief,
+carefully wiping off the sacred _nogock_, again wrapped it up in its
+coverings, made some mysterious passes over it, and restored it to its
+place in his bidarka, whence, as Rob now began to understand, the
+guilty Jimmy had some time since stolen it.
+
+As the boys met on the beach it must be confessed they were not thinking
+of their prisoner or his fate. In their excitement they were chattering
+to one another about the hunt, which they all agreed was the wildest and
+most peculiar one they had ever seen or heard of.
+
+"You had the best of it all, Rob," said John, enviously. "Our man
+wouldn't row up any closer. My, that old whale must have looked big from
+where you were!"
+
+"Well, he did, a little bit," admitted Rob, who had lost his cap
+somewhere and was now bare-headed.
+
+"That beats bear-hunting," said Jesse, "even although we haven't got our
+game yet."
+
+"They say he'll come ashore maybe in two or three days," said Rob.
+"Meanwhile, I suppose these natives will hang around here and wait. If
+they do get him, it's very likely they'll squat down here to eat him up,
+and that would take all summer! I must confess I don't like the look of
+it very much."
+
+"And there's Jimmy--" began John.
+
+"That's so! We must go and see about him."
+
+Quietly they edged their way out of the excited throng of natives and
+hurried across the sea-wall to the barabbara. Opening the door they
+peered cautiously in. No motion met their gaze, and although they called
+several times in a low tone there was no response. Passing into the
+barabbara they searched every corner of it. No doubt remained--their
+late prisoner was gone!
+
+
+
+
+XVI
+
+THE MISSING PRISONER
+
+
+For a time the boys sat silent and moody in the barabbara. The
+situation, as it appeared to them, was not a pleasant one. On the one
+side were half a hundred natives, whose intentions they could only
+guess; upon the other, as they now suspected, there might be an active
+enemy whose whereabouts they could only surmise. At last Rob spoke.
+
+"It looks this way to me," said he: "we three could not make any kind of
+defence against that band of natives, but perhaps they will not attack
+us. From what has happened, I do not think they will. Now, here is tea
+and salt which we got from them. That proves that they trade with the
+whites, which means that help may not be more than a hundred miles away
+at farthest. In the second place, these people think that we are here
+alone for only a short time and that our friends will soon be here. The
+thing for us to do is to keep them thinking that."
+
+"They'll be over before long," said John, "to see what has become of
+Jimmy, here, the man they were after."
+
+"I'm not so sure of that," rejoined Rob. "These natives forget any
+purpose very easily; and now, as we know, they are busy watching the
+whale. But suppose they do come. The barabbara is empty."
+
+"They have not seen Jimmy at all as yet," said John. "But suppose the
+bidarka is gone--he very probably took that with him."
+
+"Let's go see," suggested Jesse, and accordingly they hurried to the
+side of the lagoon. Sure enough, only the dory remained. The bidarka had
+disappeared from its resting-place.
+
+"Now," reasoned Rob, "he would be afraid to go out of the creek into the
+open bay, for then they would see him sure. There is every chance that
+he left the bidarka somewhere in the creek. We'll hunt for it, then.
+I'll go across in the shallow water, and we'll search both sides of the
+bank. One thing sure is that Jimmy went in a hurry, because he left his
+gun behind. He can't have had anything along more than his bow and
+arrows. We'll know when we find the bidarka."
+
+So saying, they separated, and began to scour both sides of the creek,
+without success, however, until they nearly reached the mouth. Here,
+hidden in the tall grass on the farther side of the creek and close to
+the high rock wall near the mouth of the stream, Rob stumbled across the
+missing boat. With a shout he called to the others to halt, and
+presently, pushing the bidarka out into the creek, he paddled across to
+them. They all joined now in examining the contents of the boat.
+
+"It's just as I said," commented Rob. "He left in a hurry, and badly
+scared. He could just as well have taken one of our guns as not, but we
+know he did not do that, and even left his own. Here's his spear and his
+paddles. His blankets are back at the hut. So far as I can see, he took
+only his fishing-line and his bow and arrows."
+
+"Yes, but he may come back again," suggested Jesse.
+
+"I hardly think so," reasoned Rob. "At any rate, he'll not come back so
+long as these people hang around, because he knows they're after him.
+Besides, the fact that he didn't steal anything from us shows that he is
+getting scared about stealing. I'm not so uneasy about him as I am about
+these other fellows over on the beach."
+
+None too happy, the boys now proceeded to paddle the bidarka up the
+creek to its old resting-place in the lagoon, after which they busied
+themselves rather half-heartedly about camp work, a part of which was
+further fleshing of the bear hides. As they were engaged at this they
+heard a faint rustling in the dry grass near at hand. Startled, they
+looked around, and saw something staring at them from the cover. John
+reached for his rifle.
+
+"Don't shoot!" called Rob. "It's a boy! I see his face plainly now."
+
+
+
+
+XVII
+
+THE ALEUT BOY
+
+
+They advanced toward the intruder, who stood up, grinning and showing a
+set of very white teeth. He was an Aleut boy about twelve years of age,
+short and squat, with stringy, dark hair. He was clad in a smock, or
+jacket, of sea-parrot feathers, which came down to his seal-skin boots.
+In one hand he held a short spear, in the other several thongs to which
+were attached bits of ivory. He seemed not in the least alarmed, but, on
+the contrary, much disposed to be friendly.
+
+"_Karosha!_" called out John to him. "All right, all right, all right!"
+
+John seemed to pick up easily the expressions which the Aleuts used and
+understood.
+
+Hesitatingly, but still smiling, the boy joined them, and walked with
+them over toward the bear hides, where he stood looking down. At last,
+as they resumed their work at the hides, he himself squatted down, and
+taking out his own knife--a mere bit of steel bound around at the end
+with rags and hide for a handle--he also began to scrape away. So much
+greater was his skill than theirs that at last he smiled at their
+awkwardness. For the time he made no attempt at any kind of speech, and
+answered no questions in regard to his people. At last, as Jesse
+departed to the top of the sea-wall to learn what was going on along the
+beach, he began to jabber and attempt to make some signs. John guessed
+that he meant to say that in a couple of days the whale would come
+ashore; that then his people would build fires and eat.
+
+"Maybe he'd like to eat a little himself," concluded John. "Suppose we
+try him on some bear meat."
+
+Their offer seemed very acceptable to the Aleut boy, who in a very
+matter-of-fact way began to hunt around in the grass for fuel and to
+prepare to make a fire, which latter he did with skilful use of one of
+the few matches which he kept dry in a membrane pouch in an inner
+pocket.
+
+"He's camped out before," said Rob. "It looks as though he had adopted
+us. Maybe he likes the look of our meat-rack better than he does the
+prospect of waiting over there for the whale to come ashore."
+
+The young Aleut put his pieces of bear meat on sticks, which he stuck up
+near the fire; and while they were broiling he himself ran over toward
+the beach, presently reappearing with some dark-looking stuff in his
+hands, which he offered his friends, making signs that it was good to
+eat.
+
+"Smoked breast of wild goose," commented John, smacking his lips. "It's
+good, too. I wouldn't mind having some more of that."
+
+Whether or not the boy understood it was impossible to say; but all at
+once he began to flop his arms up and down, quacking and honking in
+imitation of wild fowl. He pointed to a spot far up at the head of the
+lagoon, and then, picking up his bunch of thongs and ivory balls,
+whirled them around his head.
+
+Rob's eyes kindled.
+
+"We can't afford to use rifle ammunition to shoot birds, but if we can
+get this boy to go along on a goose-hunt we may have a new sort of fun,
+and maybe get some game."
+
+The young Aleut showed no disposition to return to his own people, and
+when at length, after they had all eaten heartily, the three friends
+turned toward the door of the barabbara, he followed them as though he
+had been invited.
+
+"What are we going to do with this boy?" asked Jesse. "He acts as if he
+belonged here."
+
+"Maybe he does," said John. "I saw him talking to the old chief, and
+maybe he's his son. I have more than half a guess that the old man does
+own this house, anyhow."
+
+As the sun began to sink toward the horizon a wind arose and dark clouds
+overspread the sky.
+
+"I don't blame the boy for wanting to stay here where he will be dry. If
+I'm not mistaken, we are going to have rain and plenty of it. Meantime,
+we might as well turn in and go to sleep," added Rob.
+
+He motioned the young Aleut to the blankets which Jimmy had abandoned,
+and the latter, without ado, curled himself up on them. The others,
+tired enough, followed his example, and for that night at least they did
+not trouble themselves to keep any watch. Perhaps they had never had
+greater cause for vigilance, but their anxiety was lost in the bodily
+weariness which came over them after so many stirring incidents.
+
+
+
+
+XVIII
+
+UNWELCOME VISITORS
+
+
+After the edge of their weariness had worn off with their first heavy
+slumbers, the mental anxiety of the young adventurers began to return,
+and they slept so uneasily that when morning came they all awoke with a
+start at the sounds they heard outside the barabbara.
+
+Rain and heavy wind had begun some time in the night; but now they heard
+something else--the swishing of feet in the wet grass and the sound of
+low voices.
+
+The young Aleut was awake also, but he smiled as he sat up on the
+blankets.
+
+"I don't think we need be alarmed," said Rob, in a low tone to his
+friends. "If these people had meant us any harm we'd have been foolish
+to go out in their boats with them and leave our guns. Now we're here
+safe with all our guns and other stuff, and here's this boy with us,
+too. If they had not felt friendly toward us they would never have let
+him stay here all night. Too bad we can't understand their talk, and
+just have to guess at things; but that's the way I guess it."
+
+A moment later there came the sound of a loud voice at the door. It
+opened, and the swarthy face of the Aleut chief peered in. He jabbered
+in his native language to the boy, who replied briefly and composedly.
+The chief now pushed his way into the hut, and, much to the annoyance of
+the white occupants, he was followed by a dozen other natives, who came
+crowding in and filling the place with the rank smell of wet fur and
+feathers. They seated themselves around the edge of the barabbara, and
+one of them presently began to make a fire.
+
+"Dis barabbara--_my_ peoples!" said the chief. "My families come here
+all light, all light, all light!"
+
+"Just as I thought," said Rob, aside, to the others. "It is we who are
+the visitors, not they. John, you act as interpreter. Ask him how far it
+is to Kadiak."
+
+The keen-witted chief caught the sound of the latter word.
+
+"You come Kadiak?" he said. "Come dory? You no got-um schooner?"
+
+"Schooner by-and-by," broke in Rob, hurriedly. "Our peoples come."
+
+The chief sat thoughtful for a time, his cunning eyes looking from one
+to the other.
+
+"What you give go Kadiak?" he asked, at length.
+
+"Schooner come by-and-by," retorted Rob, coldly.
+
+The chief chuckled to himself shrewdly.
+
+"Where bad mans go?" he asked, after awhile.
+
+Rob shrugged his shoulder and pointed toward the mountains, as though he
+did not know where the refugee might be.
+
+After awhile the old native produced from under his coat three
+handsomely made _kamelinkas_, or rain-proof coats, made of membranes. He
+pointed to the clothing of the boys and made signs of rain.
+
+"You like-um?" he asked. "Me like-um lifle."
+
+Rob shook his head, but the old man persisted. Finally Rob was seized of
+a happy idea.
+
+"S'pose you go Kadiak," he said. "You come back with schooner, maybe so
+we give one rifle, two rifle."
+
+This had precisely the opposite effect from that intended. The chief
+guessed that, after all, the boys did not know when any boat would come
+for them. The cunning eyes of the native grew ugly now.
+
+"_My_ barabbara!" he said. "You go. S'pose you no give lifle! Me take-um
+all light, all light, all light!"
+
+"Hold on to your guns, boys!" called Rob, quickly. "Don't let them get
+hold of one of them."
+
+Then he resumed with the chief. "Heap shoot!" said he, patting his
+rifle. "You no take-um. S'pose you get-um schooner, maybe so we give one
+rifle, two rifle; maybe so flour--sugar; maybe so hundred dollar. Our
+peoples plenty rich."
+
+The chief seemed sulky and not disposed to argue, but the young boy at
+his side spoke to him rapidly for a time, and for some reason he seemed
+mollified. Rob pressed the advantage. Drawing a piece of worn paper from
+his inner coat-pocket, he made signs of writing with a stub of pencil
+which he found in another pocket.
+
+"You see talk-talk paper?" he went on. "S'pose you take talk-talk paper
+by Kadiak, we give-um one rifle."
+
+The chief grinned broadly and reached out his hand to take Rob's rifle
+from him, but the latter drew it back.
+
+"No give-um rifle now," he insisted. "When bidarka go, you take-um
+talk-talk paper, we give-um rifle. No! No give-um rifle now. We keep-um
+boy here all right, all right, all right. No keep-um boy, no give-um
+rifle. No get-um schooner, no get-um boy."
+
+This was not very good talking, but it was not bad reasoning for a boy;
+and, moreover, it seemed to go home. The old Aleut sat and thought for a
+while. Evidently he either was willing to exchange his son for so good a
+rifle, or else he felt sure that no harm would come to the boy. Turning
+to the latter, he talked with him for some moments earnestly, the boy
+answering without hesitation. At last the young Aleut arose, edged
+through the crowd, and sat down beside John, putting his hand on the arm
+of the latter as though to call him his friend.
+
+Rob drew a sigh of relief. Although he no more than half understood what
+had gone on, he reasoned that the boy had agreed to remain with them
+until word was brought back from the settlement. How long that might be,
+or in what form help might come, he could only guess. Keeping his own
+counsel, and preserving as stern an expression as he could, Rob sat and
+looked at the Aleut chieftain steadily.
+
+The situation was suddenly changed by a shout from the direction of the
+beach. Led by the chief, the natives all now hurried out of the
+barabbara. The young boy remained. In a few moments he crawled out and
+presently dragged in after him the wet bear-skins, making signs that
+they would be spoiled if left in the rain. Having done this, he motioned
+to the boys to put on the _kamelinkas_ which had been left in the hut by
+the chief and then to follow him.
+
+Guessing that there might be events of interest on the beach, they
+adopted his suggestions and hastened out into the rain.
+
+When they reached the top of the sea-wall the cause of the excitement
+was apparent. The natives were hurrying as fast as they could go in a
+body up the beach. Perhaps a half-mile from where they stood they could
+see a vast dark shape half awash in the heavy surf. Around it bobbed a
+few dark spots which they saw to be bidarkas. From these, and from the
+natives gathered at the edge of the water, there came, as the boys could
+see, one harpoon after another. It was plain that the whale, sickened by
+its wound and buffeted by the heavy weather, had been driven close in
+shore, and here had been attacked and finished at short range by the
+natives who had been watching for its appearance.
+
+
+
+
+XIX
+
+HOPE DEFERRED
+
+
+Of course the boys could not help joining the hurrying throng which now
+was thickening about the stranded whale. John and Jesse were much
+excited, but Rob remained more sober and thoughtful, even as they
+finally stood on the beach where the Aleuts were working at the giant
+carcass of the whale, which, pierced by a half-dozen lances and
+bristling with short harpoons, was now quite dead, and fastened to the
+shore by a score of strong hide lines.
+
+"There's the whale all right," said he to his two friends. "It's a good
+thing for these people, I suppose; but it's a very bad thing for us."
+
+Jesse looked at him in inquiry, and Rob went on:
+
+"Don't you see that they'll camp here now for days, and maybe weeks?
+They'll eat this thing as long as it is fit to eat, and probably a good
+deal longer; and meantime they are not going to take out any word from
+us to the settlements, if they really intend to go there at all."
+
+"That's so," said John. But his hopeful temperament cast off troubles
+readily. "We can't do anything more than just wait, anyhow; and I
+suppose that our friend here"--he motioned to the Aleut boy--"will see
+that we get our share of the whale meat."
+
+The boys now saw that whale-hunting among the Aleuts is a partnership
+affair, a whole village sharing equally in the spoils. Every man of the
+party now went to work. Some of them mounted the slippery back of the
+dead whale and hacked away at the hide, laying bare strips of the thick
+white blubber. Skilfully enough, for those possessing no better tools,
+they got off long strips of the blubber, which they carried high up the
+beach above the tide. Some of them carefully worked at the side of the
+whale where the deadly harpoon had done its work. Cutting down, they
+disclosed the broken head of slate buried deep in the body of the whale,
+the wound now surrounded by a wide region of inflamed and bloodshot
+flesh. This they carefully cut out for a distance of two or three feet
+on each side of the wound, and this seemed to be all the attention they
+paid to the preparation of the flesh for food. As the rain was now
+falling steadily they did not pause to build fires, but here and there a
+man could be seen eating raw whale meat, cutting off the strip close to
+his lips with his knife, in the curious fashion which always seems to
+the white race so repulsive.
+
+The young Aleut looked among the pieces of flesh as they were carried
+high up the bank of sea-wall, and at last selected a few smaller
+portions which he carried with him when at last the boys turned back
+toward the barabbara. He also got a good-sized sack of salt and one or
+two battered cooking utensils. It was plain that whatever his relatives
+might wish to do, or whatever right they had to turn intruders out of
+their own barabbara, he himself intended to cast in his lot with the
+white boys.
+
+The latter knew no alternative but to allow matters to stand as they
+did. The gloomy weather, however, oppressed their spirits. They had now
+been gone from civilization for a considerable time, and if truth be
+told they were becoming not a little uneasy about their situation. They
+had no means of telling how far the settlement might be, and they were
+indeed as completely lost as though they were a thousand miles from any
+white man's home. As a matter of fact, the part of the great island
+where they now were cast away had scarcely been visited by a white man,
+on an average, once in twenty years since the days of the Russian
+occupancy.
+
+Most of that day they spent inside the barabbara waiting for the rain to
+cease; but as the clouds broke away in the afternoon they ventured out
+once more to see what was going on along the beach.
+
+"Why, look there!" said Rob, pointing toward the mouth of the bay.
+"They're leaving--half of them are gone already!"
+
+Rough as the sea now was, and heavily loaded as were all the boats with
+the flesh of the whale, it was none the less obvious that members of the
+party were starting out for home, perhaps disposed to this by the
+discomfort of life in rough weather with no better shelter than they
+could find on this somewhat barren coast. These natives nearly always
+hunt in districts where they know there can be found a barabbara or so,
+and such huts are used as common property by all who find them, although
+the loose title of ownership probably rests in the man or family who
+first erected them. When so large a party as that now present travelled
+together, it was certain that they could find no adequate shelter
+unless they constructed it for themselves; and the Aleut, after all, is
+not like the American Indian, who makes himself comfortable where night
+finds him, but is rather a village-dweller, who rarely wanders farther
+from home than a day's journey or so in his bidarka.
+
+All this, of course, was more or less Greek to the boys who stood
+watching the thinning party, as one bidarka after another was skilfully
+run out through the surf and as skilfully put under way in the long
+swell of the sea. At last a well-known figure detached itself from a
+group where he had been talking and approached them. The Aleut chief
+addressed himself once more to Rob.
+
+"My peoples go now," he said. "Me like-um lifle."
+
+"When you go Kadiak?" asked Rob.
+
+"Maybe seven week, four week, ten--nine week all light, all light, all
+light," said the chief, amiably. "You make-um talk-talk ting. Give me!
+You give-um lifle now."
+
+Rob turned to the other boys.
+
+"We'll hold a council," said he. "Now, what do you think is best to do?"
+
+The others remained silent for a time.
+
+"Well," said Jesse, at length, "I want to go home pretty bad. He can
+have my rifle if he wants it, if he'll take a letter out to John's
+Uncle Dick at Kadiak."
+
+"I think it's best," said John. "We'll have two rifles left, and that
+will be all we really need. Let's go and write the note and take the
+chance of its ever getting out. Anyway, it is the best we can do."
+
+They returned to the barabbara, where Rob wrote as plainly as he could,
+with deep marks of the pencil, as follows:
+
+     "_Mr. Richard Hazlett, Kadiak_.
+
+     "DEAR SIR,--We are all right, but don't know where we are, or what
+     date this is, or which way Kadiak is. We came down in the dory.
+     Travelled all night. Are safe and have plenty to eat, but want to
+     go home. Please send for us, and oblige
+
+                                    "Yours truly, ----."
+
+"Do you think that'll do all right, boys?" he asked.
+
+The others nodded assent, and so each signed his name. Folding up the
+paper and tying it in a piece of the membrane which he cut off a corner
+of his _kamelinka_, Rob finally gave the packet to the old chief.
+
+"Plenty talk-talk thing," he said. "You bring peoples--get-um
+schooner--my peoples give-um flour, sugar, two rifle, hundred dollars."
+
+Without further comment than a grunt the old chief stowed the packet in
+an inside pocket of his feather jacket, and swung Jesse's rifle under
+his arm, not neglecting the ammunition. He had eaten heavily of whale
+meat and seemed to be pretty well beyond emotion of any sort. Certainly
+he turned and did not even say good-bye to his son as he swung into the
+front hatch of his bidarka, followed by another paddler, and headed
+toward the mouth of the bay, almost the last of the little craft to
+leave the coast.
+
+The boys stood looking after him carefully. The presence of these
+natives had, it is true, offered a certain danger, or at least a certain
+problem, but now that they were gone the place seemed strangely
+lonesome, after all. Rob heard a little sound and turned.
+
+Jesse was not exactly crying, but was struggling with himself.
+
+"Well," he admitted, "I don't care! I _do_ want to go home!"
+
+
+
+
+XX
+
+THE SILVER-GRAY FOX
+
+
+After the natives had departed, the young castaways, quite alone on
+their wild island, felt more lonesome and more uneasy than they had been
+before. The wilderness seemed to close in about them. None of them had
+any definite hope or plan for an early rescue or departure from the
+island, so for some two or three weeks they passed the time in a
+restless and discontented way, doing little to rival the exciting events
+which had taken place during the visit of the natives. It was now
+approaching the end of spring, and Rob, more thoughtful perhaps than any
+of the others, could not conceal from himself the anxiety which began to
+settle upon him.
+
+In these circumstances Rob and his friends found the young Aleut, with
+his cheerful and care-free disposition and his apparent unconcern about
+the future, of much comfort as well as of great assistance in a
+practical way. They nicknamed the Aleut boy Skookie--a shortening of
+the Chinook word _skookum_, which means _strong_, or _good_, or _all
+right_. Their young companion, used as he was to life in the open,
+solved simply and easily all their little problems of camp-keeping.
+Under his guidance, they finished the work on the bear-skins, scraping
+them and rubbing them day after day, until at last they turned them into
+valuable rugs.
+
+It was Skookie, also, who showed them where to get their salmon and
+codfish most easily. In short, he naturally dropped into the place of
+local guide. The native is from his youth trained to observation of
+natural objects, because his life depends upon such things. With the
+white man or white boy this is not the case. No matter how much instinct
+he may have for the life of the wilderness, with him adjustment to that
+life is a matter of study and effort, whereas with the native all these
+things are a matter of course. It may be supposed, therefore, that this
+young Aleut made the best of instructors for the young companions who
+found themselves castaway in this remote region.
+
+Thus, none of the three white boys had noted more than carelessly the
+paths of wild animals which came down from the surrounding hills to the
+shores of the lagoon near which they were camped, although these paths
+could be seen with ease by any one whose attention was attracted to
+them. One day they were wandering along the upper end of the lagoon
+where the grass, matted with several seasons' growth and standing as
+tall as their shoulders, stood especially dense. They noticed that
+Skookie stooped now and then and parted the tangled grass with his
+hands. At last, like a young hound, he left their course and began to
+circle around, crossing farther on what they now discovered to be an
+easily distinguishable trail made by some sort of small animal.
+
+"What is it? What's up, Skookie?" asked John, whose curiosity always was
+in evidence.
+
+The Aleut boy did not at first reply, because he did not know how to do
+so. He made a sort of sign, by putting his two bent fingers, pricked up,
+along the side of his head like ears.
+
+"Wolf!" said John.
+
+"No," commented Rob. "I don't think there are any wolves on this island;
+at least, I never heard of any so far to the West. What is it, Skookie?"
+
+The boy made the same sign, and then spread his hands apart as if to
+measure the length of some animal.
+
+"Fox!" cried Jesse, with conviction; and Skookie, who understood English
+better than he spoke it, laughed in assent.
+
+"Fokus," he said, repeating the word as nearly as he could. Now he
+traced out the path in the grass for them, and, beckoning them to
+follow, showed where it crossed the tundra and ran along the stream,
+headed back to the higher hills which seemed to be the resort of the
+wild animals, from which they came down to feed along the beach.
+
+"It's as plain as the nose on a fellow's face," said John. "And some of
+these paths look as if they were a good many years old."
+
+Indeed, they could trace them out, many of them, worn deep into the moss
+by the dainty feet of foxes which had travelled the same lines for many
+years. It was a curious thing, but all these wild animals, even the
+bears, seemed not to like the work of walking where the footing was
+soft, so they made paths of their own which they followed from one part
+of the country to another. On this great Alaskan island nearly every
+mountain pass had bear trails and fox paths leading down to the valleys
+along the streams or from one valley over into another. The foxes as
+well as the bears seemed to find a great deal of their food along the
+beaches.
+
+As the young native ran along the fox trail the others had difficulty in
+keeping up with him.
+
+"What's the matter with him? What's up, Rob?" panted John, who was a
+trifle fat for his years. "Why doesn't he keep in the plain trails?"
+
+"Let him alone," said Rob. "He may have some idea of his own. See there,
+he is heading over toward the beach."
+
+They followed him along the faint trail, dimly outlined at places in the
+moss, and soon they caught the idea which was in his mind. The path
+headed toward the beach and then zig-zagged, paralleling it as though
+some fox had come down and caught sight or scent of something
+interesting and then had investigated it cautiously. Others had trodden
+in his foot-prints, and so made this path, which at length straightened
+out and ran directly to the beach just opposite the place where the dead
+whale lay.
+
+"Plenty--plenty!" said Skookie, pointing his short finger to the trail
+and then down to the beach where the carcass of the whale lay. Whether
+he meant plenty of fox or plenty of food for the foxes made little
+difference.
+
+"They're feeding on the whale, now that the boats have gone," explained
+Rob. "That is plain. Skookie is just showing us the new trail they have
+made the last few nights."
+
+Skookie turned back and began to follow the trail toward the mountain.
+Without comment the others followed him, and so they ran the faint path
+back until it climbed directly up the steep bluff, fifty feet in height,
+and struck a long, flat, higher level, where the foxes all seemed to
+have established an ancient highway. Several trails here crossed,
+although each held its own way and did not merge with the others; as
+though there were bands of foxes which came from one locality and did
+not mingle with the others.
+
+"Now, what made him come up here?" asked John, whose shorter legs were
+beginning to tire of this long walk. "We're getting a good way from
+home."
+
+"Just wait," advised Jesse. "We'll learn something yet, I shouldn't
+wonder. Skookie's after something; that's plain."
+
+Indeed, the young Aleut, not much farther on, began now to stoop and
+examine the trail closely. At length he pointed his brown finger at a
+certain spot near the trail. The others bent over the place.
+
+"Something's been here," said Jesse. The moss had been dug out and put
+back again.
+
+Skookie smiled and walked on a little farther and showed them several
+other such places a few yards apart. He held up the fingers of one hand.
+
+"Five _klipsie_," he said, and then swept an arm around toward the face
+of the mountains, remarking: "My peoples come here."
+
+"Oh," said Rob; "he means that here is where his family come to set
+their _klipsie_ traps for foxes. I suppose these places are where the
+same _klipsies_ were set five different times. I have heard that when
+they catch a fox in one place they always take up their trap and move it
+on a little way so that the other foxes may not be frightened away by
+the smell of the dead fox or the trap."
+
+"I wonder," said Jesse, "if any fox would have good fur this late in the
+spring."
+
+"He might," said Rob, "if he had been living all the time up in the
+mountains near the snow; but as the natives trap a good deal along the
+beach, I suppose they took up their traps some time ago. They never like
+to take fur unless it is good, of course."
+
+"Anyhow," said Jesse, "I shouldn't mind trying once for a fox. We might
+get a good one. I've heard they catch foxes sometimes--silver-grays or
+blacks, you know--that are worth three or four hundred dollars."
+
+"Or even more," added Rob; "but that is when they're very prime, and
+when they bring the top of the market."
+
+Skookie looked from one to the other, but finally made up his own mind.
+He led out on the way toward the barabbara, where very methodically he
+set to work carrying out his purpose. He rummaged among the _klipsie_
+butts in the back part of the hut until he got one to suit him, and then
+without any hesitation led the way a few hundred yards distant from the
+hut where, parting the grass, he disclosed the cache or hiding-place
+where the owners of the _klipsies_ had secreted the traps; they, in
+their cunning, not wishing to leave the entire trap in the possession of
+any stranger who might come to the house.
+
+Fumbling in this heap of narrow sticks, each of which was about as long
+as a boy's arm, Skookie at last picked out one which suited him. They
+discovered that the end of it was armed with four or five spikes
+apparently made of old nails hammered to a point and filed into a barb.
+
+Skookie now took this arm of his _klipsie_ to where he had left the butt
+or hub of the trap, and he loosened up the heavy, braided cord of sinew
+which passed from end to end through the butt. He pushed the butt end of
+the arm in between these sinews so that pulling it sidewise twisted the
+sinews. Then he drove tight the wedges at each end of the hub, so
+straining the sinews tightly about the arm of the trap. Thus, as the
+boys readily saw, a great force was exerted when the arm of the trap was
+pulled back.
+
+"That is what they call 'torsion,' I think," said Rob. "It is like a
+gate-spring which pushes hard when you twist it. Look at those
+sinews--thick as your thumb--and even one little sinew is strong enough
+to hang an ox!"
+
+Skookie went on with his work until he thought the strain on the arm was
+sufficient. Then he pulled the arm back and caught it under a slight
+notch which was cut in the side of the hub, which itself was open on one
+side to allow the passage of the arm. When the trap was thus set it lay
+flat on the ground, and Skookie motioned the boys to keep away from
+it--something which all were willing to do, for the barbed arm of the
+_klipsie_ resembled nothing so much as a fanged serpent with its head
+back ready to strike a terrible blow.
+
+"Natives get caught in these traps sometimes," said Rob; "so the old
+trappers tell me. Sometimes they get crippled for life. You see, these
+iron points here strike a man just about at the knee joint, and that's
+pretty bad when there is no doctor around."
+
+Skookie, going ahead with his work, fumbled in his pocket and fished out
+a piece of hide cord, which he measured off to a certain length between
+his arms; then, picking up a bit of stick, he whittled out a pointed peg
+and attached one end of his cord to this, while he arranged the other so
+that it would control the trigger which held the arm in place on the
+farther side of the _klipsie_ bow. Now he stretched out his cord and
+pushed the peg into the earth as though it crossed a fox path, and made
+a motion of a fox walking along and touching his leg against the cord.
+To do this he took a long stick instead of using his own limb.
+
+Whang! went the _klipsie_, the fanged arm whirling over so fast that the
+eye could hardly follow it, and burying its points in the ground.
+Skookie laughed and danced up and down, showing how it certainly would
+have killed a fox had the latter been there.
+
+"Come on," said John; "let's go set it somewhere."
+
+"All light!" said Skookie, who understood a great many words from their
+apparent connection. He took up his trap, with the hub under his arm,
+and headed off up the beach toward the spot where they had first seen
+the fox trail two or three hours before.
+
+Following along the faint trail for some distance, but taking care not
+to step in it, he at length struck it where it passed through the tall
+grass. Here he squatted down and made some sort of strange passes over
+his trap, mumbling certain words in a strange tongue. Like all of his
+people, Skookie was superstitious. What he wanted to do now was to wish
+his trap good-luck. Having attended to this part of his ceremony, he
+drew his knife and began to detach a square of the thick, matted moss,
+making a cavity about arm's distance at one side of the path. In this
+hole he buried the hub of the _klipsie_ and covered it carefully with
+moss, so that nothing was left to show. The arm, which lay back still
+farther in the grass, he covered up lightly so that it also would be
+concealed from view. Then, carefully, he stretched his trigger string
+across the path, mixing it up with some of the dried spears of grass so
+that it lay a foot or less above the level of the path, or at just about
+the height at which the fore-legs or breast of the fox would strike it
+as the animal came walking down the trail. Having bent the grass above
+his _klipsie_, and arranged everything so that the place showed no
+signs of what had been going on, Skookie at last smiled, stood back, and
+looked cheerfully at his work; then he cast a glance toward the skies,
+and made a sign with his fingers held downward as though to indicate
+falling rain.
+
+"Bime-by water!" he said.
+
+"He means that he wants it to rain," said Rob, "so that the scent will
+all be washed off from the trap and from the ground around it."
+
+"Well," said John, "if the water is about the way it averages, he won't
+have to wait longer than to-night for his rain." Which, indeed, was the
+case, for in the night, while they were all safely in the barabbara
+around the fire, the rain came as usual, sufficient to blot out all
+trace of their late work on the fox trails.
+
+The following morning the boys at once began to wonder what luck had met
+their trapping operations. It did not appear to them likely that they
+would catch anything the first night; but Skookie, it seemed, was of a
+different opinion. After breakfast he led the way to the place where the
+trap lay, and without hesitation walked into the tall grass, stooped
+down, and at once held up to view a long, dark animal at sight of which
+the boys uttered a joint whoop of joy!
+
+"We got him!" said John. "We certainly did get a fox, and the very first
+night, too."
+
+"Yes," agreed Rob, "we did more than that: we got a silver-gray fox, and
+a mighty good one at that. Was there ever such luck, I do wonder!"
+
+Skookie took it all as a matter of course, but the others were much
+excited over this discovery. They put the silky, handsome animal upon
+the ground and began to smooth out its fur. The fangs of the _klipsie_
+had struck it in the back of the neck and killed it instantly, so that
+the coat remained quite smooth and undisturbed by any struggles. It was
+long and silky--dark, with white-tipped tail, and gray extremities on
+all the hairs of the back.
+
+"This skin ought to be worth anyhow one hundred dollars," said Rob,
+critically. "At least that would be my guess at it. The natives don't
+often get that much, but sometimes a trader will buy a skin for fifty
+dollars and sell it for five or six hundred. That all depends on the
+sort of market he finds."
+
+"Anyhow," said Jesse, "it proves that Skookie can trap foxes all right."
+
+The young Aleut was not disturbed by this praise, and proceeded to
+further prove his ability as a trapper. Having again set his _klipsie_
+at a point a few yards farther down the trail, he took up the dead fox
+and led the way back to the barabbara, where he undertook to carry the
+carcass in for his skinning operations.
+
+At this Rob demurred, for he had already seen proof of the custom of the
+native trappers, who nearly always skin out their game at the fireside
+of the barabbara, and who are very careless where they leave the
+carcasses.
+
+"No, you don't!" said Rob. "We've just cleaned out that house, and we
+don't want it mussed up again so soon. Let's go over to the beach and
+skin our fox."
+
+Skookie, always docile and willing to obey, once more led the way,
+carrying the fox under his arm. At last he seated himself on the ground,
+sharpened his knife-blade on a stone, and began to skin out the fox,
+much as an old trapper would. He made a cut from one hind leg to the
+other, cut off the tail bone, pulled the tail off clean by the use of
+two sticks clamped against the bone, and proceeded to remove the skin
+from the body without splitting it along the belly--"casing" it, as
+trappers call it. So carefully did he do his work that he did not make
+the slightest cut around the eyes or ears or nostrils, and even brought
+off the whiskers of the muzzle without disfiguring the skin in the
+least.
+
+Next he found a spreader, or tapering board, under the eaves of the
+barabbara, and over this he stretched his fox-skin, inside out, setting
+it away in the back part of the barabbara, where it would slowly dry
+without being exposed to the fire.
+
+"Well, he certainly is a trapper, all right," said John, admiringly.
+"Now I believe we could do that sort of thing ourselves. I don't see any
+reason why we shouldn't get a lot of foxes here, and maybe make some
+money out of the skins some day."
+
+Rob shook his head. "I don't think so," said he. "Even this skin,
+although it is not yet rusty from the sunlight, is not perfectly prime,
+as you can see by looking at the inside of the skin. A really prime skin
+is white and clear, and you can see that this one is just a little blue
+along the back. That isn't a good sign to me."
+
+Rob's guess as to the fur soon proved to be correct. For four more
+nights they watched their _klipsie_ trap without success. On the fifth
+morning they found another dead fox in the trap, with the barbs through
+his back. This, however, was only a "cross" fox, and his fur proved so
+worn and rusty that Skookie scornfully refused to take off the hide.
+That ended their fox-trapping, for Rob refused to allow any more foxes
+to be killed. Skookie, apparently willing to go on with his work, or to
+stop as they preferred, smilingly took up his _klipsie_, after he had
+sprung the trap, detached the arm, and restored the separated parts to
+their original hiding-places.
+
+"Plenty times my peoples come here," he said, smiling.
+
+"That means," said Jesse, "that some time or other, if we have luck, we
+may be discovered here by his people, even if our own people never find
+us."
+
+"Yes," Rob added, "but I only hope that may be before winter comes and
+leaves us unable to get out."
+
+
+
+
+XXI
+
+AN ALEUT GOOSE-HUNT
+
+
+Although utterly remote from the ordinary haunts of man, our young
+hunters found their new environment one free from monotony, after all.
+The sea was never twice the same, and even the weather was capricious
+enough to afford variety. As spring wore on the region seemed to teem
+with wild life, whether on the earth, in the water, or the air. The
+gulls, crows, ravens, and eagles were continually passing, with clouds
+of shags or cormorants, which nested on the rocks a mile or so down the
+bay, together with numbers of oyster-birds, whale-birds, and other
+strange fowl of the outlying coast.
+
+Each night and morning also there passed up the lagoon a stream of
+honking and chattering wild-fowl, the largest of which and most
+valuable, though least attainable, were the great Canada geese, which
+frequented this part of the island in large numbers.
+
+"If only we could get hold of some of those fellows," said John,
+longingly, one morning, as they saw an especially fine flock pass slowly
+up toward the head of the lagoon. "I'll warrant they'd be good to eat.
+See, some of them can hardly fly yet, they're so young."
+
+"Yes," said Jesse, "if we had only thought of it last week, they
+probably would not have been able to fly at all--flappers, they call
+those young birds. Then we might possibly have killed some of them in
+the grass at the head of the lagoon."
+
+"We could kill all we wanted now with the rifles," commented Rob; "but,
+as I said awhile ago, I don't think we ought to use rifle ammunition for
+killing birds. No one can tell how much we may need our cartridges later
+on. No, I don't think we will get any geese unless we can catch them
+with our hands. I haven't much faith in those throwing-cords that
+Skookie was showing us."
+
+John turned to his friend Skookie. "S'pose you catch-um geese, Skookie?"
+he asked.
+
+The Aleut boy surprised them very much by his sudden use of English.
+
+"Sure!" he said. He had perhaps learned this word from associating with
+whites somewhere down the coast.
+
+His prompt reply made them all laugh, but none the less it was of yet
+greater interest than this.
+
+"How do you mean, Skookie?" asked Rob. "How can you catch a goose when
+you have no gun? You can't get close enough."
+
+It was always a problem how much English the Aleut understood or did not
+understand. Now he made his answer by diving into the back of the
+barabbara and coming out with the curious bunch of thongs which the boys
+had noticed him carrying when they first encountered him on the beach--a
+dozen thongs attached to a common centre, each being a couple of yards
+in length, and each bearing at its extremity a perforated ivory ball
+perhaps of an ounce or so in weight.
+
+"Well, that don't look very much like a goose-hunt to me," said John;
+"but it seems to me I've read about the Eskimos using something of this
+sort. Maybe it'll work on geese, though it looks like a mighty funny
+kind of shot-gun to me."
+
+"It's an old weapon of wild people," said Rob. "I've read about that
+sort of thing. They use it in South America for catching animals, and
+there they call it the _bolas_, or balls. I think they use stones down
+there, and of course they are a great deal heavier than these little
+ivory weights."
+
+He motioned to Skookie to show how he proposed to use this curious
+device. The Aleut, understanding perfectly what was required, again
+caught the thongs by their central ring and deftly began to whirl them
+about his head. Aiming at a post which stood up in the grass near the
+barabbara, he finally cast loose his whirling thongs, which promptly
+wrapped tightly around the post as they flew. The young brown hunter
+grinned at this, and all the boys were surprised at the force with which
+the thongs clung about the object of the aim.
+
+"Jinks!" said John. "I shouldn't wonder if they'd kill a bird, if they
+hit it, or anyhow tie it up. The question is, how can you get close
+enough to the geese to catch them with this sort of arrangement. A goose
+is about the wildest thing in the world. I don't suppose Skookie could
+hit anything very far."
+
+"I don't know," mused Rob. "But why not let him try? If the birds are
+done nesting, and the young ones are flying, they would make a mighty
+good addition to our table if we could get some of them."
+
+Another flock of geese passed by. Rob pointed from the thong-cords
+toward the geese.
+
+"S'pose you catch-um?" he asked of Skookie.
+
+The boy smiled, and without a word picked up his thongs and led the way
+along the shore of the lagoon. The others followed, seeing that he
+proposed to capture some wild-fowl in the native way, as he had once
+before intimated might be done.
+
+He was no bad hunter, this young savage. After locating a big flock of
+geese which were sunning themselves on the mud flats close to the grass,
+he led his companions far back from the water, making a wide détour. At
+length he began to approach the fowl from a point where they would be
+concealed by the heavy grass. It seemed an age to the white boys, but
+Skookie was in no hurry. Like a cat he crawled and crawled, a few inches
+at a time, until finally he reached a point where they could hear the
+contented croaking and jabbering of the geese as they rested, entirely
+unsuspicious of any danger. It must be remembered that in this part of
+the world the wild-fowl are seldom if ever disturbed, and hence are far
+less suspicious than when they are near to civilization. If these
+honkers suspected anything at all now, they did no more than
+occasionally lift their heads and crane their long necks around. They
+could see nothing, because their pursuers were all crouched low beneath
+the tops of the grasses.
+
+The Aleut boy kept on his stealthy approach--little by little--until
+finally he was within thirty or forty yards of the edge of the water,
+along which the great wild-fowl were scattered. Rob nudged him to get up
+and throw, but Skookie knew his own business better. Without uttering a
+sound he crawled forward rapidly a few paces, on his hands and knees,
+then sprang to his feet and ran rapidly through the grass toward the
+edge of the water, uttering the while wild whoops as he began to swing
+the thongs about his head.
+
+"Look out!" cried John. "They'll all get away! Why don't he throw?"
+
+But Skookie did not undertake to throw so long as the geese were on the
+ground. He knew that the young geese were weak and not used to flight,
+and that even at its best a wild goose is slow and heavy to take wing.
+
+[Illustration: THE ALEUT BOY LAUNCHED HIS MISSILE INTO THE MASS OF
+FLYING FOWL]
+
+All these geese, some scores of young and old, intermingled, now began
+to scream, squawk, and honk, and clumsily to take wing as best they
+could. Thus they rose in a confused brown mass, almost in the face of
+the young hunter, who advanced rapidly, whirling the weighted cords
+about his head. At precisely the right instant, and not upset by the
+sudden clamor of the rising fowl, the Aleut boy straightened his arm in
+front of him and launched his missile with precision into the very
+middle of the flapping mass of flying fowl.
+
+The execution done was perhaps no more than he expected, but as the
+white boys saw his success they broke into a cheer. As the startled
+flock screamed and honked away, down came two of the fowl, one with
+broken wing and another laid fair about the neck by the gripping cords
+which had encircled it. Before they could escape, all the boys were
+after them, plunging into the mud and water, careless of anything but
+their game. They found that one of their geese was an old gander, but
+the other was a fat young bird, which John fondled with the utmost
+interest.
+
+"I'll bet you this one'll be good to eat!" said he. "Let's go back and
+see how it goes."
+
+"I wonder if you ever will get enough to eat, John!" said Rob,
+reprovingly. "We have only had breakfast an hour or so. But I'm agreed
+that young wild goose will make a good change of diet for luncheon."
+
+He patted Skookie on the shoulder to compliment him on his skill.
+
+"Plenty times me catch-um," said Skookie, proudly, as he untangled his
+cords. "Plenty times my peoples come dis place."
+
+Whether he meant that his people had been hunting here very often, or
+intended to hunt here often, they could not understand. Happier than
+they had been for some days, they went back to the hut, picked the old
+goose, skinned out the breast of the young one, and began, somewhat
+unskilfully, to prepare for the cookery of their new game. The best they
+could do was to cut the breast of the fowl into strips and fry it with
+some of the bear fat in the broken skillet. Even so, they found it
+delicious eating.
+
+Skookie, after the fashion of his people, sat on the ground
+cross-legged, and when it came his turn to help himself from the common
+dish he plunged his fingers into the hot contents, and fishing out a
+long piece introduced it into his mouth. When his mouth was full as it
+would hold he took his knife-blade, and after his fashion cut off a
+piece close to his lips, on the outside--the way in which most of these
+Northwestern natives eat their meat. The other boys, who had been reared
+with different ideas of table manners, looked at him with surprise.
+Skookie did not seem to notice, but munched away contentedly, repeating
+the performance now and then.
+
+"If that's the way they eat up here," said John, at last, "I suppose we
+ought to learn how to do it." So saying, soberly he began to sharpen
+his knife on a near-by stone, as he had seen Skookie do, and, taking a
+piece of goose breast in one hand, he partly filled his mouth and
+undertook to cut it off at the proper length. At once he uttered a wild
+cry, and dropped both knife and morsel to the ground. Blood flowed from
+his face, and he clapped his hand to the end of his nose, which he had
+nearly severed with the stroke of his knife, as it had slipped
+unexpectedly through the piece of meat.
+
+"Now look at you!" said Jesse. "You've pretty near cut off your nose;
+that's what you've done. That comes of forgetting the way you were
+brought up. Come here--let me see how badly you're hurt."
+
+Skookie broke out into wild peals of laughter at this mishap, which left
+John none too well pleased. Rob and Jesse, however, bent over him as he
+whimpered with the pain, and did what they could to make amends for the
+disaster.
+
+"Hot water is best for a cut," said Rob, taking their tea-vessel from
+the fire and looking about for a piece of rag. Thus, in short, by the
+free use of hot water, he did at length stop the flow of blood in part,
+at least.
+
+"John," said he, at last, "you came mighty near spoiling your beauty.
+Your nose is turned up, anyhow, and now you have nearly cut off a half
+inch more of it. Lucky for you the cartilage was tough, or you would
+have looked more like an Ethiopian than an American. I guess it will
+grow fast again, although you will have to wear a handkerchief tied
+around your face and head for some time."
+
+"I don't care," mumbled John. "I wanted to see how they did it."
+
+"Well, you know now," Rob assured him, in a matter-of-fact way. "But I
+would suggest that you eat in the ordinary civilized fashion after this,
+because you haven't any more nose than you need, and your mother might
+not like you to come home with a part of it missing."
+
+It was some days before the smart of this wound was entirely gone, but
+it may be said that in time it healed and left but a slight scar at the
+lower end of the nose, although John for some days went about with a
+handkerchief tied about his face. This did not prevent his taking part
+in future goose-hunts, which came to be a regular part of their
+programme.
+
+Before the geese had become too wise they succeeded in killing several
+dozen with the thongs, each of them taking his turn and throwing them,
+which they found not so difficult an art to master, after all. Skookie
+showed them how to smoke the breasts of these wild-fowl so that they
+would keep, and thus they made a valuable addition to their stores.
+
+
+
+
+XXII
+
+SPORT WITH THE SALMON
+
+
+"_Natu_ salmon," said Skookie one morning, poking his head in at the
+door of the barabbara, where the others still sat, washing up the
+breakfast dishes.
+
+"What's that he says, John?" asked Rob, who seemed less ready than the
+younger boy to pick up the native speech.
+
+"_Natu_ means _nothing_ or _no_ or _not_," interpreted John. "What's the
+matter with the salmon, Skookie?"
+
+They all crawled out of the low-hung door and followed the Aleut to the
+spot where they had left their fish concealed. They found nothing but
+stripped bones. Around the spot hung a crowd of great ravens and crows,
+protesting at being disturbed at this easy meal.
+
+"We had six fine salmon there last night," grieved Jesse. "They're
+awfully hard to catch now, too, because they've got shy in the shallow
+water. They're all down in the big hole at the mouth of the creek, and
+it's going to be harder and harder to get any. As for the whale meat
+that the old chief left, I don't suppose it was salted enough, and it
+probably won't keep."
+
+"We'll have to build some sort of shelter for our fish and game," said
+Rob, looking at the havoc which had been wrought by the birds. "It isn't
+right to waste even salmon, abundant as they are--although they may not
+be so abundant after this, as you say, Jesse."
+
+"I'll tell you what," said John, after a moment's thought, "I've got an
+idea!"
+
+"Well, what is it?"
+
+"You know, there was Uncle Dick's fishing-rod we brought with us in the
+dory. I took it out and pushed it under a log at the top of the beach
+wall. Now, I put that rod in the boat carefully myself, because I knew
+how much Uncle Dick thought of it. I don't suppose he'll thank us for
+bringing it away, because it's his best trout rod."
+
+"I don't see what use it would be to us," said Jesse. "It's too light to
+tie a grab hook to, and even if you hooked it into a salmon the rod
+would break."
+
+"Yes," said Rob, "a trout rod isn't meant in any case for fish as heavy
+as this. Besides, you see, these salmon never take a fly; even if we had
+any flies to go with the rod, or any line, or any reel, for that
+matter."
+
+"The reel is on the butt joint of the rod; I'm pretty sure I saw it
+there. Come, let's find out! I tell you, I've got an idea," insisted
+John.
+
+They all repaired to the beach where, as promised, John produced the rod
+from its hiding-place under the drift-wood log. True, the reel was there
+in place. Without delay he put the joints of the rod together, finding
+some difficulty in this, for the rain and salt air had not improved it
+in the least. None the less they threaded the line through the guides
+and found that everything was serviceable.
+
+"Uncle Dick would not care," said John, "if he knew just how we are
+situated."
+
+"Still, I don't get your idea," began Rob.
+
+"Well, I don't know whether or not it's a very good one," answered John;
+"but who's got a few little hooks to lend me now?"
+
+"Here are two or three," said Jesse, fishing in his pockets. "They're
+about big enough for bait hooks for trout, but salmon won't take any
+bait. I don't see what you mean."
+
+John made no comment, but cut off two or three short pieces of the line
+about a foot in length. To each of these he attached one of the
+sharp-pointed little hooks and fastened them at intervals a couple of
+feet apart on the line. One hook he tied at the end of the line itself.
+
+"Oh, I see!" said Rob. "You mean to throw that outfit as though it were
+a fly."
+
+John nodded. "If you can cast as light a thing as a little trout fly
+with this rod," he said, "you ought to be able to cast these
+hooks--larger, not much heavier, and just about right to go straight.
+Anyhow, let's go down and try."
+
+"Good idea!" agreed Rob. And they all departed, the Aleut boy with them,
+to the lower reaches of the stream, where, as has been said, the salmon
+now more frequently resorted.
+
+As they stood on the bank above the big pool they looked down into it,
+and saw that the sea-tide run of the salmon had brought in the average
+number of fish. The whole interior of the pool, which otherwise would
+have had a dark-green appearance, seemed to be made up of melted silver
+layers, all in motion. There were hundreds of fish moving about, up and
+down, and round and round, hesitating about following up the thread of
+the fresh water, and not wanting to go back to the salt water, which lay
+behind them.
+
+"My gracious, there's about a million in there!" exclaimed John, peering
+over the edge.
+
+"Yes, but Skookie couldn't get any with the snag-pole now," said Rob.
+"They're getting wise and stay too far out. I shouldn't wonder if your
+idea was a good one, if only that rod were stronger."
+
+Rob rubbed his chin meditatively. "You are welcome to try first. I don't
+want to break that rod, and I know what will happen if you hook on to a
+big fish with it."
+
+John set his lips in determination, none the less, and stepped down to
+the edge of the pool. Slowly the interior mass of silver seemed to grow
+fainter. The fish saw him, and moved gently away to the opposite side of
+the pool. Presently, however, they could see the shining mass edge back
+again to the centre of the pool, where the deeper water was over the
+gravel.
+
+John began to cast the hooks back and forward above his head, as every
+fisherman does in casting a fly. Little by little he lengthened the
+line, still keeping it in the air, until he saw he had out enough to
+reach well across the pool. Then, gently as he could, he dropped the
+line and its gang of hooks on the surface of the water. The hooks, being
+small, were not heavy enough to sink the line directly. John waited and
+allowed it to settle until the hooks were flat on the bottom on the
+farther side of the pool. He looked down on the water and saw the
+silvery mass divided in two sections, as though the line had cut it. The
+keen eyes of the fish, heedless as they usually are in the spring run,
+had now grown more suspicious, and they settled apart as the line came
+across them, visible against the sky as they looked up from below.
+
+John made no motion for a time; but at last, as the fish began to settle
+back, he gently raised the tip of the rod, and began to work the hooks
+toward him across the pool in short, steady jerks. At first the line was
+too low to pass near the main body of the fish, but as it shortened the
+hooks began to travel up through the depth of the pool. Then, all at
+once--he never knew how, exactly--something startling happened. There
+was a sudden breaking of the surface of the pool into a shower of spray,
+and with a mad rush a big salmon twelve or fifteen pounds in weight
+nearly jumped into his face as he stood at the edge of the water.
+
+Frightened, he dropped the tip of the rod, and every boy present gave an
+exclamation of surprise. The words were not out of their mouths before,
+suddenly, the water on the far side of the pool was broken and the spot
+at John's feet was vacant. The fish, swift as lightning, had tumbled
+back after its leap across the pool and gone up on the other side in an
+attempt to escape the hooks, one of which, by chance, had fastened in
+the lower jaw. Therefore, as the fish could keep its mouth closed, it
+was ready for as fair a fight as though it had taken the fly, although
+little can be said in praise of foul-hooking a fish under any
+circumstances save those such as now existed, for these boys were in
+need of food.
+
+John had caught trout before, and had seen many a good fish handled on a
+fly-rod. After the first rush or two of the fish he gathered in the line
+rapidly with his left hand and put a strain on the rod. The salmon at
+first did not attempt to repeat its earlier mad rushes, but in fright
+began to circle the pool, scattering all the other fish into a series of
+silver splashes as they spread this way and that.
+
+Having got in touch with the fish, and finding that the hook still held,
+John now reeled in all the slack and settled down to a workman-like
+fighting of the fish, the others standing near him and volunteering
+suggestions now and then, of course.
+
+"The tide's coming in all the time," said John. "If this fish ever
+leaves the pool and starts across on the flats, I don't see what I'm
+going to do, because the creek's too deep to wade now."
+
+The salmon, however, obligingly kept to the pool, once in a while making
+a mad leap into the air and shaking himself. Skookie, without advice
+from any one, stationed himself at the foot of the pool, and whenever
+the fish headed that way, he tossed a stone in front, heading it back
+and keeping it from running out toward the sea. Finally he motioned
+Jesse to take up this work, and without removing any of his scanty
+clothing, or asking advice from any one, walked up above the place where
+John was standing and deliberately plunged into the creek and swam
+across, taking up a position on the opposite side of the pool, where the
+tide-water was beginning to spread out into the flats. Thus the boys had
+the pool surrounded, and whenever the fish started one way in dangerous
+fashion, a stone thrown in front of him would usually turn him. All John
+had to do was to keep the strain of the rod on his fish and to see that
+he had plenty of line on the reel.
+
+They fought the old fellow in this way for more than half an hour, until
+John's arms fairly ached from the strain of the rod--a sturdy split
+bamboo of the best American make, which well withstood the skilful use
+it now was receiving. There is no need to break a fly-rod when the reel
+is full of line, and the strain can be eased to suit the rushes of the
+fish.
+
+"Well, I don't see that we are much closer to our salmon than we were
+when we began," said Rob, at last. "It's good fun, but a slow way of
+getting salmon. Can't you pull him in on the line?"
+
+John shook his head. "I'm afraid it would break," said he. "Never you
+mind. We'll get Mr. Salmon before we're through. I can handle him all
+right, I'm pretty sure."
+
+He came near speaking too early, however, for now, with some impulse of
+its own nature, the salmon concluded it had had enough of this sort of
+thing and decided to go back to sea. With a long, straight rush it
+headed for the bottom of the pool. Rob and Jesse began to cast in rocks,
+but in spite of all their splashing the fish kept on taking out yard
+after yard of John's line. At last John, still using all the strain the
+rod would stand, was obliged to follow on shore. The fish turned the
+corner of the pool and entered the narrow gut in the rocks which led out
+to the sea, where the creek entered it over a wide flat of shingle. John
+was able to keep his feet in the hurried rush along shore, and he kept
+touch with the fish all through the narrows and until it had reached the
+shallows, where the flats were now covered two or three feet deep with
+the advancing tide. Here the last inch of his line was exhausted, and he
+himself, desperate in his anxiety to keep his fish and to save his rod,
+followed until he was waist deep in the sea. The salmon did not swerve,
+but headed straight for some distant haunt which perhaps it remembered
+as existing out there in the ocean.
+
+At length John could go no farther with safety, and in desperation gave
+the fish the butt, as an angler says. The rod bent up into a splendid
+arch, all its strength being now pitted against the power of the
+swimming fish.
+
+The latter, somewhat tired by its long flight, felt this added
+resistance of the rod, and unable to gain any more line, since there was
+no more to gain, and to ease itself of the strain, flung itself high
+into the air just as the last limit of the rod was reached. Down it came
+with a splash, but this time apparently confused; for as it fell on the
+water and chanced to head up-stream, it started directly back over the
+course it had come. The long slack of the line could not be recovered
+fast enough to follow it, but the hook held. A moment later the fish
+was back in the pool, the line back on the reel, and John, perspiring
+and flushed, was still master of the situation.
+
+After that matters were simpler. The fish was more tired, and its leaps
+into the air were shorter and more feeble.
+
+Without advice from any one, Skookie now ran out into the grass and
+found his long salmon gaff. Wading at the edge of the pool, he made one
+or two ineffectual attempts to gaff the salmon; then flinging the pole
+across the creek to the others, again he plunged in, swam across, and
+took up his stand near John, who by this time had shortened the line and
+was fighting the fish close in.
+
+"Now we'll get him!" cried Rob. "Go slow there, John. Don't let him
+break away. He's headed in now. Just lead him in. There!"
+
+With a swift, sure movement the Aleut boy had gaffed the salmon, and an
+instant later it was flapping high and dry at the top of the bank. It
+seemed to them this was a better fish than any they had taken directly
+with the snagging-pole, although, as a matter of fact, it was the latter
+implement, after all, which had landed the fish.
+
+John sat down on the shingle, tired after the long fight. He patted the
+rod affectionately.
+
+"Talk about fun!" said he; "this is the _only_ way to catch fish."
+
+Indeed, this proved much to be the truth within the next few days, for
+the salmon became so wary as to make it hard to reach them by anything
+but a long line. Sometimes it would be an hour before they could
+foul-hook a fish, but in this way they got a number of salmon--some of
+them fastened around the head, one or two, strangely enough, directly in
+the mouth, and several directly under the back fin. Again a fish might
+be hooked close to the end of the tail, and in such cases it was almost
+impossible to land it for a long time. But with skill and care the
+fly-rod, devoted to this somewhat crude form of sport, held its own, and
+much more than paid for itself in actual food, not to mention the added
+sport.
+
+
+
+
+XXIII
+
+AMONG THE EAGLES
+
+
+The routine of camp life, where one is obliged to do all the cooking and
+other work, besides providing food, is ordinarily enough to keep the
+camper pretty busy. The boys usually found enough to do with their
+hunting, fishing, cooking, and other work, but sometimes in these long
+Alaska days, where for almost twenty-four hours the sun shone and the
+darkest night was scarcely more than an hour or so of twilight, they
+found time to wander around their island in exploring expeditions.
+
+At times they climbed one peak or another almost to the top, but from
+the loftiest eminences they attained they could see nothing of the
+interior of the island except more and more sharp and rugged peaks
+thrusting themselves up--a mountain region which, indeed, is little
+known by any white man, or even by the natives, who rarely go far
+inland.
+
+A customary journey for them was along one or the other of the river
+valleys which came down to their bay, the mouths of which they could
+reach in calm weather easily by a short journey in the dory. Their
+favorite valley was that running back from what they called "Gull
+Rocks." It was traversed by a good salmon river and was much frequented
+by wild animals. As it chanced, they did not run across any more bear,
+although continually here and elsewhere they saw signs where these great
+animals had done their work in salmon-fishing--heaps of bones where
+scores of fish had been partially stripped of their flesh.
+
+On one particular day, as the young adventurers passed up this valley on
+an all-day tramp, they found the salmon heaps especially abundant, and
+observed that the numbers of crows and eagles were more than usually
+great.
+
+"I think it's a new run of fish coming in," said Rob. "Probably the
+'humpies' are beginning to run. They're bigger than the red salmon,
+which we've been having so far. They're better to eat, too; even the
+bears know that. We'd better look out or we may run across more bear in
+here than we want. See here where this big fellow was eating last night.
+I suppose he has gone back into the mountains somewhere by now. And
+here is where some foxes have come down and eaten what the bears left;
+and the crows are waiting to eat what the foxes left. And look there, at
+that fish-eagle! Old Mr. Osprey is working for his breakfast now."
+
+He pointed to a large, grayish bird which was circling above them, its
+neck bent down as it peered intently at the surface of the stream below.
+
+"Watch him!" said Jesse. "There!"
+
+All at once the osprey, which had been uttering a low sort of whistle,
+folded its wings and darted down, swift as a flash, at an angle of about
+forty-five degrees. With a resounding smack, and in a cloud of white
+spray, it disappeared from view beneath the surface of the water; but
+instantly, with a vast flapping, it rose and fought to get wing-hold on
+the air. Taking flight only with the utmost effort, the boys saw that it
+held in its talons a big salmon whose weight was all it could manage to
+bear away.
+
+"Well, what do you think of that?" said Jesse. "Didn't he do it easy? I
+should think he would break his back, hitting the water that hard."
+
+"Yes," commented John; "if a fellow dives from a place ten feet high
+it's fall enough for him; but this fish-hawk came from two or three
+hundred feet up in the air. They must be put together pretty strong or
+they'd smash themselves. Look at him go!"
+
+Uttering now its shrill whistle, the osprey rose higher and higher in a
+wide circle, endeavoring to carry off its prize. Something seemed to
+agitate the bird, and a moment later the boys saw what this was. High up
+above, in still larger circles, was a larger bird--a male bald eagle,
+which now drew into position directly above the osprey.
+
+"Now watch, and you will see some fun," said Rob. "No wonder Mr. Osprey
+is mad; he's going to lose his fish--that's what's going to happen to
+him. Watch that eagle!"
+
+The two birds kept their relative positions--the osprey, either angry or
+frightened, still struggling to get away with its prey; the eagle,
+easily circling above it, itself now and then uttering a shrill cry--a
+scream-like whistle that could be heard at a great distance.
+
+At last the osprey gave up the struggle and attempted to escape. With
+difficulty it detached one foot from the fish, which now fell down at
+full length and disarranged the osprey's flight. Finally it succeeded in
+shaking the talons of the other foot free. The osprey made a swift side
+dash and left the salmon to fall, at a height of, perhaps, one hundred
+and fifty feet or so.
+
+The eagle, which seemed to be twice that high above the ground, now
+performed a feat which the boys could never understand. They did not see
+how he could fall much faster than the fish; yet before their eyes they
+saw the great bird half fold its wings and dart down swift as a flash.
+Before the salmon had struck the ground the eagle struck it, fair, with
+both feet, and, never touching the earth itself, swung in a wide, low
+circle, itself master by robbery of the prize which the labor of the
+fish-hawk had won.
+
+"Look at that old thief!" said Rob. "It's a funny thing to me that an
+eagle can't very often catch fish for himself, plentiful as they are
+here. Yet you'll notice that if an eagle is on a tree directly over the
+salmon he can't start quick enough to catch a fish--it'll always swim
+away from him. They catch some in shallow water, but they don't seem to
+be very good fishermen after all. A bald-headed eagle would rather steal
+a fish from an osprey than to catch one for himself, and we've just seen
+how it's done. Watch the old thief!"
+
+The eagle, apparently contented with his morning's work, leisurely rose
+and flapped on his way toward a clump of small cotton-woods. At the
+summit of a small tree he perched, holding the fish under his feet and
+uttering now some short, shrill cries, which the boys could hear
+answered from the heap of brush which they saw was the nest prepared by
+these birds. There were scores of these rude nests scattered along the
+timber flats.
+
+"Let's go and see what they do now," suggested Rob.
+
+As they approached they saw the male bird clumsily flap down to the
+nest, where it dropped the fish. The hen eagle fell upon it with short,
+savage screams and began to tear it apart. They also saw, now and again
+bobbing above the rim of the nest, the heads of two young eagles.
+
+Rob cast a critical look at the trunk of the tree. "I can climb that
+tree," said he, at last, "and I have a mind to turn the tables on that
+old thief up there."
+
+He pointed to the male eagle, which was now flapping in short circles
+above the top of the tree, uttering hoarse cries of anger.
+
+"You'd better look out," said John; "old Mother Eagle will pick your
+eyes out if you're not careful."
+
+"I'm not so sure about that," said Rob; "but I'll take care. Anyhow,
+here goes!" So saying, he threw off his coat and began to ascend the
+tree, a feat which grew easier as he reached the wide-spreading limbs.
+In a few minutes he stood almost under the nest. Here he kept his left
+arm in front of his face and made feints with a piece of branch at the
+mother eagle, which indeed came dangerously close to him. The boys below
+began to flop their arms and throw up their coats. At length both of the
+parent birds, contrary to what might be believed or may have been
+written regarding them, turned tail like cowards and abandoned their
+young to their fate. They perched on trees a hundred yards or so
+distant, and watched to see what would go forward. Rob worked his way on
+up the tree and peered curiously over the edge of the wretched
+brush-heap which served as the nest. Here he saw two large, ungainly
+young birds, not yet able to fly, but able to spit, scratch, and flap
+their wings. Getting a good foothold on a supporting branch, Rob made
+several attempts to get hold of the young birds. Finally he succeeded in
+getting one by the neck, and with a jerk threw it out so that it fell
+flapping to the ground. Skookie would have killed it at once, but the
+others stopped him. A few moments later they were owners of both these
+birds, and Rob had rejoined his companions at the foot of the tree.
+
+"I'll tell you what," said he, as he wiped the perspiration from his
+face; "let's see if we can't make pets of these eagles. We nearly always
+have more than we can eat, and it's the same sort of food these birds
+are used to; so why shouldn't we tie them up and keep them around the
+hut? Maybe they'll scare the crows and ravens away from our fish."
+
+"That's a fine idea," said John. "We'll just try that. I had a couple of
+hawks once for pets. They ate a great lot, and they fought you, too, for
+a long while. My hawks used to lie on their backs and grab me by the
+hand every time I tried to feed them. I suppose these eagles will be
+worse yet."
+
+"Anyhow, we'll try them," said Rob. "Let's wrap them up in our coats and
+take them down to the boat."
+
+This they did, and although the old eagles followed them for two or
+three miles, sometimes coming rather close, and frequently uttering
+their wild calls of anger, the boys had no trouble in making away with
+their young captives. The birds seemed rather stupid than otherwise, and
+were as ready to eat food from human hands as from the talons of their
+parents. They did not really become tame, but, having learned their
+source of food, in a few days became so indifferent to human presence
+that they would only ruffle up their scanty crests and beat their wings
+a little when approached. They never allowed one to put a hand on their
+heads, and, indeed, were very far from being friendly. Their presence
+about the camp, however, did serve in part to mitigate the nuisance of
+crows and ravens, which continually hovered about, trying to steal from
+the scaffold where the boys kept their supplies of meat and fish. All
+boys like pets, and these found their strange captives interesting
+enough at least to help pass the time.
+
+
+
+
+XXIV
+
+AN ADVENTURE ON THE GULL ROCKS
+
+
+"I'll tell you, fellows," began Rob, a day or so after they had brought
+home the young eagles--"I'll tell you what we ought to do to-day after
+we have got the breakfast dishes done. Let's make a trip over to the big
+rocks beyond, where we went with Jimmy that time. If the eggs are not
+all hatched, and if these birds keep on laying, as maybe they do, we
+might still get some fresh eggs."
+
+"That would be fine," said John, "because I for one am getting just a
+little tired of salmon all the while. I'd give anything for a good piece
+of bread and butter."
+
+"Or pie," said Jesse, his mouth almost watering.
+
+"Now, there you go," said Rob, "talking about things we can't have. Why,
+I wouldn't give a cent for a piece of pie myself--that is, not unless it
+was a piece of real cherry pie, with fresh cherries, the kind we used
+to get--" All three boys looked at one another and broke out laughing.
+
+"Anyhow," said John, "maybe we can make a sort of pie after the
+salmon-berries get ripe. At least we could if we had a little flour and
+lard and baking-powder and things--"
+
+"And if we knew how," added Jesse. "It seems to me the best thing we can
+do, the way things are, is to go egg-hunting as Rob suggests."
+
+There was perhaps more wisdom in Rob's plan than any one of the boys
+knew at first. He was old and wise enough to know that the best way to
+keep them all from homesickness was to be busy all the time. This
+discovery is not new among military men, or those who lead exploring
+parties, although it was one which Rob thought out for himself; so now
+he went on:
+
+"We'll just take the dory," he said, "and slip down the coast beyond the
+mouth of the creek, and so on beyond the rocks where Jimmy and we all
+went when we got the sea-parrot hides. There are rocks over there, tall
+needles with straight sides, that have got thousands of birds of all
+sorts on them."
+
+"What will we do with our eagles?" asked Jesse, hesitating.
+
+"We can leave them plenty of food, and put a few boards together so
+that they can get under in case the crows or ravens should attack them.
+They will get along all right, I am sure."
+
+"I'd like to go with Skookie in the bidarka," said John, but Rob shook
+his head.
+
+"No, you don't," he said, "you go in the dory with the rest of us. That
+boy is all right, but he might not be strong enough to handle a bidarka
+in a high sea; and up here we never can tell when the wind is going to
+come up."
+
+"Suppose it did upset," said John, sturdily. "I have been out of it,
+here in the lagoon."
+
+"Yes, but that is different from getting upset out there in the middle
+of the bay. You know perfectly well that you could not get back in
+again; and swimming out there is something different from the lagoon,
+where the bank is right at hand all the time. I don't even like to go
+very far out in the dory; but see, it is fair and calm just now. So
+hurry up and let's get away. Get all the rope you can, too, fellows,
+because we may have to go down the face of the rock to get at the
+nests."
+
+"I have seen pictures of that," said Jesse--"how the egg-gatherers go
+down in a rope handled by other men up above them on the rocks. Do you
+suppose that three of us could pull the other fellow up and down?
+Skookie here looks pretty strong."
+
+"I don't know," said Rob, "but we'll take the rope along and see how it
+works out."
+
+Not long after they were safely off in the big dory, which, under two
+pairs of oars and with the wind favorable, astern, made very good time
+down the long spit at the mouth of the creek. Beyond that point they
+were obliged to take to the open bay, quite out of touch of land, for a
+distance of a mile and a half. This brought them to the foot of a small,
+rocky island, out of which arose two or three sharp, column-like groups
+of rocks which, as Rob had said, were literally covered with nesting
+birds.
+
+"We'll have to get around behind," said Rob; "nobody could climb up on
+this side, that's sure."
+
+Scrambling over the loose rocks, left wet and slippery by the tide, they
+passed to the rear of these pillars, first having made fast the dory so
+that it could not be carried away. In the pools of sea-water they found
+many strange shells and several specimens of the squid, or cuttle-fish,
+upon which Skookie fell gleefully. He and his people are fond of this
+creature as an article of food; but its loathsome look turned the others
+against it, so that with reluctance he was forced to throw them away
+again.
+
+At the back of the largest of these rock pinnacles they stood in
+hesitation for a moment, for the ascent seemed hard enough. At last,
+however, Rob found a sort of cleft or large crack, which seemed to lead
+up toward the top, and whose rough sides seemed to give foothold
+sufficient for a bold climber. "Here we go, fellows!" he said, and so
+started on up, hand over hand, the best he could. To their satisfaction,
+however, they found the going not so hard as it had looked from below.
+At the top, the sides of the cleft seemed to pinch together, so that in
+some places they were obliged to climb as a chimney-sweep does, their
+legs pressed across the open space; but as they were all out-of-door
+boys and well used to Alaska mountain work, they went ahead fearlessly
+and soon found themselves at the summit of the tower-like rock, whence
+they had a splendid view of the bay and the surrounding country.
+Startled by their presence, the sea-birds took wing in hundreds and
+thousands, soaring around them, flapping almost in their faces, and
+uttering wild, discordant cries. The boys fought these off as they began
+to explore the top of the rock.
+
+"Mostly little gulls here," said John, "and I never heard they were good
+to eat. I don't like the look of these eggs, either. Looks as if we were
+too late for a real good egg season."
+
+"Well," said Rob, "anyhow, we have had a good climb and a good look over
+the country. Now, what I propose to do is to see what there is lower
+down on the face of the cliff. I'm sure there's a lot of sea-parrots
+there, because I can see them flying in and out down below."
+
+"Let me go down, Rob," said John. "I'm lighter than you are."
+
+"No," said Jesse, "I think I ought to go down, because I am even lighter
+than you, John, and Rob is stronger than either of us."
+
+"I'll tell you how we'll fix that," said Rob. "We'll tie the end of the
+rope around this big rock here; and I'll pass the other end through my
+belt and pay it out as I climb down. I won't need to put all my weight
+on the rope, but will just use it to steady me as I climb. If I have any
+trouble getting up, why, then you three fellows can see what you can do
+toward pulling. Don't you let it slip, now. And if I shake the rope
+three times, then you begin to pull. You can signal me the same way if I
+get where you can't see me, or where you can't hear me call for the
+noise the birds are making."
+
+It was really a dangerous thing which Rob proposed to do, but boys do
+not always stop to figure about danger when there is something
+interesting ahead. Passing the rope through his belt as he had said, he
+kept hold of the free end with one hand, and so, picking his way from
+one projecting point to another, he began slowly to pass down the
+seaward face of the rock, which proved to be not so steep as it had
+seemed from below, although ridged here and there with sharp walls or
+cut banks, which crossed from almost one face of the pinnacle to the
+other.
+
+Rob's daring was rewarded by the finding of countless numbers of nests
+of the sea-parrots, which were bored back straight into the face of the
+cleft. "Here they are, boys!" he called back, his voice being even by
+this time barely distinguishable amid the clamor of the gulls and other
+wild birds which continuously circled about.
+
+Rob thrust his arm into one of these holes in the cleft, and was lucky
+enough to catch a female parrot by the neck and to pull her out without
+any injury to himself. For a time he examined the bird, laughing at its
+awkward movements when he flung it on the rocks at last, uninjured.
+Then he edged on along the rock face, his foot on a sort of narrow
+shelf and his body guided by the supporting rope. "I can get a lot of
+them here!" he called up to his friends.
+
+A moment later he pushed his arm again into an aperture among these
+nests. At once he uttered a sudden, sharp cry and pulled out his arm.
+His finger had been bitten almost to the bone by the hornlike beak of
+one of the birds. The pain of this alone would have been bad enough, but
+now it caused a still more serious accident.
+
+As Rob shook his bleeding finger at his side, and half raised his left
+arm to fend off the rush of two or three angry wild birds, he suddenly
+slipped with one foot at the edge of the narrow shelf on which he stood,
+and before he could catch his balance or do more than tightly grasp the
+free end of the rope which passed under his belt, over and down he went.
+
+For one swift instant he saw the long, white, curling breakers on the
+beach below him, for he fell face downward, his body or feet scarcely
+touching the rocky wall. He never knew quite how it happened, but in
+some way the rope jammed at his belt, and before he had fallen more than
+fifteen or twenty feet he found himself fast, but swinging like a
+plummet at the end of the line, entirely out of touch, with either
+hands or feet, with the face of the rocky wall. Below him he could
+faintly hear the murmur of the sea on the rocks a hundred and fifty feet
+below. Above him he could see nothing but the edge of the shelf over
+which he had fallen. As soon as he could control himself, he called
+aloud again and again, but he got no answer. If his friends above heard
+him, their answer was drowned by the clamor of the wild birds. Here,
+then, was the most serious situation in which he had ever found himself
+in all his life.
+
+Up above, on the summit of the rock, the boys had seen the sudden jerk
+on the rope and noticed that now it was motionless, whereas before it
+had trembled and shifted as Rob moved along the shelf. Skookie was the
+first to divine what had happened. He pointed to the cord, now tense and
+stiff, and leaned out over the rim, peering down at the shelf where Rob
+had stood.
+
+"Him gone!" said he, turning back a sober face. "Pretty soon him die
+now, I guess."
+
+Jesse and John looked at each other with white faces. They sprang to the
+rope, but hesitated, fearing lest touching it might prove dangerous.
+
+"Wait," said Jesse. "Let's look around first and get our wits together.
+One thing is certain, he is down there at the end of this. If the rope
+was not fast to him it would be loose and we could pull it up. That
+means that he is alive yet, anyhow, I am sure." He leaned far out over
+the rim of the summit, and between his hollowed hands called down:
+"Don't be afraid, Rob! We'll pull you up pretty soon!"
+
+Dangling far down at the end of the rope, Rob at first grew faint and
+dizzy. He dared not look below him, but had presence of mind enough to
+keep his eyes fixed on the nearest part of the cap of the rocky wall, so
+that he was less dizzy, although he whirled round and about at the
+extremity of the rope, which it seemed to him would almost cut him in
+two. None the less he made the end all the more secure about his waist;
+then once in a while he would ease the strain by lifting a little with a
+hand above his head. He shifted the rope until the noose came closer
+under his arms, realizing that he must not exhaust his strength in
+trying to raise his weight hand over hand. Thus, after the first few
+minutes of fright and after he had dared to open his eyes and take stock
+of the dangerous plight in which he found himself, he began calmly to
+reason, as very often one will who finds himself in imminent peril, the
+situation being too serious to allow him time for fright.
+
+Skookie sat down apathetically on the rocks and made no move. "Get up
+there, Skookie!" said Jesse. "Why do you act like a dummy? Nobody is
+dead yet. We're going to haul him up; don't you see? Now get hold of the
+rope--all of us; now, all together!"
+
+They lifted as hard as they could, but, do their best, they could gain
+almost nothing on the rope. Little as that was, Rob felt it down below
+and knew that they were trying to save him.
+
+"Now what shall we do?" John asked Jesse, in distress. "If we can't pull
+him up--and maybe we'd cut the rope on the rocks trying to do that--why,
+then, how is he going to get out of that?"
+
+Skookie, seeing that they had but little success in lifting the heavy
+weight at the other end of the rope, now, without any orders, tried a
+plan of his own. Passing along the edge of the rim of rock off to the
+right, he found a place where he could descend for at least a short
+distance. He disappeared below, but presently came back, his face
+lighted up with the first sign of hope it had shown.
+
+"Dis way!" he said; "dis way!" and made motions that they should pull
+on the rope and shift it to the right as far as they were able. The
+young native's sharp eyes had seen that if Rob could get to a place a
+little farther at one side than where he hung, he could get his feet
+against the rock, and so, perhaps, help himself more than otherwise
+would be possible.
+
+A little consultation followed at the top of the rock, then inch by inch
+the boys edged the rope along. Rob found himself, without any effort of
+his own, gradually approaching the face of the rock. At last he could
+kick it; and so he helped himself, pendulum fashion, until finally he
+got a hand on a rocky point, and so could rest his weight on the rough
+surface. To him even this vantage-ground seemed as if it were actual
+safety, so much better was it than swinging helpless like a fly on a
+cord. When his weight was taken from the rope those above at first
+thought that he had fallen to the foot of the cliff; but now he gave the
+signal of three short jerks, and they saw that he must have reached some
+place where he could support his weight. At this they broke out into a
+shout of joy.
+
+"Now, what will we do?" asked Jesse, thoughtfully. "We won't pull up
+until he signals us again, I guess. Maybe he will try to come up
+himself, steadying himself by the rope, the way he went down. I wish we
+could see where he is."
+
+This chance counsel of Jesse's was precisely the best thing that could
+have happened, for Rob had now determined to help himself by climbing up
+the rope hand over hand in the attempt to reach the ledge from which he
+had fallen. How he was going to get over the edge he could not clearly
+see, but he was now convinced that the friction on the rope was such
+that his friends could not haul him up, and that if he were saved he
+must save himself by getting above that projecting edge.
+
+Slowly he began to feel his way up the rock, supporting his weight as
+much as possible without the use of the rope, until, half leaning
+against the rock and half pulling on the rope, which was now shifted to
+a point directly above his head, he reached a place where he could no
+longer keep in touch with the rocky face. Then bravely, as should any
+one who finds himself in such straits, he swung out and rapidly began to
+climb up the rope, hand over hand, sailor fashion.
+
+He reached the edge of the rock, and perhaps might have been able in
+some way to get above it without injury, although, on the other hand, he
+might never have been able to get across unaided. What happened was
+that the boys up above, seeing the rope again agitated and not certain
+what their best course now might be, laid hold of it and began to pull
+as hard as they could. The result was that Rob's left hand, just as he
+reached the rim of rock, was caught under the rope. He flung his other
+hand around the corner, caught the rope, and scrambled up on one knee
+just as the strong heave from above tore the rope almost through his
+fingers, cutting them open as they lay against the rocks.
+
+The pain was intense, but he hardly minded that, for he saw now that he
+was again in safety. From there on up the face of the rock he scrambled
+on hands and knees, slipping and falling, but still going up, assisted
+by the steady pull, hand over hand, of his friends, who now saw what had
+happened, and who encouraged him with their shouts. So, none of them
+knew just how, presently he found himself at the summit once more, the
+others about him, all talking at once.
+
+Rob held up his mangled hand, from which the blood was now flowing
+freely. The wounds to his fingers were really serious, but he bore the
+pain as bravely as he could, although his face was white.
+
+"Anyhow, I got back," said he, shaking the blood from his hand. "I
+think the best thing we can do now is to start on home. I ought to do
+something for this hand as soon as possible."
+
+They were all pale and very much frightened. All at once Rob began to
+tremble, his hands and legs shaking uncontrollably. The nervous strain
+having now relaxed, the full shock of terror and pain set in, as often
+is seen in the cases of grown men similarly situated. It was some time
+before he recovered sufficiently to be able to risk the dangerous climb
+down the cliff on the inner side of the pinnacle. At last, however, they
+found themselves again safely in the dory, where, of course, his
+companions would not allow him to think of rowing. Progress against the
+wind and sea they found now much slower, and it was almost an hour
+before they reached the mouth of the creek, where Rob could land on the
+beach and so walk up toward the hut. By that time his hand was badly
+swollen and giving him intense pain.
+
+The boys did not attempt to take the dory around to the landing opposite
+to the hut, but left it moored at the creek mouth. They did not talk a
+great deal as they returned to the barabbara at the close of their
+disastrous day. The pain which Rob suffered gave them all concern. It
+was Skookie once more who proved himself resourceful. Without asking
+leave of any one, he crossed the lagoon on the stepping-stones and
+disappeared in the thicket beyond. A few minutes later he appeared with
+his hands full of coarse green leaves with slender, lance-shaped tips,
+the name of which none of the boys ever knew.
+
+"_Karosha_," he said--"all right, all right," and so proceeded to bind
+these on Rob's wounded fingers. Having wrapped them in a number of the
+leaves, he led Rob to the edge of the creek, and here made up a big ball
+of mud, which he plastered over the entire hand.
+
+"Now I am a pretty sight," said Rob. "I was going to wash my hands, but
+maybe this will do. I have heard that natives sometimes know a thing or
+two about taking care of such things."
+
+The native lad's knowledge of simples proved more efficient than any of
+them had dreamed. In the course of half an hour Rob's face brightened.
+"Why," said he, "I don't believe it hurts so badly now. Skookie, you are
+a great little doctor." And, indeed, that night he slept as soundly as
+any, although they all spent less time than usual that evening in talk
+about the doings of the day.
+
+
+
+
+XXV
+
+CRIPPLES' CASTLE
+
+
+"Well," said Jesse, just before noon of the following day, as he stooped
+to enter the door of the barabbara, "accidents never come singly." His
+face was drawn with pain, as Rob, to whom he spoke, noticed.
+
+"What's up, Jess?" asked Rob. "Has anything happened?"
+
+"I struck my foot against an old nail or something of the sort,"
+answered Jesse. "A piece of an old _klipsie_ was lying out in the grass,
+and it has cut through my shoe and gone into my foot."
+
+Rob sat up on the blanket where he had been nursing his own crippled
+hand. "An old nail!" he said. "Lucky if it wasn't worse! No telling what
+the point of it might do toward poisoning the wound. I'll tell you right
+now that I don't want even any rusty nails around my feet, let alone the
+irons of an old fox trap."
+
+"I've heard of such things as lockjaw," said Jesse. "There was a boy in
+our town had it, and he was just walking along and struck his foot
+against an old nail in a shingle." His face seemed grave.
+
+"Now, don't go to talking about that," said Rob. "When a fellow gets
+scared of anything is when he catches it. They say that if a man goes to
+Africa and expects to come down with a fever he always does, and if he
+doesn't think anything about it he probably gets along all right. Now,
+let's have a look at your foot. Take off your shoe; and put the kettle
+on the fire, so that we can get some warm water. The first thing always
+is to keep a cut clean; and I have read, too, that where there is any
+rusty nail or toy pistol around the best thing is to keep a wound open."
+
+"That doesn't seem to be the way you are treating your fingers," said
+Jesse, looking at the cloth in which Rob still kept a big poultice of
+black mud.
+
+"Well, a poultice draws poison out of a wound, you see," said Rob, "and
+mud is good for that. We had a pointer dog once, and he came home with
+his face all swelled up, and my father said he had been bitten by a
+snake. We didn't know what to do, but the dog did; he wouldn't let any
+one touch him, but went off to a slough back of the house and lay down
+in the mud, and he kept his head in the mud for two or three days. He
+got well all right. Your foot cannot be any worse than if you had been
+snake-bitten, surely, and you and I ought to have as much sense as the
+dog. My hand does not hurt now, and I'll warrant Skookie and I will fix
+up your foot in a jiffy."
+
+He put his head out of the door and called for John and Skookie, both of
+whom presently came, the latter soon returning with a double handful of
+mud, for which Rob had asked. Meantime they had taken off Jesse's shoe
+and stocking, cleaned the wound, and Rob had cut it open even a little
+wider with his knife--at which Jesse made a wry face.
+
+"I hate to do it, Jess," said Rob, "but that is what I read doctors do
+in a case like this. Now for a good poultice. You will be all right in a
+day or so."
+
+In truth, they very probably did the very best that could be done in
+such circumstances. There might have been serious trouble from a wound
+from an old _klipsie_ barb. Surgeons have died from poison received from
+knives used in post-mortem work. Lockjaw might very well follow upon a
+wound from a piece of dirty iron of this kind; but, luckily, the germ of
+that disease seemed not to exist in this case; at least the treatment
+which Rob applied proved quite effective and no evil results followed.
+Although Jesse limped for a time, in a few days he became quite well,
+and the swelling in the foot amounted to very little.
+
+"But now," said John one morning, as the three of them sat by the
+fireside in the barabbara, "we are a fine-looking lot, aren't we? Just
+look at us--every one of us has got something the matter with him!" They
+all took a glance and broke out in a loud laugh together, in which
+Skookie joined uproariously. As a matter of fact, each one of them was
+wearing a bandage. Rob had his hand done up, Jesse's foot was encased in
+a mud plaster, and John still wore his handkerchief tied over his nose,
+whose tip he had nearly severed in his attempt at eating after the Aleut
+fashion.
+
+"Well," said Rob, "it's lucky that none of us is hurt bad enough to
+cripple him seriously, anyway; although I guess Skookie will have to do
+most of the work of getting wood and water for a day or so yet."
+
+"There's no reason why I could not carry wood and water," said John. "My
+nose is not in the road."
+
+"I shouldn't say it was," said Jesse. "It never was long enough to get
+in the road, John, and it seems as though you had tried your best to
+shorten it as it was." They never tired of laughing at John for his
+clumsiness in Aleut table manners.
+
+"Now, see here, Jess," said John, "if you keep on making fun of my nose
+I won't give you any more mud for your old foot. I'm the only one that
+is not taking the mud cure excepting Skookie. I might just advise you
+two that about all our salt whale meat is gone, and it is too late now
+to get any more. It is about time we did some fishing, it seems to me."
+
+"Well, I don't want to sit around this way all the time," said Jesse. "I
+am for going out in the dory and trying for some fresh codfish. I'm
+rather tired of salmon again."
+
+"That's right," said Rob. "I was just going to say the same thing. Back
+home we used to like salmon better than codfish, because the codfish was
+always salt. Salmon used to be forty cents a pound back in the States,
+but out here, where we can catch forty pounds in an hour, we don't like
+it as well as codfish. All right, Jess, I'm game to go down to the mouth
+of the creek where we left the dory, and go out in the bay for a try
+after cod. But how will you get down there with your foot all tied up?"
+
+Jesse put his hand on Skookie's shoulder. "Oh, that will be easy," said
+he. "Skookie and I will go down the creek in the bidarka."
+
+They agreed to this plan, and Jesse, hobbling out to the edge of the
+lagoon, picked up one of the bidarka's paddles--a narrow-bladed, pointed
+implement such as the Aleuts always use--rested the end of the paddle on
+the bottom on the other side of the bidarka, and, steadying himself by
+this means, slipped into place in the front hatch of the boat, just as
+one would step into a tottery birch-bark, although not even the latter
+can be more ticklish than one of these skin-covered native boats.
+Skookie was less particular, but, with the confidence born of long
+experience, took a running jump as he pushed off the bidarka and
+scrambled into the rear hatch. An instant later his own paddle was in
+motion, and Jesse and he made good speed down the creek. All the boys
+had by this time learned something about the use of the bidarka, and
+could handle themselves fairly well without swinging the craft from side
+to side as they paddled. Jesse always thought that the paddles were too
+small, but the only answer Skookie made to this criticism was, "My
+peoples long time make paddles dis way."
+
+The four met at the mouth of the creek, and soon they launched the
+faithful dory, in which they always kept their cod-lines on the
+hand-reels under the stern seat. Skookie took command of the expedition,
+for he seemed to know instinctively where the best fish could be found.
+Under his instruction he and John paddled the boat out fifty fathoms or
+so from the extreme beach point, where he motioned John to take up his
+hand-line while he held the boat in place. "Plenty deep waters here," he
+said; "plenty dose codfish."
+
+"Sure!" said John. "Here's right where Jimmy took us the first time."
+
+The boys threw over their lines, letting the heavy leads of the big
+hooks sink into more than one hundred feet of water. They had not long
+to wait, for the codfish seemed to be extremely numerous hereabout. John
+gave a sudden jerk and began to pull in rapidly, hand over hand. After a
+time they could see the gleam of a ten-pound codfish coming up to the
+surface on the line, rolling and twisting lazily and making no great
+fight. With a whoop John threw him into the boat, where the fish seemed
+even too lazy to flap about very much. It was a fine, dark fish, and
+Skookie gave it his professional approval as he rapped it over the head.
+Hardly had John gotten his fish into the boat before Jesse also began to
+pull in and added a second prize. Rob was fishing on the opposite side
+of the boat, and using a sort of squid with lead run around the hook,
+much like a bluefish squid. He was pulling the bait up and down with
+long jerks, as the native codfishers do, when all at once he felt
+something strike. "This fish seems mighty heavy," said he, "and it runs
+around different from a cod." None the less, he kept on pulling in line,
+and at length saw the gleam of a fish. "Humph!" said he, "no wonder it
+pulls hard! I've hooked it right square in the side. It pulls harder
+than a foul-hooked salmon, down that deep in the water. I wonder what it
+is?"
+
+It was a flat, shiny fish, handsome enough to look at, but Skookie shook
+his head. "Him no good," said he, and at once threw it overboard.
+
+"I think that is what the sailormen call a silver hake," said Rob; "but
+if Skookie doesn't approve of it, I guess we won't take any chances."
+
+The fish kept on biting at Rob's peculiar lure and at the pieces of
+salmon which the other boys used as bait. In the course of an hour they
+had the bow end of the dory well piled up with codfish, and Rob
+declared that they had enough. They also had nearly a dozen gnarled,
+knobby-looking fish, mostly all head, which Skookie insisted were better
+than codfish, to which they later all agreed. Sailors call these fish
+"sea-lawyers," because of their wide mouths, as they explain it. They
+rowed in to the beach near the mouth of the creek and dressed their fish
+on the shore not far from the salmon pool. After this they lay about in
+the sunshine of a beautiful day and idled away an hour or two more.
+
+"I'll tell you what, fellows," said John, after a time, as he stopped
+throwing pebbles into the pool, "we ought to have some sort of a camp
+down here at the mouth of the creek, too. Look over there at that rock
+face on the other side of the creek; that would be a fine place to build
+another house. I think it would be fun."
+
+"But look at us, all crippled up as we are," said Rob. "We never were in
+as bad shape to go to work."
+
+"Oh, well," demurred Jesse, "we wouldn't have to do it all in one day. I
+think, too, it would be some fun to build a barabbara all of our own."
+
+"I suppose we could float some logs down the creek," said Rob, "and
+maybe pick up some drift-wood on the beach and tow it around with the
+dory. And there's some drift right here at the mouth of our creek. We
+could build it over there just back of those scrubby trees, and with the
+cover of those and the tall grass no one could see it from the water
+unless he looked mighty close. And, as John says, it might save us a
+walk once in a while."
+
+"If that wasn't a rock wall over there," said Jesse, "we could make a
+dugout; but there isn't any cave or opening in the rock there."
+
+"No," said Rob, "and we can't build a bark house like a Chippewa, nor a
+mat house like a Siwash, nor a tepee like a Sioux. On the whole, I have
+noticed that every country knows how to build its own houses best. The
+natives here make barabbaras because they have material for that sort of
+house, and they seem to do pretty well, if they do smoke a little."
+
+"Suppose we build a barabbara, then," suggested Jesse.
+
+"Ask Skookie," suggested Rob.
+
+But Skookie, although he knew perfectly well what they were talking
+about, did not grow very enthusiastic over the idea. He could see no use
+in doing any work which was not absolutely necessary. "S'pose got plenty
+barabbara now, all light," he said, pointing up the creek at their
+camp. The others, however, overruled him, and when he saw his companions
+at work he fell to as enthusiastically as any, and they found his
+suggestions of the greatest value.
+
+At first they marked out a place about twelve feet square or so on the
+ground, and cleared it of grass, rocks, and pebbles. To this they
+dragged some of the drift logs which they found near by, and so began a
+rough sort of foundation. They had no nails which they could spare and
+not even a hammer, but the axe they found very useful in shaping the
+ends of the logs so that they would stay in place. They drove stakes to
+hold the corners together better and to keep the walls from falling
+down; and between the logs they put in chinking of moss, grass, and mud.
+Even before the end of their first day they had quite a start on their
+new house, and were eager for the next day's work, sore and crippled as
+they were.
+
+On the following day they made house-building their first order. By noon
+they had their side walls fairly well laid up with logs, which now gave
+them some trouble to hoist and to keep in place. They towed drift-wood
+now into the creek, having used up most of the material which lay close
+at hand.
+
+The roof gave them the most trouble. They built their side walls about
+four feet high, but they did not know how to keep the roof from falling
+in. They did not wish to plant any poles in the centre of the barabbara,
+as that would take up too much room and would interfere with the
+fireplace. They had no means of joining or framing any timbers for the
+roof, and they did not know how to make an arch. At last Jesse hit upon
+an idea.
+
+"I'll tell you," said he; "we'll get some long poles and rest them on
+the top of the walls and plant the ends in the dirt and weight them down
+with rocks there. Then the other ends will stick in over the walls
+toward the centre, and will do for rafters for us to put our roof on.
+We'll leave a hole in the centre where the rafters don't meet. In that
+way we can have a roof without any posts in the middle of our house, so
+that the inside will all be clear room."
+
+This crude idea of architecture appealed to the others and, indeed,
+proved rather effective, although it was different from the plan on
+which their old barabbara was built. They had some trouble in getting
+poles sufficiently long, but at last succeeded. On these they laid such
+flatter pieces as they could find in the drift-wood wreckage, piecing
+out the roof with poles and covering it all with grass and moss. Over
+this they put yet other timbers, and stones, and finished all with a
+heavy cover of dirt. This labor occupied them all that day and nearly
+three days more, as neither Rob nor Jesse was in very good condition to
+do much work. At last, however, they saw their new barabbara completed.
+It could hardly be seen from the opposite side of the creek, and any one
+passing the mouth of the creek on the bay would never have detected it
+at all.
+
+Tired by their labors, they lay down on the grass in front and looked at
+their structure. "I'll tell you," said John, rubbing his dirty hands
+over his face to wipe the perspiration from his eyes; "we'll call this
+'Cripples' Castle.' I don't think it's bad for the time we have put in,
+when there wasn't one of us feeling very well. But Rob's hand is pretty
+near well now, and Jesse's foot is getting better, and my nose is not
+going to come off, after all. We'll call it 'Cripples' Castle,' but hope
+that our luck will be better in it."
+
+"Come on, let's go inside," said Jesse. So they crawled into the ragged
+hole in the wall which they had left for a door. They found the interior
+spacious enough for their needs, and the roof in the centre was
+stronger than that of their old barabbara. They got some firewood
+together, and with Skookie's help piled the floor under the eaves thick
+with sweet-smelling grasses from the flats near by. That night, when the
+Alaska sun gradually retired for its short rest, they sat around a
+brightly burning fire in the interior of their castle and ate the
+heartiest meal they had known for some time. It was then that Rob
+produced a surprise for the others.
+
+"Now we have got some of our old dried bear meat," said he. "I suppose
+it's good, but it doesn't look it now--and a little salt whale and
+plenty of fresh codfish and salmon; and Skookie has got some of those
+white mock radishes of his, of which we don't know the name. But it
+seems to me that everything runs to meat. How would you like to have
+some onions?"
+
+"Onions!" exclaimed Jesse; and "Onions!" repeated John after him.
+"Nothing would be better, but we haven't got any."
+
+Rob produced from behind his back a small sack which they found
+contained a few of these precious bulbs, most valued of almost any
+vegetable in the far north.
+
+"Where did you get those?" asked John. "They certainly didn't grow
+here."
+
+"No," said Rob; "I found this little sack hidden back under the
+_klipsies_ in the far end of the old barabbara up there. I suppose some
+native hid it there when they came down in the bay after their whale.
+Anyhow, we have been on meat diet so long that I will take the liberty
+of using these, no matter whom they belong to. Of course we're not
+living much on salt meat, but even if we don't get scurvy we ought to
+have all the vegetables and green things we can get hold of. Now, onions
+mayn't smell as nice as some things, but there's no better medicine in
+this sort of life."
+
+"Leave them to me," said John, who had grown to be quite a good cook,
+perhaps by reason of his natural inclination for good things to eat.
+"I'll make a stew of them with some of that bear meat and some of
+Skookie's bulbs here. I'll bet we'll have the finest meal to-night we
+have ever had on the island." And so they all agreed. Late that night
+they rolled up in their bedding on the grass beds of their new house,
+and soon slept soundly within close reach of the waves of the sea, whose
+steady sound along the beach came to them far more plainly here than had
+been the case at the older barabbara.
+
+After this the boys used this new house more than the older house, and
+little by little moved most of their belongings down there, although
+they still kept their flag-staff up on the upper beach in the hope that
+some passing vessel might come into their bay and see their signal.
+
+
+
+
+XXVI
+
+THE JOURNEY AND THE STORM
+
+
+"Now I've got a notion," said Rob, one morning not long after they had
+finished their new barabbara, "that if we were asked about this big
+island where we are living we couldn't tell very much regarding it.
+We've only been over a little strip of country around here. I don't
+suppose we've ever been more than five or six miles from camp yet, even
+when we climbed highest in the mountains beyond the creek. Yet we can
+see over thirty miles of country from here. I'd sort of like to have a
+trip up one of those other valleys." He pointed a hand to the farther
+shore of the bay which lay before their gaze, level and calm as a
+mirror.
+
+"That's what I've thought more than once, too," said Jesse. "Why not
+make an exploring expedition over there?"
+
+"We couldn't do it and get back in time for supper," demurred John.
+
+"No," smiled Rob, "but we could have several suppers over there. Why not
+go across and camp out a night or two, and just rough it a little bit?
+You can see that there are pine woods on the mountains over there, and
+wherever there is pine it is always comfortable camping. We could take
+some grub along, of course, and our rifles."
+
+"How'd we sleep?" asked Jesse. "It has a way of raining in this country
+every once in awhile."
+
+"Well," said Rob, "we could sit under a tree if we had to. I don't
+suppose we could make a bark shelter, and we have nothing that would do
+for a tent; but we have our _kamelinkas_, and the blanket we made out of
+the sea-parrot breasts. We'd get along somehow. What do you say,
+Skookie?"
+
+Skookie grinned, understanding what was on foot. "All light--all light!"
+he said.
+
+"Agreed then, fellows," said Rob. "And we'll start this very morning,
+because the bay is perfectly calm and there seems no danger of rough
+weather. It'll be cold up in the mountains, so we'll take one blanket
+for each two of us, and those that don't carry blankets will carry grub.
+We two will take our rifles, John, and Skookie the axe. We'll get on
+famously, I am sure."
+
+The boys began to put out the different articles on the ground for
+packing. "Now we don't want to make our packs too heavy," said Rob. "The
+best way to pack is with a pair of overalls."
+
+"How do you mean?" asked John.
+
+"Well, you put all your things down on a piece of canvas or something,
+and you lash it tight with a rope, making a bundle about twice as long
+as it is wide, so that it will lie lengthwise on your back. You put your
+cord around each end, and then around it all lengthwise. Now you take
+your pair of overalls and straddle the legs across the lengthwise rope
+until it comes to the cross rope around the lower end. Then you take the
+ends of the legs and spread them apart at the other cross rope, wide
+enough for your shoulders to go in, leaving enough of the legs for
+shoulder-straps. Then you tie the ends of the legs fast to the cross
+ropes with small cords. There you are with the best kind of pack straps,
+which don't weigh anything and don't cut your shoulders. The legs of the
+overalls are soft, you see. Big Mike showed me how to do this, back
+home. He used to pack two sacks of flour up the Chilkoot Pass on the
+snow."
+
+"Yes," said Jesse, "I've heard about that way, and seen men pack that
+way, too. There's only one thing that makes me against it now."
+
+"What's that?" asked Rob, thoughtlessly.
+
+"We haven't got the overalls!"
+
+Rob's face fell as he rubbed his chin. "That's so," he admitted, "we
+haven't! And our trousers are getting pretty badly worn and wouldn't do
+for pack straps. I suppose we'll have to cut strips of seal leather or
+take a piece off our bear hides. Well, we won't make the packs heavy,
+anyhow, and we'll take it slow and easy."
+
+Within an hour they had stowed their equipment in the dory and pushed
+off, all of them rowing and paddling. They thought they would soon be
+across the bay, whose opposite shore looked quite close; but they were
+somewhat startled to see how long it took them actually to make the
+distance, which must have been some six or eight miles. The bay,
+however, remained quiet and their progress was steady, although they
+were all very tired by the time they landed on the opposite beach, at
+the mouth of the valley which they purposed to explore.
+
+"It seems wilder over here," said John. "Look how rough the mountains
+seem and how thick the timber is on above there. And I don't see any
+barabbara over here."
+
+"There's something that looks like one, back from the beach a little
+way," said Jesse, pointing out what seemed like a low heap of earth.
+They went over and found it to be, indeed, the ruins of an old
+barabbara, which looked as though it had not been occupied for a
+lifetime. The roof had fallen in and the walls were full of holes, so
+that it was quite unfit for occupancy. They left it and passed up the
+beach, where they saw the ruins of several other houses, no doubt
+occupied by natives very long ago. Beyond this a short distance, not far
+from a deep path which was worn in the tundra by the wild game, they saw
+a number of rude posts standing at different angles, loosely embedded in
+the soil, and in some instances fallen and rotting in the grass. Some of
+these had rude cross-arms at their tops, others two cross-arms, the
+lower one nailed up at a slant. The boys regarded these curiously, but
+Skookie seemed anxious to move on.
+
+"Why, what's up, Skookie? What's the matter?" asked Rob. "What do these
+posts mean, that look like crosses?"
+
+"Dead mans here--plenty, plenty dead mans, long time," said Skookie. "No
+mans live here now. I'm not like dis place."
+
+"Why," said Rob, "they're graves, and these are crosses--I think that
+one with the double arms must be one of the old Russian crosses. Was
+there ever a village here, Skookie?"
+
+The Aleut lad nodded his head. "Long times, my peoples live here some
+day. Russian mans come here, plenty big boats; plenty shoot my peoples.
+Dose Russian mans make church here, show my peoples about church.
+Bime-by Russian mans go way. Bime-by my peoples get sick, plenty sick;
+all die, all dead mans here. My peoples go way, never come back no more.
+I'm not like dis place." He shuddered as he looked at the grave posts,
+and was eager to go on.
+
+"That must have been seventy-five years ago," commented Rob. "Perhaps
+small-pox killed off the villagers who built this little town. See, the
+wind and the weather have polished these posts until they are white as
+silver. Well, I don't know but I'm ready to go on myself."
+
+Shouldering the packs which they had put down when they paused for their
+investigation, they took their way on up the ancient trail made by the
+bears and possibly once beaten by human feet. Once they came upon the
+fresh trail of a giant bear which had passed the night before, according
+to Skookie, but as the animal had swung off to the left and out of their
+course, they made no attempt to follow it; and if truth be told, they
+seemed now so far from home in this new part of the country, and were so
+depressed by the thought of the abandoned village, that something of
+their hunting ardor was cooled for the time. The walking across the mile
+of meadow-like tundra was hard enough, and they were glad when they
+reached the rockier bank of the stream which came down, broad and
+shallow in some places, narrow and tumbling in others. Here sometimes
+they waded in the water to escape the tangled thickets of alder
+interspersed with the prickly "devil's club," peculiar to all Alaska--a
+fiendish sort of plant covered with small spines, which grows in all
+fantastic shapes, but which manages to slap one somewhere, no matter
+where one steps upon it, and whose little prickly points detach
+themselves and remain in the flesh. Our young explorers, however, were
+used to Alaska wilderness travel, and they took all of this much as
+matter of course, pushing steadily on up the valley until they reached a
+fork, where to the right lay rather better going and larger trees.
+
+They concluded to bear up the right-hand cañon, and, pausing only for a
+bit to eat, about the middle of the afternoon, they had perhaps gone
+six or eight miles from the sea-shore when they concluded to camp for
+the night.
+
+They were now at the foot of a dense mountain forest, where the shadows
+lay thick and cold, and there seemed something sinister in the silence
+all about them. None the less, they soon had a good camp-fire going, and
+with the axe they proceeded to make a sort of lean-to shelter out of
+pine boughs. Rob picked out a place near a big fallen log, drove in two
+crotches a little higher than his head, and placed across them a long
+pole; then from the log to this ridge-pole they laid others, and
+thatched it all with pine boughs until they had quite a respectable
+house. On the floor they spread out a deep bed of pine boughs, and so
+sat back under their shelter, with their fire roaring and crackling in
+front of them; and all agreed that they had a very comfortable camp.
+Pretty well worn out by the hard work of the day, for their packs and
+rifles had grown unspeakably heavy, they ate their supper of dried meat
+and smoked salmon, and so curled up in their blankets, too tired to stay
+awake.
+
+The next morning they were up, feeling much more courageous after their
+good rest.
+
+"I think it might be a good plan," said Rob, "to leave one of the grub
+packs here; and if we camp farther on to-night, and decide to go yet
+deeper into the island, to leave a little grub at each camp, of course
+swung up so that nothing can get at it to eat it."
+
+"How far do you want to go?" asked John, whose legs were rather short,
+and who was feeling a little stiff after his first day's travel.
+
+"Well, I don't know," answered Rob, "but if you fellows agree, I'd be
+for going at least a day's march farther up this valley. It'll be
+colder, and it'll be harder climbing, but the footing will be better and
+we can take our time. I'd like to see if there isn't some sort of a pass
+up here, the other side of which leads down into the interior. I've
+always heard that the arms of the sea came pretty near cutting this
+island in two, along about the middle somewhere. We might have to take a
+look over on the other side of the island sometime, if we stayed here
+five or ten years, you know!"
+
+The other boys looked sober at this sort of a jest, but pluckily agreed
+to go on for at least one more day. This they did not regret, for they
+found themselves now in a country savoring more of the mountains than of
+the sea. Snow lay just above them, but the tops of the mountains seemed
+fairly open. Their little valley had a steady ascent, although by this
+time its watercourse had dwindled to a stream over which they could step
+as they pleased. Along the stream there showed the inevitable trail of
+the giant Kadiak bears which for hundreds of years had made these paths
+over all the passes down to the streams. Fresh bear signs the boys saw
+in abundance, but did not stop to hunt.
+
+Once, as they crossed their stream, they passed the mouth of a short,
+steep little ravine which opened down into the valley. Here Rob's eye
+detected something white. Stepping over in that direction, he called the
+others. "Look here, fellows, here's a great big bear skull all by
+itself!"
+
+They stood about this object, which certainly was enough to puzzle them.
+There it lay, entirely stripped of all flesh, and very white, although
+the bone was not badly bleached by the elements as yet. There was not
+the sign of any struggle anywhere about, nor was there the least
+particle of any other bones. They searched for the remainder of the
+skeleton of the animal, but found nothing of the sort anywhere about.
+There lay the grinning skull, far up here in the mountains, with nothing
+to tell whence it came or how it happened to be there.
+
+"My, wasn't it a _whale_!" exclaimed Jesse. "See, it's almost as long as
+my arm. I'll bet it's eighteen or twenty inches long, measured as it is.
+But what could have killed it? Nothing could kill a bear except another
+bear; but that wouldn't account for the head being here all alone.
+Skookie, what do you think about this?"
+
+"My peoples, maybe so," said Skookie.
+
+"Your peoples? Why, I thought you said no one lived over on this side.
+And we've seen no signs of hunting here anywhere."
+
+Skookie went on to explain. "S'pose my peoples hunt. Kill big bear. Some
+mans take hide, some mans take meat, some mans take head. Dis head not
+good for eat, but very much heavy. Some mans get tired, lay it down
+here; maybe so birds eat-um all up but bone."
+
+"But how long ago did all this happen, Skookie?" asked John.
+
+"I dinno."
+
+"And where did the hunters come from?" asked Rob.
+
+"I dinno. Maybe so Eagle Harbor, maybe so Old Harbor."
+
+"Which way is Old Harbor, Skookie?" asked Rob, suddenly.
+
+The lad pointed back across the mountains, beyond the bay, and beyond
+their camp on the farther side. "Plenty far," he said.
+
+"Then which way is Eagle Harbor--I suppose you mean a native village."
+
+"Eagle Harbor dis way." And Skookie pointed across the head of the pass
+toward which they were travelling up the valley.
+
+"How far?" demanded Rob.
+
+"I dinno," answered Skookie; "plenty miles, maybe so. My peoples live
+Old Harbor."
+
+Rob studied for a moment. "I'll bet that if we kept on," said he, "until
+we came to the top of this divide, we'd find the head of a river running
+down the other way. Like as not it would go to some bay where Eagle
+Harbor village is. Well, that makes the island seem not quite so big.
+Come on, let's go on up to the top of this pass, anyhow."
+
+So they plodded on, but did not reach the summit that night, nor did
+they find any further solution to the riddle of the lost bear skull,
+which latter Rob left in the trail, intending to pick it up on their
+return, although Skookie seemed to be averse to this performance; owing,
+no doubt, to some of his native superstitions. That night they camped
+high up in an air which was very cold, so that they shivered before
+morning, although their fire of little logs had not yet burned out.
+
+By noon of the next day, two camps out from the sea, and at a distance
+of perhaps twenty-five miles or more, they reached what was plainly the
+divide between this valley and another leading off to the northwestward.
+Here they paused. Before them stretched a wilderness of upstanding
+mountain peaks into which there wound the narrow end of a new valley,
+widening but slightly so far as their eyes could trace it.
+
+"Eagle Harbor that way, Skookie?" asked Rob, leaning on his rifle and
+looking out over the wild sea which lay before him.
+
+"I dinno," said Skookie.
+
+"How far do you think it is?"
+
+"I dinno."
+
+The Aleut lad was truthful, for neither he nor any of his family had
+ever crossed the island here, and he knew nothing of what lay ahead.
+Plainly uneasy now, Skookie had had enough of travel away from camp.
+"Maybe go back now?" he asked Rob, inquiringly.
+
+"I suppose so," replied the latter, "although I'd jolly well like to go
+over in here a little farther. I've a notion we'd come out somewhere
+closer to Kadiak town; and maybe we'd run across some native who would
+take us in. But there doesn't seem to be any game except once in a while
+a ptarmigan--those mountain grouse that strut and crow around here on
+the snow, and aren't big enough to waste rifle ammunition on. Maybe it's
+safer to go back to our camp and wait for a month or so more at least.
+What do you say, fellows?"
+
+The others, who were very tired and a little uneasy at being so far from
+what was their nearest approach to a home, voted for the return. So,
+after a rest at the summit, where cutting winds soon drove them back,
+they shouldered their lighter packs and began to retrace their way down
+the valley to the sea.
+
+Now they did not have to build any shelters for the night and could use
+their old camps. They found that their appetites were increased by their
+hard work, so that after the last camp they had little left to carry
+except their blankets and guns, although Rob manfully insisted on
+carrying out the great bear skull, which he found quite heavy enough
+before the end of the journey.
+
+When at last they left the mountains and crossed the tundra to the
+deserted village near which they had left their dory moored, they saw
+that a change had come over the weather. In the north a black cloud was
+rising, and the surface of the bay, although little broken by waves so
+far as they could see, had a steely and ominous look.
+
+"Maybe so rain bime-by," said Skookie.
+
+Rob studied the bay and the sky for some time. "What do you say, boys?"
+he asked. "Shall we try to make it across to-night? I don't like the
+look of things out there, and you know it's a long pull."
+
+"Well," said John, "I'm for starting across. There's no place to stop
+here, and I don't like this place any more than Skookie does, anyhow."
+
+Jesse agreed that they might probably better try to make their home
+camp, as their supplies were low, and since, if stormy weather came, it
+might be a long time before they could cross the bay.
+
+"All right, then," said Rob; "but we've got to hurry."
+
+Skookie also was plainly nervous. They rushed the dory from its
+moorings, and all taking oars and paddles, gave way strongly as they
+could. At that time there were no waves of consequence, only a long,
+slow motion like the pulse of the sea which came down from the outer
+mouth of great Kaludiak Bay. The wind had not yet risen, although
+steadily the twilight seemed to thicken.
+
+For three-quarters of an hour they made good progress. Then they noticed
+that their boat began to pitch a little, and small, choppy waves raced
+by. A strong slant of wind was coming down from another valley farther
+toward the mouth of the bay, opposite which they passed, when they left
+at one side the long spit of land which had served as shelter to their
+part of the inner bay.
+
+Evidently the wind was freshening. A fine spindrift settled on the
+farther side of the bay, so that at times their own shore was cut out
+from view for many moments. Night, too, was now coming. Without a word
+the boys bent to their oars, thoroughly alarmed. Rob and Skookie were
+perhaps the calmest of the four, and Rob undertook to do what he could
+to encourage his companions.
+
+"One thing you want to remember, boys," said he, "and that is that one
+of these dories will stand almost as much sea as a ship, if you handle
+her right. We'll keep her quartering into the waves, and will keep on
+rowing all night if we have to. Never mind where we strike the shore on
+the other side--we won't try to come out just at our camp. I only hope
+we can make it above the mouth of our creek, because if we go below
+that point we might drift twenty miles, clear to the far end of the
+bay. Don't pull too hard now and get fagged, but keep up a steady lick.
+Jesse, you'd better get in the stem and let John and Skookie each pull
+an oar. I'll take the other pair. Get your tin pail ready, Jesse, and if
+we take in any water, keep it bailed out the best you can."
+
+The others were plucky, although every one was anxious. The little crew
+kept sturdily at the oars, facing what was a situation serious enough to
+daunt even the strongest men. These Alaskan storms are dangerous even to
+the most powerful vessels, and no coast in the world has a longer record
+of shipwreck and lost vessels of which no trace ever is found.
+
+When once fairly out in the middle of the bay, the boys got a notion of
+the power of the sea such as they never before had known in their lives
+and thought never again to repeat. Clouds now obscured the sky. The wind
+increased steadily, coming in directly from the mouth of the great bay,
+and bringing with it all the power of the mighty Pacific Ocean. As these
+young adventurers looked over their shoulders it was a truly terrifying
+spectacle which met their gaze.
+
+In steady succession, a few moments apart, there came down into the
+bay, apparently reaching from side to side across it, long black hills
+of water, great, roller-like waves which did not break but came in black
+and oily. Each one, as it towered above the little boat, seemed about to
+engulf it, but in some way the splendid little dory found its way up the
+side and across the crest; and then they would see the great, silent
+black hill of water swing on into the bay and pass out of sight, only to
+be followed by another. The wind was not yet strong enough to break the
+tops of the waves, and fortunately the tide was coming in, so that there
+were no rips, which would surely have swamped their little craft.
+
+"Keep on pulling, boys!" cried Rob. "We're doing finely. She rides these
+big waves like a duck. She's a splendid boat!"
+
+Skookie did not say anything, but once in a while cast an anxious eye
+toward the head of the bay.
+
+"Is it all right, Skookie?" asked Rob.
+
+"I dinno," answered Skookie, and bent again to his oar.
+
+"So long as the sea doesn't break," said Rob, "we can ride these rollers
+all right. It's when she goes white that you want to look out."
+
+Perhaps this was precisely what Skookie had feared. Within three
+minutes after Rob had spoken what he had dreaded actually occurred. They
+were riding steadily up toward the top of a long, oily wave whose
+leeward side was quite unbroken, when, just as they reached the top, the
+wind seemed to tear the crest of the wave into shreds. Without warning,
+a great, boiling surge of white, hissing water came up all around them.
+It was as though some angry spirit of the deep had risen up from below
+and tried to pull them down.
+
+The white water poured in over the gunwale and half filled the dory,
+which seemed on the point of sinking before the long wave crept away,
+growling, as though disappointed at being baffled in its purpose.
+
+Jesse, who had left the stern seat and was crouched in the bottom of the
+dory, uttered a cry of affright.
+
+"Quiet, there!" called out Rob, sharply. "Bail, bail as fast as you can!
+Hurry up!"
+
+Thoroughly frightened, but rallying to his young commander's voice,
+Jesse obeyed, and bailed rapidly as he could, the sloshing water now
+leaving him for the bow, and now flooding him to the knees as it swept
+back to the stern when the bow arose. The dory yawed and veered
+unsteadily. Had they struck another piece of white water the end must
+have come for them, for their craft would have been beyond the control
+of their weary arms. Good-fortune was with them, however, and Jesse's
+efforts steadily lightened their little ship, while the others kept her
+headed up, quartering into the long waves.
+
+How long they rowed in this heart-breaking manner none of them ever
+knew, but it seemed many hours. No doubt it was two or three hours
+before they began to reach the shelter of the nearest projecting point
+on the farther side of the bay. By this time they were nearly worn out,
+their arms trembling, and their faces pale from over-exertion, but they
+dared not stop, and so pulled on as best they could. All at once Skookie
+spoke.
+
+"_Karosha_!" he exclaimed. "Pretty soon all light, all light! I hear-um
+water over dar."
+
+He meant that he now could hear the surf breaking along the beach on
+their side of the bay. The roar of the waves became plainer and plainer
+as they pulled in, and now the rollers became less gigantic, and their
+headway increased as the wind was shut off by the promontory at the head
+of their beach.
+
+The sound of the breaking surf was ominous enough of itself. In these
+wild seas it is not every one who can take in a boat safely through
+such waters. Rob was wise enough to ask counsel of Skookie in this
+matter, when at last they could see the rim of white water breaking
+madly along the shingle.
+
+The young Aleut did not seem much concerned. He told them to stop rowing
+when they approached the first long ridge of breaking water, and with
+his own oars he held the boat for a minute, looking astern and waiting
+for the right instant. A great wave came in toward them, but just before
+it broke Skookie gave a shout and they all fell to their oars, going in
+just with the crest of this wave and keeping just ahead of where it
+broke. Thus their boat was carried high up the beach.
+
+At the right instant overboard went Skookie waist deep in the surging
+white water. In an instant Rob was out on the other side. The receding
+wave almost swept the dory back, but they held her; and another, lifting
+her clear and carrying the boys off their feet for a moment, flung her
+yet farther up the beach and at the edge of the high-water mark. As she
+grounded this time they were all out and helped run her up high and dry.
+Here they made her fast by the painter to a jagged rock which projected
+from the wall at the edge of the beach. Then, too tired to do anything
+further, and trembling now in the reaction which followed the peril from
+which they had escaped, they flung themselves panting on the beach, with
+pale faces looking out into the stormy sea which thundered at their
+feet. They were all sobered thoroughly by their experience. At last Rob
+spoke, standing up preparatory to the walk down the beach toward their
+old barabbara.
+
+"I know what I thought out there when she broke under us," said he; "and
+I know what I _did_, too."
+
+"Yes, and," said Jesse, as he and the others rose to follow him, "I know
+what _I'm_ going to do before I go to sleep to-night, too. I'm going to
+remember my prayers."
+
+
+
+
+XXVII
+
+THE MAN-HUNT
+
+
+For several days after their fortunate escape from the storm at sea the
+boys were willing enough to lie around their camps, resting, undertaking
+no labor beyond that necessary in getting their daily food. About this
+latter there was rarely any difficulty at all.
+
+Of course, after a time all the birds in the lagoon were easily
+frightened away, but once in a while during the coming week the young
+hunters repeated their hunt with the thongs, and finally saw quite a
+heap of smoked goose-breasts accumulate on their drying-rack, where some
+of the bear meat still remained, as well as a goodly number of split
+salmon.
+
+The gulls' nests and the salmon stream afforded their best source of
+supply, each practically exhaustless at that season. The salmon came
+practically to their very door, and, provided as they were now with
+salt, there was small excuse for any of them going hungry. So easy,
+indeed, did life become, so far as food was concerned, that, as has been
+stated above, a certain monotony, not to say anxiety, settled upon them
+all. This, however, was one day broken by an event of most startling
+interest.
+
+They were following down the salmon creek, with the intention of taking
+a few fish at the pool near the mouth, when all at once the young Aleut,
+whose keen eyes were ever searching the country both far and near,
+paused and gave a low exclamation as he pointed to the mud near the
+banks.
+
+"Bad mans come!" he said.
+
+They peered where he pointed. Sure enough, there was the mark of a man's
+foot, evidently that of a man wearing _mukluks_, or seal boots. The boys
+looked at one another.
+
+"Him come," said Skookie, making signs of catching salmon. He made other
+signs of going to sleep, putting his hands against his cheek and closing
+his eyes, and then pointing up the hills. He pointed from the hills to
+the creek. Thus the boys knew what he meant, what they at once suspected
+to be the truth--that their late prisoner Jimmy was hiding out in the
+mountains, and coming down like a wild animal to make his living on the
+salmon run.
+
+This was a situation which at once seemed to them very grave.
+
+"He has not left, after all," said Rob, moodily. "I wish we had him
+under lock and key again. The question is, are we going to catch him
+again, or is he going to catch us first? That's what I want to know."
+
+"What do you mean?" asked John. "He's free, and we don't know where he
+is. Surely you don't mean that we ought to go and hunt him up?"
+
+"I feel just this way," answered Rob, "as I always have about anything
+of the sort--if there's going to be trouble, let us have it over and
+done with. For one, I don't relish lying awake night after night
+wondering if our camp is going to be surprised; and neither do I like to
+walk these shores wondering if this fellow is going to slip an arrow
+into one of us from the grass."
+
+"Wouldn't we be safe in the house?" asked Jesse.
+
+"We can't stay in the house all the time, and we would not be safe even
+there. No, it looks as though we ought to go out and hunt this fellow up
+and see what he is doing and intends to do."
+
+Without further words they turned back toward the house, followed by the
+Aleut boy, who looked from one to the other as if wondering what their
+words signified. This he discovered a few moments later, when Rob and
+John both emerged, each with a loaded rifle under his arm.
+
+"Come on," said Rob, and led the way, splashing through the shallow
+water at the foot of the lagoon which separated them from the
+mountain-side beyond.
+
+They climbed in silence for some time, steadily ascending the steep face
+of the snow-capped mountain which lay before them. Again they saw the
+wonderful pictures afforded by this region, where both ocean and
+mountains blend in the landscape. As now and then they paused for
+breath, they turned to look at the wonderful view of the great bay, the
+silver thread of the lagoon and creek, and the low, round dot made by
+their hut upon the flat. Above them circled many of the great bald
+eagles, which occasionally departed for their salmon-fishing in the
+stream. Once or twice they heard the sharp bark of a fox concealed in
+the alder thickets, and as they reached the upper slopes, where the snow
+still lay, frequently they saw the mountain ptarmigan, at this altitude
+still in its white winter plumage. These birds, when alarmed, would fly
+but a short way and then poise in the air, uttering a sharp, crowing
+cackle, soon to alight and stand motionless on the snow. All these
+scenes of wild nature were noted by the boys, though perhaps not so much
+as they might have been had they not been upon so serious an errand.
+
+From time to time they caught the trail of the fugitive across the
+snow-field, where it could be seen for half a mile at a stretch. Beyond
+such a snow-field they came across the ashes of a fire which had been
+built behind a clump of rocks out of sight from the beach below. There
+were some half-burned bones, which showed that some one had cooked fish
+here. Skookie, making the sign of sleep, or night, held up six fingers,
+to show that it had been that many days since the fugitive had been
+here.
+
+They managed to puzzle out the trail for some distance up the mountains
+from this point, but finally lost it on a bare rock ridge which thrust
+up well toward the peak of the mountain between two snow-fields.
+Skookie, stooping down and hunting like a dog among the half-bare rocks,
+slowly puzzled out the trail for a time. Evidently the man they wanted
+had made a practice of sleeping far back in the mountains. For a time
+they almost despaired of discovering him, until at last Jesse, whose
+eyes were always keen, pointed out what he thought were tracks leading
+across a snow-bank a quarter of a mile ahead. Hastening thither, they
+gained a half-mile more in their pursuit, but finally were obliged to
+halt puzzled at a bare rim of rock, beyond which and below them lay a
+wide expanse of rough country broken by cañons and covered by a dense
+alder growth, the only timber of that region.
+
+In that broken country hiding might have been offered for a regiment,
+almost, it seemed. Rob suggested that it was perhaps as well to return
+to camp and give up the search.
+
+"Hold on a minute," said Jesse. "Look over there! I think I see
+something."
+
+He pointed ahead and below at some object a half-mile farther on.
+Presently they all saw it--a figure visible against the snow which lay
+along the edge of a sharp cañon wall. A moment later it was lost as it
+moved into the cover of the alder thicket; but even as they hesitated
+they saw arising a thin wreath of blue smoke, which proved to them that
+the figure they had seen was a man, and no doubt the one for whom they
+were looking.
+
+Skookie looked serious, his brown face drawn into a frown of anxiety and
+fear.
+
+"Bad mans, bad mans!" he said, over and over again, shaking his head.
+
+"Come on, fellows!" was Rob's comment, and he plunged on down the rock
+face, hurrying to get his party out of sight as quickly as possible.
+Once lower down, and near the elevation of the smoke at the cañon side,
+concealment was much easier, and from this point they stalked the hidden
+fugitive much as they would have done with a big-game animal had they
+been pursuing it.
+
+They paused at last at the rim of a shelving rock which projected out at
+the top of the cañon wall. The smell of the smoke was strong in their
+nostrils, and they knew that they were near the end of their hunt.
+Somewhere below them, perhaps within a few yards or feet, the fugitive
+must be lying; but, although they peered over cautiously, they could see
+no one. As a matter of fact, a shallow cavern existed directly under
+them in the side of the cañon wall, and it was at the mouth of this that
+the Aleut had built his fire.
+
+Seeing no sign of life, Rob proceeded to dispose his forces with the
+purpose of surrounding his man. He motioned to Jesse and the Aleut boy
+to remain at the rim of the cañon, and, sending John to a point below,
+he himself climbed down on the upper side of the fire. When he reached a
+point where he could see into the mouth of the cave and realized that
+very probably this was the abode of the escaped Aleut, he waited until
+he saw John in position below, and then as they both covered the mouth
+of the cave with their guns he gave a loud call:
+
+"Here, you, Jimmy, come out of that!"
+
+They all heard a low exclamation, which assured them that their man was
+at home; but at first he refused to appear. Rob called out loudly again,
+half raising himself above a rock behind which he had taken shelter
+against any surprise.
+
+Presently they heard a voice raised, not in defiance, but in entreaty.
+They scarcely recognized the figure which limped to the mouth of the
+cave, so gaunt and haggard did it seem. It was, indeed, their late
+prisoner, but now bent and weak, as though ill and half starved. He held
+his bow and arrows in one hand over his head, but the bow was not
+strung. Evidently he intended to surrender without any resistance.
+
+"Good mans, good!" he repeated, beating on his breast.
+
+They closed in on him now and took away his weapons. The Aleut boy
+jabbered at him in excited tones, apparently accusing or reproaching
+him. Jimmy edged away from him and looked at the white faces of the
+others, which regarded him sternly but with no apparent anger. He sadly
+pointed to his leg, which had been injured by a fall on the rocks.
+Evidently he wanted to tell them that if they would take him back on the
+old footing he, for his part, would be glad enough to come, if only they
+would keep the savage brown boy away from him.
+
+"Now we've got him," said Rob, at last, "and what shall we do with him?"
+
+"We'll have to take him down," said John. "He'd just about die if we
+left him up here; and I don't believe he'll make us trouble any more.
+Besides, we've got Skookie here to watch him now."
+
+Rob debated the matter in his mind for some time, but finally agreed
+that Jimmy would probably make them no more trouble, since he very
+possibly was hiding out more in fear of them than in any wish to harm
+them. Reasoning that one or both of these natives might be useful in
+later plans, he at last held out his hand to Jimmy, and with some effort
+persuaded Skookie that it would be better for him to shake hands with
+Jimmy than to take a rifle and shoot him, as the boy seemed more
+disposed to do. He knew that these natives soon forget their
+animosities.
+
+Thus at length they started down the mountain along the trail, which
+Jimmy pointed out, hobbling along in advance. In a couple of hours they
+were at the top of the high rock face above the mouth of the creek. Here
+Jimmy paused and anxiously scanned the entire expanse of the adjacent
+cove and the long line of the beach beyond. He seemed overjoyed that
+there was no longer any sign of the hostile party which had come in
+pursuit of him. At least the boys guessed that was what he felt, and
+guessed also that he had been coming down to the stream at night and not
+in the daytime, perhaps thus sustaining the fall which had hurt his leg.
+
+They were hungry that night as they cooked their evening meal in the
+smoky barabbara.
+
+"No watch to-night, boys!" said Rob. "These two friends can watch each
+other, if they feel like it, but I think we may sleep without anxiety."
+
+"For a prisoner, it looks to me that Jimmy was very glad to be caught,"
+remarked John.
+
+
+
+
+XXVIII
+
+A HUNT FOR SEA-OTTER
+
+
+Two or three days more passed in this strange situation, but nothing
+took place which even to Rob's watchful eye seemed to indicate any
+danger from either of their Aleut companions. In the wilderness the most
+practical thing is accepted as it appears, without much argument, if
+only it seems necessary; so now this somewhat strangely assorted company
+settled down peaceably into the usual life of the place, until an event
+happened which brought them all still more closely together.
+
+They were going over to the beach to see that their flag-staff was still
+in proper position, when Jesse's keen eyes noted at the edge of the
+beach a small, dark object which had been cast up by the waves. A
+moment's examination proved to them that this was nothing less than a
+sea-otter cub, a small animal not much larger than a wood-chuck, but
+with a long, pointed tail, and covered with short, soft fur. All these
+boys had lived in Alaska long enough to know the great value of the fur
+of the sea-otter, which even at this time was worth more than a thousand
+dollars a skin. They reasoned that since this cub had come ashore there
+might be older otters about. The cause of the death of the cub they
+never knew; nor, indeed, do even the native hunters always know what
+kills the otters which they find sometimes cast up by the waves on the
+beaches. Some natives say that in very cold winter weather an otter may
+freeze its nose, so that it can no longer catch fish, and thus starves
+to death. Some, of course, are shot by hunters who never find them. It
+is customary for the profits of such a find to be divided among the
+tribe or family making the discovery, and even in case a hunter can
+prove that he has shot an otter at sea which has come ashore, the finder
+receives a certain proportion of the profits, most of the hunting done
+by these natives partaking of a communal nature.
+
+"This fur is still good," said Rob, pulling at it. "It hasn't been dead
+very long, so maybe its mother is still around, or its daddy. That would
+be something worth while, wouldn't it? Five hundred to fifteen hundred
+dollars, perhaps."
+
+The older Aleut was standing on the summit of the sea-wall, shading his
+eyes and looking steadily out over the waves. At last he gave a loud,
+sharp call, in which an instant later the Aleut boy joined. The two ran
+first toward the dory, which lay on the sea-beach, where it had been
+left after the last voyage for eggs, but an instant later they turned
+back to the lagoon where the bidarka lay, and made motions that this
+should be carried across and launched.
+
+Rob and John hurried for their rifles. Jimmy caught up his bow and
+arrows, and the Aleut boy his short spear. They hurried the bidarka
+across the sea-wall to the open water of the bay. Jimmy resumed his
+watch from the summit of the sea-wall. For what seemed a half-hour he
+stood motionless and staring out over the bay. Then again he called
+aloud and, hurriedly lifting his bow string into the notch, ran down to
+the bidarka, motioning to Rob to take his seat in the rear hatch.
+
+"You others get into the dory with Skookie," called out Rob, even as the
+strong sweep of Jimmy's paddle swept them free of the shingle.
+
+To launch the heavy dory was something of a task for the younger boys,
+but in their excitement they accomplished it, so that the two boats
+were soon out for yet another of the wild sea-hunts of this far-away
+coast.
+
+The method of the natives who hunt the sea-otter is to make a surround
+with a fleet of bidarkas, much as they hunt the whale; but this, of
+course, was impossible now. None the less, Jimmy, who assumed the
+position of master of the hunt, motioned to the Aleut boy in the dory to
+keep off to the left, while he and Rob circled far to the right in the
+bidarka.
+
+To the Aleut mind nothing approaches a sea-otter hunt, for it affords
+not only the keenest sport, but the greatest possible financial reward.
+The method of the hunt is somewhat complicated in some of its features.
+When the otter dives the boats gather in a circle, and as soon as it
+appears every bowman does his best to strike it with an arrow. The first
+arrow to strike the otter makes the latter the property of the lucky
+bowman, who, of course, knows his own arrow by his mark. As, however,
+the first arrow may not stop the otter, the "owner," as the boats close
+in upon the game, may very probably call out what he will pay for
+another arrow lodged in the body of the otter. Instances have been known
+where the first bowman has in his excitement pledged away more in
+arrow-interest than the total value of the skin amounts to, so that he
+is actually loser instead of gainer by the transaction. The arrow
+closest to the tail is the one which most prevents the otter from
+diving; hence the value of the arrows is measured by the distance from
+the tail, the arrow of each man being so marked that it cannot be
+mistaken.
+
+All of this etiquette of the otter-hunt was, of course, unknown to the
+white boys, whose main interest, indeed, was one of sport rather than of
+profit. They were keen as the natives, none the less, and eagerly
+watched every signal given by the leader of the hunt.
+
+At last Jimmy held a paddle up in the air, a signal for the other boat
+to slow down. A moment later Rob spied the otter lying stretched out
+motionless on the water as though asleep, as indeed likely was the case,
+since that is the method of sleep practised by this species. Now, a few
+fathoms at a time, the native edged the bidarka up toward his game,
+precisely as the Aleut chief had approached the whale. The dory, no
+longer rowed furiously, but now paddled silently by John and Skookie,
+approached on the other side. As they now were on a comparatively smooth
+sea, and not more than fifty yards from the animal, Rob motioned to his
+companion to allow him to fire with his rifle, but the latter
+emphatically refused. He knew that an arrow safely lodged is more sure
+to bring the sea-otter into possession than a rifle-ball, which might
+kill it, only to cause it to sink and be lost.
+
+Jimmy now laid down his paddle, took up his bow and arrows, and
+signalled to Rob to paddle ahead slowly. A few yards farther he motioned
+for the headway to be checked, and just as the bidarka stopped he
+launched his barbed arrow with a savage grunt.
+
+The weapon flew true! A wide rush of bubbles showed where an instant
+before the otter had lain.
+
+Both otter and arrow had disappeared, but the Aleut sat waiting grimly,
+although the boys in the other boat gave a yell of exultation. In a few
+moments the wounded animal showed a hundred fathoms ahead. Here, stung
+by the pain of the bone head, which had sunk deep into its back, it swam
+confusedly for a moment at the surface. The shaft of the arrow had now
+been detached from the loose head cunningly contrived by the native
+arrow-makers, and a long cord, which attached the arrow-head to the
+shaft, and which was wound around the latter, now unreeled and left the
+shaft floating, telltale evidence of the otter's whereabouts, even when
+it dived.
+
+[Illustration: BOTH OTTER AND ARROW HAD DISAPPEARED, BUT THE ALEUT SAT
+WAITING GRIMLY]
+
+Jimmy tried a long shot as the bidarka swept ahead under Rob's paddle,
+but this time he missed, and down went the otter again. It did not dive
+deep, however, and the shaft of the arrow told where it might be
+expected. As its round head, with bright, staring eyes, thrust up above
+the water, there came the twang of the young Aleut's bow, and the second
+arrow chugged into the body of the otter. Even the older hunter greeted
+this shot with applause.
+
+The otter, however, is hard to kill with an arrow of this sort, since
+its skin is loose and tough. The creature dived once more, but the
+second floating shaft now began to handicap its motions. Both boats
+followed it from place to place as it swam. At last, almost exhausted,
+it showed once more, and the older Aleut sent home an arrow at the back
+of its head which killed it at once. He hauled up across the bidarka
+deck the body of the otter, a dark-brown creature, even at that season
+fairly well furred, and in weight about that of a good-sized dog.
+
+Now and again calling out in sheer exultation at the success of this
+strange hunt, they all now turned ashore. That day they had plenty to do
+in skinning the otter and making a rude stretching-board for the great
+skin. The boys were all astonished to see how much larger it stretched
+than had seemed possible from the size of the body of the animal itself;
+but the hide of the sea-otter lies in loose wrinkles, so that it may
+bend and turn freely as a snake when making its way in the water. They
+found the skin to be more than six feet long from tip to tip.
+
+The young friends engaged in some speculation as to how much the skin
+might bring at the Seattle market. One thing of value it seemed to
+establish beyond doubt--Jimmy and Skookie, as they both worked at
+fleshing the hide, had dropped their mutual suspicions and become
+hunting companions.
+
+
+
+
+XXIX
+
+UNCERTAINTY
+
+
+Midsummer came and passed, and still no sign from the outer world came
+to relieve the growing anxiety of the boys so long marooned on these
+unfrequented shores. They had kept very small account of the passing of
+the days, and perhaps none of them could have told how many weeks had
+elapsed since the beginning of their unwilling journey from Kadiak. They
+no longer knew the days of the week; and, indeed, had any of their
+relatives seen them now, with their shoes worn to bits, their clothing
+ragged and soiled, and not a hat or cap remaining between them, they
+might have taken their sun-browned faces and long hair to be marks of
+natives rather than of white boys of good family.
+
+It is not to be supposed, however, that they had given up all hope, or
+that at any time they had allowed themselves to indulge in despondency.
+Rob especially, although serious and quiet, all the time was thinking
+over a plan. This, one day, he proposed to the others.
+
+"I have resolved," said he, "that if you other boys agree, we will start
+for home just one month from to-day."
+
+They sat looking at him in silence for some time.
+
+"How do you mean?" asked Jesse, his eyes lighting up, for he was the one
+who seemed most to feel homesickness.
+
+"I mean to start back to Kadiak, where we came from!"
+
+"Yes, and how can we tell which way Kadiak is?" inquired John.
+
+"I'll tell you how," said Rob. "We will travel, of course, in our dory,
+which will carry our camp outfit and food enough to last for a great
+many days, even if we should prove unable to take any codfish or salmon
+along the coast."
+
+"But which way would we go?" insisted John.
+
+"The opposite of the way we came," smiled Rob. "A tide brought us into
+this bay. The same tide on the turn would carry us out of the bay. To be
+sure, the wind may have had much to do with our direction, but it is
+only fair to suppose that if we came down the east coast of Kadiak on an
+ebb we would go up that same coast on the flood. At least, if we could
+do no better, we would be leaving a place where no word seems apt to get
+to us."
+
+"It would be a risky voyage," said Jesse. "I didn't like it out there on
+the open sea!"
+
+"There is some risk in staying here," was Rob's answer. "Whether or not
+those natives took our message to Kadiak, they certainly will tell all
+the other villagers that we are here. In time they will know we are
+helpless. It may be only a matter of days or weeks before they will come
+and do what they like with us--steal our guns and blankets, and either
+take us far away, or leave us to shift for ourselves as we can."
+
+"Could we send Jimmy out with another message?" suggested John.
+
+"I doubt it," answered Rob. "If he wanted to leave here he could take
+the bidarka almost any night and escape, but I believe he is afraid to
+leave the bay lest he may be found by some of these villagers whom he
+has offended. I don't think Skookie would go anywhere with him. As it
+is, one is a foil to the other here with us, but each is afraid of the
+other _away_ from us!"
+
+"But don't you suppose that Skookie's people will come back after him
+sometime?"
+
+"True enough, they may; but who can tell the Aleut mind? I don't
+pretend to. Of course, by the late fall, say November, when the snows
+come and the fur is good, I don't doubt these people will come back here
+to trap foxes, for that is evidently a regular business here; but that
+would mean that we would have to winter either with them or by
+ourselves; and I want to tell you that wintering here alone is an
+entirely different proposition from summering here, now when the salmon
+are running and we can go out almost any day and get codfish, not to
+mention ducks and geese. Besides, our people would be driven frantic by
+that time. On the other hand, if we were lucky enough to make it to
+Kadiak we would get there in time to find your uncle Dick, or at least
+to get a boat home to Valdez sometime within a month after we got to
+Kadiak. Of course, we don't know anything about the country between here
+and there. The whole coast may be a rock wall, for all we know."
+
+"The steamers have government charts to tell them where to go," mused
+John; "but we haven't any chart, and we don't even know in what
+direction of the compass we ought to sail, even if we had a compass."
+
+"Before ships could have charts," said Rob, "it was necessary for some
+one to discover things all over the world. I suppose that's the class
+we're in now--we're the first navigators, so far as help from any one
+else is concerned. In Alaska a fellow has to take care of himself, and
+he has to learn to take his medicine. Now none of us is a milksop or a
+mollycoddle."
+
+"That's the talk!" said John. "For my part, if Jesse agrees, we'll try
+the journey back in the dory. But if we're going to undertake it we
+ought to begin now to lay in plenty of supplies."
+
+"I have been thinking of that," said Rob, "and so I move we begin now to
+get together our provisions."
+
+From that time on they all worked soberly and intently, with minds bent
+upon a common purpose. They hunted ducks and geese regularly now, curing
+the breasts of the wild fowl on their smoke-rack. Codfish they did not
+trouble to take for curing in any great quantity, as they knew they
+could secure them fresh at almost any point along these shores. Salmon
+they smoked in numbers, for now the run of the humpback salmon was on,
+replacing the earlier one of the smaller red salmon. Part of their dried
+bear meat, now not very palatable, they still had left. They even tried
+to dry in the sun some of the bulbs which the natives occasionally
+brought in. Their greatest puzzle was how they could carry water, for,
+since they knew nothing of the coast ahead, they feared that they might
+be obliged to pass some time without meeting a fresh-water stream. At
+last John managed to make Jimmy understand what they required, and he,
+grinning at their ignorance, showed them how they could make a
+water-cask out of a fresh seal-skin, of which they now had several from
+their hunting along the coast.
+
+"Now," said John, when finally they had solved that problem, "we've got
+to have a sail of some sort."
+
+"And not a piece of canvas or cloth as big as your hand," said Rob,
+ruefully. "I admit that a sail would be a big help, for we could rig a
+lee-board for the dory. Then, if the wind was right, we could get back
+to Kadiak in a day, very likely; for we couldn't have been much more
+than that time in coming down here without a sail."
+
+It taxed John's ingenuity as interpreter for a long time to make the
+natives understand what he now required. At last, by means of his clumsy
+attempts to braid a sort of mat out of rushes and grass, they caught his
+idea and fell to helping him. That week they finished a large, square
+mat, fairly close in texture, which they felt sure could be used as a
+square-rigged sail. They prepared a short mast and spars for this, and
+as they reviewed the progress of their boat equipment they all felt a
+certain relief, since all of them were more or less familiar with
+boat-sailing.
+
+"I hate to go away and miss all the foxes we could get at the carcass of
+that whale this fall," said Rob one morning, as he stood at the sea-wall
+and watched three or four of these animals scamper off up the beach when
+disturbed at their feeding on the carcass. "In fact, I feel just the way
+we all do, pretty much attached to this place where we've had such a
+jolly good time, after all; but we've got to think of getting home some
+way. We've got our water-cask ready, and our sail is done, and we've got
+two or three hundred pounds of fairly good provisions. We'll pull the
+dory up to the beach here opposite our camp and get her loaded. What
+time do you say, John? And what do you think, Jesse? What time shall we
+set for the start?"
+
+John and Jesse stood, each breaking a bit of dried grass between his
+fingers as he talked. At last John looked up.
+
+"Any time you say, Rob," he answered, firmly.
+
+"To-morrow, then!" said Rob.
+
+They stood for a moment, each looking at the other. For weeks they had
+been in anxiety, for many days extremely busy, most of the time too
+methodical or too intent to experience much enthusiasm. Now a sudden
+impulse caught all three--the spirit of resolution which accomplishes
+results for man or boy. Suddenly John waved his hand above his head.
+
+"Three cheers!" he exclaimed.
+
+They gave them all together.
+
+"Hip, hip, hurrah!"
+
+
+
+
+XXX
+
+"BLOWN OUT TO SEA!"
+
+
+Meantime, what had happened in the outer world during all these months?
+What had been the feelings of Mr. Hazlett on that day in early spring
+as, hour after hour, he walked Kadiak dock and peered into the fog in
+vain, waiting for the boat which did not appear? And what of his
+feelings as all that day and night passed, and yet another, with no
+answer to his half-frenzied search of the shores close to the town, of
+the decks of the still lingering steamer, and of the surroundings of the
+Mission School across the strait? None could answer his questions, and
+no guess could be formed as to the missing dory and its crew, until at
+last there were discovered the two natives who had rowed the dory away
+from the _Nora_.
+
+These told how the boat had disappeared while they were absent. They had
+thought that the boys had made their way back to town. Now, finding
+that such had not been the case, they expressed it as their belief that
+when the latter had pitted their weak strength against the Pacific Ocean
+they had failed and had been blown out to sea.
+
+"Blown out to sea!" How many a story has been written in that phrase!
+How could this anxious watcher face the parents of those boys and tell
+them news such as this? At least for a time he was spared this, for no
+boat would go back to Valdez within a month, and those who awaited news
+were Alaska mothers and knew the delays of the frontier. None the less,
+Mr. Hazlett had borne in upon him all the time the feeling that he
+himself had been responsible for this disaster. Even as he set to work
+to organize search-parties he felt despair.
+
+The natives, not clear as to the instructions given them, had supposed
+that they were to go in search of the revenue-cutter _Bennington_; yet
+as a matter of fact that vessel was moored on the western instead of the
+eastern side of the island at the time, whereas it seemed sure that the
+dory with the missing boys must have been carried along the east coast
+of the island, and not through the straits to the westward.
+
+Mr. Hazlett knew well enough the strength of the outgoing Japan Current
+here. A boat might be carried to Asia, for all one could tell to the
+contrary, although its occupants must long ere that have perished from
+hunger and thirst. And what chance had a small boat in waters so rough
+as those of this rock-bound coast, risky enough for the most skilled
+navigators and in the best of vessels? Was not all this coast-survey
+work intended to lessen the danger of navigation, even for the most
+skilled commanders? What chance had these, weak, young, and unprepared,
+who had thus been thrust into such perils? All that could be held sure
+was that the boys had disappeared as completely as though the sea had
+opened up and swallowed boat and all!
+
+Duty now required that Mr. Hazlett should report on board the
+_Bennington_; so, after a few days spent in fruitless searching within
+reach of Kadiak town, he took the pilot-boat and hastened over to the
+west side of the island where the _Bennington_ lay at anchor, with her
+boat crews engaged in the tedious work of making coast soundings.
+
+Mr. Hazlett laid before Captain Stephens the full story of the
+mysterious loss of his young charges. The face of the old naval officer
+grew grave, and for some moments he turned away and engaged in thought
+before he spoke. Then he turned sharply to his executive officer.
+
+"Call in the boat crews, sir!" he commanded. "We move station within the
+hour!"
+
+"Then you mean that you are going to help search for them?" asked Mr.
+Hazlett.
+
+"With all my heart, sir!" said the rough commander. "I have boys of my
+own back in New England. We'll comb this island rock by rock, and if we
+suspect foul play we'll blow every native village off the face of it!"
+
+The hoarse roar of the _Bennington's_ deep-throated signal-whistles
+echoed along the rock-bound shore. Within an hour her boats were all
+stowed, and with each man at his quarters the trim cutter passed slowly
+down the west coast of the island.
+
+"I'm not supposed to be a relief expedition," muttered Captain Stephens,
+"and I s'pose we'll all lose our jobs with Uncle Sam; but until we do, I
+figure that Uncle Sam can better afford to lose three months' time of
+this ship's crew than it can three bright boys who may grow up to be
+good sailors sometime.
+
+"We'll skirt the island in the opposite direction from that in which the
+youngsters probably went," said he, turning to Mr. Hazlett. "We'll have
+to stop at every cannery and settlement, and the boat crews will need to
+search every little bay and coast."
+
+"You talk as though you hoped to find them," said Mr. Hazlett, catching
+a gleam of courage from the other's resolute speech.
+
+"Find 'em?" said Captain Stephens. "Of course we'll find 'em; we've
+_got_ to find 'em!"
+
+
+
+
+XXXI
+
+THE SEARCH-PARTY
+
+
+It should be remembered that the coast of the great Kadiak Island is
+here and there indented with deep bays, which at one point nearly cut it
+in two. Had the boys known it, they were, in their camp near the head of
+Kaludiak Bay, not more than thirty miles distant across the mountain
+passes to the head of Uyak Bay, which makes in on the west side of the
+island, and which was the first great inlet to be searched by the boat
+crews of the _Bennington_. The total coast-line of so large a bay is
+hundreds of miles in extent, and broken with many little coves, each of
+which must be visited and inspected, for any projecting rock point might
+hide a boat or camp from view.
+
+On this great bay there were two or three salmon-fisheries in operation,
+and as these always employ numbers of natives who come from all parts of
+the island, Captain Stephens had close inquiries made at each; but more
+than two weeks passed and no word could be gained of any white persons
+at any other portion of the island.
+
+"Naturally we won't hear anything on this side," said Captain Stephens
+to Mr. Hazlett. "Not many natives from the east coast come over here to
+work, and from what I know of the prevailing tides and winds I am more
+disposed to believe that they have been carried off toward the southeast
+corner of the island. The land runs out there, and, granted any decent
+kind of luck, the boys probably made a landing--if they could keep
+afloat so far."
+
+"But what may have happened to them before this?" began Mr. Hazlett.
+
+"Tut, man! We've all got to take our chances," replied the old sea-dog.
+"They've done their best, and we must do our best, too."
+
+Week after week, hour after hour, and, as it seemed, almost inch by
+inch, the cutter crawled on around the wild coast of Kadiak, tapping
+each arm and inlet, literally combing out the full extent of the broken
+shore-line. So gradually they passed below the southern extremity of the
+island, worked up from the southeast, and one day came to anchor not far
+from the native settlement known as Old Harbor. Here a breakdown to
+their machinery kept them waiting for ten days. Meantime, the boat
+crews were out at their work. One day a young lieutenant came in and
+with some excitement asked to see the captain.
+
+"I have to report, sir, that I think we've got word of those boys!" he
+said, eagerly, as he saluted.
+
+"How's that? Where? Go on, sir!"
+
+"There's a big boat party back from Kaludiak Bay, sir. They were in
+there on a whale-hunt several weeks ago. They saw a camp with three
+white boys and one refugee Aleut."
+
+"Arrest every man Jack of them and bring them in!" roared Captain
+Stephens.
+
+"Already done that, sir!" reported the lieutenant. "They are in the
+long-boat alongside."
+
+"Then bring them here at once!"
+
+A few moments later he and Mr. Hazlett found the deck crowded with a
+score of much-frightened natives.
+
+"Who's the interpreter here?" commanded the captain.
+
+A squaw-man who for some years had lived with the natives was pushed
+forward. He was none too happy himself, for he expected nothing better
+than intimate questions regarding certain wrecking operations which for
+years past had gone on along this part of the coast.
+
+"Now tell me," began Captain Stephens, "what do you know about those
+boys over there? Why didn't these people bring out word to the
+settlement? What are you looking for here? Do you want me to blow your
+village off the rocks? Come, now, speak up, my good fellow, or you'll
+mighty well wish you had!"
+
+Suddenly Mr. Hazlett uttered an exclamation and sprang toward one of the
+natives who carried a rifle in his hand.
+
+"That gun belonged to Jesse, the son of my neighbor Wilcox at Valdez!"
+he exclaimed. "Tell me where you got it, and how!"
+
+As may be supposed, it was the Aleut chief whom he addressed, and the
+latter now engaged in a very anxious attempt at explanation. He declared
+at first that the boys had given him this rifle as a present; then he
+admitted that he had promised to take a message up to Kadiak, going on
+to say that he had intended to do this, but that his wife had been sick,
+that he had been kept at the village by many things, etc.
+
+"He's an old liar, without doubt," said Captain Stephens. "Half of this
+band of natives down here are afraid to come to Kadiak because of the
+debts they owe the company store. They are wreckers, renegades, and
+thieves down here, and you can't believe a word of them. I've half a
+mind to hang the lot of them at the yard-arm, and good riddance of them
+at that!"
+
+The old chief understood something of what was going on, and now began
+to beg and blubber.
+
+"Me good mans!" he repeated, beating on his chest.
+
+"He says that he's got a boy of his own over there with the others in
+Kaludiak Bay. He's got a message written out by the boys, but the truth
+is he was afraid to go to town with it. Says the renegade Aleut over
+there was a good hunter, but a dangerous man--he stole their sacred
+whale harpoon here and made away with it--"
+
+"But the message!" insisted Mr. Hazlett.
+
+So at last the old chief fumbled in his jacket, and pulled out a soiled
+and crumpled paper nearly worn in bits. Enough of it at least remained
+to show the searchers that when it was written the boys were all alive
+and well, and were expecting help.
+
+"The old fellow says he was expecting to take the paper up to town
+sometime this fall," went on the interpreter. "Says the boys had plenty
+to eat--fish and birds, and they had killed three bears--"
+
+"Nonsense!" exclaimed Captain Stephens.
+
+"Yes, says they had killed an old she bear and two cubs, and had the
+hides hung up--says the Aleut man had run away when they left--says they
+all killed a whale before they left, and left the boys as well fixed as
+they are here in this village. He can't understand why you should be
+anxious about them, when his own boy is over there, too. Says he can
+take you over there all right if you want to go."
+
+"The little beggars!" said Mr. Hazlett, smiling for the first time in
+weeks. "We may get them yet."
+
+"Get them? Of course we will!" growled Captain Stephens. "We'll have
+them aboard by this time to-morrow. Their camp isn't more than
+seventy-five miles from here at most."
+
+The whistle of the _Bennington_ once more roared out, and with the
+rattle of her anchor chains again the cutter pushed on up the coast,
+carrying with her, without asking their consent, the entire party of
+natives, who now fell flat on the deck in terror, supposing that they
+were being carried off to the white man's punishment for native
+misdeeds.
+
+
+
+
+XXXII
+
+THE DESERTED CAMP
+
+
+"So the plucky little dogs killed a bear, eh?" went on Captain Stephens,
+as he paced up and down the deck. "I'll warrant they've had a deuce of a
+good time in there all by themselves, and they'll be sorry to be
+disturbed. Find them! Of course we will--find them fat as seals and
+happier than we are!"
+
+In spite of all this both he and Mr. Hazlett were uneasy enough when
+finally the _Bennington_ steamed majestically through the narrow mouth
+of Kaludiak Bay--the first steamer ever to awaken the echoes there--and
+finally swung to her anchor at a point indicated by the Aleut chief.
+
+But to the whistle there came no answer of a rifle-shot, no signal
+fluttered, and no smoke was seen. The Aleut chief now became genuinely
+frightened as he pointed out the landing-place opposite to the
+barabbara, which, of course, could not be seen by reason of the low
+sea-wall.
+
+The rattle of the davit blocks followed that of the anchor chains as a
+bow boat was launched.
+
+"Go aboard, Mr. Cummings!" said Captain Stephens. "Take Mr. Hazlett and
+this old chief, and don't you come back without those boys! They're only
+out hunting somewhere, or else they'd have a fire going."
+
+As the bow of the boat grated on the shingle Mr. Hazlett sprang ashore,
+and, under guidance of the Aleut, hastened over the sea-wall and across
+the flat to the barabbara. All was deserted and silent! No smoke issued
+from the roof, and not the slightest sound was to be heard. No boat
+appeared at the shore of the lagoon. The Aleut chief threw himself on
+the ground and began to chant.
+
+Mr. Hazlett kicked open the door of the hut and pushed in, searching the
+half-dark interior. Only the whitened ashes showed a former human
+occupancy. It was not until, in his despair, he had turned to leave that
+he saw, fastened by a peg to the inside of the door, a brief note on a
+bit of paper.
+
+"Mr. Richard Hazlett," it read. "All well. We sailed about July 30th.
+Love to the folks." Signed to this were the names of the three boys.
+
+"God bless them!" he muttered. "They knew I'd come! Why did I not come
+soon enough! But where did they sail--which way--and what has become of
+them?"
+
+He turned to the grovelling native.
+
+"You lying coward!" said he. "Take me to them now, or by the Lord you'll
+swing for it! Do you hear?"
+
+The old man wept bitterly. "My boys go, too," he wailed. "Bad mans go,
+maybe so! Maybe so all dead now!"
+
+In answer he was caught by the arm and hastened back to the gravely
+waiting boat crew. It was a saddened party which reported the truth on
+board the _Bennington_.
+
+"Get under way, Mr. Cummings!" ordered Captain Stephens. "We've not lost
+them yet. The writing is pretty fresh on that note. We haven't passed
+them anywhere below, and they must be on their way back to Kadiak."
+
+Without delay the _Bennington_ once more took up her course and,
+emerging from the mouth of Kaludiak, headed northward up the east side
+of the island. Within ten miles the sharp-eyed Aleut detected a flat bit
+of beach, and the interpreter suggested that a boat be sent ashore to
+examine it, as it was sometimes used as a camping-place. When the
+lieutenant returned he reported that he had found poles cut not long
+before and used as a shelter support. A fire had been built not more
+than a week ago, in his belief. It might or might not be the
+camping-place of the missing boys.
+
+The face of Captain Stephens brightened. "Of course it's those boys!" he
+said. "I tell you, those youngsters are _sailors_. We'll find them all
+lined up on Kadiak dock waiting for us--and me obliged to report to
+Washington that I've spent two months with this vessel hunting for them!
+God bless my soul!" However, it was satisfaction and not anxiety which
+caused his eyes to glisten.
+
+Precautions were not ceased, and the boats continued to comb out every
+open bay which could not be searched with the ship's glasses. Finally
+they reached the mouth of Eagle Harbor, near the entrance to which the
+boats discovered yet another camp-fire, probably marking the limits of
+another day's journey of the young voyagers.
+
+"Plucky little dogs--plucky!" grumbled the captain. "They're not old
+women like you, Hazlett! They can take care of themselves all right!"
+
+The interpreter stepped up. "The old man says there's a village at the
+head of this harbor," he began. "Says there may be a few people living
+there, though most of them have likely gone to the fisheries. He thinks
+the village ought to be examined."
+
+"Go in with the boat, Mr. Cummings!" ordered Captain Stephens. "It'll
+keep you overnight. As for me, I don't dare risk the tide-rips between
+these rocks and that big island over there--which must be Ugak Island, I
+suspect. I'm going to drop back and go outside that island, and
+to-morrow I'll meet you thirty miles up the coast. Comb out the bay! If
+the boys have left the village they've very likely sailed for the
+opposite point of this bay, and maybe you'll get word of them at one
+place or the other."
+
+
+
+
+XXXIII
+
+SAVED!
+
+
+It was a night of anxiety and expectation on the _Bennington_, and, as
+the cutter swung at anchor north of the bold and dangerous point of Ugak
+Island, every one on board was astir at early dawn.
+
+"Boat on the larboard bow, sir!" reported an ensign, soon after Captain
+Stephens was known to be awake in his cabin.
+
+"What boat is it?" inquired the latter, eagerly, throwing open the
+dead-light of his room and gazing out along the shore.
+
+"It's our boat, sir, with Lieutenant Cummings."
+
+"Any passengers aboard?"
+
+"I'm afraid not, sir."
+
+The captain slammed shut the dead-light and turned moodily to his desk.
+He did not seem to enjoy the breakfast which one of the cook's men
+presently brought to him.
+
+"Tell Lieutenant Cummings to report as soon as he comes aboard," he
+commanded.
+
+Lieutenant Cummings, however, far from being discouraged, was much
+elated when he appeared, smiling, at the captain's door.
+
+"They slept at the village, sir," he said. "Five persons in all.
+Everybody's gone from the village but one or two old people, and these
+report that the boys came in there for water and to see what news they
+could get. They had a young native boy with them and a full-grown Aleut.
+They put him in irons--"
+
+"Put him in irons!" roared Captain Stephens. "God bless my soul! Those
+young rascals will be sending out to look after _us_ before long!
+Sailors!--and they've got a man in _irons_!"
+
+"They say the Aleut was afraid to go to town," resumed the lieutenant,
+"and tried to escape. They halted him and kept him under guard all
+night. The five of them left yesterday about noon, and as they were seen
+not far from the mouth of the bay toward evening, they're very likely
+camped not far around the point yonder, sir."
+
+"Get under way!" ordered Captain Stephens. "I've got a little
+professional pride about this thing, and I don't want those youngsters
+to beat the _Bennington_ into port! Full speed ahead!"
+
+Half an hour later the _Bennington_ poked her nose around the next bold
+promontory of the east coast of Kadiak. One more broad bay lay before
+them.
+
+Tossing up and down on the waves, half-way or more across, was a small,
+dark object!
+
+The eyes of the old Aleut were first to discover this, and he began to
+shout and gesticulate as several pairs of glasses were turned upon it.
+Old Captain Stephens broke out in a string of nautical ejaculations,
+which need not be printed in full. "Look at that!" he cried. "Talk about
+_sailors_! See 'em go! They wouldn't reef a point if they could--and I
+guess they can't, for they seem to have a board or something for a sail.
+And they've got leeboards down. They've got two oars out for
+steering-gear. By the great horn spoon! Cummings, crack on more steam or
+they'll beat us to New York! Why, dash my eyes, Hazlett, you old woman,
+didn't I _tell_ you you couldn't lose those boys?"
+
+The gentleman whom he addressed smiled rather crookedly but could find
+no speech.
+
+The whistle of the _Bennington_ roared out three times in salute. At
+once the distant dory came about and laid a long tack to intercept the
+course of the cutter. In a few minutes she was within hailing distance.
+The crew of the _Bennington_ were along the rail, and without orders
+they greeted the young sailors with a cheer.
+
+"By gad!" said Captain Stephens, turning away. "It's worth a couple of
+months of Uncle Sam's time to see a thing like that. There's where we
+get our _men_! Safe? Humph!"
+
+Rob, John, and Jesse, all ragged and bare-headed, stood up in the
+pitching dory, calling out and waving their hands. First they passed up
+their prisoner, and an instant later they were on board and in the
+middle of excited greetings. These over, they hurriedly explained the
+events covering the strange situations which have been recounted in our
+earlier pages. Meantime, Skookie was standing silently and stolidly at
+the side of his father, who made no such great excitement over him. The
+boys now introduced him, with the highest praise for his faithfulness
+and a plea that something be done for his reward.
+
+"So far as that is concerned," said Mr. Hazlett, "every decent native
+concerned in this shall have more than justice done to him. I'll put the
+boy into the Mission School at Wood Island, if he likes, and he shall
+have all the clothes he needs, and something besides. It's lucky for
+this bunch of natives that we don't put them all in jail. How about
+this man they tell me you've been keeping prisoner?" continued Uncle
+Dick.
+
+"Please, sir," said Rob, earnestly, "don't be hard with him. I'm not
+sure that we understand all about the way these natives think. He tried
+to get away from us, and we tied him up because we needed him as a
+pilot. We didn't know the way back to town, you see, because when we
+came down the coast it was all in a fog and we couldn't see anything."
+
+"Rather risky pilot, from what I hear," commented Uncle Dick.
+
+"I believe he was more scared than anything else," went on Rob. "He
+never really made us any trouble, and he did a lot of work for us for
+which we have promised him pay. We've got to keep our word to all these
+people, you know. But, if you please, we'd rather pay money to them than
+to give up our rifles; and we'd like Jesse's rifle back."
+
+"That will be easy," said Uncle Dick. "All these people will count
+themselves fortunate. But what a lot of them we'll have to ship back
+down the coast to Old Harbor--I suppose we'll have to charter a schooner
+for that!"
+
+"I say, Uncle Dick," broke in John, eagerly, "if you send a schooner
+down, _couldn't we boys go along with her_?"
+
+Uncle Dick looked at him quizzically for a moment.
+
+"You could not!" he answered, briefly.
+
+
+
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+<meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=ISO-8859-1" />
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+<h1>The Project Gutenberg eBook, The Young Alaskans, by Emerson Hough</h1>
+<pre>
+This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere 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 <a href = "http://www.gutenberg.org">www.gutenberg.org</a></pre>
+<p>Title: The Young Alaskans</p>
+<p>Author: Emerson Hough</p>
+<p>Release Date: May 16, 2008  [eBook #25494]</p>
+<p>Language: English</p>
+<p>Character set encoding: ISO-8859-1</p>
+<p>***START OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK THE YOUNG ALASKANS***</p>
+<p>&nbsp;</p>
+<h3>E-text prepared by D. Alexander,<br />
+the staff of the Rare Books Collection at<br />
+Marriott Library, University of Utah,<br />
+and the Project Gutenberg Online Distributed Proofreading Team<br />
+(<a href="http://www.pgdp.net/c/">http://www.pgdp.net</a>)<br />
+from page images generously made available by<br />
+Internet Archive<br />
+(<a href="http://www.archive.org/index.php">http://www.archive.org/index.php</a>)</h3>
+<p>&nbsp;</p>
+<hr class="full" />
+<p>&nbsp;</p>
+
+<div class="figcenter" style="width: 315px;">
+<img src="images/icover.jpg" width="315" height="500" alt="cover" title="" />
+</div>
+
+<div class="centerbox bbox ispace">
+
+<div class="figright" style="width: 45px;">
+<img src="images/i001topright.jpg" width="45" height="50" alt="" title="" />
+</div><div class="figleft" style="width: 56px;">
+<img src="images/i001topleft.jpg" width="56" height="50" alt="" title="" />
+</div>
+<h1>THE<br />
+
+YOUNG ALASKANS</h1>
+
+<p class="gap">&nbsp;</p>
+
+<h3>BY</h3>
+
+<h2>EMERSON HOUGH</h2>
+
+<p class="center">AUTHOR OF<br />
+&#8220;THE STORY OF THE COWBOY&#8221;<br />
+&#8220;THE MISSISSIPPI BUBBLE&#8221;<br />
+ETC.  ETC.</p>
+
+<p class="center">ILLUSTRATED</p>
+
+<div class="figcenter" style="width: 66px;">
+<img src="images/i001logo.jpg" width="66" height="80" alt="logo" title="" />
+</div>
+
+<p class="center">HARPER &amp; BROTHERS PUBLISHERS<br />
+NEW YORK AND LONDON<br />
+MCMVIII</p>
+
+<div class="figleft" style="width: 45px;">
+<img src="images/i001bottomleft.jpg" width="45" height="50" alt="" title="" />
+</div> <div class="figright" style="width: 56px;">
+<img src="images/i001bottomright.jpg" width="56" height="50" alt="" title="" />
+</div>
+</div>
+
+<hr class="large" />
+<p class="center">Copyright, 1908, by <span class="smcap">Harper &amp; Brothers</span>.</p>
+
+<hr class="small" />
+
+<p class="center"><i>All rights reserved.</i></p>
+
+<p class="center">Published October, 1908.</p>
+
+<hr class="large" /><p><a name="Frontispiece" id="Frontispiece"></a></p>
+<div class="figcenter" style="width: 320px;">
+<img src="images/i003.jpg" class="ispace" width="320" height="500" alt="See p 66
+SUDDENLY DROPPING TO HIS KNEE HE FIRED WITHOUT LONGER HESITATION" title="" />
+<span class="caption">See p <a href="#Page_66">66</a><br />
+SUDDENLY DROPPING TO HIS KNEE HE FIRED WITHOUT LONGER HESITATION</span>
+</div>
+
+<hr class="large" />
+<h2>CONTENTS</h2>
+<div class="centered">
+<table border="0" width="70%" cellpadding="2" cellspacing="1" summary="CONTENTS">
+
+<tr>
+<td>Chap.</td>
+<td align="left">&nbsp;</td>
+<td align="right">Page</td></tr>
+
+<tr>
+<td align="left">I.</td>
+<td align="left"><span class="smcap">At Home in Alaska</span></td>
+<td align="right"><a href="#THE_YOUNG_ALASKANS">1</a></td></tr>
+
+<tr>
+<td align="left">II.</td>
+<td align="left"><span class="smcap">Afloat on the Pacific</span></td>
+<td align="right"><a href="#II">7</a></td></tr>
+
+<tr>
+<td align="left">III.</td>
+<td align="left"><span class="smcap">The Journey To the North</span></td>
+<td align="right"><a href="#III">16</a></td></tr>
+
+<tr>
+<td align="left">IV.</td>
+<td align="left"><span class="smcap">Lost in the Fog</span></td>
+<td align="right"><a href="#IV">23</a></td></tr>
+
+<tr>
+<td align="left">V.</td>
+<td align="left"><span class="smcap">The Missing Dory</span></td>
+<td align="right"><a href="#V">28</a></td></tr>
+
+<tr>
+<td align="left">VI.</td>
+<td align="left"><span class="smcap">Adrift on the Ocean</span></td>
+<td align="right"><a href="#VI">35</a></td></tr>
+
+<tr>
+<td align="left">VII.</td>
+<td align="left"><span class="smcap">The Hut on the Beach</span></td>
+<td align="right"><a href="#VII">41</a></td></tr>
+
+<tr>
+<td align="left">VIII.</td>
+<td align="left"><span class="smcap">The Salmon Run</span></td>
+<td align="right"><a href="#VIII">49</a></td></tr>
+
+<tr>
+<td align="left">IX.</td>
+<td align="left"><span class="smcap">The Big Bear of Kadiak</span></td>
+<td align="right"><a href="#IX">58</a></td></tr>
+
+<tr>
+<td align="left">X.</td>
+<td align="left"><span class="smcap">The Savage Refugee</span></td>
+<td align="right"><a href="#X">68</a></td></tr>
+
+<tr>
+<td align="left">XI.</td>
+<td align="left"><span class="smcap">A Troublesome Prisoner</span></td>
+<td align="right"><a href="#XI">76</a></td></tr>
+
+<tr>
+<td align="left">XII.</td>
+<td align="left"><span class="smcap">Ways of the Wilderness</span></td>
+<td align="right"><a href="#XII">80</a></td></tr>
+
+<tr>
+<td align="left">XIII.</td>
+<td align="left"><span class="smcap">Making a Living</span></td>
+<td align="right"><a href="#XIII">93</a></td></tr>
+
+<tr>
+<td align="left">XIV.</td>
+<td align="left"><span class="smcap">The Surprise</span></td>
+<td align="right"><a href="#XIV">101</a></td></tr>
+
+<tr>
+<td align="left">XV.</td>
+<td align="left"><span class="smcap">The Whale-hunt</span></td>
+<td align="right"><a href="#XV">111</a></td></tr>
+
+<tr>
+<td align="left">XVI.</td>
+<td align="left"><span class="smcap">The Missing Prisoner</span></td>
+<td align="right"><a href="#XVI">122</a></td></tr>
+
+<tr>
+<td align="left">XVII.</td>
+<td align="left"><span class="smcap">The Aleut Boy</span></td>
+<td align="right"><a href="#XVII">126</a></td></tr>
+
+<tr>
+<td align="left">XVIII.</td>
+<td align="left"><span class="smcap">Unwelcome Visitors</span></td>
+<td align="right"><a href="#XVIII">130</a></td></tr>
+
+<tr>
+<td align="left">XIX.</td>
+<td align="left"><span class="smcap">Hope Deferred</span></td>
+<td align="right"><a href="#XIX">136</a></td></tr>
+
+<tr>
+<td align="left">XX.</td>
+<td align="left"><span class="smcap">The Silver-gray Fox</span></td>
+<td align="right"><a href="#XX">143</a></td></tr>
+
+<tr>
+<td align="left">XXI.</td>
+<td align="left"><span class="smcap">An Aleut Goose-hunt</span></td>
+<td align="right"><a href="#XXI">159</a></td></tr>
+
+<tr>
+<td align="left">XXII.</td>
+<td align="left"><span class="smcap">Sport with the Salmon</span></td>
+<td align="right"><a href="#XXII">170</a></td></tr>
+
+<tr>
+<td align="left">XXIII.</td>
+<td align="left"><span class="smcap">Among the Eagles</span></td>
+<td align="right"><a href="#XXIII">182</a></td></tr>
+
+<tr>
+<td align="left">XXIV.</td>
+<td align="left"><span class="smcap">An Adventure on the Gull Rocks</span></td>
+<td align="right"><a href="#XXIV">191</a></td></tr>
+
+<tr>
+<td align="left">XXV.</td>
+<td align="left"><span class="smcap">Cripples&#8217; Castle</span></td>
+<td align="right"><a href="#XXV">207</a></td></tr>
+
+<tr>
+<td align="left">XXVI.</td>
+<td align="left"><span class="smcap">The Journey and the Storm</span></td>
+<td align="right"><a href="#XXVI">223</a></td></tr>
+
+<tr>
+<td align="left">XXVII.</td>
+<td align="left"><span class="smcap">The Man-hunt</span></td>
+<td align="right"><a href="#XXVII">245</a></td></tr>
+
+<tr>
+<td align="left">XXVIII.</td>
+<td align="left"><span class="smcap">A Hunt for Sea-otter</span></td>
+<td align="right"><a href="#XXVIII">255</a></td></tr>
+
+<tr>
+<td align="left">XXIX.</td>
+<td align="left"><span class="smcap">Uncertainty</span></td>
+<td align="right"><a href="#XXIX">263</a></td></tr>
+
+<tr>
+<td align="left">XXX.</td>
+<td align="left">&#8220;<span class="smcap">Blown Out To Sea!</span>&#8221;</td>
+<td align="right"><a href="#XXX">271</a></td></tr>
+
+<tr>
+<td align="left">XXXI.</td>
+<td align="left"><span class="smcap">The Search-party</span></td>
+<td align="right"><a href="#XXXI">276</a></td></tr>
+
+<tr>
+<td align="left">XXXII.</td>
+<td align="left"><span class="smcap">The Deserted Camp</span></td>
+<td align="right"><a href="#XXXII">282</a></td></tr>
+
+<tr>
+<td align="left">XXXIII.</td>
+<td align="left"><span class="smcap">Saved!</span></td>
+<td align="right"><a href="#XXXIII">287</a></td></tr>
+
+</table></div>
+
+<hr class="large" />
+<h2><a name="ILLUSTRATIONS" id="ILLUSTRATIONS"></a>ILLUSTRATIONS</h2>
+
+<div class="centered">
+<table border="0" width="60%" cellpadding="4" cellspacing="1" summary="CONTENTS">
+
+<tr>
+<td>SUDDENLY DROPPING TO HIS KNEE HE FIRED<br />
+&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;WITHOUT HESITATION</td>
+<td>&nbsp;</td>
+<td align="right" valign="bottom"><i><a href="#Frontispiece">Frontispiece</a></i></td></tr>
+
+<tr>
+<td>HE SHIFTED HIS GUN TO HIS LEFT HAND AND<br />
+&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;HELD OUT HIS RIGHT WITH A SMILE</td>
+<td align="left" valign="bottom"><i>Facing p.</i></td>
+<td align="right" valign="bottom"><a href="#Illo2">102</a></td></tr>
+
+<tr>
+<td>THE ALEUT BOY LAUNCHED HIS MISSILE INTO<br />
+&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;THE MASS OF FLYING FOWL</td>
+<td align="center" valign="bottom">&#8220;</td>
+<td align="right" valign="bottom"><a href="#Illo3">164</a></td></tr>
+
+<tr>
+<td>BOTH OTTER AND ARROW HAD DISAPPEARED,<br />
+&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;BUT THE ALEUT SAT WAITING GRIMLY</td>
+<td align="center" valign="bottom">&#8220;</td>
+<td align="right" valign="bottom"><a href="#Illo4">260</a></td></tr>
+
+</table></div>
+
+<hr class="large" /><p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_1" id="Page_1">[Pg 1]</a></span></p>
+<h2><a name="THE_YOUNG_ALASKANS" id="THE_YOUNG_ALASKANS"></a>THE YOUNG ALASKANS</h2>
+
+<h2><a name="I" id="I"></a>I</h2>
+
+<h3>AT HOME IN ALASKA</h3>
+
+<p style="float: left; font-size: 100%; line-height: 80%; margin-top: 0;">&#8220;</p><p class="n"><span style="float:left;font-size:40px;line-height:25px;padding-top:2px;padding-bottom:1px;">S</span>teamboat! Steamboat!&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>Rob McIntyre had been angling for codfish at the top of Valdez dock for
+the past half-hour. Now, hearing the hoarse boom of the ocean vessel&#8217;s
+whistle out in the fog-bank which covered the mouth of the harbor, he
+pulled in his fishing-line, hurriedly threw together his heap of
+flapping fish, and, turning, sent shoreward the cry always welcome to
+dwellers in Alaska coast towns.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Steamboat! Steamboat!&#8221; Some one at the freight office on Valdez dock
+heard him and repeated the cry. Again and again it was passed from one
+to another along the half-mile of high sidewalk which led from the dock
+to the town. <span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_2" id="Page_2">[Pg 2]</a></span>Soon in every corner of the streets of Valdez there
+resounded the call: &#8220;Steamboat! Steamboat!&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>Now there came to the ears of all the low, hoarse boom of the steamer&#8217;s
+whistle. The great vessel was lying out somewhere in the fog, nosing her
+way in carefully, taking care not to touch any of the hidden rocks which
+line the Alaskan shores. The residents of the town poured out from
+dwelling and shop alike, and soon the streets were full, almost the
+entire population hurrying over the long trestle to the dock where the
+boat must land. The whistle said to them that there were now at hand
+cargoes of goods for the merchants, machinery for the new railroad
+building inland, necessities and luxuries for every-day life, and, best
+of all, letters, books and papers from the outside world. &#8220;Outside&#8221; in
+an Alaskan coast town means the United States. Across the range of
+mountains which fence off the coast from the vast interior &#8220;outside&#8221;
+means the coast itself; just as to any town dweller of the Alaska coast
+&#8220;inside&#8221; means somewhere in the icy interior, vast and unexplored.</p>
+
+<p>Among the first to hasten down the long walk from the main street of the
+town were two friends of Rob McIntyre&mdash;Jesse Wilcox and John Hardy, the
+former ten and the latter twelve years of age, <span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_3" id="Page_3">[Pg 3]</a></span>each therefore a little
+younger than Rob, who himself was now nearly fourteen. These boys might
+be called young Alaskans, for although the town of Valdez itself was not
+more than a few years old, their fathers had helped found the town and
+were prominent in its business affairs. Mr. Hardy was engaged in railway
+contracts on the new railroad, and Mr. Wilcox was chief of engineers on
+the same road. Rob&#8217;s father, Mr. McIntyre, owned the leading store,
+where all sorts of articles were sold, from shovels and picks to needles
+and pins. The three boys, it need not be said, were great cronies, and
+many was the hour of sport they had had here in far-away Alaska.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Hello, Rob!&#8221; called John, as he hurried up; &#8220;how many fish did you get?
+What boat&#8217;s that, do you think? Do you suppose my uncle Dick&#8217;s on
+board?&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Hope so,&#8221; rejoined Rob, now rolling up his fishing-line, and again
+kicking his codfish out of the road of the gathering crowd. &#8220;He&#8217;s
+probably got something for us if he is.&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;How far is she out?&#8221; inquired Jesse. &#8220;She blows like the <i>Yucatan</i>, but
+maybe she&#8217;s the old <i>Portland</i> coming in.&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;If she&#8217;s the <i>Portland</i> my father might be aboard,&#8221; said John. &#8220;If it&#8217;s
+the <i>Yucatan</i>, and <span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_4" id="Page_4">[Pg 4]</a></span>Uncle Dick&#8217;s coming, then we&#8217;ll get my new rifle,
+sure.&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;One apiece, then,&#8221; said Rob. &#8220;If each of us had a gun we could all go
+hunting together.&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Pack-train just came across the divide yesterday,&#8221; said Jesse, &#8220;and
+they had four bear-skins. They got &#8217;em less than thirty miles inland.
+The fellow that killed them threw away two skins because they were so
+heavy he didn&#8217;t want to bother to pack &#8217;em. But I don&#8217;t suppose they&#8217;d
+let us go bear-hunting yet,&#8221; said Jesse, hesitatingly.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;The biggest bear in this whole country,&#8221; began Rob, who was posted on
+such matters, &#8220;are over toward Kadiak Island. I heard a trader from
+Seldovia saying there were a few sea-otters over there, too.&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Wouldn&#8217;t you like to go over to Kadiak&mdash;just once?&#8221; said John. &#8220;A big
+bear-skin or two, and maybe a sea-otter&mdash;we could cash in our fur for
+enough to buy a mining claim, like enough! My uncle Dick&#8217;s due to go
+over there, too, before long,&#8221; he ruminated. &#8220;You know he&#8217;s employed on
+the government survey, and they&#8217;re making soundings on that part of the
+coast.&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>Rob drew a long breath. &#8220;Well, maybe <i>sometime</i> we could get over
+there,&#8221; he said; and the <span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_5" id="Page_5">[Pg 5]</a></span>others nodded, because they had come to look
+on him as something of a leader in their out-door expeditions.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Priddy soon dat fog shall lift,&#8221; remarked Ole Petersen, an old sailor
+who was lounging about the dock. He nodded toward the mouth of the
+harbor, where now all could see the heavy veil of mist growing thinner.
+Little by little, even as the steady boom of the steamer&#8217;s whistle came
+echoing in, the front of the fog-bank thinned and lifted, showing the
+white-capped waves rolling beneath. Suddenly a strong shift of wind
+descended from the ca&ntilde;on between two of the many mountain-peaks which
+line the bay, and broke the fog into long ribbons of white vapor. The
+sun shone through, and its warmth sent the white mist up in twisting
+ropes, which faded away in the upper air. At last there came into view
+the red-topped smoke-stacks and the gaunt, dark hull of the great ocean
+steamer, whose funnels poured forth clouds of black smoke which drifted
+toward the farther shore of the bay.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;<i>Yucatan!</i>&#8221; sang out Rob&mdash;and Ole Petersen calmly seconded him with a
+nod&mdash;&#8220;<i>Yucatan!</i>&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>The gathered population of Valdez&mdash;men, women, children, and
+dogs&mdash;greeted the vessel with a general outcry of welcome. </p>
+
+<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_6" id="Page_6">[Pg 6]</a></span></p><p>&#8220;In she comes,&#8221; said Rob; and now, with two more long, hoarse roars from
+her giant whistle, the <i>Yucatan</i> slowly forged ahead, and within half an
+hour majestically swept up to her moorings at the front of Valdez dock.</p>
+
+<hr class="large" /><p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_7" id="Page_7">[Pg 7]</a></span></p>
+<h2><a name="II" id="II"></a>II</h2>
+
+<h3>AFLOAT ON THE PACIFIC</h3>
+
+<p class="n"><span style="float:left;font-size:40px;line-height:25px;padding-top:2px;padding-bottom:1px;">A</span>s the deck-hands cast ashore the light lines attached to the
+cable-loops, our young friends were among the first to lay hold and aid
+in dragging ashore the heavy cables which made fast the steamer to the
+dock-posts. Then they ran back amidships where the gang-plank was put
+out. The jingling of the ship&#8217;s bells and general outcry from those on
+the dock or crowding along the rail of the vessel made everything a
+scene of confusion. Greetings were passed from ship to shore and back
+again. Friends now would meet, cargo would be discharged; touch with the
+outer world once more would be had.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;But I don&#8217;t see Uncle Dick anywhere,&#8221; said John, ruefully, as he
+examined the throng of figures packed along the rail waiting for the
+gangway to be made fast.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Maybe he didn&#8217;t come,&#8221; suggested Jesse. </p>
+
+<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_8" id="Page_8">[Pg 8]</a></span></p><p>&#8220;There he is!&#8221; shouted John; &#8220;he&#8217;s waving to us, over there &#8217;midships.&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;He&#8217;s got something under his arm,&#8221; said Rob, judicially.</p>
+
+<p>A tall, brown-faced man with a wide, white hat and loose gray clothing
+edged his way toward the head of the gangway. Catching sight of the
+boys, he called out a hearty greeting.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Have you got it, Uncle Dick?&#8221; asked John, excitedly, as at last the
+latter reached the dock.</p>
+
+<p>Uncle Dick&#8217;s answer was to pass to his nephew a certain long package,
+which proved to be a fine rifle in a leather case. For the moment all
+three boys were so much engaged in examining this that they paid little
+attention to what was going on&mdash;hurry and confusion, shouting and
+laughing and excited talk, mingled with the creak of the hoists and the
+rattle of the donkey-engine as the ship&#8217;s men now began the work of
+discharging the cargo of the <i>Yucatan</i>. It must be remembered that in
+Alaska few things are manufactured, and everything must be shipped in,
+fifteen hundred miles or more, from San Francisco, Seattle, and other
+points.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Well, young gentlemen,&#8221; said Uncle Dick, at last, &#8220;you seem gladder to
+see that gun than you are to see me.&#8221; </p>
+
+<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_9" id="Page_9">[Pg 9]</a></span></p><p>&#8220;No, we&#8217;re not, sir,&#8221; rejoined Rob; &#8220;but we&#8217;re pleased enough, even so,
+because now each of us has a rifle.&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;And no place to use one,&#8221; answered Uncle Dick.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Well, we may be able to go inside, hunting, before long,&#8221; said Jesse,
+stoutly. &#8220;My father doesn&#8217;t care if I go with him.&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;How would you like to go over to Kadiak with me?&#8221; asked Uncle Dick,
+directly, looking at them keenly from his gray eyes.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;You don&#8217;t mean it!&#8221; exclaimed Rob. The three gathered round him.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Are you going over there right away?&#8221; asked Jesse, staring up at him.</p>
+
+<p>Uncle Dick nodded. &#8220;Same boat,&#8221; he answered. &#8220;I&#8217;m going on with the
+<i>Yucatan</i> to Seward, and will take the <i>Nora</i> from there to Kadiak.
+Chance of your life to spend the summer, if your mothers will say the
+word. And not to hurry you any, you&#8217;ve got just about an hour and a
+quarter to get ready&mdash;that is to say, to get consent and get ready
+both.&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>The three boys hardly stopped to hear the last of his words. They were
+off, running at top speed across the long sidewalk toward the town.
+Uncle Dick followed them at his leisure, talking <span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_10" id="Page_10">[Pg 10]</a></span>and telling the news
+to his acquaintances, of whom he had many in the town. He explained to
+these that the government work in soundings would be done by the revenue
+cutter <i>Bennington</i>, along the shores of Kadiak Island, for the next
+four months. Now, although to those unfamiliar with Alaska, Valdez may
+seem as far away as Kadiak, the latter really is some hundreds of miles
+farther to the northwest, and near the base of that long peninsula which
+tapers to a point in the Aleutian Islands. A dweller in a coast town in
+Alaska knows what goes on immediately about him. There were few in
+Valdez who knew more of Kadiak than they did of Kamchatka.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;G&#8217;long there, ye young rascals!&#8221; called out a hearty voice at the
+fleeing boys. Captain John Ryan waved a cap toward them as he came down
+the gang-plank. But the boys, usually ready enough to visit with him on
+his stops at Valdez, were now too much excited to more than wave their
+hands as they disappeared.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;So ye&#8217;re plannin&#8217; to take the rascals along with us, west, are ye?&#8221;
+asked Captain John Ryan of Uncle Dick. &#8220;A summer out there would be the
+makin&#8217; of the youngsters.&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>Uncle Dick&#8217;s eyes wrinkled in a smile as he and the sturdy sea-captain
+started on down and walked <span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_11" id="Page_11">[Pg 11]</a></span>to the town. At the farther end they were
+met by the three boys and by three nice-looking ladies, each
+prosperous-looking and well dressed, and each bearing a very anxious
+expression of countenance.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;I tell you it&#8217;s absolutely absurd, Richard,&#8221; began one of these, as
+they approached&mdash;&#8220;your putting such notions into the heads of these
+boys.&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;It&#8217;s all utterly impossible, of course,&#8221; said Rob&#8217;s mother, in turn,
+her mouth closing tightly as she looked around at her son.</p>
+
+<p>Mrs. Wilcox said less, but kept her hand on Jesse&#8217;s shoulder. &#8220;What
+would you do at night with no one to see you safe in bed, my son?&#8221; said
+she, at length.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Oh, mother!&#8221; began Jesse, shamefacedly.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;I&#8217;ll take care of the boys,&#8221; said Uncle Dick, at length. &#8220;I won&#8217;t
+mollycoddle them, and they will have to shift for themselves, but I&#8217;ll
+see that they get through all right. Think it over, good people. It will
+be the making of the kids.&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Oh, well now, Richard,&#8221; began Mrs. Hardy, once more, &#8220;how do we know
+when you are coming back?&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;You don&#8217;t know. I don&#8217;t know myself.&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;But these boys have to go to school.&#8221; </p>
+
+<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_12" id="Page_12">[Pg 12]</a></span></p><p>&#8220;Oh, I&#8217;ll get them back in time for the fall term. Boats are coming down
+from Kadiak every month or so.&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;But they say the storms out that way are perfectly frightful,&#8221; began
+Mrs. McIntyre.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;We&#8217;ll not be in any storms. The cutter <i>Bennington</i> anchors in the
+harbors, and, besides, the boys will be ashore in town at Kadiak. You
+don&#8217;t suppose that Uncle Sam will let me have them around underfoot all
+the time, do you? I&#8217;ll have something else to do.&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;But what could the boys do, then?&#8221; inquired Mrs. McIntyre.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Nothing much. Hunt seals and otters and whales and bears, and a few
+little things like that&mdash;catch more codfish and salmon than they ever
+thought of around here&mdash;go boat-riding with the Aleuts&mdash;&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;In those tippy bidarkas?&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Tippy bidarkas,&#8221; nodded Uncle Dick; &#8220;and go egg-hunting on the gull
+rocks, and all sorts of things. Why, they&#8217;d have the time of their
+lives, that&#8217;s all.&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;But not one of the boys has a father at home now to advise in the
+matter,&#8221; hesitated Jesse&#8217;s mother. &#8220;They are all inside, and won&#8217;t be
+back for a week.&#8221; </p>
+
+<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_13" id="Page_13">[Pg 13]</a></span></p><p>&#8220;They&#8217;ll all be back just a week too late,&#8221; answered Uncle Dick. &#8220;In
+about three-quarters of an hour from now, as Captain Ryan here will
+advise you, we start; and these boys, I think, will be on board the
+<i>Yucatan</i> headed for Kadiak. You want to remember that this is Alaska,
+and that these are Alaskan boys. They&#8217;ve got to grow up knowing how to
+take care of themselves in this country. They&#8217;re not sissies, with red
+morocco shoes and long yellow curls&mdash;they&#8217;re the stuff we&#8217;ve got to make
+men out of up here. How&#8217;d Alaska ever have been found, in the first
+place, if there hadn&#8217;t been real men raised from real boys?&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Oh, well!&#8221; began Mrs. McIntyre; and each of the other ladies echoed,
+&#8220;Oh, <i>well!</i>&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Oh, <i>well!</i>&#8221; echoed Uncle Dick. &#8220;I&#8217;ll tell you what: you had better
+hurry back home and get their blankets rolled, and an extra pair of
+shirts and some spare socks thrown together. And, boys, the best thing
+you can do is to go down to the store and get some ammunition. We can
+get all the grub we want from the ship&#8217;s stores out at Kadiak. Now,
+excuse me, ladies, but don&#8217;t take my time arguing this matter, because
+I&#8217;ve got several things to do; and the boat&#8217;s going to start inside of
+an hour, and we&#8217;re going to start with her!&#8221; </p>
+
+<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_14" id="Page_14">[Pg 14]</a></span></p><p>Sure enough, when at last the heavy boom of the <i>Yucatan&#8217;s</i> warning
+whistle caused the window glass along the main street to tremble, a
+little party once more wended its way down the sidewalk toward the
+wharf. Uncle Dick led the way, earnestly talking with three very grave
+and anxious mothers. Behind him, perfectly happy, and shouting excitedly
+to one another, came Rob, Jesse, and John. Each carried a rifle in its
+case, and each looked excitedly now and then at the wagon which was
+carrying their bundles of luggage to the wharf.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;All aboard!&#8221; called the mate at the head of the gang-plank, laying hold
+of the side lines and waiting to pull it in. Again came the heavy
+whistle of the ocean steamer. The little group now broke apart; and in a
+moment the boys, somewhat sobered now, were waving their farewells to
+the mothers, who stood, anxious and tearful, on the dock.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Cast off, there!&#8221; came the hoarse order from the captain&#8217;s bridge.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Ay, ay, sir!&#8221; rejoined the mate, repeating the command to the dock
+hands. Slowly the great propeller began to churn the green water astern
+into white. The bow of the great vessel slowly swung, and majestically
+she headed on her <span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_15" id="Page_15">[Pg 15]</a></span>way out to the mouth of the bay. Clouds of white
+gulls followed her, dipping and soaring. Once more her whistle saluted
+the town from which she departed, its note echoing deeply from the steep
+fronts of the adjacent mountains. The wheelsman laid the course straight
+for the mouth of the gap between the outer mountains which marked the
+mouth of the bay. In less than an hour the bold headlands were passed.
+Beyond rolled the white-topped swells of the sea, across which lay none
+might tell how much of adventure.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Now,&#8221; said Rob, turning to his friends, &#8220;maybe we&#8217;ll see something of
+the world.&#8221; </p>
+
+<hr class="large" /><p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_16" id="Page_16">[Pg 16]</a></span></p>
+<h2><a name="III" id="III"></a>III</h2>
+
+<h3>THE JOURNEY TO THE NORTH</h3>
+
+<p class="n"><span style="float:left;font-size:40px;line-height:25px;padding-top:2px;padding-bottom:1px;">T</span>he good ship <i>Yucatan</i> steadily ploughed her way along the rock-bound
+Alaskan coast until, at noon of the second day, she nosed her way into
+the entrance of that great indentation of the coast known as
+Resurrection Bay, and finally concluded her own northbound journey at
+the docks of the town of Seward, which lies at the head of that harbor.
+Here the voyagers were to change to a smaller vessel, the sturdy little
+craft called the <i>Nora</i>, which was to carry them still farther northward
+and westward. The young travellers, although before this they had known
+Alaska to be a great country, now began to think that they had not
+dreamed how large it really was, for Uncle Dick advised them that they
+would need to steam almost a week yet farther before they could arrive
+at Kadiak harbor.</p>
+
+<p>Once out of Resurrection Bay on their journey to the farther north, they
+began to see sights <span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_17" id="Page_17">[Pg 17]</a></span>strange even to them, long as they had been used to
+Alaska. Hundreds of sea-lions crowded some lofty rocks not far beyond
+the entrance to the bay, roaring and barking at the ship as she steamed
+close in to the rocks, and plunging off in scores as the whistles of the
+boat aroused and frightened them from their basking in the sun.</p>
+
+<p>Rob&#8217;s eyes proved keener than those of his friend, and he was always
+looking out across the sea in search of some strange object.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;What&#8217;s that, Mr. Dick?&#8221; he exclaimed, after he had been gazing steadily
+at the far horizon for some moments.</p>
+
+<p>Uncle Dick hastened to his state-room and returned with a pair of
+field-glasses.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;That,&#8221; said he, &#8220;is a whale&mdash;in fact, more than one; indeed, I think
+there is a big school of whales on ahead. We&#8217;ll run almost square into
+them at this rate.&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>Sure enough, within the hour they came within plain sight of a number of
+great black objects which at first seemed like giant logs rolling on the
+water. All at once there appeared splashes of white water among the
+whales, and the latter seemed to be much agitated, hastening hither and
+thither as though in fear. Captain Zim Jones, <span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_18" id="Page_18">[Pg 18]</a></span>of the <i>Nora</i>, leaned
+down from his place on the bridge.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;School of killers in there!&#8221; he sang out.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;That&#8217;s right,&#8221; exclaimed Uncle Dick, handing the glasses to Rob. &#8220;Watch
+close now! Don&#8217;t you see those smaller black things swimming along, with
+tall, upright fins? Those are killers, and they are fighting the whales
+right now!&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>Eagerly the boys took turns with the glasses, watching the strange
+combat of the sea now going on. Evidently some of the whales were much
+distressed; one large one seemed to be the especial mark of the enemy,
+which pursued him in a body.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Look, look!&#8221; cried John. &#8220;He jumped almost out of the water. He is as
+big as a house!&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;I didn&#8217;t know anything could hurt a whale, he&#8217;s so big!&#8221; commented
+Jesse. &#8220;How do they fight a whale?&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Maybe they poke &#8217;em with that big fin,&#8221; said Uncle Dick. &#8220;But they do
+the damage with their jaws. One of them will bite a chunk out of a
+whale, and as quick as he lets go another will take his place. They come
+pretty near to eating the whale alive sometimes, although I don&#8217;t know
+that they really kill them very often.&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Well, I don&#8217;t know,&#8221; said Rob, who was looking <span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_19" id="Page_19">[Pg 19]</a></span>steadily ahead. &#8220;There
+is one right ahead of us who just came up, and he&#8217;s acting mighty
+stupid. See, he&#8217;s coming right across the bows. If we don&#8217;t look out
+we&#8217;ll hit him. There!&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>Even as he spoke there came a heavy jar which almost stopped the ocean
+vessel. Her steel-shod bow had struck the whale full in the middle of
+the body.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Caught him square amidships,&#8221; sung out Captain Zim from his station. &#8220;I
+guess we finished what the killers began!&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>The great creature lay for an instant stunned on the surface of the
+water, its vast body bent as though its back were broken. Then as the
+ship passed on it slowly sank from sight, even as the school of whales,
+diving and breaching, also fell astern, still pursued by their savage
+enemies.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Well,&#8221; said Captain Zim, &#8220;I&#8217;ve sailed these waters thirty years, but
+that&#8217;s the first time I ever struck a whale.&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;I&#8217;ve promised these boys plenty of exciting things,&#8221; commented Uncle
+Dick. &#8220;But if you don&#8217;t mind, I&#8217;d rather you wouldn&#8217;t run over any more
+whales. You&#8217;ll be taking the keel out of this ship the first thing you
+know.&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;I see something else!&#8221; called Jesse, who was examining the rolling sea
+studiously with the <span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_20" id="Page_20">[Pg 20]</a></span>field-glasses. &#8220;See it&mdash;right over there about two
+hundred yards! It looks like a man standing up in the water.&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Oh, <i>that</i>,&#8221; said Uncle Dick, &#8220;it&#8217;s only a seal.&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Couldn&#8217;t I shoot it?&#8221; asked Rob. &#8220;I&#8217;d like to get its fur.&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>Uncle Dick laughed. &#8220;You wouldn&#8217;t find its hide worth more than a dollar
+or so, if you got it,&#8221; said he. &#8220;That&#8217;s only a little hair seal. You
+won&#8217;t find any fur seals until you get a good many hundred miles beyond
+Kadiak. And that&#8217;s a good many hundred miles yet from here. Let the
+little fellow go, and turn the glasses on that big bunch of whale-birds
+over there. See them flying&mdash;there&#8217;s a string nearly a mile long.&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;I see them! I see them!&#8221; called out Rob. &#8220;There are thousands and
+thousands of them. I&#8217;ve seen them before, and one of the sailors told me
+that there is always most of them where there are whales around. They
+seem to feed on the same sort of things in the water, someway.&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;There are plenty of things you see up in this country,&#8221; said Uncle
+Dick, as he turned away. &#8220;You may have thought Valdez was pretty much
+all of Alaska, but I&#8217;ll show you it is just the beginning.&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Do they have shipwrecks up here, Uncle Dick?&#8221; <span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_21" id="Page_21">[Pg 21]</a></span>asked John. &#8220;It looks to
+me pretty rocky along these shores.&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Don&#8217;t talk about shipwrecks!&#8221; replied his uncle. &#8220;This coast is full of
+them. I can show you the skeletons of four ships within two hours&#8217; sail
+of Kadiak, and how many small boats go ashore, never to be heard of, no
+man can tell. There are big ships lost, too, up and down this coast.
+Last year the natives below Kadiak brought in casks and boxes and all
+kinds of things bearing the name of the steamer <i>Oregon</i>. She was
+wrecked far to the south of Valdez, but the Japan Current carried her
+wreckage a thousand miles to the north and west, and threw it on the
+coast of Kadiak and the smaller islands west of there. It made the
+natives rich, they found so much in the way of supplies.&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Are there any bears out there?&#8221; asked Jesse, wonderingly.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Biggest in the world!&#8221; replied Uncle Dick. &#8220;You&#8217;d better keep away from
+them. We&#8217;re sailing now just south of the great Kenai Peninsula of
+Alaska. There&#8217;s bears over there, but mostly black ones. Plenty of moose
+and caribou in these mountains, and once in a while a grizzly, but the
+biggest grizzlies are the brown bears of Kadiak and the peninsula on
+beyond.&#8221; </p>
+
+<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_22" id="Page_22">[Pg 22]</a></span></p><p>Rob was silent for a time, but at last remarked: &#8220;From what I hear of
+this Kadiak country, I believe we&#8217;re going to like it. When&#8217;ll we get
+there?&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>Uncle Dick smiled. &#8220;Oh, sometime within a week,&#8221; he answered. &#8220;Distances
+are long up here, and wind and tide have something to do with even a
+steamer&#8217;s speed.&#8221; </p>
+
+<hr class="large" /><p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_23" id="Page_23">[Pg 23]</a></span></p>
+<h2><a name="IV" id="IV"></a>IV</h2>
+
+<h3>LOST IN THE FOG</h3>
+
+<p class="n"><span style="float:left;font-size:40px;line-height:25px;padding-top:2px;padding-bottom:1px;">S</span>ure enough, it took five days more of steady steaming before the <i>Nora</i>
+approached the shores of far-off Kadiak Island. In the nighttime the
+boys heard the steamer&#8217;s whistle going, and knew that Captain Zim was
+sounding the echoes to get his bearings in the thick weather then
+prevailing. Sea-captains on those shores, when the fog is thick, keep
+the whistle going, and when they hear the echoes from the rocks too
+plainly they make outward to the open sea.</p>
+
+<p>The <i>Nora</i> crawled down the coast of Afognak Island in the fog and the
+dark, but finally cast her anchor as near as could be told off the
+entrance to the narrow channel of Kadiak Harbor. Here she sounded her
+whistle for more than an hour at short intervals, waiting for a pilot to
+come out. At last, soon after those on board had finished breakfast,
+they heard the sound of oars out in the fog and a rough voice calling
+<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_24" id="Page_24">[Pg 24]</a></span>through a megaphone: &#8220;Steamer ahoy! What boat is that?&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;<i>Nora</i>, from Valdez,&#8221; answered Captain Zim. &#8220;Are you the pilot?&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Ay, ay!&#8221; came the voice through the fog.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Come on board&mdash;this way!&#8221; called Captain Zim; and once more the hoarse
+whistle of the steamer boomed out into the fog.</p>
+
+<p>Needless to say, the three boys now were on deck, and they leaned over
+the rail as there appeared at the foot of the rope-ladder a big dory
+with two native oarsmen, and a stout, grizzled man, whom the ship&#8217;s
+company announced to be Pete Piamon, the pilot for that coast.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;How are you, Pete?&#8221; said Captain Zim. &#8220;Can we take her in? I&#8217;m late and
+in an awful hurry.&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>Pete grinned. &#8220;All the time you ban in awful hurry, Captain Zim. Dis fog
+awful tick. Yas, we shall take her in if you say so&mdash;and maybe so pile
+her up on de rock. You don&#8217; min&#8217; dat, eh?&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Where&#8217;s the revenue-cutter <i>Bennington</i> lying, Pete?&#8221; asked Uncle Dick.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Inside, beyond de town.&#8221; Pete jerked a thumb over his shoulder.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;I&#8217;ll tell you what I&#8217;ll do, captain,&#8221; said Uncle Dick. &#8220;I&#8217;m in a big
+hurry to report to my commanding officer on the <i>Bennington</i>, for he&#8217;s
+no <span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_25" id="Page_25">[Pg 25]</a></span>doubt been lying here two or three days waiting for us. You keep
+Pete here, and let me and the boys take his dory and pull in&mdash;they&#8217;ll
+take us through the tide-rips all right, if it gets bad. I won&#8217;t ask you
+to put down one of the ship&#8217;s boats.&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>Pete looked at Captain Zim, who answered: &#8220;Oh, all right, if you&#8217;re in
+such a hurry; though you might wait and let us all go in together. How
+are you going to get all of your hand luggage and all four of you into
+that dory, though?&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;You couldn&#8217;t spare us a ship&#8217;s boat?&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Sure I can,&#8221; answered obliging Captain Zim. &#8220;I&#8217;ll tell you&mdash;put the
+boys in the dory, and I&#8217;ll send you and the luggage over in the
+long-boat.&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Get down there, boys,&#8221; commented Uncle Dick, briefly, pointing to the
+rope-ladder. &#8220;Are you afraid to go down the ladder?&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>Rob&#8217;s answer was to make a spring for the top of the ladder, and down he
+went hand over hand, followed by the others, each of whom could climb
+like a squirrel. The two natives, grinning, reached up and steadied them
+as they reached the jumping dory. The boys insisted on having their
+blankets and rifles in the boat with them&mdash;a part of Alaska education
+which had been taught them by old prospectors. </p>
+
+<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_26" id="Page_26">[Pg 26]</a></span></p><p>Pete shouted something over the rail in the Aleut tongue. At once the
+two natives bent to their oars, and the dory slipped away into the fog.
+Uncle Dick, busy with hunting out his luggage for the long-boat, did not
+at first miss it from the foot of the ladder.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Hello! Where did that dory go?&#8221; he asked, finally. In the confusion no
+one answered him. So at last he concluded his own work in loading the
+long-boat and went overside, ordering the boat&#8217;s crew to give way
+together, strongly, in order to overtake the dory.</p>
+
+<p>But when the long-boat, after feeling its way down the narrow channel,
+emerged from the fog and pulled up at Kadiak dock there was no dory
+there.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Hello, there, Jimmy!&#8221; cried Uncle Dick to the manager of the warehouse
+at the dock. &#8220;Where&#8217;s that boat?&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;What boat do you mean, sir?&#8221; answered the other.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Why, Pete&#8217;s dory. We just sent it in by two natives, with three boys
+I&#8217;ve got along&mdash;friends and relatives of mine.&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;You&#8217;re joking, sir. You can&#8217;t have brought boys away up here. Besides,
+they haven&#8217;t showed up here at the dock, nor any dory, either.&#8221; </p>
+
+<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_27" id="Page_27">[Pg 27]</a></span></p><p>&#8220;They must have got into the other channel mouth in the fog and gone
+down Wood Island way,&#8221; said Uncle Dick, at last, beginning to be
+troubled.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Well, if an Aleut can do anything wrong, that&#8217;s what he&#8217;s going to do,&#8221;
+answered the dock-master. &#8220;We&#8217;ll have to send a boat over there after
+those people yet. By-the-way, Captain Barker, of the <i>Bennington</i>, is
+waiting for you. And he told me to tell you to come aboard in Pete&#8217;s
+dory as soon as you struck the town.&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;But the dory&#8217;s gone,&#8221; commented Uncle Dick. &#8220;I don&#8217;t like the look of
+this.&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>Both men, with lips compressed, stood staring out into the heavy blanket
+of fog. </p>
+
+<hr class="large" /><p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_28" id="Page_28">[Pg 28]</a></span></p>
+<h2><a name="V" id="V"></a>V</h2>
+
+<h3>THE MISSING DORY</h3>
+
+<p class="n"><span style="float:left;font-size:40px;line-height:25px;padding-top:2px;padding-bottom:1px;">W</span>hat happened was this: The two natives in the dory were unable to
+understand English, and of course the three boys knew nothing of the
+native language. Yet from the hasty instruction of the pilot, Pete, the
+natives had gathered that &#8220;the boss gentleman&#8221;&mdash;that is to say, Uncle
+Dick&mdash;wanted to go to the revenue-cutter <i>Bennington</i>. Accordingly they
+concluded that the boys also were bound directly for the cutter, and so
+instead of heading to the channel which led to the town, they proposed
+to take a cut-off behind Wood Island, best known to themselves. Thus
+they rowed on for more than half an hour before any of the boys
+suspected anything wrong. Rob made signs to them to stop rowing. All the
+boys looked about them in the fog. They were still in the roll of the
+open sea, and the dory pitched wildly on the long swell, but, listen
+intently as they might, they could hear no sound from any quarter. </p>
+
+<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_29" id="Page_29">[Pg 29]</a></span></p><p>&#8220;We ought to have stayed with Uncle Dick,&#8221; suggested Jesse.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;That&#8217;s right!&#8221; admitted Rob. &#8220;But the question is, what ought we to do
+now? They pointed out town that way from the <i>Nora</i>, and I know we&#8217;re
+not going the right direction.&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>To all inquiries and commands the natives did nothing but shake their
+heads and smile pleasantly. At last they resumed their oars and began to
+row steadily on their course. The sea now came tumbling in astern in
+long black rolls, broken now and again by whitecaps. Like a cork the
+dory swung up and down on the long swells, and all the boys now grew
+serious, for they had never been in so wild a water as this in all their
+lives.</p>
+
+<p>They progressed this way a little while, until Rob bethought himself of
+the plan employed by the captains when skirting the shore in fog. He put
+his hands to his mouth and gave a loud, drawn-out shout, and then
+listened for an echo. Sure enough it came, faint and far off, but
+unmistakable.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;We&#8217;re running down the coast, or else the channel is wide here,&#8221; said
+Rob, &#8220;because the echo is only on one side.&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>From time to time they renewed these tactics, <span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_30" id="Page_30">[Pg 30]</a></span>and for mile after mile
+kept in touch of the shore, on which now and then they could hear the
+waves breaking wildly. At last Rob set his jaw tight in decision.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;I tell you what,&#8221; said he; &#8220;we&#8217;re going the wrong way. We ought to have
+been at the town long before this. I&#8217;m for going ashore and waiting till
+the fog lifts.&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>Both Jesse and John agreed to this, for now they were thoroughly
+alarmed. Rob made motions to the two native oarsmen that they should
+head the dory inshore. They, always disposed to be obedient to the white
+race, agreed and swung the dory shoreward.&#8220;<i>Karosha</i>,&#8221; said the older
+of the two men; by which they later learned he meant to say, &#8220;All
+right.&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>The two natives were well used to making a landing through the surf.
+Arrived off shore, they waited till a big wave came directly at the
+stern, then with a shout gave way and rode in on its crest, jumping out
+into the water and pulling the dory high up on what proved to be a
+shingle beach backed by a high rock wall a hundred yards or so inland.</p>
+
+<p>All the boys now scrambled out, glad enough to set foot on shore. But
+they found their surroundings cheerless rather. The soft blanket of <span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_31" id="Page_31">[Pg 31]</a></span>the
+fog shut in, white and fleecy, all about them. Now and again they heard
+a wandering sea-bird call, but they could see neither the sea nor any
+part of the shore beyond the rock wall near at hand. They no longer
+heard the whistle of the <i>Nora</i> lying at anchor at the mouth of the
+channel.</p>
+
+<p>Both the natives now pulled out pipes and began to smoke silently. One
+produced from his pocket an object deeply wrapped in a bundle of rags
+and hide, which finally proved to be an old brass watch, which he
+consulted anxiously.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Him sleep,&#8221; he remarked, shaking the watch and putting it to his ear.
+By this Rob knew that he meant that the watch had stopped.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;I knew he could talk,&#8221; said John. &#8220;Ask him where we can get something
+to eat. I&#8217;m getting awful hungry.&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;You&#8217;re always hungry, John,&#8221; said Rob. &#8220;The most important thing for us
+is to find where we are. Here, you!&#8221; He addressed the natives. &#8220;You can
+talk English. Which way is town? How far? Why don&#8217;t we get there at
+once?&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>The wrinkled native smiled amiably again, and remarked &#8220;By-&#8217;n-by&#8221;; but
+that seemed to be the extent of his English, for after that he only
+shook his head and smiled. </p>
+
+<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_32" id="Page_32">[Pg 32]</a></span></p><p>&#8220;This is a fine thing, isn&#8217;t it?&#8221; said Rob. &#8220;I wonder what your uncle
+Dick will think of us. Anyway, we&#8217;ve got our guns and blankets, and
+there&#8217;s a box of crackers and some canned tomatoes under the boat seat.&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>At last the two natives began to jabber together excitedly. They turned
+and said something to the boys which the latter could not understand,
+and then, without further ado, made off inland and disappeared in the
+fog. Some moments elapsed before the boys understood what had happened,
+and indeed they had no means of knowing the truth, which was that the
+two natives, who were perfectly friendly, had started across to the
+Mission House of Wood Island, some two miles or more, in search of
+something to eat, and possibly in the wish of getting further
+instructions about these young men they found in their charge.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Why don&#8217;t they come back?&#8221; asked Jesse, in the course of half an hour
+or so, during which all were growing more anxious than they cared to
+admit.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Who knows how long &#8216;by-&#8217;n-by&#8217; may mean? I&#8217;d like to get out of here,&#8221;
+added John.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;I&#8217;ll tell you what we&#8217;ll do,&#8221; said Rob, after they had waited for
+perhaps another half-hour. &#8220;These men have left us, and now we&#8217;ll leave
+<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_33" id="Page_33">[Pg 33]</a></span>them in turn. The sea is pretty rough, but this is a good boat and we
+can run her. We can go back that way, and get to the mouth of the
+channel, because I noticed which way the wind was blowing. Town must be
+off to the left, and we can keep track of the shore by the echo. I&#8217;m for
+pulling out right away.&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;So am I,&#8221; assented John. And Jesse, although he looked rather sober at
+the sight of the white-topped waves, agreed.</p>
+
+<p>By great good-luck they were able to push the dory out with the receding
+crest of a big wave, and the first thing they knew they were pitching up
+and down in the white water. By hard pulling they got the boat offshore,
+and being there outside the more broken water made fairly good headway,
+although they found the boat heavy and hard to pull.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;We can&#8217;t make it,&#8221; said Rob, at last. &#8220;She&#8217;s too big for us to pull
+against the wind, and that&#8217;s the way we must go if we go toward town.
+I&#8217;m afraid we&#8217;ll have to go ashore again.&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Look, look there!&#8221; cried John, suddenly.</p>
+
+<p>They all stopped rowing for a moment and gazed ahead.</p>
+
+<p>A towering ridge of white, foamy waves arose directly in front of them,
+higher than their heads <span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_34" id="Page_34">[Pg 34]</a></span>had they stood upright in the boat. Swirling
+and breaking, it seemed to advance and march down upon them. The surface
+of the water was agitated as though some great creature were lashing it
+into foam. But soon they saw that this was something worse than any
+creature of the deep.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;It&#8217;s the tide-rips!&#8221; cried Rob, anxiously. &#8220;The tide-bore is going out
+the channel&mdash;I&#8217;ve heard them tell of that before. Look out, now! Give
+way, and put her into it quartering, or it&#8217;ll swamp us, sure!&#8221; </p>
+
+<hr class="large" /><p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_35" id="Page_35">[Pg 35]</a></span></p>
+<h2><a name="VI" id="VI"></a>VI</h2>
+
+<h3>ADRIFT ON THE OCEAN</h3>
+
+<p class="n"><span style="float:left;font-size:40px;line-height:25px;padding-top:2px;padding-bottom:1px;">A</span> thousand angry, choppy waves pitched alongside the dory, as though
+reaching up and trying to come aboard. Time and again the boys thought
+all was lost. Instead of passing through the tide-rips, the dory seemed
+to be carried on with them as they shifted.</p>
+
+<p>The tide, indeed, had now turned, and with its turn the fog began to
+lift. Getting some idea of what now was happening, Rob undertook to make
+back toward the shore, where they could hear the surf roaring heavily.
+Perhaps it was lucky they did not succeed in this attempt, for the boat
+would no doubt have been crushed like an eggshell on the rocks. Instead,
+they began to float down parallel with the coast, carried on the crest
+of the big tide-bore which every day passes down the east coast of
+Kadiak between the long, parallel islands which make an inland channel
+many miles in extent. As the boys called now they <span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_36" id="Page_36">[Pg 36]</a></span>could hear an echo on
+each side of them, and indeed could see the loom of the rock-bound
+shore; but all about them hissed and danced these fighting waves,
+tossing the dory a dozen ways at once, and all the time there came
+astern the long roll of the mighty Pacific in its power, the Japan
+current and the coast tide in unison forcing a boiling current down the
+rocky channel. Escape was hopeless.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Boys,&#8221; said Rob, his face perhaps a trifle pale, &#8220;we can&#8217;t get out of
+this. All we can do is to run.&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>The others looked at him silently.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;She&#8217;s a splendid boat,&#8221; went on Rob, trying to be cheerful. &#8220;She rides
+like a chip. I believe if we keep low down she&#8217;ll be safe, for it
+doesn&#8217;t seem to be getting any worse.&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>A powerful steamboat, if it were caught under precisely these
+conditions, could have done little more than drift down the channel. The
+boys resigned themselves to their fate. Now and again the fog shut down.
+Wild cries of sea-birds were about them. Now and then the leap of a
+great dolphin feeding in the tide splashed alongside, to startle them
+yet more. Each moment, as they knew, carried them farther and farther
+from their friends, and deeper and deeper <span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_37" id="Page_37">[Pg 37]</a></span>into dangers whose nature
+they could only guess.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;I wish we&#8217;d never left Valdez,&#8221; said Jesse, at last, his lip beginning
+to quiver.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;That&#8217;s no way to talk,&#8221; said Rob, sternly. &#8220;The right thing to do when
+you&#8217;re in a scrape is to try to get out of it. This tide can&#8217;t run clear
+round the world, because your uncle Dick said this island wasn&#8217;t over
+one hundred and fifty miles long, and there must be any number of bays
+and coves. Pull some crackers out of that box and let&#8217;s eat a bite.&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;That&#8217;s the talk,&#8221; said John, more cheerfully. &#8220;We&#8217;ll get ashore
+somewhere. It&#8217;s no use to worry.&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>John was always disposed to be philosophical; but the great peculiarity
+about him was that he was continually hungry. He found the crackers now
+rather dry and hard to eat, so worried open a can of tomatoes with his
+hunting-knife, complaining all the time that they had no water to drink.</p>
+
+<p>Their hasty meal seemed to do them good. Finding that their dory was
+still afloat, they began to lose their fears. Indeed, little by little,
+the height of the waves lessened. The tide was beginning to spread in
+the wider parts of the channel. </p>
+
+<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_38" id="Page_38">[Pg 38]</a></span></p><p>&#8220;Let&#8217;s try the oars again,&#8221; said Rob, at last.</p>
+
+<p>To their delight they found that they could give the dory some headway.
+But in which direction should they row? Small wonder that in these
+crooked channels, with the wind shifting continually from the shore and
+the veil of fog alternately lifting and falling again, they took the
+wrong course.</p>
+
+<p>They had now been afloat for some hours, although at that season of the
+year there is daylight for almost the entire twenty-four hours, so that
+they had no means of guessing at the time. They had passed entirely
+across the mouths of two or three of the great inland bays, which make
+into the east shore of Kadiak Island. At the time when they flattered
+themselves they were making their best headway back toward town, they
+were really going in the opposite direction, caught by the stiff tide
+which was running between Ugak Island and the east coast of Kadiak. In
+all, they remained in the dory perhaps ten or twelve hours, and in that
+time they perhaps skirted more than one hundred miles of shore-line,
+counting the indentations of the bays, although in direct distance they
+did not reach a total of more than fifty or sixty miles. At the <span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_39" id="Page_39">[Pg 39]</a></span>head of
+one of these bays, had they but known it, there were salmon rivers where
+fishing-boats occasionally stopped; but all that they could do was to
+use the best of their wisdom and their strength, and they kept on,
+steadily pulling, believing that the tide had turned, whereas in truth
+they were going down the coast still with the tide and approaching the
+mouth of the vast crooked bay known as Kaludiak, half-way down the east
+coast of the great island. Thus they were leaving behind a possible
+place of rescue. Although their first fright had in time somewhat worn
+away, they were now tired, hungry, thirsty, and, in fact, almost upon
+the point of exhaustion.</p>
+
+<p>All at once, at an hour which in the United States would probably have
+been taken to be just before sundown, but which really was nearly eleven
+o&#8217;clock at night, a change in the contour of the coast caused the wind
+to whip around once more. The fog, broken into thousands of white, ropy
+wreaths, was swept away upward. There stretched off to the right the
+entrance of a vast bay, with many arms, whose blue waters, far less
+turbulent than these of the open sea, led back deep into the heart of a
+noble mountain panorama of snow-covered peaks and flattened valleys. </p>
+
+<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_40" id="Page_40">[Pg 40]</a></span></p><p>&#8220;It&#8217;s almost like Resurrection Bay, or Valdez Harbor,&#8221; said Rob. &#8220;At any
+rate, I&#8217;m for going in here. There will be streams coming down out of
+the mountains, and we can stop somewhere and make camp.&#8221; </p>
+
+<hr class="large" /><p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_41" id="Page_41">[Pg 41]</a></span></p>
+<h2><a name="VII" id="VII"></a>VII</h2>
+
+<h3>THE HUT ON THE BEACH</h3>
+
+<p class="n"><span style="float:left;font-size:40px;line-height:25px;padding-top:2px;padding-bottom:1px;">R</span>ob pointed to a valley which made down to the bay some distance ahead.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;There must be a stream somewhere in there,&#8221; said he. &#8220;Besides, it looks
+flat, as though there were a beach. We&#8217;d better pull over there.&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>So, weary as they were, they tugged on the oars until finally they drew
+opposite this narrow beach. A long roll from the sea came down the bay,
+but the surf did not break here so angrily, so that they made a landing
+with nothing more serious than a good wetting. They pulled the dory as
+far up the beach as they could, and made it fast by the painter to a big
+rock.</p>
+
+<p>They now found themselves in a somewhat singular country. The beach, of
+rough shingle, rose at an angle of thirty degrees for perhaps a hundred
+feet, where it terminated in a long, low ridge which, like a wall,
+paralleled the salt water as far as they could see on either hand.
+Inside <span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_42" id="Page_42">[Pg 42]</a></span>of this wall, which was not very many yards across the top, they
+beheld a flat valley lying between the ocean and the foot of the
+mountains, perhaps a quarter of a mile across. A part of this valley was
+occupied by a long lake or lagoon, into which the water from the
+mountains seemed to come, and which found its outlet through a creek,
+which made off to the sea, far to the right.</p>
+
+<p>All this country is covered with the heavy moss, or tundra, peculiar to
+Alaska, which, when covered with a heavy growth of grass, as was the
+case here, affords rather difficult walking. But as the boys left the
+edge of the sea-wall Rob uttered an exclamation.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Here&#8217;s a path!&#8221; he cried. &#8220;It must go somewhere. There have been people
+here!&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Look yonder!&#8221; said Jesse, pointing ahead. &#8220;There is the reason. There&#8217;s
+a house over there!&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>The three now stopped and looked ahead anxiously. There was, indeed, a
+low hut built of drift-wood and earth&mdash;such a dwelling as is used by the
+Aleuts in their native condition and is called by them a &#8220;barabbara.&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;There&#8217;s no smoke,&#8221; said Rob. &#8220;Maybe it&#8217;s deserted. We&#8217;d better be
+careful, though.&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>They had been told by Uncle Dick that there <span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_43" id="Page_43">[Pg 43]</a></span>lived on the east coast of
+Kadiak Island a part of the Aleut tribes who still remained savage, and
+who never visited a white settlement unless obliged to do so. Many tales
+of theft and bloodshed came from these natives, who had always refused
+to come under the influence of the missions or schools, one or two of
+which are established near Kadiak. In short, as Rob especially very well
+knew, there was no wilder or more dangerous portion of Alaska than that
+in which they now found themselves. It was very well to be cautious when
+approaching the dwelling-place of any of these wild natives, who had
+reasons of their own for putting out of the way any stray white man who
+might come into the country.</p>
+
+<p>Thirst, however, drove them on. They watched the low house for several
+minutes, and then cautiously advanced along the path. They found the
+place to be a typical native camp. Pieces of drift-wood lay about,
+mingled with skeletons of foxes, bones of salmon and codfish&mdash;all the
+uncleanliness of an Aleut dwelling. The only opening of the low, round
+hut itself was fastened by a square door about three feet across. No
+sound came from it.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Who&#8217;s afraid?&#8221; said Rob, at last, and boldly <span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_44" id="Page_44">[Pg 44]</a></span>pushed open the door. He
+stooped and entered, and the others followed him.</p>
+
+<p>They found themselves now in the interior of a low hovel, perhaps
+fifteen feet across, and rudely circular in form. A wall of roughly laid
+timbers extended all around, perhaps three feet from the ground, and
+from these eaves to a conical point there rose the rough beams of the
+roof, which was covered heavily with dirt, grass, and moss. A hole was
+left in the middle of the roof for the smoke to escape. In the centre
+lay the white ashes of many fires, on opposite sides of which stood two
+half-burned sticks which had supported kettles. The plan of the
+barabbara, in fact, is precisely similar to that of the tepee of the
+Plains Indians, except that it is not movable and is lower and even less
+roomy than a good tepee.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Nobody home!&#8221; said Jesse, looking about the dark interior, where the
+smoke had blackened all the wood, and where only a little light came
+through the door and the smoke-hole, there being no window at all.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Nor has there been for a long time,&#8221; said Rob. &#8220;These bits of fish are
+all dried up. The ashes have been wet with rain for a long time. See,
+back there under the eaves there are a lot of <i>klipsies</i>. That&#8217;s what
+they call their fox traps. <span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_45" id="Page_45">[Pg 45]</a></span>Yes, this no doubt is the camp of a trapper
+or two who live here in the winter-time.&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;But where do they go in the summer?&#8221; asked John.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Probably to some of their own villages. It&#8217;s almost too late now to
+trap foxes for their furs, so the chances are there will be no one here
+until next winter.&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Why, then,&#8221; said Jesse, his eyes brightening, &#8220;we could use this for
+our house, couldn&#8217;t we?&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Precisely,&#8221; said Rob. &#8220;That&#8217;s just what we will do.&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;That&#8217;ll be fine,&#8221; said John, his eyes brighter than they had been for
+many an hour. &#8220;Now if we only had something for a good meal.&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Here&#8217;s an old tin lard-pail they no doubt used for a water-pail,&#8221; said
+Rob, kicking about in the heavy covering of grass which lay on the
+floor. &#8220;Now, I tell you, I&#8217;ll go get some water; you clean the hut,
+Jess; and, John, you go to the boat and bring over the box of crackers
+and tomatoes.&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>With light hearts the others complied, each glad that now at least they
+were free from the dangers of the sea.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;I believe we&#8217;re going to be all right here, <span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_46" id="Page_46">[Pg 46]</a></span>John,&#8221; said Jesse, as the
+latter started toward the boat.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Surely we will,&#8221; said John. &#8220;Only I know I want a drink pretty badly.&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>When they met at the door of the hut a few moments later Rob offered
+them his kettle of water, from which he had not yet drunk. John took a
+deep draught and spat it out with a wry face.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Salt!&#8221; he exclaimed. &#8220;That&#8217;s awful!&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>Rob looked at him in surprise.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;That&#8217;s strange,&#8221; said he. &#8220;I saw the creek tumbling right down through
+the alders into this little lake, and it must be fresh water.&#8221; He
+scratched his head. &#8220;Oh, I know,&#8221; said he. &#8220;The tide backs up in here to
+the foot of the little falls. Give me the kettle. It&#8217;s shallow out there
+in front, and there&#8217;s rocks. We&#8217;ll cross the lake to get a drink!&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>Suiting the action to the words, he went off on a run, and this time
+when he returned he had the pail full of excellent fresh water, cold as
+ice.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;I got my feet wet,&#8221; said he; &#8220;but never mind that. I&#8217;ve learned
+something else&mdash;or, at least, I think I have.&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;What&#8217;s that?&#8221; asked Jesse.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Why, it&#8217;s this. Our crackers and tomatoes <span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_47" id="Page_47">[Pg 47]</a></span>won&#8217;t last very long, and we
+can&#8217;t eat moss or dried grass. We&#8217;ve got our fishing-lines done up in
+the bedrolls in the boat, and if we can&#8217;t catch any codfish in the bay,
+there&#8217;ll be a time before long, unless I&#8217;m mistaken, when there&#8217;ll be
+salmon in this creek. They say they run in every river on the Alaska
+coast, and I suppose it&#8217;s the same here.&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;We&#8217;d better not eat up all our crackers right away,&#8221; suggested Jesse,
+hesitating.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;No,&#8221; said Rob, who seemed to drop into the place of leader. &#8220;We&#8217;ll have
+to do the way people do when they&#8217;re shipwrecked and cast away. We&#8217;ll go
+on short rations for a while.&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Well,&#8221; said John, &#8220;let&#8217;s have a cracker, anyway, and the rest of that
+last can of tomatoes we opened. I&#8217;d like a cup of tea pretty well; but
+it may be some time before we see tea again.&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Worry enough for the day,&#8221; said Rob. &#8220;And what we ought to be is mighty
+thankful we got off as well as we have. Anyhow, we&#8217;re alive; and,
+anyhow, we&#8217;ll camp here to-night. Now you boys go over to the boat and
+get the bedrolls, while I pick up some wood and get some fresh grass for
+the beds. It&#8217;ll be dark now before long. We&#8217;ll make a fire and cook the
+tomatoes in the can.&#8221; </p>
+
+<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_48" id="Page_48">[Pg 48]</a></span></p><p>Following Rob&#8217;s advice, each now busied himself at these different
+tasks. In the course of an hour they had a fire glowing at the centre of
+the barabbara, which now would otherwise have been quite dark. The smoke
+did not seriously trouble them after they had learned to keep down low
+on the floor. Each unrolled his blankets on the deep, sweet-scented
+grass near-by the fire. Thus, alone and far from home, in a situation
+stranger than any of them had ever fancied himself about to see, they
+lay about the fire at midnight of the short Alaskan darkness. Each
+without instruction took his rifle from its case and put it on the
+blankets beside him, taking care that it was loaded. Outside they could
+hear the calls of flying birds; otherwise deep silence reigned. They
+felt, although they could not see, the presence of the surrounding walls
+of the great white mountains. Now and then they could hear the faint
+boom of the sea on the opposite side of the inner wall. It was a wild
+and new experience for them as at last, one by one, each nodded and
+dropped back upon his blankets for such sleep as he could find in his
+first night in camp on the unknown Kadiak coast. </p>
+
+<hr class="large" /><p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_49" id="Page_49">[Pg 49]</a></span></p>
+<h2><a name="VIII" id="VIII"></a>VIII</h2>
+
+<h3>THE SALMON RUN</h3>
+
+<p class="n"><span style="float:left;font-size:40px;line-height:25px;padding-top:2px;padding-bottom:1px;">W</span>orn out as they were by the adventures of the preceding day, the boys
+slept long and soundly. When at length Rob awoke he saw that the sun was
+shining brightly down through the smoke-vent in the roof. He called the
+others, who rolled over sleepily in their blankets.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Time for breakfast, John,&#8221; said he, laughing.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Yes, and no breakfast,&#8221; grumbled John&mdash;&#8220;at least, nothing but more
+crackers and tomatoes, and not very much of that.&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;I&#8217;ll have a look outside first,&#8221; said Rob, crawling over to the door
+and pushing it open. &#8220;I say, it&#8217;s a fine day! You can see the mountains
+all around as clear as you please. Wherever we are, it&#8217;s a big country
+at least.&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;What was that I heard just now?&#8221; exclaimed John, joining him at the
+door; &#8220;it sounded like a splash.&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>They both crawled out of the door and stood <span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_50" id="Page_50">[Pg 50]</a></span>up where they could see the
+surface of the lagoon, which lay but a few yards distant from the front
+of the hut. Sure enough, a series of spreading wrinkles marked the
+water.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Must have been a fish,&#8221; said John. &#8220;There he goes again!&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>Even as he spoke Rob had left him and was running to the edge of the
+water. &#8220;Salmon!&#8221; he cried. &#8220;Salmon! I thought so. Now we&#8217;re all right!&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>These were Alaska boys, and a run of salmon was nothing new to them,
+although it is something never failing of interest no matter how often
+one sees it. The three now gathered at the shallow water a short
+distance below the hut. All along the creek crows and ravens were flying
+in great flocks. From the heavy grove of cotton-wood beyond the creek
+there arose several great birds, soaring majestically
+across&mdash;eagles&mdash;also interested in the coming of the fish. Suddenly one
+of these made a swift dart from its poise high in the air, straight as
+an arrow, and flinging the water in every direction as it struck.
+Struggling, it rose again with a great fish in its talons.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;He&#8217;s got <i>his</i> breakfast, anyhow,&#8221; said John, ruefully. &#8220;But now how
+are we going to get ours?&#8221; </p>
+
+<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_51" id="Page_51">[Pg 51]</a></span></p><p>&#8220;Run to the boat, John,&#8221; said Rob. &#8220;I remember seeing some cod-lines
+with big hooks under the back seat. Must have belonged to those natives.
+You bring me those hooks while I hunt for a pole.&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>Excitedly they all now began to see what might be done toward making a
+salmon-gaff such as Indians use; for all these boys knew very well that
+the Alaska salmon will not take any sort of a bait or lure when they are
+ascending a stream; and these were the red salmon, fish of about eight
+or ten pounds in weight, which in that part of the world are never known
+to take any kind of lure.</p>
+
+<p>In a few minutes Rob, having found a longish pole in the grass near by,
+had hurriedly bound with a piece of cod-line the three large hooks at
+the end so that they made a gang or gaff. Taking this, and rolling up
+his trousers high as he could, he waded into the shallow, ice-cold
+water.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Where are they now?&#8221; he asked of the others, who remained on the bank.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;There they come&mdash;there&#8217;s a school coming now!&#8221; cried Jesse.</p>
+
+<p>All at once Rob could see the surface of the water below him just barely
+moving in low, <span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_52" id="Page_52">[Pg 52]</a></span>silvery ripples as though a faint wind touched it. A
+sort of metallic lustre seemed to hang above the water&mdash;the reflection
+from the bright scales of the many fish swimming close to the surface.
+Presently, as he looked into the water directly at his feet, he could
+see scores of large, ghostly looking creatures, pale green or silvery,
+passing slowly by him, some of them so close as almost to touch his legs
+as he stood motionless. Once or twice he struck with his gaff, but the
+quick motions of the fish foiled him; and it looked as though the boys
+would wait some time for their breakfast, after all. At last, however,
+he waded closer to the shore and half hid behind a bush, extending his
+gaff in front of him with the hooks resting on the bottom.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Now, drive them over this way&mdash;throw in some stones,&#8221; he directed.</p>
+
+<p>The others did as he said, and all at once Rob saw the water directly in
+front of him full of a mass of confused fish. A quick jerk, and he had a
+fine, fat fish fast, and the next instant it was flopping on the bank,
+while all three of them fell upon it with eager cries.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Now another!&#8221; said Rob. &#8220;They may not be running all day.&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>He returned to his hiding-place near the bush, <span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_53" id="Page_53">[Pg 53]</a></span>and thus in a few
+minutes he had secured a half-dozen splendid fish.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;That will do for now,&#8221; said he. &#8220;What do you think of the chance for
+breakfast now, Mister John?&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>John grinned happily. He already had a couple of the fish nicely
+cleaned.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;I&#8217;ll tell you what,&#8221; said Jesse, &#8220;after we&#8217;ve had breakfast we&#8217;ll catch
+a lot of these fat ones and split them open the way the Indians do. I
+think we could make a smoking-rack for them without much trouble.&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Capital,&#8221; said Rob. &#8220;We ought to dry some fish when we have the chance,
+because no one can tell how long we may have to live here.&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;But we won&#8217;t do anything till after breakfast,&#8221; said John, looking up.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;No,&#8221; laughed Rob, &#8220;I&#8217;m just as hungry as you are. So now let&#8217;s build a
+little fire and, since we have no frying-pan as yet, do what we can at
+broiling some salmon steaks on sticks.&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>It was not the first time they had cooked fish in this way, and although
+they sadly missed the salt to which they were accustomed, they made a
+good breakfast from salmon and a cracker or so apiece, which Rob doled
+out to them from their scanty supply. </p>
+
+<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_54" id="Page_54">[Pg 54]</a></span></p><p>&#8220;We ought to keep what we have as long as we can,&#8221; said Rob. &#8220;For
+instance, we&#8217;ve only a couple of boxes of matches, and we must not waste
+one if we can help it. We&#8217;ll look around after awhile and see if we can
+scare up a frying-pan. But now I move that the first thing we do be to
+explore our country just a little bit.&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Agreed,&#8221; said John, who was now well fed and contented. &#8220;Suppose we
+walk down to the mouth of the creek over there.&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>Following along the winding shores of the small stream, which here at
+high tide was not above the level of the sea, they found themselves
+finally at the angle between the creek and the open bay, beyond the end
+of the low sea-wall which has earlier been mentioned. The creek here
+turned in sharply toward the foot of the mountain, and across from where
+the boys stood a sheer rock wall rose several hundred feet. This shut
+off the view of a part of the bay on that side, but in other directions
+they could see the white-topped waves rolling, eight or ten miles across
+to the farther side, where there were many other bays making back among
+the mountains.</p>
+
+<p>Out in the bay where the stream emptied, schools of salmon, apparently
+thousands in number, were flinging themselves into the air as they
+<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_55" id="Page_55">[Pg 55]</a></span>started toward the mouth of the creek. At the last angle of the stream,
+where it turned against the rock wall, there was a pool perhaps fifty
+feet across and twenty feet in depth, and as the boys looked down into
+this it seemed literally packed with hundreds and thousands of great
+salmon, which swam around and around before picking out the current of
+the stream up which they were to swim.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Here&#8217;s fish enough for us whenever we want any,&#8221; said Rob. &#8220;We can
+catch them here without much trouble, I think.&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;I don&#8217;t know, we may not be so badly off here for a while, after all,&#8221;
+admitted John.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Just look at the gulls,&#8221; said Jesse, idly shying a pebble at one great
+bird as it came screaming along close above them, to join its kind in
+the great flocks that circled around above the salmon, which they were
+helpless to feed upon, not being equipped with beak and talons like the
+eagles.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Yes,&#8221; said Rob, &#8220;thousands of them. And every pair of them with a nest
+somewhere, and every nest with two eggs, and a good many of them good to
+eat. Do you see those tall, ragged rocks out there? That looks to me
+like their nesting-ground.&#8221; </p>
+
+<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_56" id="Page_56">[Pg 56]</a></span></p><p>&#8220;But we can&#8217;t get there,&#8221; said John, pointing to the creek.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Oh yes, we can, in two ways. We could wade the creek up above and climb
+across the shoulder of the mountain there, and maybe cross the next
+creek beyond, and so get out to those rocks on the point below. Or we
+can launch the dory up above and come down the coast to the mouth of the
+creek, and then skirt the shore over there.&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Why don&#8217;t we bring our boat over here and take it up the creek?&#8221; asked
+Jesse. &#8220;We wouldn&#8217;t have to row more than a mile or so, and then we&#8217;d
+always know our boat was safe.&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;That&#8217;s a good idea,&#8221; said Rob. &#8220;We&#8217;ll do that this very day. Suppose we
+go back now to the house.&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>They now turned and began slowly to walk up the creek again. Suddenly
+Rob stooped down and parted the grass, looking closely at something on
+the ground.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;What is it, Rob?&#8221; asked John, joining him.</p>
+
+<p>The two now pushed the grass apart and looked down eagerly. Rob rose to
+his knees and pushed the cap back on his forehead.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;If I didn&#8217;t know better,&#8221; said he, &#8220;I&#8217;d call that the track of an
+elephant or a mastodon or something. See, there it goes, all along the
+shore.&#8221; </p>
+
+<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_57" id="Page_57">[Pg 57]</a></span></p><p>&#8220;But it can&#8217;t be an elephant,&#8221; said Jesse.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;No, it can&#8217;t be anything but just what it is&mdash;the track of a bear! What
+Uncle Dick said is true. Look, this track is more than half as long as
+my arm.&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;We&#8217;d better get back to the house as quick as we can,&#8221; said Jesse,
+anxiously. &#8220;That bear may come back any minute!&#8221; </p>
+
+<hr class="large" /><p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_58" id="Page_58">[Pg 58]</a></span></p>
+<h2><a name="IX" id="IX"></a>IX</h2>
+
+<h3>THE BIG BEAR OF KADIAK</h3>
+
+<p class="n"><span style="float:left;font-size:40px;line-height:25px;padding-top:2px;padding-bottom:1px;">T</span>he three now started up the creek toward the barabbara, their steps
+perhaps a little quicker than when they came down-stream. Rob was
+scanning the mountain-side carefully, and looking as well at the sign
+along the creek bank.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;That&#8217;s where he lives, up in that ca&ntilde;on across the creek, very likely,&#8221;
+he said, at length. &#8220;Here&#8217;s where he crossed in the shallow water, and
+last night he fished all along this bank. My! I&#8217;ll bet he&#8217;s full of
+bones to-day. It&#8217;s the first run of fish, and he was so hungry he ate
+pretty near everything except the backbone.&#8221; He pointed to a dozen
+skeletons of salmon that lay half hidden in the grass. The latter was
+trampled down as though cows had been in pasture there.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;I don&#8217;t know,&#8221; said Jesse, soberly. &#8220;I always wanted to kill a bear,
+and there&#8217;s three of us now and we&#8217;ve got guns; but I don&#8217;t believe I
+ever wanted to kill a bear quite as big as this one. <span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_59" id="Page_59">[Pg 59]</a></span>Why, he could
+smash in the door of our house in the night and eat us up if he wanted
+to.&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;We&#8217;ll eat <i>him</i>, that&#8217;s what we&#8217;ll do,&#8221; said John, decisively. &#8220;I only
+wish we had a kettle or a frying-pan or something.&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Seems to me you&#8217;d better get the bear first,&#8221; said Jesse. &#8220;But we might
+look in among the traps in the back of the hut and see what we can find.
+These hunters nearly always leave some kind of cooking things at their
+camps.&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>Sure enough, when the boys entered the barabbara to look after their
+rifles, and began to rummage among the piles of <i>klipsies</i> which they
+found thrown back under the eaves, they unearthed a broken cast-iron
+frying-pan and, what caused them even greater delight, a little, dirty
+sack, which contained perhaps three or four pounds of salt. They sat on
+the grass of the floor and looked at one another with broad smiles. &#8220;If
+everything keeps up as lucky as this,&#8221; said Jesse, &#8220;we&#8217;ll be ready to
+keep house all right pretty soon. But ought we to use these things that
+don&#8217;t belong to us?&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Surely we may,&#8221; answered Rob. &#8220;It is always the custom in a wild
+country for any one who is lost and in need to take food when he finds
+it, and to use a camp as though it were his <span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_60" id="Page_60">[Pg 60]</a></span>own. Of course we mustn&#8217;t
+waste anything or carry anything off, but while we&#8217;re here we&#8217;ll act as
+though this place were ours, and if any one finds us here we&#8217;ll pay for
+what we use. That&#8217;s the Alaska way, as you know.&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;You&#8217;re not going out after that big bear, are you?&#8221; asked Jesse,
+anxiously, of Rob.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Of course; we&#8217;re all going! What are these new rifles for&mdash;just look,
+brand-new high-power Winchesters, every one&mdash;and any one of these guns
+will shoot as hard for us as for a grown man.&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>They sat for some time in the hut discussing various matters. At last
+John crawled to the door and looked out. He was rather a matter-of-fact
+boy in his way, and there seemed no special excitement in his voice as
+he remarked: &#8220;Well, Rob, there comes your bear.&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>The others hurried to the door. Sure enough, upon the bare mountain
+slope beyond the lagoon, nearly half a mile away, there showed plainly
+enough the body of an enormous bear, large as a horse. It was one of the
+great Kadiak bears, which are the biggest of all the world.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Cracky!&#8221; said Jesse; &#8220;he looks pretty big to me. Do you suppose he&#8217;ll
+find us here in the house?&#8221;</p>
+
+<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_61" id="Page_61">[Pg 61]</a></span></p><p>Rob, the oldest of the three, who had been on one or two hunts with his
+father, looked serious as he watched this giant animal advancing down
+the hill-side with its long, reaching stride. Suddenly he uttered an
+exclamation. &#8220;Look!&#8221; said he; &#8220;there&#8217;s two more just come out of the
+brush. It&#8217;s an old she bear and her cubs coming down to fish!&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>All could now see the three bears, the great, yellow-gray mother, huge
+and shaggy, and the two cubs, darker in color and, of course, much
+smaller, although each was as large as the ordinary black bear of the
+United States. Certainly it was an exciting moment as the boys looked at
+these great creatures now so close at hand.</p>
+
+<p>Presently the old bear seemed to suspect something, for she stopped and
+sat up on her haunches, swinging from side to side a head which was
+fully as long as the arm of any one of the boys.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;She probably smells the smoke,&#8221; whispered Rob. &#8220;Oh, I hope she won&#8217;t
+get scared and run away! No, there she comes; it&#8217;s the first salmon run,
+and they&#8217;re all hungry for fish.&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>They watched the bears until at last they disappeared in the brush which
+lined the creek on the farther side. Rob kept his eye intently fixed <span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_62" id="Page_62">[Pg 62]</a></span>on
+the place where they had disappeared, but made no motion to leave the
+hut until finally all three of the bears once more appeared, this time
+splashing across the creek.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;She knows the tide as well as we do,&#8221; muttered he. &#8220;It won&#8217;t be long
+now before the fish begin to move up the creek again. Now, come on,
+fellows, if you&#8217;re not afraid!&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>Rob looked around at John, who had his new rifle in his hand, but looked
+none too eager, now that the opportunity had come to use it. Jesse&#8217;s
+lip, it must be confessed, trembled a little bit, and he was pale. The
+first sight of a large bear has been known to unsettle the nerves of
+many a grown man, and it was not to be wondered at that it should
+disturb one of Jesse&#8217;s years. There was, perhaps, in the wild and remote
+situation in which they found themselves something which gave them
+courage. They had escaped such dangers of the sea that now the danger of
+the land seemed less by comparison. Moreover, they all had the hunting
+instinct, and were accustomed to seeing big game brought in by their
+relatives and friends. Had an older person been with them, no doubt they
+would all have been frightened; but there is something strange in the
+truth that when one is thrown on one&#8217;s own resources <span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_63" id="Page_63">[Pg 63]</a></span>courage comes when
+needed&mdash;as it did now to these three castaways.</p>
+
+<p>Without any further speech Rob passed out at the door and stood waiting
+for the others to follow. Each was silent as he held his way down the
+creek.</p>
+
+<p>For some distance they did not need to conceal themselves; then their
+leader took them along the edge of the creek, where their heads would
+not show above the grass. Thus following down the stream, and carefully
+peering over the banks at each bend, they worked along until they were
+perhaps three or four hundred yards above the big salmon pool and near
+to a flat piece of water which extended above it. Rob raised a warning
+finger.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Listen!&#8221; he hissed.</p>
+
+<p>They could hear it now distinctly&mdash;heavy splashing in the water, broken
+with low, grumbling whines in a deep, throaty voice, something like what
+one may hear in a circus at feeding-time. Once in a while a squeak or a
+bawl came from one of the cubs. Rob laughed. From his position near the
+top of the bank he could now see the picture before him.</p>
+
+<p>The old mother was sitting on her haunches out in the middle of the
+stream, with a cub on <span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_64" id="Page_64">[Pg 64]</a></span>either side of her. She was trying to teach them
+to fish. Once in a while she would make a sudden, cat-like stroke with
+her long forearm, and almost always would throw out a fine salmon on the
+bank. Toward this the cubs would start in their hunger, but the old
+lady, reproving them for their eagerness, would then cuff them soundly
+on the head, knocking them sprawling over in the water, to their very
+great disgust. Once in a while one of them, his ears tight to his head,
+would sit down in the water, lift up his nose and complain bitterly at
+this hard treatment. Then again he would make a half-hearted stroke at
+some of the fish which he could see swimming about him; but his short
+claws would not hold like the long, curved ones of his mother, and no
+fish rewarded the efforts of either of the cubs. The boys lost all sense
+of fear in watching this amusing scene, which they studied for some
+minutes. They really lost their best opportunity for stalking their
+game, because presently the old grizzly changed her mind and led the way
+out to the bank where several fish were lying flapping. Upon these they
+all fell eagerly, grunting and grumbling, and now and again fighting
+among themselves.</p>
+
+<p>Rob turned toward his friends. &#8220;Quick now!&#8221; he whispered, sternly, and
+led the way, crawling <span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_65" id="Page_65">[Pg 65]</a></span>into the high grass which would afford them cover
+for a closer approach to their game. The hearts of all of them now were
+throbbing wildly, and probably each one doubted his ability to do good
+shooting. Something, however, led them on, and although Rob saw two pale
+faces following him when he looked back, there was a glitter in the eyes
+of each which told him that at least each of his friends would do his
+best.</p>
+
+<p>Passing now out of the grass to the cover of the bank again, Rob ran
+along crouching, until he pulled up under cover of the bank at a point
+not more than seventy-five yards from where they could now distinctly
+hear the bears at their feeding.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Get ready now!&#8221; he whispered.</p>
+
+<p>Slowly the three crawled to the top of the bank. Rob laid a hand on
+Jesse&#8217;s rifle barrel, which he saw was unsteady. He made motions to both
+of the others not to be excited. A strange sort of calm seemed to have
+come upon him. Yet, plucky as he was, he was not prepared for the sight
+which met him as he gazed through the parted grass at the top of the
+bank.</p>
+
+<p>The old grizzly, once more suspicious, had again sat up on her haunches,
+and turning her head from side to side began to sniff as though she
+<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_66" id="Page_66">[Pg 66]</a></span>scented danger. Her shaggy hair shone silvery now in the sun, and she
+seemed enormously large. Rob&#8217;s heart leaped to his mouth, but suddenly
+dropping to his knee, and calling out to the others &#8220;Now!&#8221; he fired
+without longer hesitation.</p>
+
+<p>The sound of the other two rifles followed at once. The great bear gave
+a hoarse roar which seemed to make the hair prickle on the boys&#8217; heads;
+but even as she roared she dropped and floundered in the mud of the
+bank, up which she strove to climb. Again and again the rifles spoke.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Now the little ones&mdash;quick!&#8221; cried Rob, half springing to his feet, and
+continuing to fire steadily. Some one&#8217;s shot struck the first cub square
+through the spine and killed it instantly. The second cub stood but a
+moment longer. These boys had used rifles many times before, and
+although not every shot went true, perhaps half of them struck their
+mark; and it was as Rob had said&mdash;the rifles shot as hard for them as
+for a grown man.</p>
+
+<p>The great she bear, possessed of enormous vitality, was not easily
+disposed of. The magazines of all the rifles were emptied the second
+time before Rob would allow them to go a foot closer, and even so, the
+great gray body retained life enough <span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_67" id="Page_67">[Pg 67]</a></span>to roll half down the bank as they
+approached. This time Rob finished the old bear with a shot through the
+head, at a distance of not more than thirty yards.</p>
+
+<p>The game was down and dead&mdash;three great bears, one of them huge beyond
+the wildest dreams of any of them, and unbelievably large even for the
+most widely experienced sportsman. Indeed, any sportsman might have been
+proud of this record. Rob turned to look at his friends.</p>
+
+<p>Suddenly he himself sat down, and to his surprise found that he was
+trembling violently all over. Jesse and John were both doing the same.
+He saw that their faces were deathly pale.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;I&#8217;m&mdash;I&#8217;m&mdash;I&#8217;m sort of&mdash;sort of sick at my stomach!&#8221; said Jesse. </p>
+
+<hr class="large" /><p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_68" id="Page_68">[Pg 68]</a></span></p>
+<h2><a name="X" id="X"></a>X</h2>
+
+<h3>THE SAVAGE REFUGEE</h3>
+
+<p style="float: left; font-size: 100%; line-height: 80%; margin-top: 0;">&#8220;</p><p class="n"><span style="float:left;font-size:40px;line-height:25px;padding-top:2px;padding-bottom:1px;">W</span>ell,&#8221; said Rob, finally, looking around at his friends and grinning,
+&#8220;I don&#8217;t know which of us is the worst scared; but, anyhow, we&#8217;ve got
+our game, and a lot of it. Do you suppose we can skin these big
+fellows?&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;We&#8217;ll have to,&#8221; said John. &#8220;There&#8217;s meat enough to last us a year. That
+old bear is bigger than any horse in Valdez.&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;And tough as any horse, too,&#8221; said Rob. &#8220;The cubs may be better to eat.
+I have heard my father say that bear liver isn&#8217;t bad; and certainly we
+can get all the fat we want to fry our fish. Lucky we&#8217;ve all got our
+hunting-knives along; so here goes!&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>They now arose and began the difficult task of skinning out the great
+bear&mdash;slow work for even an experienced hunter. They kept at it,
+however, and had made a good beginning when all at once a slight sound
+at the edge of the creek bank attracted Rob&#8217;s attention. </p>
+
+<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_69" id="Page_69">[Pg 69]</a></span></p><p>As he turned the others noticed him, and all three of them stood staring
+an instant later at the same object: a round, dark face gazing at them
+motionless through the grass&mdash;a face with cunning little eyes set
+slantwise, like those of a Japanese, and long, stringy locks of dark
+hair hanging down about the cheeks. Instinctively each boy reached for
+his rifle, which he had left leaning against the carcass of the great
+bear. Apparently not alarmed, the face kept its place, staring steadily
+at them. Rob now guessed the truth, which was that this Aleut savage had
+heard the shots and had entered the mouth of the creek in his boat. Not
+knowing whether he was friend or foe, Rob motioned the others to follow
+him, and approached him with his rifle at a ready.</p>
+
+<p>Seeing that they were not afraid, nor disposed to be driven from their
+place, the Aleut savage&mdash;for such it proved to be&mdash;arose, and with what
+he meant to be a smile stretched out his hand as though in friendship.
+His gun, a rusty old affair, he left lying on the ground at his side.
+Rob kicked it away as he approached.</p>
+
+<p>They now saw how the Aleut had reached them. His boat, a long, native
+bidarka, lay in the creek, up which the native had paddled silently on
+his own errand of discovery. This <span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_70" id="Page_70">[Pg 70]</a></span>boat interested the boys very much.
+It was nearly twenty feet long and not more than two feet wide, covered
+entirely with tightly stretched skin. In the deck were two round holes,
+around each of which there was a mantle, or hood, of oiled hide or
+membrane, which could be drawn up about the waist of a man sitting in
+the hatch. On the narrow and sloping deck there was lashed a long spear
+and an extra paddle. The boys also noticed sticking to the deck a
+stringy-looking mass of grayish white, which at first they could not
+identify, though later they found it to be a collection of devil-fish,
+or octopi, which the native had gathered among the rocks for later use
+as food. Peering into the hatches they saw a copper kettle partly filled
+with a whitish-looking meat, which later they found to be whale flesh.
+There was a ragged blanket of fur thrust under the deck between the
+hatches.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;He&#8217;s been cruising along the coast,&#8221; said Rob; &#8220;but this is a two-hatch
+bidarka, so probably he&#8217;s got a partner somewhere around.&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Maybe he&#8217;s up at our house now stealing everything we left there,&#8221;
+suggested Jesse.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Yes, and maybe it&#8217;s his house that we&#8217;ve moved into,&#8221; added John.</p>
+
+<p>Rob, the older of the boys, and the one on <span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_71" id="Page_71">[Pg 71]</a></span>whose judgment they had come
+to rely, remained silent a moment.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Boys,&#8221; said he, at last, &#8220;this fellow looks like mischief to me. We
+can&#8217;t let him go away, to come back after awhile and rob us. We can&#8217;t
+leave his gun here with him and go on with our work. The only thing we
+can do is to take him in charge for a while.&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Let me get his gun away from him,&#8221; began John.</p>
+
+<p>Possibly the Aleut understood some of this, for all at once he made a
+sudden spring and caught at his gun.</p>
+
+<p>Quick as a flash Rob covered him with his own rifle. &#8220;No, you don&#8217;t,&#8221; he
+said; &#8220;drop it! That settles it for you!&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>Again the Aleut seemed to understand, for he stood up, tried to smile
+again, and once more held out his hand.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Take his gun and chuck it in the boat, Jess,&#8221; commanded Rob. &#8220;Now you
+mush on!&#8221; he ordered the Aleut, pointing to the carcass of the bear.
+(&#8220;Mush on,&#8221; in Alaska dog-train vernacular, means &#8220;march on,&#8221; being a
+corruption from the French word <i>marchons</i>.)</p>
+
+<p>The native sullenly walked on ahead, and finally sat down by the side of
+the bear. </p>
+
+<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_72" id="Page_72">[Pg 72]</a></span></p><p>&#8220;You watch him, John,&#8221; said Rob. &#8220;I&#8217;ve got to go on skinning this bear.&#8221;
+So saying, he resumed his work, presently rejoined by Jesse.</p>
+
+<p>The native watched them, but finally began to smile at their clumsiness.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;I&#8217;ll tell you what,&#8221; said Jesse; &#8220;if he&#8217;s so smart about this, let&#8217;s
+make him help skin.&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;A good idea!&#8221; added Rob. He began to make signs to the Aleut. &#8220;Here,
+you,&#8221; said he, &#8220;get up and go to work&mdash;and keep on your own side of the
+bear.&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>He pointed to the crooked knife which he saw in the native&#8217;s belt. The
+latter, none too well pleased, sulkily arose and began to aid in
+skinning the bear. It was easy to see that it was not the first work of
+the kind he had done. He laid the hide off in folds, with long, easy
+strokes, doing twice as much work as all the other three. After a time
+the boys stopped their work entirely and stood watching him with
+admiration. The Aleut paid no attention to this, but went on with his
+work, once in awhile helping himself to a piece of raw fat. In the
+course of half an hour or so he had the great robe spread out on the
+grass, with the difficult work of skinning out the feet all done, and
+the ears, nose, and all parts of the <span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_73" id="Page_73">[Pg 73]</a></span>head skinned out without leaving a
+slashed spot on the hide.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;This beats doing it ourselves!&#8221; said John, who was not especially fond
+of work.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;We ought to thank him some way,&#8221; said Rob. &#8220;You know a little Chinook,
+John; why don&#8217;t you talk to him?&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>John grinned.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;<i>Kla-how-yah, tillicum!</i>&#8221; he began.&#8220;<i>Klosh-tum-tum</i>, eh? <i>Skookum!
+Skookum!</i>&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>Again the Aleut smiled in his distorted way, but whether or not he
+understood no one could tell.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;What did you say to him, John?&#8221; asked Jesse.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Asked him how he was; told him that we were all pretty good friends,
+and that he had done mighty good work,&#8221; interpreted John, proudly.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Well, it didn&#8217;t seem to do much good, anyhow,&#8221; said Rob. &#8220;But what
+shall we call him?&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Call him Jimmy,&#8221; said Jesse. &#8220;He looks as though his name might be
+Jimmy as much as anything else.&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;All right!&#8221; agreed their leader. &#8220;Here, you, Jimmy, catch hold here!
+I&#8217;ll show you a better <span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_74" id="Page_74">[Pg 74]</a></span>way of getting this hide up to camp than
+carrying it there.&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>He motioned that they should put the hide on the deck of the bidarka,
+and in time this was done, although the great weight of the green hide,
+a load for two strong men, sunk the bidarka so deeply that half its deck
+was covered.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Now get in, Jimmy,&#8221; ordered Rob, pointing to the rear hatch. The native
+stepped in lightly, paddle in hand, and showed his ability to handle the
+little craft, even heavily loaded as it now was. Rob pointed up the
+creek, but with a sudden sweep of his paddle the Aleut turned the other
+way and started for the sea.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Quick, get the guns!&#8221; cried Rob. &#8220;Head him off across the bend!&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>Quick as were their movements, they were none too soon, for as they
+rushed across the narrow part of the creek bend they saw the Aleut
+almost upon them. He made no attempt to get at his gun, which was buried
+under the hides in the front hatch, but was paddling with all his might.
+Without hesitation Rob fired two shots into the water ahead of his boat,
+and held up his hand in command to him to stop. These things were
+language that even an Aleut could understand. Scowling and sullen, he
+slowly paddled up to the <span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_75" id="Page_75">[Pg 75]</a></span>bank. He understood the fierce menace of the
+three rifles now pointing at him. This time he obeyed the gestures made
+to him, and, turning about, proceeded to paddle slowly up the creek,
+followed by the boys along the bank. </p>
+
+<hr class="large" /><p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_76" id="Page_76">[Pg 76]</a></span></p>
+<h2><a name="XI" id="XI"></a>XI</h2>
+
+<h3>A TROUBLESOME PRISONER</h3>
+
+<p class="n"><span style="float:left;font-size:40px;line-height:25px;padding-top:2px;padding-bottom:1px;">W</span>hen they reached the lagoon in front of the barabbara they stood for a
+time closely watching the latter. No sign of any visitor appeared,
+however. At last Rob boldly went on, kicked open the door, and called to
+the others to follow. Evidently, if the Aleut had any companion, he was
+not in that part of the island.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;You watch me make this fellow work,&#8221; said John. &#8220;I know a few words of
+Aleut as well as some Chinook. Here, you, Jimmy,&#8221; he went on,&#8220;<i>sashgee
+augone! Skora!</i>&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>To the surprise of all the Aleut actually smiled, as though in pleasure
+at hearing his own tongue.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Got him that time!&#8221; said John, importantly. &#8220;Why, I can talk to these
+people all right. <i>Skora</i>, Jimmy!&#8221; he added, sternly, pointing to the
+fireplace.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;<i>Da! Da! Skora!</i>&#8221; said the Aleut, and began to hunt about for wood. </p>
+
+<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_77" id="Page_77">[Pg 77]</a></span></p><p>&#8220;What did you tell him that time?&#8221; asked Jesse.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Told him to make a fire, and be jolly quick about it,&#8221; said John. &#8220;If
+you want to get anything done, come to me, fellows. Look at Jimmy build
+that fire!&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>In truth the Aleut seemed to accept the place assigned him. He not only
+built the fire in the middle of the hut, but picked up the skillet as a
+matter of course, wiped it out with some dried grass, put into it some
+of the bear fat, and added a part of the liver which they had brought
+along. He handed out the empty pail to John, grunting something which no
+one understood; but John, passing the pail in turn to Jesse, said he
+thought that what the Aleut wanted was some water to boil.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;<i>Chi?</i>&#8221; asked the Aleut, suddenly, of John.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;<i>Natu chi</i>,&#8221; said John (&#8220;Haven&#8217;t got any tea&#8221;).</p>
+
+<p>In reply to this the Aleut stooped down, went out of the door, and
+walked over to the bidarka, where it lay at the bank. Rob followed him
+to see that he attempted no treachery, but the Aleut seemed to have no
+intention of that. He pulled out from his boat a dried seal-skin or two,
+his old blanket, and his gun, which latter Rob took from him. </p>
+
+<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_78" id="Page_78">[Pg 78]</a></span></p><p>&#8220;He&#8217;s been hunting and fishing,&#8221; said Rob. &#8220;Looks like he had a
+bear-hide of his own underneath there. He&#8217;s got two or three fresh
+codfish, and here&#8217;s his cod-line of rawhide&mdash;with bone sinkers. And
+here&#8217;s a bow and some bone-tipped arrows, besides his spear there on the
+deck. If we kept his rifle and turned him loose he could make a living
+all right.&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;But we don&#8217;t want to turn him loose,&#8221; said John; &#8220;he&#8217;s too useful. Look
+at that.&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>The Aleut finally produced from under the deck a dirty little bag
+tightly tied.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;<i>Chi!</i>&#8221; he exclaimed, holding it up in triumph.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;You see,&#8221; said John, &#8220;we&#8217;ve got tea all right. Now it looks to me that
+we could get a pretty good meal.&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>By the time the Aleut had prepared their supper for them, and had made
+each a tin can of hot tea, all the boys began to feel tired and sleepy,
+for now the hour of night was well advanced, although the Alaskan sun
+stood well above the horizon.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;I&#8217;m mighty sleepy,&#8221; said John, yawning.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;I should think you would be,&#8221; said Jesse, &#8220;after all you ate. But if
+we&#8217;re sleepy, why can&#8217;t we go to sleep?&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;That would never do,&#8221; spoke up Rob. &#8220;We <span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_79" id="Page_79">[Pg 79]</a></span>don&#8217;t know what this native
+might do while we were all asleep. I&#8217;ve been thinking that over. It
+seems to me the only way we can do is to tie his hands together, so he
+can&#8217;t do any harm, and then take turns in standing watch.&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Have we got to do that always?&#8221; asked John, sleepily.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;We&#8217;ve got to do it to-night, at least,&#8221; said Rob, emphatically. &#8220;Take
+that piece of hide rope, John, tie his wrists together, and pass it down
+to his ankles behind his back. He can sleep a little in that way, at
+least; and I&#8217;ll stand the first watch.&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>The Aleut, not doubting at the first of these motions that they intended
+to kill him, fell upon his knees and began to jabber, apparently begging
+for mercy. At last he grinned as he looked down at his manacled hands,
+and presently, without much more ado, rolled himself over on his
+blankets and seemed to fall asleep. On the opposite side of the hut
+Jesse and John followed his example, and soon were fast in real sleep.
+Rob sat by the failing fire, his rifle across his knees. He, too, was
+tired with the work of the day. At times, in spite of himself, his head
+would drop forward and he would awake with a start. </p>
+
+<hr class="large" /><p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_80" id="Page_80">[Pg 80]</a></span></p>
+<h2><a name="XII" id="XII"></a>XII</h2>
+
+<h3>WAYS OF THE WILDERNESS</h3>
+
+<p class="n"><span style="float:left;font-size:40px;line-height:25px;padding-top:2px;padding-bottom:1px;">R</span>ob awoke with a sudden jerk. A slight sound had disturbed him. He gazed
+steadily at the figure of the Aleut in the faint light of the embers.
+The latter was lying quite motionless, but something caused Rob to feel
+suspicious. He put out a hand and awakened his two companions, who sat
+up, rubbing their eyes sleepily.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;What&#8217;s the matter?&#8221; asked Jesse. &#8220;Where are we, and what sort of a
+place is this? My! I was dreaming, and I thought I was back home in
+bed.&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;John,&#8221; said Rob, &#8220;crawl over and look at that fellow&#8217;s fastenings. I
+thought I heard him move. Don&#8217;t be afraid. I&#8217;ll keep him covered with
+the rifle. Build up the fire a little.&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>John complied, presently stooping down to examine the cord with which
+the Aleut had been confined. He gave an exclamation. &#8220;Why, he&#8217;s loose!
+He&#8217;s gnawed the hide clean in two <span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_81" id="Page_81">[Pg 81]</a></span>with his teeth. He could have got
+away any time he liked.&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>Rob admitted his fault. &#8220;The truth is,&#8221; said he, &#8220;I was very sleepy, and
+I must have dozed off. But now, what shall we do? Here we&#8217;ve got this
+man, and he evidently doesn&#8217;t intend to stay a minute longer than he can
+help. Whether he would hurt us or not is something we can&#8217;t tell; but we
+don&#8217;t dare take the chance.&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;It&#8217;ll be a great deal of trouble to watch him this way all the time,&#8221;
+suggested John.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;True, but we must watch him. On the other hand, what right have we to
+take him prisoner, since we don&#8217;t know that he ever meant any wrong?
+We&#8217;re not officers of the law, and this man has not committed any crime,
+so far as we know. The question is, what would he do to us if he got us
+before a law-court and accused us with making him a prisoner for no
+cause?&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>The three sat in the dim light of the hut for a time and pondered over
+these matters. At length Rob spoke again with decision.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;It&#8217;s the greatest good for the greatest number,&#8221; said he. &#8220;It seems to
+me that the best thing we can do is to treat this man well, but not let
+him get away. He ought to do his share of <span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_82" id="Page_82">[Pg 82]</a></span>the work, and he&#8217;s stronger
+than any of us. Then, if we should ever be rescued&mdash;&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>Jesse&#8217;s lips began to twitch. Evidently he was getting rather homesick.
+Rob noticed his face, and went on: &#8220;Of course we will get out of here
+before long, someway,&#8221; he said. &#8220;Meanwhile, we will have to make the
+best living here we can. If we ever get this man to a white settlement,
+where we can find out who and what he is, why, then, we can pay him for
+his time, if it should prove that he is only an innocent native hunting
+away from his village. On the other hand, if he turns out to be a
+criminal of any kind, then we&#8217;ve had a right to arrest him, and can&#8217;t
+get into any trouble over it.&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;It&#8217;s a pretty rough joke on him,&#8221; said John, &#8220;if he hasn&#8217;t done
+anything wrong. He acts as though he had been here before. For all we
+can tell, he may own this house that we&#8217;ve taken over for ourselves. The
+only thing sure is that he&#8217;s a better hand in camp than we are, the way
+things stand now. I&#8217;m for keeping him and letting him work. My folks&#8217;ll
+pay him whatever is right, if it comes to that; and you never saw an
+Aleut who wasn&#8217;t glad to get hold of a little money, I&#8217;ll warrant that.&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Well,&#8221; said Rob, &#8220;we&#8217;ll let it stand that way. <span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_83" id="Page_83">[Pg 83]</a></span>And now, as the night
+seems to be about half done, suppose you and Jess keep watch together
+and let me take a little nap. If one of you gets sleepy the other can
+waken him. I suppose there&#8217;s no use tying that man again, for he&#8217;s got
+teeth like a beaver.&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>The Aleut made no further disturbance during the long hours of waiting,
+which seemed endless to the two young watchers. At last, however, the
+light grew stronger in the dark interior of the barabbara. John
+announced his entire willingness to eat breakfast, and, pushing open the
+door, motioned for the Aleut to go and get some wood. Without any
+resistance the man did as he was bid, shaking the remaining thong off
+his wrist with a grin. They finished their breakfast of bear meat and
+tea, the prisoner seeming immensely to enjoy the biscuits which the boys
+offered him as pay in return for his contribution of tea.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Now, what&#8217;s on the programme for to-day?&#8221; asked John, finally. &#8220;It
+certainly looks as though we ought to take care of all that meat.&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Yes,&#8221; assented Rob. &#8220;We&#8217;ll see if we can&#8217;t dry some of it, at least.
+Suppose you go on down the creek, John, and keep the crows and eagles
+away from the meat, while the rest of us <span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_84" id="Page_84">[Pg 84]</a></span>bring the boat down the beach
+and into the mouth of the creek. That&#8217;ll give us plenty of boat room to
+bring up quite a cargo of meat to the camp here.&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;There&#8217;s another thing we ought to do,&#8221; said John, &#8220;and that is to put
+up some kind of a signal in case a boat should come down into the bay
+here. Of course Uncle Dick will be looking for us, and there might be a
+boat in here almost any day.&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;That&#8217;s a capital idea!&#8221; exclaimed Rob. &#8220;Now, Jesse, if you&#8217;ll get a
+long pole and tie this handkerchief to it, I&#8217;ll meet you over at the
+dory with the other things which we&#8217;ll need on our trip this morning.&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>Rob left the Aleut&#8217;s gun on the deck of the bidarka, but carried along
+his hide fishing-line and both the bidarka paddles. His own rifle and
+that of Jesse he put in one end of the dory, opposite the seat where he
+intended the Aleut to sit. Telling Jesse to watch the latter, he once
+more ascended to the top of the sea-wall, and here erected his
+signal-flag, piling up a heap of stones at the foot of the staff. Long
+and anxiously he gazed out toward the mouth of the bay, but only the
+long green billows of the sea came rolling in, unbroken by any sail or
+cloud of smoke. Across <span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_85" id="Page_85">[Pg 85]</a></span>the bay, a half-dozen miles or so, the great
+mountains stood grim and silent, the tops of many of them wreathed in
+fog. It was a wild and desolate scene, and one to try the courage of any
+young adventurer. But Rob, seeing how homesick Jesse was becoming, did
+his best to cheer him as he joined him at the dory.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Plenty to do to-day!&#8221; he said. &#8220;And now for a good boat ride. It&#8217;s
+lucky we&#8217;ve so good a sea-boat along as this dory&mdash;it&#8217;s far safer than
+Jimmy&#8217;s bidarka over there.&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>Rob seated himself at the stern and put Jesse in the bow. He motioned to
+the Aleut to take up the oars and row, and the latter, without
+objection, skilfully got the dory out through the surf, and at once
+proved himself master of the white man&#8217;s oars as well as the native
+paddle. The wind was coming astern, and their run of something like a
+mile down to the mouth of the creek was made rapidly. Just around the
+point from the mouth of the stream Rob motioned to the Aleut to stop
+rowing.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;It looks deep here,&#8221; said he to Jesse. &#8220;Maybe we could get a codfish.
+Here, Jimmy, take a try with your own fishing-line.&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>The Aleut grinned as Rob tossed him his rough-looking line of hide, and
+at once set to work. Nor <span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_86" id="Page_86">[Pg 86]</a></span>did he prove inefficient, even with this rough
+tackle of hide and bone. He baited the crude hook with a piece of meat
+which he took from his pocket, and dropped it overboard in twenty
+fathoms of water. Motioning to Rob to keep the boat steady, he began to
+pull the line up and down in long, steady jerks. Before long he gave a
+short grunt and began to pull it in rapidly hand over hand. Rob and
+Jesse, gazing over the side, at length saw the gleam of a large fish
+deep down in the water. The Aleut, with another grunt, pulled the fish
+in, swung it over the sides, and threw it flopping at the bottom of the
+dory. It was a fine codfish weighing perhaps a dozen pounds.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Well, I&#8217;ll say one thing,&#8221; said Jesse, finally, smiling: &#8220;since we have
+to make a living for ourselves, this is about as easy as any country we
+could have gotten into. Try it again, Jimmy.&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>Whether or not Jimmy understood any English they never knew, but at
+least he cast over his bone hook once more, and, continuing his
+operations as the dory slowly drifted, in less than half an hour he had
+eight fine fish aboard.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;That&#8217;ll do, old man!&#8221; said Rob to him, and motioned to him now to row
+into the mouth <span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_87" id="Page_87">[Pg 87]</a></span>the creek which was nearly opposite. They now could see
+John waiting for them on the shore. He had seen them fishing, and
+congratulated them on their fine catch, agreeing with Jesse that
+certainly they at least would not lack abundance to eat.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;I&#8217;ve heard you can make salt by boiling sea-water,&#8221; said John, who,
+although a hearty eater, was sometimes rather particular about his food.
+&#8220;That is almost the only thing we need that we haven&#8217;t got now. Our
+little sack won&#8217;t last forever.&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Yes,&#8221; said Rob, &#8220;it would be all the better for our bear meat in this
+moist climate. But we&#8217;ll have to do the best we can by drying it with
+smoke.&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>They now pulled the dory into the mouth of the little creek, turning it
+at the face of the high rock wall, and noticing the thousands of salmon
+that swam round and round the deep pool just above the entrance of the
+stream. From this point up the crooked bends to the place where the dead
+bears lay was perhaps a quarter of a mile. But presently they all met
+there.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;There is pretty near a ton of meat,&#8221; said Rob, looking down at the dead
+bears. &#8220;We ought to have skinned those young bears yesterday, <span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_88" id="Page_88">[Pg 88]</a></span>but will
+do that now before they spoil. Then maybe we can make Jimmy understand
+what we want to do about saving the meat.&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>They all fell to work now, the boys at one of the cubs and the Aleut at
+the other. The latter, with a grin of triumph, held up his fresh hide
+entirely skinned out before the three boys together had finished theirs.
+In some way he seemed to understand what they wished to have done about
+the meat, perhaps himself being inclined to see that plenty of food was
+on hand, since his captors were not disposed to let him go away. The
+Aleuts, who never see any fresh beef, and who live in a country where
+not even caribou are often found, are very fond of bear meat, which the
+more civilized ones call &#8220;beef.&#8221; The captive seemed to understand
+perfectly well how to take care of this &#8220;beef,&#8221; and he took out the long
+tenderloins from the back of each cub and separated the hams. For the
+big bear he did not seem to care so much, and made signs to show that it
+was tough and hard to eat. Rob insisted, however, that he should take
+some of the choicer parts of the bear also, since it seemed a shame to
+let it waste. They loaded their dory down as heavily as they dared, and
+so, dragging on the painter and poling with the oars, at last <span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_89" id="Page_89">[Pg 89]</a></span>they got
+their cargo up to camp, mooring the dory alongside the bidarka.</p>
+
+<p>Without much more ado Jimmy began to search around in the grass and
+found some long poles, one end of which he rested on the roof of the
+barabbara, supporting the other on some crotches which he set up. Across
+these poles he laid smaller sticks and made a rough drying-rack. He
+showed the boys how to cut the meat into long, thin strips, and under
+this, after it was stretched on the rack, he built a small fire, so that
+the smoke would aid the sun in curing the meat&mdash;none too sure a process
+in a country where rain was apt to come at any hour. After this the
+Aleut turned toward the dory, and hauled out something which the boys
+had not noticed before. He busied himself at the edge of the lagoon.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;What&#8217;s he doing, John?&#8221; asked Rob.</p>
+
+<p>They all stepped up and watched him.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Why, that&#8217;s the intestines of the old bear,&#8221; said Rob, at last. &#8220;I
+didn&#8217;t see him throw them into the boat.&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;I know what he&#8217;s doing,&#8221; said John. &#8220;He&#8217;s going to clean &#8217;em out. They
+make all sorts of things. For instance, that hood around the bidarka is
+made out of this sort of thing, I believe. And then they make other
+outfits&mdash;&#8221; </p>
+
+<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_90" id="Page_90">[Pg 90]</a></span></p><p>&#8220;<i>Kamelinka!</i>&#8221; said Jimmy, suddenly, holding up a part of the intestines
+and smiling. He motioned to his own sleeves.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;<i>Da! Da!</i>&#8221; exclaimed John, in Aleut language. &#8220;Yes, that&#8217;s so! Sure!</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;He means he is going to make one of their rain-coats out of it,&#8221; he
+explained to the others. &#8220;A <i>kamelinka</i> is made out of these membranes,
+and they put it on like a coat, and no water can get through it. Didn&#8217;t
+you ever see one? They tear if they&#8217;re dry, but if you wet them they&#8217;re
+tough, and no water will go through them. Mr. Jimmy puts on his
+<i>kamelinka</i>, and gets in the bidarka and ties the hood around his waist,
+and there he is, no matter how high the sea runs. No water gets into the
+boat, and when he comes home he is dry as when he started. Pretty good
+scheme, isn&#8217;t it?&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>They watched Jimmy for a time at his work before they finished
+stretching all the meat. Then they cleaned the codfish and put them
+inside the hut, so that the crows could not get them. Over the fresh
+meat on the scaffold they now spread some damp grass, because it was
+their intention to leave the place for a little while.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;We&#8217;ll make a hunt this afternoon,&#8221; said Rob, &#8220;and see whether we can
+find any gull eggs. <span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_91" id="Page_91">[Pg 91]</a></span>First we want to see what our resources are, and
+after that we can help ourselves as need be.&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>Accordingly, after they had taken the cargo out of the dory, and thus
+completed their labors for the time, they all four embarked in the dory,
+pushed rapidly down the creek, and out into the open waters of the bay.
+Here, a half-mile ahead of them, below the mouth of the creek, they saw
+some rough pinnacles of rock, over which soared thousands of sea-birds.
+As they approached these rocks they found a narrow beach wide enough to
+hold the dory. It took them but a few moments&#8217; climb to gather all the
+eggs they wanted. These they were obliged to carry in their pockets or
+in the folds of their jackets. They trusted Jimmy to tell them which
+were fresh. Jimmy seemed always to know what ought to be done, and now
+without any advice he left the boys and proceeded to climb up to the
+steeper part of the rocks, where the nests of the gulls and sea-murres
+were so thick that he could scarcely avoid crushing the eggs as he
+walked. Evidently it was not eggs he sought. Agile as a cat, he climbed
+to the top of a sheer face of rock, and leaning over put his hand into a
+hole. A moment later the boys saw a dark body hurtle through the air and
+fall on the beach. <span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_92" id="Page_92">[Pg 92]</a></span>It proved to be a stout, heavy, dark-colored bird
+with a strong, parrot-like beak and a crest of long yellow feathers on
+each side of the head.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;That&#8217;s a sea-parrot,&#8221; said Rob, picking it up. &#8220;Look out, Jesse, there
+comes another!&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>Sure enough, one after another of the dead bodies of the sea-parrots
+fell on the narrow beach, until two or three dozen were lying there.</p>
+
+<p>Jimmy ceased his labors, climbed down the rocks, and calmly began to
+skin off the breast plumage of the birds.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;What&#8217;s he doing that for?&#8221; asked Jesse of Rob.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;They&#8217;re not good to eat,&#8221; said Rob, &#8220;that&#8217;s one thing sure. I&#8217;ll tell
+you what&mdash;I&#8217;ve seen some dark-colored feather coats and blankets at the
+trader&#8217;s store down below Valdez. I&#8217;ll warrant they were made out of the
+breasts of these very sea-parrots here.&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>Whatever were Jimmy&#8217;s plans he could not or did not disclose them. After
+a time he threw his heap of parrot-skins into the front of the dory, and
+stood waiting at the side of the boat, as though ready to go home if the
+others wished it. They therefore embarked for return to their camp. </p>
+
+<hr class="large" /><p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_93" id="Page_93">[Pg 93]</a></span></p>
+<h2><a name="XIII" id="XIII"></a>XIII</h2>
+
+<h3>MAKING A LIVING</h3>
+
+<p style="float: left; font-size: 100%; line-height: 80%; margin-top: 0;">&#8220;</p><p class="n"><span style="float:left;font-size:40px;line-height:25px;padding-top:2px;padding-bottom:1px;">I</span>f any of our people were along,&#8221; said John, as they headed the dory
+back toward the mouth of the creek, &#8220;I would say we could have a pretty
+good time here.&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;I don&#8217;t doubt,&#8221; answered Rob, &#8220;that we can get along all summer without
+trouble. I believe, too, that the natives come here so often we may be
+able to send out word even if we can&#8217;t get out ourselves. We can&#8217;t
+possibly be a hundred miles from Kadiak town, and although we might get
+there in our dory, the chances are so much against it that I think we
+would do better to stay right where we are for a time at least. As we
+were saying not long ago, this country furnishes a living without much
+trouble.&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;And without much work,&#8221; added John, &#8220;as long as we have Jimmy.&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;He&#8217;s stronger than we are,&#8221; admitted Rob; &#8220;still, each of us must do
+his share of the work <span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_94" id="Page_94">[Pg 94]</a></span>around camp, because that&#8217;s the only right way to
+do. He&#8217;s a good teacher, for we&#8217;re in his country and will have to live
+in his way&mdash;What&#8217;s on his mind now, do you suppose?&#8221; Rob continued, as
+Jimmy suddenly stopped rowing and began to look keenly off toward shore.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;I see him!&#8221; exclaimed Jesse, eagerly. &#8220;It&#8217;s a seal! Look at him!&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>About sixty yards away there was a round object with two shining spots
+on it standing just above the water&mdash;the head of a seal which was
+closely examining the strange object which approached it. All at once,
+as they looked at it, the seal suddenly sank out of sight. Without
+instruction the Aleut now bent to his oars as hard as he could, and
+hurried to the beach which lay not far beyond. Hurriedly pulling the
+dory up, he motioned to Rob to get out with his rifle.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;There he is again!&#8221; called John, pointing. &#8220;He&#8217;s closer in now. Look,
+he isn&#8217;t a hundred yards away! You try him, Rob; you&#8217;re the best shot.&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>Crouching down, Rob hurried toward a big rock which lay at the water&#8217;s
+edge. Here he rested his rifle and, taking quick aim, fired. The splash
+of the ball on top of the intervening wave showed that he had missed.
+Once more the seal <span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_95" id="Page_95">[Pg 95]</a></span>sank, but in the course of a few minutes it appeared
+yet again, this time still closer in. Carefully Rob fired a second time,
+and this time they all heard distinctly the thud of the bullet, which
+proved that the shot had struck true. With a splash the seal
+disappeared, but giving a shout the Aleut pushed off the dory and called
+to them all to get in. In a few moments he brought them alongside the
+still struggling body of the seal, which appeared now above and now
+beneath the surface of the water. Hurriedly catching up his long spear,
+the native made a thrust at the seal and fastened it with the barb, and
+with many grunting chuckles drew it alongside. Soon, with a heave, he
+got it inboard&mdash;a small hair seal not much more than three feet in
+length.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;<i>Karosha!</i>&#8221; exclaimed the Aleut, with a grin.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;He means that it&#8217;s good&mdash;that it&#8217;s all right,&#8221; explained John, who
+seemed to be the official interpreter.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Well, I don&#8217;t believe that I care to eat seal meat,&#8221; said Rob; &#8220;but
+maybe Jimmy knows what he can do with the hide, or something else. We&#8217;ll
+skin Mr. Seal and peg his hide out up at the camp. It&#8217;s time now we got
+the bear hides stretched so that they can begin to dry.&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>Much elated with their successful day&#8217;s work, <span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_96" id="Page_96">[Pg 96]</a></span>the boys now assisted the
+native in stretching all the green hides, flesh side upward. The native
+showed them how to flesh and scrape the hides, and they spent an hour or
+so at this until each complained that his back was aching.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Suppose we cross the creek and take a little climb up the
+mountain-side,&#8221; suggested Rob. &#8220;We can get a good look out from there.&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;All right,&#8221; said John. &#8220;Of course we&#8217;ll have to take our <i>tillicum</i>
+along. Mush on, Jimmy!&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>The Aleut, although apparently a native of the country where the
+language of the dog-train was little known, nevertheless seemed to
+understand the Alaskan command to &#8220;March!&#8221; He stood ready, only looking
+to see which way they wished him to go. Rob set off in advance, and they
+all splashed through the waters of the shallows at the lower end of the
+lagoon.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Here&#8217;s where Jimmy has a good deal the best of us,&#8221; said Rob, pointing
+to their wet feet. &#8220;Our shoes will be gone in a little while; but look
+at his seal boots with high tops. They keep his feet dry.&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;They call them <i>tabosas</i>,&#8221; said John. &#8220;The Eskimos use boots like that,
+but they call them <i>mukluks</i>. You see, I used to know a native from
+up-coast who was a waiter in a restaurant at Valdez. <span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_97" id="Page_97">[Pg 97]</a></span>That&#8217;s how I
+picked up my knowledge of the Aleut language&mdash;which, you see, is quite
+considerable,&#8221; he concluded, swelling out his chest a trifle.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;I see now why he wanted that seal,&#8221; commented Rob. &#8220;Every country has
+its own way of getting along, hasn&#8217;t it? Now, I suppose Jimmy here is
+about as comfortable when he is at home as we are in our houses down in
+Valdez; and he certainly does know how to make his living off the
+country.&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>They now continued their slow climb up the steep mountain-side, which
+lay beyond the little creek. Here the deep moss or tundra extended quite
+to the top of the smallest peak, but although heavy snow-fields lay at
+the top, the spring sunshine had now melted the snow at the lower
+levels, so that continually they were walking in little pools of
+ice-water, none too pleasant to persons shod as they were.</p>
+
+<p>Jesse, the youngest of the party, now and then stopped for a moment to
+catch his breath; and, in fact, he seemed none too happy with some of
+these hardships of their experience.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Come on,&#8221; said Rob; &#8220;we&#8217;ll stop when we get to the thicket just up
+above there. Jimmy acts as though he was looking for something up
+there&mdash;I don&#8217;t know what.&#8221; </p>
+
+<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_98" id="Page_98">[Pg 98]</a></span></p><p>They toiled on upward, now and again turning to look at the great
+expanse of country which lay below them&mdash;the wide bay shining in the
+sunlight, the magnificent panorama of the mountains beyond, and the line
+of the deep sea beyond the entrance to the bay. They turned as they
+heard a sudden exclamation from Jimmy, who was prowling at the edge of
+the alder thicket where they had stopped for the moment. As he pointed
+down they saw the surface of the ground among the alders ripped up as
+though by a giant plough.</p>
+
+<p>Jimmy held up three fingers and pointed below toward their camp, the
+smoke of whose fire they could dimly see. At first they could not
+understand him, until he made motions as if digging, and swung his head
+from side to side, grunting in such plain imitation of a bear that they
+could not mistake. Then they saw that this had probably been the
+feeding-ground of the three bears which they had killed. Apparently the
+bears had been living high up in the mountains for a long time, waiting
+for the salmon run to begin. The country was all torn up where they had
+dug for roots and bulbs.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Well, now, what&#8217;s Jimmy going to do this time?&#8221; asked Jesse,
+interested. </p>
+
+<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_99" id="Page_99">[Pg 99]</a></span></p><p>The Aleut, talking to himself in some unknown words, was down on his
+hands and knees, himself digging in the holes among the alders.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;<i>Karosha!</i>&#8221; said he, at length, holding up several long, white bulbs
+about as thick as his finger; and he made a motion as though to eat
+them.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Ah, ha!&#8221; said Rob. &#8220;This is an Aleut potato-patch, it seems. All right,
+we&#8217;ll just gather some of these and use them for vegetables. They&#8217;ll
+help out the meat and fish, perhaps.&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>As Jimmy dug the bulbs they put them into the folds of their jackets and
+sweaters until they had a good supply. After this they made their way
+down the mountain, splashed through the creek again, and threw down
+their new discoveries beside the meat scaffold. Jimmy indulged in a
+broad smile.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Plenty soup!&#8221; said he, suddenly.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;The beggar!&#8221; said Rob. &#8220;I shouldn&#8217;t wonder if he understood English as
+well as we do!&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>They could not, however, induce him to use any further words than this,
+which is common among the Aleuts as the meaning of &#8220;food&#8221; or &#8220;plenty to
+eat,&#8221; they having got this word from their association with
+English-speaking persons. The Aleut language now is a mongrel, made up
+<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_100" id="Page_100">[Pg 100]</a></span>largely of Russian, with many native words and a few of English.</p>
+
+<p>Jimmy proceeded to show that he meant to use in his &#8220;soup&#8221; some of these
+bulbs which they had brought down, for now he began to strip them down
+to the clean white inner portion and half filled their water-can with
+them, presently setting it on the fire to stew. The boys never knew the
+name of this bulb, but they found it not unpleasant to eat&mdash;rather
+sweetish and insipid without salt, however.</p>
+
+<p>They were all very tired that night; but they felt it necessary to keep
+some watch upon their Aleut prisoner, obliging as he had proved himself
+throughout the day. Again Rob stood the first watch, until he grew so
+sleepy that he was obliged to waken the others. Thus the long and
+uncomfortable night wore away, the prisoner being the only one who slept
+undisturbed. </p>
+
+<hr class="large" /><p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_101" id="Page_101">[Pg 101]</a></span></p>
+<h2><a name="XIV" id="XIV"></a>XIV</h2>
+
+<h3>THE SURPRISE</h3>
+
+<p class="n"><span style="float:left;font-size:40px;line-height:25px;padding-top:2px;padding-bottom:1px;">A</span>s daylight began to shine more clearly in the interior of the
+barabbara, John, who was standing the last watch, suddenly reached out
+an arm and wakened his companion. &#8220;Listen!&#8221; he whispered. &#8220;I hear
+something outside.&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>As they all sat up on the blankets they were surprised to see their
+prisoner also waken and lift himself half on his elbow. He, too, seemed
+to be listening eagerly and to feel some sort of alarm.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Some one is coming!&#8221; said Rob. Now, indeed, there was no doubt. They
+heard shuffling foot-falls and many voices in some confused speech which
+they could not understand.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;I&#8217;m afraid!&#8221; said Jesse. &#8220;They&#8217;re not white people.&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>Rob raised a warning hand that they should all be silent. At last a loud
+voice called out to them in broken English: </p>
+
+<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_102" id="Page_102">[Pg 102]</a></span></p><p>&#8220;White mans there! You come out! Me good mans! All good mans!&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>The faces of all inside the hut were now very serious, for they did not
+know what might be the nature of these visitors, and there was no window
+or crack through which they could peer. Jimmy made no motion to go out
+of the door, but, on the contrary, was trying to hide behind the pile of
+fox-traps under the low eaves.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;One thing is certain,&#8221; said Rob, with determination: &#8220;we&#8217;re trapped in
+here, and can&#8217;t get out without their seeing us, whoever they are. So
+come on and let&#8217;s go out and face them. Are you ready now?&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>The others, silent and anxious, crawled close behind him as he pushed
+open the door and sprang out, rifle in hand.</p>
+
+<p>They found themselves surrounded by nearly a score of natives&mdash;short,
+squat fellows with wild, black hair, most of them in half-civilized
+garments. They bore all sorts of weapons, some of them having rifles,
+others short harpoons, and bows and arrows. A large, dark-faced native
+seemed to be their leader, and seeing the boys now ready to defend
+themselves, he shifted his gun to his left hand and held out his right
+with a smile, continuing his broken English. </p>
+
+<p><a name="Illo2" id="Illo2"></a></p><div class="figcenter" style="width: 500px;">
+<img src="images/i110.jpg" class="ispace" width="500" height="317" alt="HE SHIFTED HIS GUN TO HIS LEFT HAND AND HELD OUT HIS
+RIGHT WITH A SMILE" title="" />
+<span class="caption">HE SHIFTED HIS GUN TO HIS LEFT HAND AND HELD OUT HIS
+RIGHT WITH A SMILE</span>
+</div>
+
+<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_103" id="Page_103">[Pg 103]</a></span></p><p>&#8220;Good mans me,&#8221; he said. &#8220;You good mans. Plenty fliend, all light, all
+light, all light!&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>He continued to repeat these last words as though they would serve for
+the rest of the conversation. Rob, willing enough to accept his
+assurance of friendship, shook him by the hand, all the time, however,
+keeping his eyes open for the wild-looking group around him.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Come dat ways, bidarka!&#8221; said the chief, pointing to the beach beyond
+the sea-wall. &#8220;Hunt bad mans. You see-um bad mans? Him steal.&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>John touched Rob quietly on the arm and whispered to him: &#8220;He means
+Jimmy,&#8221; he said. &#8220;They are after him, and he knows it. That&#8217;s why he
+wouldn&#8217;t come out.&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;You see-um bad mans?&#8221; asked the chief, eagerly. &#8220;Him there?&#8221; He pointed
+at the door of the barabbara, and would have stepped over to look in.
+Rob moved in front of him.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;No!&#8221; he said. &#8220;All good mans here. What you want?&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;No want-um white mans,&#8221; answered the chief. &#8220;Village over dar.&#8221; He
+pointed across the mountains.</p>
+
+<p>Rob guessed that these natives had therefore followed around the
+coast-line from their town, <span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_104" id="Page_104">[Pg 104]</a></span>although he was not yet clear as to their
+purpose in coming hither.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;You got-um bad mans here,&#8221; said the chief, sternly, at last. &#8220;See-um
+boat dar.&#8221; He pointed to the bidarka at the edge of the lagoon.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;What you do with bad mans?&#8221; asked Rob.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Plenty shoot-um!&#8221; answered the chief, sternly, slapping the stock of
+his gun. &#8220;Him steal! Him steal dis! Steal-um <i>nogock</i>! All time my
+peoples no get-um whale. Him steal-um <i>nogock</i>!&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>Rob was puzzled.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Now what in the world do you suppose he means?&#8221; asked he of John. &#8220;And
+what is that thing he&#8217;s got?&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>The chief was holding up a strange-looking object in his hand&mdash;a short,
+dark-colored, tapering stick, with hand-holes and finger-grips cut into
+the lower end, and with a long groove running toward the small end,
+which was finished with an ivory tip.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;I saw that thing in the boat,&#8221; said John. &#8220;That must be what he means
+by <i>nogock</i>. I don&#8217;t see how they would kill a whale with it, though, or
+anything else.&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>The chief evidently understood their ignorance. With a smile he fitted
+to the groove of the short stick the shaft of a short harpoon, whose
+head, <span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_105" id="Page_105">[Pg 105]</a></span>about a foot and a half in length, they now discovered to be made
+of thin, dark slate, ground sharp on each edge and at the point. When
+the chief had fitted the butt of this dart against the ivory tip, he
+grasped the lower end of the <i>nogock</i> firmly in his hand, steadying the
+shaft in the groove with one finger. He then drew this back, with his
+arm at full length above his head, and made a motion as though to throw
+the harpoon. In short, the boys now had an excellent chance to see one
+of the oldest aboriginal inventions&mdash;the throwing-stick, used from
+Australia to Siberia by various tribes in one form or another. As they
+themselves had sometimes thrown a crab-apple from a stick in their
+younger days in the States, they could readily see that the greater
+length added to the arm gave greater leverage and power.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;I&#8217;ll bet he could make that old thing whiz,&#8221; muttered John. &#8220;Still, I
+don&#8217;t see how he could hurt a whale with it.&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>None of them knew at that time anything about the native Aleut method of
+whale-killing. Neither did they know that the <i>nogock</i>, or whale-killing
+weapon, is a sacred object in the native villages, where it is always
+kept in the charge of the headman, or leader in the whale-hunts, who
+wraps it <span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_106" id="Page_106">[Pg 106]</a></span>up carefully and hides it from view. The Aleuts never allow
+the women of their villages to look at the <i>nogock</i>, saying that it
+brings bad luck for any one to look at it or touch it except the chief
+himself. Therefore, had the boys known that their prisoner had stolen
+this sacred object, as well as the bidarka and much of its cargo, they
+would better have understood the nature of this pursuit and the
+intentness of the Aleut chief to punish the offender, who had been
+guilty of a crime held, in their eyes, to be as bad or worse than
+murder.</p>
+
+<p>Not, however, understanding all these things, and being very well
+disposed toward their captive, who had been of such service to them, the
+boys were not willing to turn him over at once to these people whom he
+so evidently feared, and who with so little ado announced their
+intention of killing him. For the time Rob could think of nothing better
+than continuing the parley.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;You got-um bad mans!&#8221; asserted the chief again.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;One mans,&#8221; admitted Rob. &#8220;Maybe so good mans; we don&#8217;t know.&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Where you comes?&#8221; asked the chief, presently, looking about him. &#8220;This
+my house here. White mans come here now?&#8221; </p>
+
+<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_107" id="Page_107">[Pg 107]</a></span></p><p>Rob did not think it best to admit that they were castaway and lost on
+these distant shores, so he determined to put on a bold front.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Heap hunt here,&#8221; he said, pointing to the meat and the hides stretched
+on the ground. &#8220;Kill three bear. Catch-um plenty fish. By-and-by
+schooner come.&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;When schooner come?&#8221; asked the chief, with a cunning gleam in his eye.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Pretty soon, by-and-by,&#8221; said Rob, sternly. &#8220;Plenty white mans come
+pretty soon.&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>The chief was not to be balked of his purpose, and kept edging toward
+the door of the barabbara. &#8220;Kill-um bad mans,&#8221; he muttered. &#8220;Him steal.&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>Rob, seeing that he was bent on this, and unable to dissuade him from
+his certainty that the fugitive was inside the hut, for the moment
+scarcely knew what to do.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;No touch-um mans!&#8221; he finally commanded, sternly. &#8220;White mans come here
+by-and-by&mdash;Uncle Sam white mans. Suppose bad mans steal; Uncle Sam
+catch-um. You no touch-um bad mans!&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>The chief hesitated, for he knew perfectly well that all the villages of
+this island were under control of United States law, and although the
+natives sometimes kept their own counsel and <span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_108" id="Page_108">[Pg 108]</a></span>wreaked their own
+punishment on those whom they held to be offenders, they were, if
+detected, certain to be held to account by the United States government,
+which holds control over all this country to the uttermost point of the
+Aleutian Islands, although little enough law reaches enactment in these
+far-off regions. As he hesitated the chief turned away from the door,
+and the Aleuts now began to jabber among themselves. They pointed to the
+meat, and made signs that they were hungry.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;<i>Da, karosha!</i>&#8221; assented Rob, who was beginning to learn Aleut from his
+friend John.</p>
+
+<p>He motioned them to help themselves. Without much more ado the natives
+proceeded to take off pieces of the meat from the scaffold, and drawing
+a little apart they built a fire. Rob observed that they used matches,
+and so knew that they must be in touch with civilization at least once
+in a while.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;It&#8217;s all right, Jess,&#8221; said he. &#8220;We&#8217;re going to get out of here sure
+before very long. These people can take us to the settlements any time
+they feel like it. I only wish we could talk more of their language or
+they more of ours.&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>The Aleuts for the time did not talk much of any language, for presently
+their mouths were <span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_109" id="Page_109">[Pg 109]</a></span>too full for speech. Each would stuff his mouth full
+of meat, and then with his knife cut off a piece so close to his lips as
+would seem to endanger his nose.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;We won&#8217;t have much meat wasted if they stay around,&#8221; remarked John,
+ruefully. &#8220;For my part, I wish they&#8217;d go. It&#8217;s trouble enough to take
+care of one native, let alone more than a dozen.&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>The chief seemed to be actuated with some sense of fair-play, or else
+wished to continue in the good graces of the whites. Some of the men
+began to boil a kettle and to make tea. The chief picked up the bag of
+tea and made a gesture of inquiry of Rob.&#8220;<i>Chi?</i>&#8221; he asked.</p>
+
+<p>Rob shook his head, and made a motion signifying that they had but very
+little. The chief poured out in his hands what must have represented to
+him considerable value in tea.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Now ask him for salt, John,&#8221; said Rob.</p>
+
+<p>This was too much for John&#8217;s knowledge of the Aleut language. He got a
+little red in the face as he admitted this.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Here, you mans,&#8221; he said. &#8220;You got-ums salt?&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>The chief shook his head.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Salt! Salt-ums! Heap salt!&#8221; went on John, <span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_110" id="Page_110">[Pg 110]</a></span>frowning. He made a motion
+as of sprinkling something on the meat, then touched his fingers to his
+mouth, smacking his lips.</p>
+
+<p>The chief grinned broadly.&#8220;<i>Da! Karosha!</i>&#8221; He jabbered something to one
+of his men, and the latter went down the path toward the beach.
+Evidently he had supplies there, for in a few moments he returned
+carrying a dirty sack in his hand. The chief took this in his hand and
+grinned, addressing John.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Salt, salt-um, salt! All light, all light, all light!&#8221; he explained,
+and divided generously with the boys, giving them something which was of
+great value to them.</p>
+
+<p>For a time attention seemed to be diverted from the purpose of these
+strange visitors, the chief making no reference to the man for whom they
+were searching, but seeming to be content to sit at the fire and eat.
+What might have been the result was not determined, for all at once
+something happened which set them all on a run for the beach.</p>
+
+<p>A man appeared at the top of the sea-wall excitedly shouting, waving his
+arms, and pointing toward the sea. The others answered with loud cries,
+and in a moment the space immediately about the barabbara was entirely
+deserted. </p>
+
+<hr class="large" /><p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_111" id="Page_111">[Pg 111]</a></span></p>
+<h2><a name="XV" id="XV"></a>XV</h2>
+
+<h3>THE WHALE-HUNT</h3>
+
+<p class="n"><span style="float:left;font-size:40px;line-height:25px;padding-top:2px;padding-bottom:1px;">F</span>or a moment Rob, John, and Jesse stood looking after the natives as
+they hastened toward the beach. Their first thought was one of relief
+for the present at least; the prisoner in the hut remained unmolested.
+Then their curiosity as to the cause of all the excitement led them to
+forget everything else.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Come on!&#8221; called Rob; and in an instant they were hurrying to join the
+scene of confusion which now was enacting on the beach.</p>
+
+<p>As they reached the top of the sea-wall they saw for the first time the
+full party of natives, not more than half of whom had come over to the
+camp. More than thirty bidarkas lay pulled up along the beach, most of
+them two-hatch boats. To these boats the natives were now hastening;
+indeed, some of them had already launched their bidarkas and were
+paddling back and forth, as much at home on the water as on <span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_112" id="Page_112">[Pg 112]</a></span>the land.
+With much shouting and gesticulation, one after another bidarka joined
+these, the hunter in each hurriedly casting off the lashings of his
+harpoon which lay along deck.</p>
+
+<p>At first the boys could see no reason for all this hurry, but as they
+gazed out across the bay all at once there arose in plain sight of all a
+vast black bulk which at once they knew to be a whale. The white spray
+of its spouting was blown forty feet into the air as it moved slowly and
+majestically onward deeper into the bay. It was plain that the natives
+meant to attack this monster in their fleet of bidarkas.</p>
+
+<p>The old Aleut chief saw the boys as they came up. He motioned hurriedly
+to Rob as he ran to his own bidarka, grinning as though he hardly
+expected Rob to accept the invitation to come and join the hunt. Not so,
+however; for Rob was so much excited that he did not stop to think of
+danger. As the chief thrust the long, narrow craft into the water,
+steadying it with his paddle, Rob sprang in behind the rear hatch. In an
+instant they were off!</p>
+
+<p>Rob looked around to see Jesse and John both crowded together in the
+rear hatch of yet another bidarka, where they did what they could to
+help a swarthy boatman to propel their craft. Rob <span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_113" id="Page_113">[Pg 113]</a></span>noticed now that each
+hunter had his paddles, his harpoon, and his arrows marked in a certain
+way with red-and-black paint, so that they could not be mistaken for the
+property of any one else. All the hunters made ready their gear for the
+chase as they paddled on, perfectly assured and apparently not in the
+least anxious about the result of the hunt.</p>
+
+<p>The other boats held back until the chief had taken his place at the
+head of the procession. It now became plain that his was the task of
+using the mysterious <i>nogock</i>, over whose loss he had seemed so
+concerned. Even as his bidarka shot forward with its own momentum, he
+drew out from the forward hatch this sacred instrument and fitted to it
+the short harpoon. He made over the weapon some mysterious passes with
+one hand, and as he fitted the harpoon or heavy dart to the
+throwing-stick he blew three times on the point of it, passing his
+fingers along the edge. Finally he held the weapon up toward the sky and
+uttered some loud words in his strange tongue. Having completed these
+ceremonies, he placed the <i>nogock</i> and harpoon crosswise on the deck in
+front of him and bent again to his paddle. Rob himself, no bad canoeman,
+had meantime been paddling as <span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_114" id="Page_114">[Pg 114]</a></span>though he quite understood what was
+expected of him.</p>
+
+<p>The head bidarka now passed steadily and swiftly on toward the great
+bulk of the whale, which lay plainly visible not more than a quarter of
+a mile away. As the other boats came on in squadron close behind, Rob
+could hear a sort of low, rhythmic humming, as though all the natives
+were joining in an incantation. It was his privilege to see one of the
+native hunts for the whale in all its original features&mdash;something which
+few white men have ever seen. The strange excitement of the scene, so
+many savage hunters all bent upon one purpose, and evidently using every
+means to screw their courage to the sticking-point, did not lack its
+effect upon the young adventurers who found themselves, with so little
+preparation or intent, swept on in this wild scene.</p>
+
+<p>Once in a while Rob cast his eye about to see how his friends were
+prospering. Jesse looked a little pale, yet both he and John were eager.
+Crowded as they were both in one hatch, they could not paddle to much
+effect, but the native in the bow managed to keep his place in the
+procession. The first thought of Rob was that it was absolute folly to
+think of killing so great a <span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_115" id="Page_115">[Pg 115]</a></span>creature with the insignificant weapons
+which he now saw ready for use.</p>
+
+<p>As the chief began to approach the great whale more closely, he slowed
+down the speed, creeping cautiously onward at times when his instinct
+told him his boat was least apt to be discovered by the whale. The
+latter seemed ignorant or careless of the approach. Now and again it
+blew a vast spout of water into the air, and sometimes it rolled and
+half lifted its vast bulk free of the water, until it seemed larger than
+a house. The humming chorus of the Aleuts continued, but fell to a lower
+note as the boats drew near.</p>
+
+<p>For what seemed an interminable time the bidarka of the headman lay
+silent, trembling and heaving on the swell of the choppy sea, while the
+huntsman sat steadily and studied the giant quarry in front of him. Once
+or twice he gently turned the prow of the bidarka, using the least
+possible motion. Again, a few feet at a time, he would edge it on in,
+pausing and crawling forward, his hand motioning back to Rob to be quiet
+and steady.</p>
+
+<p>Now the Aleut showed at his best. There was no fear or agitation in his
+conduct. Without hesitation he gazed intently at the dark, glistening
+bulk in front of him, apparently hunting for <span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_116" id="Page_116">[Pg 116]</a></span>the exact spot which he
+wished to strike&mdash;a point about a third of the way back from the angle
+of the jaw. The whale itself seemed to be stupid, as though sleepy,
+although now and again it rolled slowly from side to side as though
+uneasy.</p>
+
+<p>Like a cat the huntsman crept in and in toward his prey, scarce more
+than an inch at a time, till at last Rob saw the boat reach a point
+where the body of the whale seemed to tower above their heads.</p>
+
+<p>Finally the hand of the chief was raised to signal Rob to stop paddling.</p>
+
+<p>With his own paddle in his left hand clinched against the rim of the
+bidarka hatch, the chief with his right hand slowly and deliberately
+raised the <i>nogock</i> and its slate-tipped harpoon. His arm, extended at
+full length and quite rigid, passed now in a straight line above his
+head and slightly back of his shoulder. Rob, intent on all these
+matters, saw the native&#8217;s thumb and fingers whiten in the intensity of
+their grip on the butt of the <i>nogock</i>; yet the middle finger lay light
+and gentle, just holding in place the slender shaft of the harpoon,
+whose slate head, blue and cold, extended down and in front of the
+throwing hand.</p>
+
+<p>Still the chief poised and waited until the exact spot he wished to
+strike was exposed as the whale <span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_117" id="Page_117">[Pg 117]</a></span>rolled slowly toward the right. Then
+suddenly, with a sighing hiss of his breath, the dark huntsman leaned
+swiftly forward. The motion of his hand was so swift the eye could
+scarcely follow it.</p>
+
+<p>After that all that Rob could tell was that he was in the bidarka
+speeding swiftly away from a churning mass of white water, in the middle
+of which a vast black form was rolling. He heard a sort of hoarse roar
+or expiration of the breath of the stricken monster. Once he thought he
+caught sight of the slender shaft of the harpoon, which in truth was
+buried, head and all, eighteen inches or more deep in the side of the
+whale, the point passing entirely through the blubber and into the red
+meat of the body. Although Rob did not know it, the shaft did not long
+remain attached. The struggles of the whale broke off the slate-head at
+a point near to the shaft, where it was cunningly made thinner in order
+that it might break. A foot or fifteen inches of the slate-head remained
+buried deep in the body of the whale. The <i>nogock</i> had done its work!</p>
+
+<p>A loud chant now broke from all the boatmen, who joined the head
+bidarka, all backing away from the struggling whale. To the surprise of
+Rob, no further effort was made to launch a harpoon, and he saw that the
+presence of these other <span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_118" id="Page_118">[Pg 118]</a></span>boats was rather intended as a part of the
+ceremony than as an actual assistance in the hunt, the savage mind here,
+as elsewhere, taking delight in surrounding itself with certain
+mummeries.</p>
+
+<p>As Rob gazed back of him to watch the struggle of the whale, he saw the
+sea gradually becoming quiet. The giant black form was gone, the whale
+having sounded, or dived far below the surface.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Plenty sick now,&#8221; said the chief, sententiously, motioning toward the
+spot where the whale had disappeared. Then all at once he gave a loud
+whoop and started paddling toward the shore, followed by the entire
+fleet of bidarkas, all the occupants of which were singing joyously. Rob
+could not in the least understand all this, for it seemed to him the
+hunt had met with failure; but there seemed to be some system about it,
+for nothing but satisfaction marked the faces of the hunters as they
+finally drew up their bidarkas again upon the beach.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Maybe so two&mdash;tree day, him die now,&#8221; said the chief, at last. Rob did
+not even then understand what he later found to be the truth: that what
+the Aleut really does with his slate harpoon-head is not to kill the
+whale with the wound, but <span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_119" id="Page_119">[Pg 119]</a></span>to poison it. If the stone harpoon-head
+passes through the blubber and into the red meat the wound is sure to
+fester, and in the course of a few days to kill the whale, which then
+floats ashore somewhere and is discovered by the waiting hunters.</p>
+
+<p>There continued some sort of system in this hunt, even though it was now
+arrested for the time. Men kept an eye out on the bay, where in a few
+moments the whale arose, spouting madly, and once more stirring the
+water into foam. Swimming on the surface, it then took a long, straight
+run apparently for the mouth of the bay. The chief gave some hurried
+command, and a dozen boats shot out, whether to head it or to watch it
+Rob could not tell, for presently the whale once more sounded, and when
+it next arose it was deeper into the bay. The situation now seemed to
+please the old hunter.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Maybe so him stay here now,&#8221; he said, briefly, though why he thought so
+Rob could not tell.</p>
+
+<p>No one made any attempt to pursue the whale after that. The chief,
+carefully wiping off the sacred <i>nogock</i>, again wrapped it up in its
+coverings, made some mysterious passes over it, and restored it to its
+place in his bidarka, whence, as <span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_120" id="Page_120">[Pg 120]</a></span>Rob now began to understand, the
+guilty Jimmy had some time since stolen it.</p>
+
+<p>As the boys met on the beach it must be confessed they were not thinking
+of their prisoner or his fate. In their excitement they were chattering
+to one another about the hunt, which they all agreed was the wildest and
+most peculiar one they had ever seen or heard of.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;You had the best of it all, Rob,&#8221; said John, enviously. &#8220;Our man
+wouldn&#8217;t row up any closer. My, that old whale must have looked big from
+where you were!&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Well, he did, a little bit,&#8221; admitted Rob, who had lost his cap
+somewhere and was now bare-headed.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;That beats bear-hunting,&#8221; said Jesse, &#8220;even although we haven&#8217;t got our
+game yet.&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;They say he&#8217;ll come ashore maybe in two or three days,&#8221; said Rob.
+&#8220;Meanwhile, I suppose these natives will hang around here and wait. If
+they do get him, it&#8217;s very likely they&#8217;ll squat down here to eat him up,
+and that would take all summer! I must confess I don&#8217;t like the look of
+it very much.&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;And there&#8217;s Jimmy&mdash;&#8221; began John.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;That&#8217;s so! We must go and see about him.&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>Quietly they edged their way out of the excited <span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_121" id="Page_121">[Pg 121]</a></span>throng of natives and
+hurried across the sea-wall to the barabbara. Opening the door they
+peered cautiously in. No motion met their gaze, and although they called
+several times in a low tone there was no response. Passing into the
+barabbara they searched every corner of it. No doubt remained&mdash;their
+late prisoner was gone! </p>
+
+<hr class="large" /><p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_122" id="Page_122">[Pg 122]</a></span></p>
+<h2><a name="XVI" id="XVI"></a>XVI</h2>
+
+<h3>THE MISSING PRISONER</h3>
+
+<p class="n"><span style="float:left;font-size:40px;line-height:25px;padding-top:2px;padding-bottom:1px;">F</span>or a time the boys sat silent and moody in the barabbara. The
+situation, as it appeared to them, was not a pleasant one. On the one
+side were half a hundred natives, whose intentions they could only
+guess; upon the other, as they now suspected, there might be an active
+enemy whose whereabouts they could only surmise. At last Rob spoke.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;It looks this way to me,&#8221; said he: &#8220;we three could not make any kind of
+defence against that band of natives, but perhaps they will not attack
+us. From what has happened, I do not think they will. Now, here is tea
+and salt which we got from them. That proves that they trade with the
+whites, which means that help may not be more than a hundred miles away
+at farthest. In the second place, these people think that we are here
+alone for only a short time and that our friends will soon be here. The
+thing for us to do is to keep them thinking that.&#8221; </p>
+
+<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_123" id="Page_123">[Pg 123]</a></span></p><p>&#8220;They&#8217;ll be over before long,&#8221; said John, &#8220;to see what has become of
+Jimmy, here, the man they were after.&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;I&#8217;m not so sure of that,&#8221; rejoined Rob. &#8220;These natives forget any
+purpose very easily; and now, as we know, they are busy watching the
+whale. But suppose they do come. The barabbara is empty.&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;They have not seen Jimmy at all as yet,&#8221; said John. &#8220;But suppose the
+bidarka is gone&mdash;he very probably took that with him.&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Let&#8217;s go see,&#8221; suggested Jesse, and accordingly they hurried to the
+side of the lagoon. Sure enough, only the dory remained. The bidarka had
+disappeared from its resting-place.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Now,&#8221; reasoned Rob, &#8220;he would be afraid to go out of the creek into the
+open bay, for then they would see him sure. There is every chance that
+he left the bidarka somewhere in the creek. We&#8217;ll hunt for it, then.
+I&#8217;ll go across in the shallow water, and we&#8217;ll search both sides of the
+bank. One thing sure is that Jimmy went in a hurry, because he left his
+gun behind. He can&#8217;t have had anything along more than his bow and
+arrows. We&#8217;ll know when we find the bidarka.&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>So saying, they separated, and began to scour both sides of the creek,
+without success, however, <span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_124" id="Page_124">[Pg 124]</a></span>until they nearly reached the mouth. Here,
+hidden in the tall grass on the farther side of the creek and close to
+the high rock wall near the mouth of the stream, Rob stumbled across the
+missing boat. With a shout he called to the others to halt, and
+presently, pushing the bidarka out into the creek, he paddled across to
+them. They all joined now in examining the contents of the boat.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;It&#8217;s just as I said,&#8221; commented Rob. &#8220;He left in a hurry, and badly
+scared. He could just as well have taken one of our guns as not, but we
+know he did not do that, and even left his own. Here&#8217;s his spear and his
+paddles. His blankets are back at the hut. So far as I can see, he took
+only his fishing-line and his bow and arrows.&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Yes, but he may come back again,&#8221; suggested Jesse.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;I hardly think so,&#8221; reasoned Rob. &#8220;At any rate, he&#8217;ll not come back so
+long as these people hang around, because he knows they&#8217;re after him.
+Besides, the fact that he didn&#8217;t steal anything from us shows that he is
+getting scared about stealing. I&#8217;m not so uneasy about him as I am about
+these other fellows over on the beach.&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>None too happy, the boys now proceeded to paddle the bidarka up the
+creek to its old resting-place <span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_125" id="Page_125">[Pg 125]</a></span>in the lagoon, after which they busied
+themselves rather half-heartedly about camp work, a part of which was
+further fleshing of the bear hides. As they were engaged at this they
+heard a faint rustling in the dry grass near at hand. Startled, they
+looked around, and saw something staring at them from the cover. John
+reached for his rifle.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Don&#8217;t shoot!&#8221; called Rob. &#8220;It&#8217;s a boy! I see his face plainly now.&#8221; </p>
+
+<hr class="large" /><p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_126" id="Page_126">[Pg 126]</a></span></p>
+<h2><a name="XVII" id="XVII"></a>XVII</h2>
+
+<h3>THE ALEUT BOY</h3>
+
+<p class="n"><span style="float:left;font-size:40px;line-height:25px;padding-top:2px;padding-bottom:1px;">T</span>hey advanced toward the intruder, who stood up, grinning and showing a
+set of very white teeth. He was an Aleut boy about twelve years of age,
+short and squat, with stringy, dark hair. He was clad in a smock, or
+jacket, of sea-parrot feathers, which came down to his seal-skin boots.
+In one hand he held a short spear, in the other several thongs to which
+were attached bits of ivory. He seemed not in the least alarmed, but, on
+the contrary, much disposed to be friendly.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;<i>Karosha!</i>&#8221; called out John to him. &#8220;All right, all right, all right!&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>John seemed to pick up easily the expressions which the Aleuts used and
+understood.</p>
+
+<p>Hesitatingly, but still smiling, the boy joined them, and walked with
+them over toward the bear hides, where he stood looking down. At last,
+as they resumed their work at the hides, he himself squatted down, and
+taking out his own knife&mdash;a <span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_127" id="Page_127">[Pg 127]</a></span>mere bit of steel bound around at the end
+with rags and hide for a handle&mdash;he also began to scrape away. So much
+greater was his skill than theirs that at last he smiled at their
+awkwardness. For the time he made no attempt at any kind of speech, and
+answered no questions in regard to his people. At last, as Jesse
+departed to the top of the sea-wall to learn what was going on along the
+beach, he began to jabber and attempt to make some signs. John guessed
+that he meant to say that in a couple of days the whale would come
+ashore; that then his people would build fires and eat.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Maybe he&#8217;d like to eat a little himself,&#8221; concluded John. &#8220;Suppose we
+try him on some bear meat.&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>Their offer seemed very acceptable to the Aleut boy, who in a very
+matter-of-fact way began to hunt around in the grass for fuel and to
+prepare to make a fire, which latter he did with skilful use of one of
+the few matches which he kept dry in a membrane pouch in an inner
+pocket.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;He&#8217;s camped out before,&#8221; said Rob. &#8220;It looks as though he had adopted
+us. Maybe he likes the look of our meat-rack better than he does the
+prospect of waiting over there for the whale to come ashore.&#8221; </p>
+
+<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_128" id="Page_128">[Pg 128]</a></span></p><p>The young Aleut put his pieces of bear meat on sticks, which he stuck up
+near the fire; and while they were broiling he himself ran over toward
+the beach, presently reappearing with some dark-looking stuff in his
+hands, which he offered his friends, making signs that it was good to
+eat.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Smoked breast of wild goose,&#8221; commented John, smacking his lips. &#8220;It&#8217;s
+good, too. I wouldn&#8217;t mind having some more of that.&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>Whether or not the boy understood it was impossible to say; but all at
+once he began to flop his arms up and down, quacking and honking in
+imitation of wild fowl. He pointed to a spot far up at the head of the
+lagoon, and then, picking up his bunch of thongs and ivory balls,
+whirled them around his head.</p>
+
+<p>Rob&#8217;s eyes kindled.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;We can&#8217;t afford to use rifle ammunition to shoot birds, but if we can
+get this boy to go along on a goose-hunt we may have a new sort of fun,
+and maybe get some game.&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>The young Aleut showed no disposition to return to his own people, and
+when at length, after they had all eaten heartily, the three friends
+turned toward the door of the barabbara, he followed them as though he
+had been invited. </p>
+
+<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_129" id="Page_129">[Pg 129]</a></span></p><p>&#8220;What are we going to do with this boy?&#8221; asked Jesse. &#8220;He acts as if he
+belonged here.&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Maybe he does,&#8221; said John. &#8220;I saw him talking to the old chief, and
+maybe he&#8217;s his son. I have more than half a guess that the old man does
+own this house, anyhow.&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>As the sun began to sink toward the horizon a wind arose and dark clouds
+overspread the sky.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;I don&#8217;t blame the boy for wanting to stay here where he will be dry. If
+I&#8217;m not mistaken, we are going to have rain and plenty of it. Meantime,
+we might as well turn in and go to sleep,&#8221; added Rob.</p>
+
+<p>He motioned the young Aleut to the blankets which Jimmy had abandoned,
+and the latter, without ado, curled himself up on them. The others,
+tired enough, followed his example, and for that night at least they did
+not trouble themselves to keep any watch. Perhaps they had never had
+greater cause for vigilance, but their anxiety was lost in the bodily
+weariness which came over them after so many stirring incidents. </p>
+
+<hr class="large" /><p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_130" id="Page_130">[Pg 130]</a></span></p>
+<h2><a name="XVIII" id="XVIII"></a>XVIII</h2>
+
+<h3>UNWELCOME VISITORS</h3>
+
+<p class="n"><span style="float:left;font-size:40px;line-height:25px;padding-top:2px;padding-bottom:1px;">A</span>fter the edge of their weariness had worn off with their first heavy
+slumbers, the mental anxiety of the young adventurers began to return,
+and they slept so uneasily that when morning came they all awoke with a
+start at the sounds they heard outside the barabbara.</p>
+
+<p>Rain and heavy wind had begun some time in the night; but now they heard
+something else&mdash;the swishing of feet in the wet grass and the sound of
+low voices.</p>
+
+<p>The young Aleut was awake also, but he smiled as he sat up on the
+blankets.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;I don&#8217;t think we need be alarmed,&#8221; said Rob, in a low tone to his
+friends. &#8220;If these people had meant us any harm we&#8217;d have been foolish
+to go out in their boats with them and leave our guns. Now we&#8217;re here
+safe with all our guns and other stuff, and here&#8217;s this boy with us,
+too. If they had not felt friendly toward us they would <span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_131" id="Page_131">[Pg 131]</a></span>never have let
+him stay here all night. Too bad we can&#8217;t understand their talk, and
+just have to guess at things; but that&#8217;s the way I guess it.&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>A moment later there came the sound of a loud voice at the door. It
+opened, and the swarthy face of the Aleut chief peered in. He jabbered
+in his native language to the boy, who replied briefly and composedly.
+The chief now pushed his way into the hut, and, much to the annoyance of
+the white occupants, he was followed by a dozen other natives, who came
+crowding in and filling the place with the rank smell of wet fur and
+feathers. They seated themselves around the edge of the barabbara, and
+one of them presently began to make a fire.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Dis barabbara&mdash;<i>my</i> peoples!&#8221; said the chief. &#8220;My families come here
+all light, all light, all light!&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Just as I thought,&#8221; said Rob, aside, to the others. &#8220;It is we who are
+the visitors, not they. John, you act as interpreter. Ask him how far it
+is to Kadiak.&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>The keen-witted chief caught the sound of the latter word.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;You come Kadiak?&#8221; he said. &#8220;Come dory? You no got-um schooner?&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Schooner by-and-by,&#8221; broke in Rob, hurriedly. &#8220;Our peoples come.&#8221; </p>
+
+<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_132" id="Page_132">[Pg 132]</a></span></p><p>The chief sat thoughtful for a time, his cunning eyes looking from one
+to the other.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;What you give go Kadiak?&#8221; he asked, at length.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Schooner come by-and-by,&#8221; retorted Rob, coldly.</p>
+
+<p>The chief chuckled to himself shrewdly.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Where bad mans go?&#8221; he asked, after awhile.</p>
+
+<p>Rob shrugged his shoulder and pointed toward the mountains, as though he
+did not know where the refugee might be.</p>
+
+<p>After awhile the old native produced from under his coat three
+handsomely made <i>kamelinkas</i>, or rain-proof coats, made of membranes. He
+pointed to the clothing of the boys and made signs of rain.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;You like-um?&#8221; he asked. &#8220;Me like-um lifle.&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>Rob shook his head, but the old man persisted. Finally Rob was seized of
+a happy idea.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;S&#8217;pose you go Kadiak,&#8221; he said. &#8220;You come back with schooner, maybe so
+we give one rifle, two rifle.&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>This had precisely the opposite effect from that intended. The chief
+guessed that, after all, the boys did not know when any boat would come
+for them. The cunning eyes of the native grew ugly now. </p>
+
+<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_133" id="Page_133">[Pg 133]</a></span></p><p>&#8220;<i>My</i> barabbara!&#8221; he said. &#8220;You go. S&#8217;pose you no give lifle! Me take-um
+all light, all light, all light!&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Hold on to your guns, boys!&#8221; called Rob, quickly. &#8220;Don&#8217;t let them get
+hold of one of them.&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>Then he resumed with the chief. &#8220;Heap shoot!&#8221; said he, patting his
+rifle. &#8220;You no take-um. S&#8217;pose you get-um schooner, maybe so we give one
+rifle, two rifle; maybe so flour&mdash;sugar; maybe so hundred dollar. Our
+peoples plenty rich.&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>The chief seemed sulky and not disposed to argue, but the young boy at
+his side spoke to him rapidly for a time, and for some reason he seemed
+mollified. Rob pressed the advantage. Drawing a piece of worn paper from
+his inner coat-pocket, he made signs of writing with a stub of pencil
+which he found in another pocket.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;You see talk-talk paper?&#8221; he went on. &#8220;S&#8217;pose you take talk-talk paper
+by Kadiak, we give-um one rifle.&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>The chief grinned broadly and reached out his hand to take Rob&#8217;s rifle
+from him, but the latter drew it back.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;No give-um rifle now,&#8221; he insisted. &#8220;When bidarka go, you take-um
+talk-talk paper, we give-um rifle. No! No give-um rifle now. We <span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_134" id="Page_134">[Pg 134]</a></span>keep-um
+boy here all right, all right, all right. No keep-um boy, no give-um
+rifle. No get-um schooner, no get-um boy.&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>This was not very good talking, but it was not bad reasoning for a boy;
+and, moreover, it seemed to go home. The old Aleut sat and thought for a
+while. Evidently he either was willing to exchange his son for so good a
+rifle, or else he felt sure that no harm would come to the boy. Turning
+to the latter, he talked with him for some moments earnestly, the boy
+answering without hesitation. At last the young Aleut arose, edged
+through the crowd, and sat down beside John, putting his hand on the arm
+of the latter as though to call him his friend.</p>
+
+<p>Rob drew a sigh of relief. Although he no more than half understood what
+had gone on, he reasoned that the boy had agreed to remain with them
+until word was brought back from the settlement. How long that might be,
+or in what form help might come, he could only guess. Keeping his own
+counsel, and preserving as stern an expression as he could, Rob sat and
+looked at the Aleut chieftain steadily.</p>
+
+<p>The situation was suddenly changed by a shout from the direction of the
+beach. Led by the chief, the natives all now hurried out of the
+barabbara. <span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_135" id="Page_135">[Pg 135]</a></span>The young boy remained. In a few moments he crawled out and
+presently dragged in after him the wet bear-skins, making signs that
+they would be spoiled if left in the rain. Having done this, he motioned
+to the boys to put on the <i>kamelinkas</i> which had been left in the hut by
+the chief and then to follow him.</p>
+
+<p>Guessing that there might be events of interest on the beach, they
+adopted his suggestions and hastened out into the rain.</p>
+
+<p>When they reached the top of the sea-wall the cause of the excitement
+was apparent. The natives were hurrying as fast as they could go in a
+body up the beach. Perhaps a half-mile from where they stood they could
+see a vast dark shape half awash in the heavy surf. Around it bobbed a
+few dark spots which they saw to be bidarkas. From these, and from the
+natives gathered at the edge of the water, there came, as the boys could
+see, one harpoon after another. It was plain that the whale, sickened by
+its wound and buffeted by the heavy weather, had been driven close in
+shore, and here had been attacked and finished at short range by the
+natives who had been watching for its appearance. </p>
+
+<hr class="large" /><p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_136" id="Page_136">[Pg 136]</a></span></p>
+<h2><a name="XIX" id="XIX"></a>XIX</h2>
+
+<h3>HOPE DEFERRED</h3>
+
+<p class="n"><span style="float:left;font-size:40px;line-height:25px;padding-top:2px;padding-bottom:1px;">O</span>f course the boys could not help joining the hurrying throng which now
+was thickening about the stranded whale. John and Jesse were much
+excited, but Rob remained more sober and thoughtful, even as they
+finally stood on the beach where the Aleuts were working at the giant
+carcass of the whale, which, pierced by a half-dozen lances and
+bristling with short harpoons, was now quite dead, and fastened to the
+shore by a score of strong hide lines.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;There&#8217;s the whale all right,&#8221; said he to his two friends. &#8220;It&#8217;s a good
+thing for these people, I suppose; but it&#8217;s a very bad thing for us.&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>Jesse looked at him in inquiry, and Rob went on:</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Don&#8217;t you see that they&#8217;ll camp here now for days, and maybe weeks?
+They&#8217;ll eat this thing as long as it is fit to eat, and probably a good
+deal longer; and meantime they are not going <span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_137" id="Page_137">[Pg 137]</a></span>to take out any word from
+us to the settlements, if they really intend to go there at all.&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;That&#8217;s so,&#8221; said John. But his hopeful temperament cast off troubles
+readily. &#8220;We can&#8217;t do anything more than just wait, anyhow; and I
+suppose that our friend here&#8221;&mdash;he motioned to the Aleut boy&mdash;&#8220;will see
+that we get our share of the whale meat.&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>The boys now saw that whale-hunting among the Aleuts is a partnership
+affair, a whole village sharing equally in the spoils. Every man of the
+party now went to work. Some of them mounted the slippery back of the
+dead whale and hacked away at the hide, laying bare strips of the thick
+white blubber. Skilfully enough, for those possessing no better tools,
+they got off long strips of the blubber, which they carried high up the
+beach above the tide. Some of them carefully worked at the side of the
+whale where the deadly harpoon had done its work. Cutting down, they
+disclosed the broken head of slate buried deep in the body of the whale,
+the wound now surrounded by a wide region of inflamed and bloodshot
+flesh. This they carefully cut out for a distance of two or three feet
+on each side of the wound, and this seemed to be all the attention they
+paid to the preparation of the flesh for food. As the rain <span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_138" id="Page_138">[Pg 138]</a></span>was now
+falling steadily they did not pause to build fires, but here and there a
+man could be seen eating raw whale meat, cutting off the strip close to
+his lips with his knife, in the curious fashion which always seems to
+the white race so repulsive.</p>
+
+<p>The young Aleut looked among the pieces of flesh as they were carried
+high up the bank of sea-wall, and at last selected a few smaller
+portions which he carried with him when at last the boys turned back
+toward the barabbara. He also got a good-sized sack of salt and one or
+two battered cooking utensils. It was plain that whatever his relatives
+might wish to do, or whatever right they had to turn intruders out of
+their own barabbara, he himself intended to cast in his lot with the
+white boys.</p>
+
+<p>The latter knew no alternative but to allow matters to stand as they
+did. The gloomy weather, however, oppressed their spirits. They had now
+been gone from civilization for a considerable time, and if truth be
+told they were becoming not a little uneasy about their situation. They
+had no means of telling how far the settlement might be, and they were
+indeed as completely lost as though they were a thousand miles from any
+white man&#8217;s home. As a matter of fact, the part <span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_139" id="Page_139">[Pg 139]</a></span>of the great island
+where they now were cast away had scarcely been visited by a white man,
+on an average, once in twenty years since the days of the Russian
+occupancy.</p>
+
+<p>Most of that day they spent inside the barabbara waiting for the rain to
+cease; but as the clouds broke away in the afternoon they ventured out
+once more to see what was going on along the beach.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Why, look there!&#8221; said Rob, pointing toward the mouth of the bay.
+&#8220;They&#8217;re leaving&mdash;half of them are gone already!&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>Rough as the sea now was, and heavily loaded as were all the boats with
+the flesh of the whale, it was none the less obvious that members of the
+party were starting out for home, perhaps disposed to this by the
+discomfort of life in rough weather with no better shelter than they
+could find on this somewhat barren coast. These natives nearly always
+hunt in districts where they know there can be found a barabbara or so,
+and such huts are used as common property by all who find them, although
+the loose title of ownership probably rests in the man or family who
+first erected them. When so large a party as that now present travelled
+together, it was certain that they could find no adequate shelter
+<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_140" id="Page_140">[Pg 140]</a></span>unless they constructed it for themselves; and the Aleut, after all, is
+not like the American Indian, who makes himself comfortable where night
+finds him, but is rather a village-dweller, who rarely wanders farther
+from home than a day&#8217;s journey or so in his bidarka.</p>
+
+<p>All this, of course, was more or less Greek to the boys who stood
+watching the thinning party, as one bidarka after another was skilfully
+run out through the surf and as skilfully put under way in the long
+swell of the sea. At last a well-known figure detached itself from a
+group where he had been talking and approached them. The Aleut chief
+addressed himself once more to Rob.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;My peoples go now,&#8221; he said. &#8220;Me like-um lifle.&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;When you go Kadiak?&#8221; asked Rob.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Maybe seven week, four week, ten&mdash;nine week all light, all light, all
+light,&#8221; said the chief, amiably. &#8220;You make-um talk-talk ting. Give me!
+You give-um lifle now.&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>Rob turned to the other boys.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;We&#8217;ll hold a council,&#8221; said he. &#8220;Now, what do you think is best to do?&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>The others remained silent for a time.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Well,&#8221; said Jesse, at length, &#8220;I want to go home pretty bad. He can
+have my rifle if he <span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_141" id="Page_141">[Pg 141]</a></span>wants it, if he&#8217;ll take a letter out to John&#8217;s
+Uncle Dick at Kadiak.&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;I think it&#8217;s best,&#8221; said John. &#8220;We&#8217;ll have two rifles left, and that
+will be all we really need. Let&#8217;s go and write the note and take the
+chance of its ever getting out. Anyway, it is the best we can do.&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>They returned to the barabbara, where Rob wrote as plainly as he could,
+with deep marks of the pencil, as follows:</p>
+
+<div class="blockquot"><p>&#8220;<i>Mr. Richard Hazlett, Kadiak</i>.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;<span class="smcap">Dear Sir</span>,&mdash;We are all right, but don&#8217;t know where we are, or what
+date this is, or which way Kadiak is. We came down in the dory.
+Travelled all night. Are safe and have plenty to eat, but want to
+go home. Please send for us, and oblige </p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Yours truly, &mdash;&mdash;.&#8221; </p></div>
+
+<p>&#8220;Do you think that&#8217;ll do all right, boys?&#8221; he asked.</p>
+
+<p>The others nodded assent, and so each signed his name. Folding up the
+paper and tying it in a piece of the membrane which he cut off a corner
+of his <i>kamelinka</i>, Rob finally gave the packet to the old chief.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Plenty talk-talk thing,&#8221; he said. &#8220;You bring peoples&mdash;get-um
+schooner&mdash;my peoples give-um flour, sugar, two rifle, hundred dollars.&#8221;</p>
+
+<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_142" id="Page_142">[Pg 142]</a></span></p><p>Without further comment than a grunt the old chief stowed the packet in
+an inside pocket of his feather jacket, and swung Jesse&#8217;s rifle under
+his arm, not neglecting the ammunition. He had eaten heavily of whale
+meat and seemed to be pretty well beyond emotion of any sort. Certainly
+he turned and did not even say good-bye to his son as he swung into the
+front hatch of his bidarka, followed by another paddler, and headed
+toward the mouth of the bay, almost the last of the little craft to
+leave the coast.</p>
+
+<p>The boys stood looking after him carefully. The presence of these
+natives had, it is true, offered a certain danger, or at least a certain
+problem, but now that they were gone the place seemed strangely
+lonesome, after all. Rob heard a little sound and turned.</p>
+
+<p>Jesse was not exactly crying, but was struggling with himself.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Well,&#8221; he admitted, &#8220;I don&#8217;t care! I <i>do</i> want to go home!&#8221; </p>
+
+<hr class="large" /><p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_143" id="Page_143">[Pg 143]</a></span></p>
+<h2><a name="XX" id="XX"></a>XX</h2>
+
+<h3>THE SILVER-GRAY FOX</h3>
+
+<p class="n"><span style="float:left;font-size:40px;line-height:25px;padding-top:2px;padding-bottom:1px;">A</span>fter the natives had departed, the young castaways, quite alone on
+their wild island, felt more lonesome and more uneasy than they had been
+before. The wilderness seemed to close in about them. None of them had
+any definite hope or plan for an early rescue or departure from the
+island, so for some two or three weeks they passed the time in a
+restless and discontented way, doing little to rival the exciting events
+which had taken place during the visit of the natives. It was now
+approaching the end of spring, and Rob, more thoughtful perhaps than any
+of the others, could not conceal from himself the anxiety which began to
+settle upon him.</p>
+
+<p>In these circumstances Rob and his friends found the young Aleut, with
+his cheerful and care-free disposition and his apparent unconcern about
+the future, of much comfort as well as of great assistance in a
+practical way. They nicknamed the <span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_144" id="Page_144">[Pg 144]</a></span>Aleut boy Skookie&mdash;a shortening of
+the Chinook word <i>skookum</i>, which means <i>strong</i>, or <i>good</i>, or <i>all
+right</i>. Their young companion, used as he was to life in the open,
+solved simply and easily all their little problems of camp-keeping.
+Under his guidance, they finished the work on the bear-skins, scraping
+them and rubbing them day after day, until at last they turned them into
+valuable rugs.</p>
+
+<p>It was Skookie, also, who showed them where to get their salmon and
+codfish most easily. In short, he naturally dropped into the place of
+local guide. The native is from his youth trained to observation of
+natural objects, because his life depends upon such things. With the
+white man or white boy this is not the case. No matter how much instinct
+he may have for the life of the wilderness, with him adjustment to that
+life is a matter of study and effort, whereas with the native all these
+things are a matter of course. It may be supposed, therefore, that this
+young Aleut made the best of instructors for the young companions who
+found themselves castaway in this remote region.</p>
+
+<p>Thus, none of the three white boys had noted more than carelessly the
+paths of wild animals which came down from the surrounding hills to the
+shores of the lagoon near which they were <span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_145" id="Page_145">[Pg 145]</a></span>camped, although these paths
+could be seen with ease by any one whose attention was attracted to
+them. One day they were wandering along the upper end of the lagoon
+where the grass, matted with several seasons&#8217; growth and standing as
+tall as their shoulders, stood especially dense. They noticed that
+Skookie stooped now and then and parted the tangled grass with his
+hands. At last, like a young hound, he left their course and began to
+circle around, crossing farther on what they now discovered to be an
+easily distinguishable trail made by some sort of small animal.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;What is it? What&#8217;s up, Skookie?&#8221; asked John, whose curiosity always was
+in evidence.</p>
+
+<p>The Aleut boy did not at first reply, because he did not know how to do
+so. He made a sort of sign, by putting his two bent fingers, pricked up,
+along the side of his head like ears.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Wolf!&#8221; said John.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;No,&#8221; commented Rob. &#8220;I don&#8217;t think there are any wolves on this island;
+at least, I never heard of any so far to the West. What is it, Skookie?&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>The boy made the same sign, and then spread his hands apart as if to
+measure the length of some animal. </p>
+
+<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_146" id="Page_146">[Pg 146]</a></span></p><p>&#8220;Fox!&#8221; cried Jesse, with conviction; and Skookie, who understood English
+better than he spoke it, laughed in assent.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Fokus,&#8221; he said, repeating the word as nearly as he could. Now he
+traced out the path in the grass for them, and, beckoning them to
+follow, showed where it crossed the tundra and ran along the stream,
+headed back to the higher hills which seemed to be the resort of the
+wild animals, from which they came down to feed along the beach.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;It&#8217;s as plain as the nose on a fellow&#8217;s face,&#8221; said John. &#8220;And some of
+these paths look as if they were a good many years old.&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>Indeed, they could trace them out, many of them, worn deep into the moss
+by the dainty feet of foxes which had travelled the same lines for many
+years. It was a curious thing, but all these wild animals, even the
+bears, seemed not to like the work of walking where the footing was
+soft, so they made paths of their own which they followed from one part
+of the country to another. On this great Alaskan island nearly every
+mountain pass had bear trails and fox paths leading down to the valleys
+along the streams or from one valley over into another. The foxes as
+well as the bears seemed to find a great deal of their food along the
+beaches. </p>
+
+<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_147" id="Page_147">[Pg 147]</a></span></p><p>As the young native ran along the fox trail the others had difficulty in
+keeping up with him.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;What&#8217;s the matter with him? What&#8217;s up, Rob?&#8221; panted John, who was a
+trifle fat for his years. &#8220;Why doesn&#8217;t he keep in the plain trails?&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Let him alone,&#8221; said Rob. &#8220;He may have some idea of his own. See there,
+he is heading over toward the beach.&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>They followed him along the faint trail, dimly outlined at places in the
+moss, and soon they caught the idea which was in his mind. The path
+headed toward the beach and then zig-zagged, paralleling it as though
+some fox had come down and caught sight or scent of something
+interesting and then had investigated it cautiously. Others had trodden
+in his foot-prints, and so made this path, which at length straightened
+out and ran directly to the beach just opposite the place where the dead
+whale lay.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Plenty&mdash;plenty!&#8221; said Skookie, pointing his short finger to the trail
+and then down to the beach where the carcass of the whale lay. Whether
+he meant plenty of fox or plenty of food for the foxes made little
+difference.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;They&#8217;re feeding on the whale, now that the boats have gone,&#8221; explained
+Rob. &#8220;That is <span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_148" id="Page_148">[Pg 148]</a></span>plain. Skookie is just showing us the new trail they have
+made the last few nights.&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>Skookie turned back and began to follow the trail toward the mountain.
+Without comment the others followed him, and so they ran the faint path
+back until it climbed directly up the steep bluff, fifty feet in height,
+and struck a long, flat, higher level, where the foxes all seemed to
+have established an ancient highway. Several trails here crossed,
+although each held its own way and did not merge with the others; as
+though there were bands of foxes which came from one locality and did
+not mingle with the others.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Now, what made him come up here?&#8221; asked John, whose shorter legs were
+beginning to tire of this long walk. &#8220;We&#8217;re getting a good way from
+home.&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Just wait,&#8221; advised Jesse. &#8220;We&#8217;ll learn something yet, I shouldn&#8217;t
+wonder. Skookie&#8217;s after something; that&#8217;s plain.&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>Indeed, the young Aleut, not much farther on, began now to stoop and
+examine the trail closely. At length he pointed his brown finger at a
+certain spot near the trail. The others bent over the place.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Something&#8217;s been here,&#8221; said Jesse. The moss had been dug out and put
+back again. </p>
+
+<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_149" id="Page_149">[Pg 149]</a></span></p><p>Skookie smiled and walked on a little farther and showed them several
+other such places a few yards apart. He held up the fingers of one hand.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Five <i>klipsie</i>,&#8221; he said, and then swept an arm around toward the face
+of the mountains, remarking: &#8220;My peoples come here.&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Oh,&#8221; said Rob; &#8220;he means that here is where his family come to set
+their <i>klipsie</i> traps for foxes. I suppose these places are where the
+same <i>klipsies</i> were set five different times. I have heard that when
+they catch a fox in one place they always take up their trap and move it
+on a little way so that the other foxes may not be frightened away by
+the smell of the dead fox or the trap.&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;I wonder,&#8221; said Jesse, &#8220;if any fox would have good fur this late in the
+spring.&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;He might,&#8221; said Rob, &#8220;if he had been living all the time up in the
+mountains near the snow; but as the natives trap a good deal along the
+beach, I suppose they took up their traps some time ago. They never like
+to take fur unless it is good, of course.&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Anyhow,&#8221; said Jesse, &#8220;I shouldn&#8217;t mind trying once for a fox. We might
+get a good one. I&#8217;ve heard they catch foxes sometimes&mdash;silver-grays or
+blacks, you know&mdash;that are worth three or four hundred dollars.&#8221; </p>
+
+<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_150" id="Page_150">[Pg 150]</a></span></p><p>&#8220;Or even more,&#8221; added Rob; &#8220;but that is when they&#8217;re very prime, and
+when they bring the top of the market.&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>Skookie looked from one to the other, but finally made up his own mind.
+He led out on the way toward the barabbara, where very methodically he
+set to work carrying out his purpose. He rummaged among the <i>klipsie</i>
+butts in the back part of the hut until he got one to suit him, and then
+without any hesitation led the way a few hundred yards distant from the
+hut where, parting the grass, he disclosed the cache or hiding-place
+where the owners of the <i>klipsies</i> had secreted the traps; they, in
+their cunning, not wishing to leave the entire trap in the possession of
+any stranger who might come to the house.</p>
+
+<p>Fumbling in this heap of narrow sticks, each of which was about as long
+as a boy&#8217;s arm, Skookie at last picked out one which suited him. They
+discovered that the end of it was armed with four or five spikes
+apparently made of old nails hammered to a point and filed into a barb.</p>
+
+<p>Skookie now took this arm of his <i>klipsie</i> to where he had left the butt
+or hub of the trap, and he loosened up the heavy, braided cord of sinew
+which passed from end to end through the butt. He pushed the butt end of
+the arm in between <span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_151" id="Page_151">[Pg 151]</a></span>these sinews so that pulling it sidewise twisted the
+sinews. Then he drove tight the wedges at each end of the hub, so
+straining the sinews tightly about the arm of the trap. Thus, as the
+boys readily saw, a great force was exerted when the arm of the trap was
+pulled back.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;That is what they call &#8216;torsion,&#8217; I think,&#8221; said Rob. &#8220;It is like a
+gate-spring which pushes hard when you twist it. Look at those
+sinews&mdash;thick as your thumb&mdash;and even one little sinew is strong enough
+to hang an ox!&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>Skookie went on with his work until he thought the strain on the arm was
+sufficient. Then he pulled the arm back and caught it under a slight
+notch which was cut in the side of the hub, which itself was open on one
+side to allow the passage of the arm. When the trap was thus set it lay
+flat on the ground, and Skookie motioned the boys to keep away from
+it&mdash;something which all were willing to do, for the barbed arm of the
+<i>klipsie</i> resembled nothing so much as a fanged serpent with its head
+back ready to strike a terrible blow.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Natives get caught in these traps sometimes,&#8221; said Rob; &#8220;so the old
+trappers tell me. Sometimes they get crippled for life. You see, these
+iron points here strike a man just about at the <span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_152" id="Page_152">[Pg 152]</a></span>knee joint, and that&#8217;s
+pretty bad when there is no doctor around.&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>Skookie, going ahead with his work, fumbled in his pocket and fished out
+a piece of hide cord, which he measured off to a certain length between
+his arms; then, picking up a bit of stick, he whittled out a pointed peg
+and attached one end of his cord to this, while he arranged the other so
+that it would control the trigger which held the arm in place on the
+farther side of the <i>klipsie</i> bow. Now he stretched out his cord and
+pushed the peg into the earth as though it crossed a fox path, and made
+a motion of a fox walking along and touching his leg against the cord.
+To do this he took a long stick instead of using his own limb.</p>
+
+<p>Whang! went the <i>klipsie</i>, the fanged arm whirling over so fast that the
+eye could hardly follow it, and burying its points in the ground.
+Skookie laughed and danced up and down, showing how it certainly would
+have killed a fox had the latter been there.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Come on,&#8221; said John; &#8220;let&#8217;s go set it somewhere.&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;All light!&#8221; said Skookie, who understood a great many words from their
+apparent connection. He took up his trap, with the hub under <span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_153" id="Page_153">[Pg 153]</a></span>his arm,
+and headed off up the beach toward the spot where they had first seen
+the fox trail two or three hours before.</p>
+
+<p>Following along the faint trail for some distance, but taking care not
+to step in it, he at length struck it where it passed through the tall
+grass. Here he squatted down and made some sort of strange passes over
+his trap, mumbling certain words in a strange tongue. Like all of his
+people, Skookie was superstitious. What he wanted to do now was to wish
+his trap good-luck. Having attended to this part of his ceremony, he
+drew his knife and began to detach a square of the thick, matted moss,
+making a cavity about arm&#8217;s distance at one side of the path. In this
+hole he buried the hub of the <i>klipsie</i> and covered it carefully with
+moss, so that nothing was left to show. The arm, which lay back still
+farther in the grass, he covered up lightly so that it also would be
+concealed from view. Then, carefully, he stretched his trigger string
+across the path, mixing it up with some of the dried spears of grass so
+that it lay a foot or less above the level of the path, or at just about
+the height at which the fore-legs or breast of the fox would strike it
+as the animal came walking down the trail. Having bent the grass above
+his <i>klipsie</i>, and arranged <span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_154" id="Page_154">[Pg 154]</a></span>everything so that the place showed no
+signs of what had been going on, Skookie at last smiled, stood back, and
+looked cheerfully at his work; then he cast a glance toward the skies,
+and made a sign with his fingers held downward as though to indicate
+falling rain.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Bime-by water!&#8221; he said.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;He means that he wants it to rain,&#8221; said Rob, &#8220;so that the scent will
+all be washed off from the trap and from the ground around it.&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Well,&#8221; said John, &#8220;if the water is about the way it averages, he won&#8217;t
+have to wait longer than to-night for his rain.&#8221; Which, indeed, was the
+case, for in the night, while they were all safely in the barabbara
+around the fire, the rain came as usual, sufficient to blot out all
+trace of their late work on the fox trails.</p>
+
+<p>The following morning the boys at once began to wonder what luck had met
+their trapping operations. It did not appear to them likely that they
+would catch anything the first night; but Skookie, it seemed, was of a
+different opinion. After breakfast he led the way to the place where the
+trap lay, and without hesitation walked into the tall grass, stooped
+down, and at once held up to view a long, dark animal at sight of which
+the boys uttered a joint whoop of joy! </p>
+
+<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_155" id="Page_155">[Pg 155]</a></span></p><p>&#8220;We got him!&#8221; said John. &#8220;We certainly did get a fox, and the very first
+night, too.&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Yes,&#8221; agreed Rob, &#8220;we did more than that: we got a silver-gray fox, and
+a mighty good one at that. Was there ever such luck, I do wonder!&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>Skookie took it all as a matter of course, but the others were much
+excited over this discovery. They put the silky, handsome animal upon
+the ground and began to smooth out its fur. The fangs of the <i>klipsie</i>
+had struck it in the back of the neck and killed it instantly, so that
+the coat remained quite smooth and undisturbed by any struggles. It was
+long and silky&mdash;dark, with white-tipped tail, and gray extremities on
+all the hairs of the back.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;This skin ought to be worth anyhow one hundred dollars,&#8221; said Rob,
+critically. &#8220;At least that would be my guess at it. The natives don&#8217;t
+often get that much, but sometimes a trader will buy a skin for fifty
+dollars and sell it for five or six hundred. That all depends on the
+sort of market he finds.&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Anyhow,&#8221; said Jesse, &#8220;it proves that Skookie can trap foxes all right.&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>The young Aleut was not disturbed by this praise, and proceeded to
+further prove his ability <span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_156" id="Page_156">[Pg 156]</a></span>as a trapper. Having again set his <i>klipsie</i>
+at a point a few yards farther down the trail, he took up the dead fox
+and led the way back to the barabbara, where he undertook to carry the
+carcass in for his skinning operations.</p>
+
+<p>At this Rob demurred, for he had already seen proof of the custom of the
+native trappers, who nearly always skin out their game at the fireside
+of the barabbara, and who are very careless where they leave the
+carcasses.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;No, you don&#8217;t!&#8221; said Rob. &#8220;We&#8217;ve just cleaned out that house, and we
+don&#8217;t want it mussed up again so soon. Let&#8217;s go over to the beach and
+skin our fox.&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>Skookie, always docile and willing to obey, once more led the way,
+carrying the fox under his arm. At last he seated himself on the ground,
+sharpened his knife-blade on a stone, and began to skin out the fox,
+much as an old trapper would. He made a cut from one hind leg to the
+other, cut off the tail bone, pulled the tail off clean by the use of
+two sticks clamped against the bone, and proceeded to remove the skin
+from the body without splitting it along the belly&mdash;&#8220;casing&#8221; it, as
+trappers call it. So carefully did he do his work that he did not make
+the slightest cut around the eyes or ears or nostrils, and even <span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_157" id="Page_157">[Pg 157]</a></span>brought
+off the whiskers of the muzzle without disfiguring the skin in the
+least.</p>
+
+<p>Next he found a spreader, or tapering board, under the eaves of the
+barabbara, and over this he stretched his fox-skin, inside out, setting
+it away in the back part of the barabbara, where it would slowly dry
+without being exposed to the fire.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Well, he certainly is a trapper, all right,&#8221; said John, admiringly.
+&#8220;Now I believe we could do that sort of thing ourselves. I don&#8217;t see any
+reason why we shouldn&#8217;t get a lot of foxes here, and maybe make some
+money out of the skins some day.&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>Rob shook his head. &#8220;I don&#8217;t think so,&#8221; said he. &#8220;Even this skin,
+although it is not yet rusty from the sunlight, is not perfectly prime,
+as you can see by looking at the inside of the skin. A really prime skin
+is white and clear, and you can see that this one is just a little blue
+along the back. That isn&#8217;t a good sign to me.&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>Rob&#8217;s guess as to the fur soon proved to be correct. For four more
+nights they watched their <i>klipsie</i> trap without success. On the fifth
+morning they found another dead fox in the trap, with the barbs through
+his back. This, however, was only a &#8220;cross&#8221; fox, and his fur proved so
+worn <span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_158" id="Page_158">[Pg 158]</a></span>and rusty that Skookie scornfully refused to take off the hide.
+That ended their fox-trapping, for Rob refused to allow any more foxes
+to be killed. Skookie, apparently willing to go on with his work, or to
+stop as they preferred, smilingly took up his <i>klipsie</i>, after he had
+sprung the trap, detached the arm, and restored the separated parts to
+their original hiding-places.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Plenty times my peoples come here,&#8221; he said, smiling.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;That means,&#8221; said Jesse, &#8220;that some time or other, if we have luck, we
+may be discovered here by his people, even if our own people never find
+us.&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Yes,&#8221; Rob added, &#8220;but I only hope that may be before winter comes and
+leaves us unable to get out.&#8221; </p>
+
+<hr class="large" /><p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_159" id="Page_159">[Pg 159]</a></span></p>
+<h2><a name="XXI" id="XXI"></a>XXI</h2>
+
+<h3>AN ALEUT GOOSE-HUNT</h3>
+
+<p class="n"><span style="float:left;font-size:40px;line-height:25px;padding-top:2px;padding-bottom:1px;">A</span>lthough utterly remote from the ordinary haunts of man, our young
+hunters found their new environment one free from monotony, after all.
+The sea was never twice the same, and even the weather was capricious
+enough to afford variety. As spring wore on the region seemed to teem
+with wild life, whether on the earth, in the water, or the air. The
+gulls, crows, ravens, and eagles were continually passing, with clouds
+of shags or cormorants, which nested on the rocks a mile or so down the
+bay, together with numbers of oyster-birds, whale-birds, and other
+strange fowl of the outlying coast.</p>
+
+<p>Each night and morning also there passed up the lagoon a stream of
+honking and chattering wild-fowl, the largest of which and most
+valuable, though least attainable, were the great Canada geese, which
+frequented this part of the island in large numbers. </p>
+
+<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_160" id="Page_160">[Pg 160]</a></span></p><p>&#8220;If only we could get hold of some of those fellows,&#8221; said John,
+longingly, one morning, as they saw an especially fine flock pass slowly
+up toward the head of the lagoon. &#8220;I&#8217;ll warrant they&#8217;d be good to eat.
+See, some of them can hardly fly yet, they&#8217;re so young.&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Yes,&#8221; said Jesse, &#8220;if we had only thought of it last week, they
+probably would not have been able to fly at all&mdash;flappers, they call
+those young birds. Then we might possibly have killed some of them in
+the grass at the head of the lagoon.&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;We could kill all we wanted now with the rifles,&#8221; commented Rob; &#8220;but,
+as I said awhile ago, I don&#8217;t think we ought to use rifle ammunition for
+killing birds. No one can tell how much we may need our cartridges later
+on. No, I don&#8217;t think we will get any geese unless we can catch them
+with our hands. I haven&#8217;t much faith in those throwing-cords that
+Skookie was showing us.&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>John turned to his friend Skookie. &#8220;S&#8217;pose you catch-um geese, Skookie?&#8221;
+he asked.</p>
+
+<p>The Aleut boy surprised them very much by his sudden use of English.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Sure!&#8221; he said. He had perhaps learned this word from associating with
+whites somewhere down the coast. </p>
+
+<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_161" id="Page_161">[Pg 161]</a></span></p><p>His prompt reply made them all laugh, but none the less it was of yet
+greater interest than this.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;How do you mean, Skookie?&#8221; asked Rob. &#8220;How can you catch a goose when
+you have no gun? You can&#8217;t get close enough.&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>It was always a problem how much English the Aleut understood or did not
+understand. Now he made his answer by diving into the back of the
+barabbara and coming out with the curious bunch of thongs which the boys
+had noticed him carrying when they first encountered him on the beach&mdash;a
+dozen thongs attached to a common centre, each being a couple of yards
+in length, and each bearing at its extremity a perforated ivory ball
+perhaps of an ounce or so in weight.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Well, that don&#8217;t look very much like a goose-hunt to me,&#8221; said John;
+&#8220;but it seems to me I&#8217;ve read about the Eskimos using something of this
+sort. Maybe it&#8217;ll work on geese, though it looks like a mighty funny
+kind of shot-gun to me.&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;It&#8217;s an old weapon of wild people,&#8221; said Rob. &#8220;I&#8217;ve read about that
+sort of thing. They use it in South America for catching animals, and
+there they call it the <i>bolas</i>, or balls. I think they use stones down
+there, and of course they are a great deal heavier than these little
+ivory weights.&#8221; </p>
+
+<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_162" id="Page_162">[Pg 162]</a></span></p><p>He motioned to Skookie to show how he proposed to use this curious
+device. The Aleut, understanding perfectly what was required, again
+caught the thongs by their central ring and deftly began to whirl them
+about his head. Aiming at a post which stood up in the grass near the
+barabbara, he finally cast loose his whirling thongs, which promptly
+wrapped tightly around the post as they flew. The young brown hunter
+grinned at this, and all the boys were surprised at the force with which
+the thongs clung about the object of the aim.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Jinks!&#8221; said John. &#8220;I shouldn&#8217;t wonder if they&#8217;d kill a bird, if they
+hit it, or anyhow tie it up. The question is, how can you get close
+enough to the geese to catch them with this sort of arrangement. A goose
+is about the wildest thing in the world. I don&#8217;t suppose Skookie could
+hit anything very far.&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;I don&#8217;t know,&#8221; mused Rob. &#8220;But why not let him try? If the birds are
+done nesting, and the young ones are flying, they would make a mighty
+good addition to our table if we could get some of them.&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>Another flock of geese passed by. Rob pointed from the thong-cords
+toward the geese.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;S&#8217;pose you catch-um?&#8221; he asked of Skookie. </p>
+
+<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_163" id="Page_163">[Pg 163]</a></span></p><p>The boy smiled, and without a word picked up his thongs and led the way
+along the shore of the lagoon. The others followed, seeing that he
+proposed to capture some wild-fowl in the native way, as he had once
+before intimated might be done.</p>
+
+<p>He was no bad hunter, this young savage. After locating a big flock of
+geese which were sunning themselves on the mud flats close to the grass,
+he led his companions far back from the water, making a wide d&eacute;tour. At
+length he began to approach the fowl from a point where they would be
+concealed by the heavy grass. It seemed an age to the white boys, but
+Skookie was in no hurry. Like a cat he crawled and crawled, a few inches
+at a time, until finally he reached a point where they could hear the
+contented croaking and jabbering of the geese as they rested, entirely
+unsuspicious of any danger. It must be remembered that in this part of
+the world the wild-fowl are seldom if ever disturbed, and hence are far
+less suspicious than when they are near to civilization. If these
+honkers suspected anything at all now, they did no more than
+occasionally lift their heads and crane their long necks around. They
+could see nothing, because their pursuers were all crouched low beneath
+the tops of the grasses. </p>
+
+<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_164" id="Page_164">[Pg 164]</a></span></p><p>The Aleut boy kept on his stealthy approach&mdash;little by little&mdash;until
+finally he was within thirty or forty yards of the edge of the water,
+along which the great wild-fowl were scattered. Rob nudged him to get up
+and throw, but Skookie knew his own business better. Without uttering a
+sound he crawled forward rapidly a few paces, on his hands and knees,
+then sprang to his feet and ran rapidly through the grass toward the
+edge of the water, uttering the while wild whoops as he began to swing
+the thongs about his head.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Look out!&#8221; cried John. &#8220;They&#8217;ll all get away! Why don&#8217;t he throw?&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>But Skookie did not undertake to throw so long as the geese were on the
+ground. He knew that the young geese were weak and not used to flight,
+and that even at its best a wild goose is slow and heavy to take wing.</p>
+
+<p><a name="Illo3" id="Illo3"></a></p>
+<div class="figcenter" style="width: 324px;">
+<img src="images/i174.jpg" class="ispace" width="324" height="500" alt="THE ALEUT BOY LAUNCHED HIS MISSILE INTO THE MASS OF
+FLYING FOWL" title="" />
+<span class="caption">THE ALEUT BOY LAUNCHED HIS MISSILE INTO THE MASS OF
+FLYING FOWL</span>
+</div>
+
+<p>All these geese, some scores of young and old, intermingled, now began
+to scream, squawk, and honk, and clumsily to take wing as best they
+could. Thus they rose in a confused brown mass, almost in the face of
+the young hunter, who advanced rapidly, whirling the weighted cords
+about his head. At precisely the right instant, and not upset by the
+sudden clamor of the rising fowl, the Aleut boy straightened his arm in
+front of him<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_165" id="Page_165">[Pg 165]</a></span> and launched his missile with precision into the
+very middle of the flapping mass of flying fowl.</p>
+
+<p>The execution done was perhaps no more than he expected, but as the
+white boys saw his success they broke into a cheer. As the startled
+flock screamed and honked away, down came two of the fowl, one with
+broken wing and another laid fair about the neck by the gripping cords
+which had encircled it. Before they could escape, all the boys were
+after them, plunging into the mud and water, careless of anything but
+their game. They found that one of their geese was an old gander, but
+the other was a fat young bird, which John fondled with the utmost
+interest.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;I&#8217;ll bet you this one&#8217;ll be good to eat!&#8221; said he. &#8220;Let&#8217;s go back and
+see how it goes.&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;I wonder if you ever will get enough to eat, John!&#8221; said Rob,
+reprovingly. &#8220;We have only had breakfast an hour or so. But I&#8217;m agreed
+that young wild goose will make a good change of diet for luncheon.&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>He patted Skookie on the shoulder to compliment him on his skill.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Plenty times me catch-um,&#8221; said Skookie, proudly, as he untangled his
+cords. &#8220;Plenty times my peoples come dis place.&#8221; </p>
+
+<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_166" id="Page_166">[Pg 166]</a></span></p><p>Whether he meant that his people had been hunting here very often, or
+intended to hunt here often, they could not understand. Happier than
+they had been for some days, they went back to the hut, picked the old
+goose, skinned out the breast of the young one, and began, somewhat
+unskilfully, to prepare for the cookery of their new game. The best they
+could do was to cut the breast of the fowl into strips and fry it with
+some of the bear fat in the broken skillet. Even so, they found it
+delicious eating.</p>
+
+<p>Skookie, after the fashion of his people, sat on the ground
+cross-legged, and when it came his turn to help himself from the common
+dish he plunged his fingers into the hot contents, and fishing out a
+long piece introduced it into his mouth. When his mouth was full as it
+would hold he took his knife-blade, and after his fashion cut off a
+piece close to his lips, on the outside&mdash;the way in which most of these
+Northwestern natives eat their meat. The other boys, who had been reared
+with different ideas of table manners, looked at him with surprise.
+Skookie did not seem to notice, but munched away contentedly, repeating
+the performance now and then.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;If that&#8217;s the way they eat up here,&#8221; said John, at last, &#8220;I suppose we
+ought to learn how to do <span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_167" id="Page_167">[Pg 167]</a></span>it.&#8221; So saying, soberly he began to sharpen
+his knife on a near-by stone, as he had seen Skookie do, and, taking a
+piece of goose breast in one hand, he partly filled his mouth and
+undertook to cut it off at the proper length. At once he uttered a wild
+cry, and dropped both knife and morsel to the ground. Blood flowed from
+his face, and he clapped his hand to the end of his nose, which he had
+nearly severed with the stroke of his knife, as it had slipped
+unexpectedly through the piece of meat.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Now look at you!&#8221; said Jesse. &#8220;You&#8217;ve pretty near cut off your nose;
+that&#8217;s what you&#8217;ve done. That comes of forgetting the way you were
+brought up. Come here&mdash;let me see how badly you&#8217;re hurt.&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>Skookie broke out into wild peals of laughter at this mishap, which left
+John none too well pleased. Rob and Jesse, however, bent over him as he
+whimpered with the pain, and did what they could to make amends for the
+disaster.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Hot water is best for a cut,&#8221; said Rob, taking their tea-vessel from
+the fire and looking about for a piece of rag. Thus, in short, by the
+free use of hot water, he did at length stop the flow of blood in part,
+at least.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;John,&#8221; said he, at last, &#8220;you came mighty <span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_168" id="Page_168">[Pg 168]</a></span>near spoiling your beauty.
+Your nose is turned up, anyhow, and now you have nearly cut off a half
+inch more of it. Lucky for you the cartilage was tough, or you would
+have looked more like an Ethiopian than an American. I guess it will
+grow fast again, although you will have to wear a handkerchief tied
+around your face and head for some time.&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;I don&#8217;t care,&#8221; mumbled John. &#8220;I wanted to see how they did it.&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Well, you know now,&#8221; Rob assured him, in a matter-of-fact way. &#8220;But I
+would suggest that you eat in the ordinary civilized fashion after this,
+because you haven&#8217;t any more nose than you need, and your mother might
+not like you to come home with a part of it missing.&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>It was some days before the smart of this wound was entirely gone, but
+it may be said that in time it healed and left but a slight scar at the
+lower end of the nose, although John for some days went about with a
+handkerchief tied about his face. This did not prevent his taking part
+in future goose-hunts, which came to be a regular part of their
+programme.</p>
+
+<p>Before the geese had become too wise they succeeded in killing several
+dozen with the thongs, each of them taking his turn and throwing them,
+<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_169" id="Page_169">[Pg 169]</a></span>which they found not so difficult an art to master, after all. Skookie
+showed them how to smoke the breasts of these wild-fowl so that they
+would keep, and thus they made a valuable addition to their stores. </p>
+
+<hr class="large" /><p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_170" id="Page_170">[Pg 170]</a></span></p>
+<h2><a name="XXII" id="XXII"></a>XXII</h2>
+
+<h3>SPORT WITH THE SALMON</h3>
+
+<p style="float: left; font-size: 100%; line-height: 80%; margin-top: 0;">&#8220;</p><p class="n"><span style="float:left;font-size:40px;line-height:25px;padding-top:2px;padding-bottom:1px;"><i>N</i></span><i>atu</i> salmon,&#8221; said Skookie one morning, poking his head in at the
+door of the barabbara, where the others still sat, washing up the
+breakfast dishes.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;What&#8217;s that he says, John?&#8221; asked Rob, who seemed less ready than the
+younger boy to pick up the native speech.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;<i>Natu</i> means <i>nothing</i> or <i>no</i> or <i>not</i>,&#8221; interpreted John. &#8220;What&#8217;s the
+matter with the salmon, Skookie?&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>They all crawled out of the low-hung door and followed the Aleut to the
+spot where they had left their fish concealed. They found nothing but
+stripped bones. Around the spot hung a crowd of great ravens and crows,
+protesting at being disturbed at this easy meal.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;We had six fine salmon there last night,&#8221; grieved Jesse. &#8220;They&#8217;re
+awfully hard to catch now, too, because they&#8217;ve got shy in the shallow
+<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_171" id="Page_171">[Pg 171]</a></span>water. They&#8217;re all down in the big hole at the mouth of the creek, and
+it&#8217;s going to be harder and harder to get any. As for the whale meat
+that the old chief left, I don&#8217;t suppose it was salted enough, and it
+probably won&#8217;t keep.&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;We&#8217;ll have to build some sort of shelter for our fish and game,&#8221; said
+Rob, looking at the havoc which had been wrought by the birds. &#8220;It isn&#8217;t
+right to waste even salmon, abundant as they are&mdash;although they may not
+be so abundant after this, as you say, Jesse.&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;I&#8217;ll tell you what,&#8221; said John, after a moment&#8217;s thought, &#8220;I&#8217;ve got an
+idea!&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Well, what is it?&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;You know, there was Uncle Dick&#8217;s fishing-rod we brought with us in the
+dory. I took it out and pushed it under a log at the top of the beach
+wall. Now, I put that rod in the boat carefully myself, because I knew
+how much Uncle Dick thought of it. I don&#8217;t suppose he&#8217;ll thank us for
+bringing it away, because it&#8217;s his best trout rod.&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;I don&#8217;t see what use it would be to us,&#8221; said Jesse. &#8220;It&#8217;s too light to
+tie a grab hook to, and even if you hooked it into a salmon the rod
+would break.&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Yes,&#8221; said Rob, &#8220;a trout rod isn&#8217;t meant in <span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_172" id="Page_172">[Pg 172]</a></span>any case for fish as heavy
+as this. Besides, you see, these salmon never take a fly; even if we had
+any flies to go with the rod, or any line, or any reel, for that
+matter.&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;The reel is on the butt joint of the rod; I&#8217;m pretty sure I saw it
+there. Come, let&#8217;s find out! I tell you, I&#8217;ve got an idea,&#8221; insisted
+John.</p>
+
+<p>They all repaired to the beach where, as promised, John produced the rod
+from its hiding-place under the drift-wood log. True, the reel was there
+in place. Without delay he put the joints of the rod together, finding
+some difficulty in this, for the rain and salt air had not improved it
+in the least. None the less they threaded the line through the guides
+and found that everything was serviceable.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Uncle Dick would not care,&#8221; said John, &#8220;if he knew just how we are
+situated.&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Still, I don&#8217;t get your idea,&#8221; began Rob.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Well, I don&#8217;t know whether or not it&#8217;s a very good one,&#8221; answered John;
+&#8220;but who&#8217;s got a few little hooks to lend me now?&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Here are two or three,&#8221; said Jesse, fishing in his pockets. &#8220;They&#8217;re
+about big enough for bait hooks for trout, but salmon won&#8217;t take any
+bait. I don&#8217;t see what you mean.&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>John made no comment, but cut off two or <span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_173" id="Page_173">[Pg 173]</a></span>three short pieces of the line
+about a foot in length. To each of these he attached one of the
+sharp-pointed little hooks and fastened them at intervals a couple of
+feet apart on the line. One hook he tied at the end of the line itself.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Oh, I see!&#8221; said Rob. &#8220;You mean to throw that outfit as though it were
+a fly.&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>John nodded. &#8220;If you can cast as light a thing as a little trout fly
+with this rod,&#8221; he said, &#8220;you ought to be able to cast these
+hooks&mdash;larger, not much heavier, and just about right to go straight.
+Anyhow, let&#8217;s go down and try.&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Good idea!&#8221; agreed Rob. And they all departed, the Aleut boy with them,
+to the lower reaches of the stream, where, as has been said, the salmon
+now more frequently resorted.</p>
+
+<p>As they stood on the bank above the big pool they looked down into it,
+and saw that the sea-tide run of the salmon had brought in the average
+number of fish. The whole interior of the pool, which otherwise would
+have had a dark-green appearance, seemed to be made up of melted silver
+layers, all in motion. There were hundreds of fish moving about, up and
+down, and round and round, hesitating about following up the thread of
+the fresh water, and not wanting to go back to the salt water, which lay
+behind them. </p>
+
+<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_174" id="Page_174">[Pg 174]</a></span></p><p>&#8220;My gracious, there&#8217;s about a million in there!&#8221; exclaimed John, peering
+over the edge.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Yes, but Skookie couldn&#8217;t get any with the snag-pole now,&#8221; said Rob.
+&#8220;They&#8217;re getting wise and stay too far out. I shouldn&#8217;t wonder if your
+idea was a good one, if only that rod were stronger.&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>Rob rubbed his chin meditatively. &#8220;You are welcome to try first. I don&#8217;t
+want to break that rod, and I know what will happen if you hook on to a
+big fish with it.&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>John set his lips in determination, none the less, and stepped down to
+the edge of the pool. Slowly the interior mass of silver seemed to grow
+fainter. The fish saw him, and moved gently away to the opposite side of
+the pool. Presently, however, they could see the shining mass edge back
+again to the centre of the pool, where the deeper water was over the
+gravel.</p>
+
+<p>John began to cast the hooks back and forward above his head, as every
+fisherman does in casting a fly. Little by little he lengthened the
+line, still keeping it in the air, until he saw he had out enough to
+reach well across the pool. Then, gently as he could, he dropped the
+line and its gang of hooks on the surface of the water. The hooks, being
+small, were not heavy enough to sink the <span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_175" id="Page_175">[Pg 175]</a></span>line directly. John waited and
+allowed it to settle until the hooks were flat on the bottom on the
+farther side of the pool. He looked down on the water and saw the
+silvery mass divided in two sections, as though the line had cut it. The
+keen eyes of the fish, heedless as they usually are in the spring run,
+had now grown more suspicious, and they settled apart as the line came
+across them, visible against the sky as they looked up from below.</p>
+
+<p>John made no motion for a time; but at last, as the fish began to settle
+back, he gently raised the tip of the rod, and began to work the hooks
+toward him across the pool in short, steady jerks. At first the line was
+too low to pass near the main body of the fish, but as it shortened the
+hooks began to travel up through the depth of the pool. Then, all at
+once&mdash;he never knew how, exactly&mdash;something startling happened. There
+was a sudden breaking of the surface of the pool into a shower of spray,
+and with a mad rush a big salmon twelve or fifteen pounds in weight
+nearly jumped into his face as he stood at the edge of the water.</p>
+
+<p>Frightened, he dropped the tip of the rod, and every boy present gave an
+exclamation of surprise. The words were not out of their mouths before,
+suddenly, the water on the far side of the <span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_176" id="Page_176">[Pg 176]</a></span>pool was broken and the spot
+at John&#8217;s feet was vacant. The fish, swift as lightning, had tumbled
+back after its leap across the pool and gone up on the other side in an
+attempt to escape the hooks, one of which, by chance, had fastened in
+the lower jaw. Therefore, as the fish could keep its mouth closed, it
+was ready for as fair a fight as though it had taken the fly, although
+little can be said in praise of foul-hooking a fish under any
+circumstances save those such as now existed, for these boys were in
+need of food.</p>
+
+<p>John had caught trout before, and had seen many a good fish handled on a
+fly-rod. After the first rush or two of the fish he gathered in the line
+rapidly with his left hand and put a strain on the rod. The salmon at
+first did not attempt to repeat its earlier mad rushes, but in fright
+began to circle the pool, scattering all the other fish into a series of
+silver splashes as they spread this way and that.</p>
+
+<p>Having got in touch with the fish, and finding that the hook still held,
+John now reeled in all the slack and settled down to a workman-like
+fighting of the fish, the others standing near him and volunteering
+suggestions now and then, of course.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;The tide&#8217;s coming in all the time,&#8221; said John. <span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_177" id="Page_177">[Pg 177]</a></span>&#8220;If this fish ever
+leaves the pool and starts across on the flats, I don&#8217;t see what I&#8217;m
+going to do, because the creek&#8217;s too deep to wade now.&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>The salmon, however, obligingly kept to the pool, once in a while making
+a mad leap into the air and shaking himself. Skookie, without advice
+from any one, stationed himself at the foot of the pool, and whenever
+the fish headed that way, he tossed a stone in front, heading it back
+and keeping it from running out toward the sea. Finally he motioned
+Jesse to take up this work, and without removing any of his scanty
+clothing, or asking advice from any one, walked up above the place where
+John was standing and deliberately plunged into the creek and swam
+across, taking up a position on the opposite side of the pool, where the
+tide-water was beginning to spread out into the flats. Thus the boys had
+the pool surrounded, and whenever the fish started one way in dangerous
+fashion, a stone thrown in front of him would usually turn him. All John
+had to do was to keep the strain of the rod on his fish and to see that
+he had plenty of line on the reel.</p>
+
+<p>They fought the old fellow in this way for more than half an hour, until
+John&#8217;s arms fairly ached from the strain of the rod&mdash;a sturdy split
+bamboo of the best American make, which well withstood <span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_178" id="Page_178">[Pg 178]</a></span>the skilful use
+it now was receiving. There is no need to break a fly-rod when the reel
+is full of line, and the strain can be eased to suit the rushes of the
+fish.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Well, I don&#8217;t see that we are much closer to our salmon than we were
+when we began,&#8221; said Rob, at last. &#8220;It&#8217;s good fun, but a slow way of
+getting salmon. Can&#8217;t you pull him in on the line?&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>John shook his head. &#8220;I&#8217;m afraid it would break,&#8221; said he. &#8220;Never you
+mind. We&#8217;ll get Mr. Salmon before we&#8217;re through. I can handle him all
+right, I&#8217;m pretty sure.&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>He came near speaking too early, however, for now, with some impulse of
+its own nature, the salmon concluded it had had enough of this sort of
+thing and decided to go back to sea. With a long, straight rush it
+headed for the bottom of the pool. Rob and Jesse began to cast in rocks,
+but in spite of all their splashing the fish kept on taking out yard
+after yard of John&#8217;s line. At last John, still using all the strain the
+rod would stand, was obliged to follow on shore. The fish turned the
+corner of the pool and entered the narrow gut in the rocks which led out
+to the sea, where the creek entered it over a wide flat of shingle. John
+was able to keep his feet in the <span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_179" id="Page_179">[Pg 179]</a></span>hurried rush along shore, and he kept
+touch with the fish all through the narrows and until it had reached the
+shallows, where the flats were now covered two or three feet deep with
+the advancing tide. Here the last inch of his line was exhausted, and he
+himself, desperate in his anxiety to keep his fish and to save his rod,
+followed until he was waist deep in the sea. The salmon did not swerve,
+but headed straight for some distant haunt which perhaps it remembered
+as existing out there in the ocean.</p>
+
+<p>At length John could go no farther with safety, and in desperation gave
+the fish the butt, as an angler says. The rod bent up into a splendid
+arch, all its strength being now pitted against the power of the
+swimming fish.</p>
+
+<p>The latter, somewhat tired by its long flight, felt this added
+resistance of the rod, and unable to gain any more line, since there was
+no more to gain, and to ease itself of the strain, flung itself high
+into the air just as the last limit of the rod was reached. Down it came
+with a splash, but this time apparently confused; for as it fell on the
+water and chanced to head up-stream, it started directly back over the
+course it had come. The long slack of the line could not be recovered
+fast enough to follow it, but the hook <span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_180" id="Page_180">[Pg 180]</a></span>held. A moment later the fish
+was back in the pool, the line back on the reel, and John, perspiring
+and flushed, was still master of the situation.</p>
+
+<p>After that matters were simpler. The fish was more tired, and its leaps
+into the air were shorter and more feeble.</p>
+
+<p>Without advice from any one, Skookie now ran out into the grass and
+found his long salmon gaff. Wading at the edge of the pool, he made one
+or two ineffectual attempts to gaff the salmon; then flinging the pole
+across the creek to the others, again he plunged in, swam across, and
+took up his stand near John, who by this time had shortened the line and
+was fighting the fish close in.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Now we&#8217;ll get him!&#8221; cried Rob. &#8220;Go slow there, John. Don&#8217;t let him
+break away. He&#8217;s headed in now. Just lead him in. There!&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>With a swift, sure movement the Aleut boy had gaffed the salmon, and an
+instant later it was flapping high and dry at the top of the bank. It
+seemed to them this was a better fish than any they had taken directly
+with the snagging-pole, although, as a matter of fact, it was the latter
+implement, after all, which had landed the fish.</p>
+
+<p>John sat down on the shingle, tired after the long fight. He patted the
+rod affectionately. </p>
+
+<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_181" id="Page_181">[Pg 181]</a></span></p><p>&#8220;Talk about fun!&#8221; said he; &#8220;this is the <i>only</i> way to catch fish.&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>Indeed, this proved much to be the truth within the next few days, for
+the salmon became so wary as to make it hard to reach them by anything
+but a long line. Sometimes it would be an hour before they could
+foul-hook a fish, but in this way they got a number of salmon&mdash;some of
+them fastened around the head, one or two, strangely enough, directly in
+the mouth, and several directly under the back fin. Again a fish might
+be hooked close to the end of the tail, and in such cases it was almost
+impossible to land it for a long time. But with skill and care the
+fly-rod, devoted to this somewhat crude form of sport, held its own, and
+much more than paid for itself in actual food, not to mention the added
+sport. </p>
+
+<hr class="large" /><p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_182" id="Page_182">[Pg 182]</a></span></p>
+<h2><a name="XXIII" id="XXIII"></a>XXIII</h2>
+
+<h3>AMONG THE EAGLES</h3>
+
+<p class="n"><span style="float:left;font-size:40px;line-height:25px;padding-top:2px;padding-bottom:1px;">T</span>he routine of camp life, where one is obliged to do all the cooking and
+other work, besides providing food, is ordinarily enough to keep the
+camper pretty busy. The boys usually found enough to do with their
+hunting, fishing, cooking, and other work, but sometimes in these long
+Alaska days, where for almost twenty-four hours the sun shone and the
+darkest night was scarcely more than an hour or so of twilight, they
+found time to wander around their island in exploring expeditions.</p>
+
+<p>At times they climbed one peak or another almost to the top, but from
+the loftiest eminences they attained they could see nothing of the
+interior of the island except more and more sharp and rugged peaks
+thrusting themselves up&mdash;a mountain region which, indeed, is little
+known by any white man, or even by the natives, who rarely go far
+inland. </p>
+
+<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_183" id="Page_183">[Pg 183]</a></span></p><p>A customary journey for them was along one or the other of the river
+valleys which came down to their bay, the mouths of which they could
+reach in calm weather easily by a short journey in the dory. Their
+favorite valley was that running back from what they called &#8220;Gull
+Rocks.&#8221; It was traversed by a good salmon river and was much frequented
+by wild animals. As it chanced, they did not run across any more bear,
+although continually here and elsewhere they saw signs where these great
+animals had done their work in salmon-fishing&mdash;heaps of bones where
+scores of fish had been partially stripped of their flesh.</p>
+
+<p>On one particular day, as the young adventurers passed up this valley on
+an all-day tramp, they found the salmon heaps especially abundant, and
+observed that the numbers of crows and eagles were more than usually
+great.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;I think it&#8217;s a new run of fish coming in,&#8221; said Rob. &#8220;Probably the
+&#8216;humpies&#8217; are beginning to run. They&#8217;re bigger than the red salmon,
+which we&#8217;ve been having so far. They&#8217;re better to eat, too; even the
+bears know that. We&#8217;d better look out or we may run across more bear in
+here than we want. See here where this big fellow was eating last night.
+I suppose he has gone back into the mountains somewhere by now. <span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_184" id="Page_184">[Pg 184]</a></span>And
+here is where some foxes have come down and eaten what the bears left;
+and the crows are waiting to eat what the foxes left. And look there, at
+that fish-eagle! Old Mr. Osprey is working for his breakfast now.&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>He pointed to a large, grayish bird which was circling above them, its
+neck bent down as it peered intently at the surface of the stream below.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Watch him!&#8221; said Jesse. &#8220;There!&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>All at once the osprey, which had been uttering a low sort of whistle,
+folded its wings and darted down, swift as a flash, at an angle of about
+forty-five degrees. With a resounding smack, and in a cloud of white
+spray, it disappeared from view beneath the surface of the water; but
+instantly, with a vast flapping, it rose and fought to get wing-hold on
+the air. Taking flight only with the utmost effort, the boys saw that it
+held in its talons a big salmon whose weight was all it could manage to
+bear away.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Well, what do you think of that?&#8221; said Jesse. &#8220;Didn&#8217;t he do it easy? I
+should think he would break his back, hitting the water that hard.&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Yes,&#8221; commented John; &#8220;if a fellow dives from a place ten feet high
+it&#8217;s fall enough for him; but this fish-hawk came from two or three
+<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_185" id="Page_185">[Pg 185]</a></span>hundred feet up in the air. They must be put together pretty strong or
+they&#8217;d smash themselves. Look at him go!&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>Uttering now its shrill whistle, the osprey rose higher and higher in a
+wide circle, endeavoring to carry off its prize. Something seemed to
+agitate the bird, and a moment later the boys saw what this was. High up
+above, in still larger circles, was a larger bird&mdash;a male bald eagle,
+which now drew into position directly above the osprey.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Now watch, and you will see some fun,&#8221; said Rob. &#8220;No wonder Mr. Osprey
+is mad; he&#8217;s going to lose his fish&mdash;that&#8217;s what&#8217;s going to happen to
+him. Watch that eagle!&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>The two birds kept their relative positions&mdash;the osprey, either angry or
+frightened, still struggling to get away with its prey; the eagle,
+easily circling above it, itself now and then uttering a shrill cry&mdash;a
+scream-like whistle that could be heard at a great distance.</p>
+
+<p>At last the osprey gave up the struggle and attempted to escape. With
+difficulty it detached one foot from the fish, which now fell down at
+full length and disarranged the osprey&#8217;s flight. Finally it succeeded in
+shaking the talons of the other foot free. The osprey made a swift side
+<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_186" id="Page_186">[Pg 186]</a></span>dash and left the salmon to fall, at a height of, perhaps, one hundred
+and fifty feet or so.</p>
+
+<p>The eagle, which seemed to be twice that high above the ground, now
+performed a feat which the boys could never understand. They did not see
+how he could fall much faster than the fish; yet before their eyes they
+saw the great bird half fold its wings and dart down swift as a flash.
+Before the salmon had struck the ground the eagle struck it, fair, with
+both feet, and, never touching the earth itself, swung in a wide, low
+circle, itself master by robbery of the prize which the labor of the
+fish-hawk had won.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Look at that old thief!&#8221; said Rob. &#8220;It&#8217;s a funny thing to me that an
+eagle can&#8217;t very often catch fish for himself, plentiful as they are
+here. Yet you&#8217;ll notice that if an eagle is on a tree directly over the
+salmon he can&#8217;t start quick enough to catch a fish&mdash;it&#8217;ll always swim
+away from him. They catch some in shallow water, but they don&#8217;t seem to
+be very good fishermen after all. A bald-headed eagle would rather steal
+a fish from an osprey than to catch one for himself, and we&#8217;ve just seen
+how it&#8217;s done. Watch the old thief!&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>The eagle, apparently contented with his morning&#8217;s work, leisurely rose
+and flapped on his way <span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_187" id="Page_187">[Pg 187]</a></span>toward a clump of small cotton-woods. At the
+summit of a small tree he perched, holding the fish under his feet and
+uttering now some short, shrill cries, which the boys could hear
+answered from the heap of brush which they saw was the nest prepared by
+these birds. There were scores of these rude nests scattered along the
+timber flats.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Let&#8217;s go and see what they do now,&#8221; suggested Rob.</p>
+
+<p>As they approached they saw the male bird clumsily flap down to the
+nest, where it dropped the fish. The hen eagle fell upon it with short,
+savage screams and began to tear it apart. They also saw, now and again
+bobbing above the rim of the nest, the heads of two young eagles.</p>
+
+<p>Rob cast a critical look at the trunk of the tree. &#8220;I can climb that
+tree,&#8221; said he, at last, &#8220;and I have a mind to turn the tables on that
+old thief up there.&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>He pointed to the male eagle, which was now flapping in short circles
+above the top of the tree, uttering hoarse cries of anger.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;You&#8217;d better look out,&#8221; said John; &#8220;old Mother Eagle will pick your
+eyes out if you&#8217;re not careful.&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;I&#8217;m not so sure about that,&#8221; said Rob; &#8220;but <span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_188" id="Page_188">[Pg 188]</a></span>I&#8217;ll take care. Anyhow,
+here goes!&#8221; So saying, he threw off his coat and began to ascend the
+tree, a feat which grew easier as he reached the wide-spreading limbs.
+In a few minutes he stood almost under the nest. Here he kept his left
+arm in front of his face and made feints with a piece of branch at the
+mother eagle, which indeed came dangerously close to him. The boys below
+began to flop their arms and throw up their coats. At length both of the
+parent birds, contrary to what might be believed or may have been
+written regarding them, turned tail like cowards and abandoned their
+young to their fate. They perched on trees a hundred yards or so
+distant, and watched to see what would go forward. Rob worked his way on
+up the tree and peered curiously over the edge of the wretched
+brush-heap which served as the nest. Here he saw two large, ungainly
+young birds, not yet able to fly, but able to spit, scratch, and flap
+their wings. Getting a good foothold on a supporting branch, Rob made
+several attempts to get hold of the young birds. Finally he succeeded in
+getting one by the neck, and with a jerk threw it out so that it fell
+flapping to the ground. Skookie would have killed it at once, but the
+others stopped him. A few moments later they were owners of both these
+birds, <span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_189" id="Page_189">[Pg 189]</a></span>and Rob had rejoined his companions at the foot of the tree.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;I&#8217;ll tell you what,&#8221; said he, as he wiped the perspiration from his
+face; &#8220;let&#8217;s see if we can&#8217;t make pets of these eagles. We nearly always
+have more than we can eat, and it&#8217;s the same sort of food these birds
+are used to; so why shouldn&#8217;t we tie them up and keep them around the
+hut? Maybe they&#8217;ll scare the crows and ravens away from our fish.&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;That&#8217;s a fine idea,&#8221; said John. &#8220;We&#8217;ll just try that. I had a couple of
+hawks once for pets. They ate a great lot, and they fought you, too, for
+a long while. My hawks used to lie on their backs and grab me by the
+hand every time I tried to feed them. I suppose these eagles will be
+worse yet.&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Anyhow, we&#8217;ll try them,&#8221; said Rob. &#8220;Let&#8217;s wrap them up in our coats and
+take them down to the boat.&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>This they did, and although the old eagles followed them for two or
+three miles, sometimes coming rather close, and frequently uttering
+their wild calls of anger, the boys had no trouble in making away with
+their young captives. The birds seemed rather stupid than otherwise, and
+were as ready to eat food from human hands as <span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_190" id="Page_190">[Pg 190]</a></span>from the talons of their
+parents. They did not really become tame, but, having learned their
+source of food, in a few days became so indifferent to human presence
+that they would only ruffle up their scanty crests and beat their wings
+a little when approached. They never allowed one to put a hand on their
+heads, and, indeed, were very far from being friendly. Their presence
+about the camp, however, did serve in part to mitigate the nuisance of
+crows and ravens, which continually hovered about, trying to steal from
+the scaffold where the boys kept their supplies of meat and fish. All
+boys like pets, and these found their strange captives interesting
+enough at least to help pass the time. </p>
+
+<hr class="large" /><p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_191" id="Page_191">[Pg 191]</a></span></p>
+<h2><a name="XXIV" id="XXIV"></a>XXIV</h2>
+
+<h3>AN ADVENTURE ON THE GULL ROCKS</h3>
+
+<p style="float: left; font-size: 100%; line-height: 80%; margin-top: 0;">&#8220;</p><p class="n"><span style="float:left;font-size:40px;line-height:25px;padding-top:2px;padding-bottom:1px;">I</span>&#8217;ll tell you, fellows,&#8221; began Rob, a day or so after they had brought
+home the young eagles&mdash;&#8220;I&#8217;ll tell you what we ought to do to-day after
+we have got the breakfast dishes done. Let&#8217;s make a trip over to the big
+rocks beyond, where we went with Jimmy that time. If the eggs are not
+all hatched, and if these birds keep on laying, as maybe they do, we
+might still get some fresh eggs.&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;That would be fine,&#8221; said John, &#8220;because I for one am getting just a
+little tired of salmon all the while. I&#8217;d give anything for a good piece
+of bread and butter.&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Or pie,&#8221; said Jesse, his mouth almost watering.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Now, there you go,&#8221; said Rob, &#8220;talking about things we can&#8217;t have. Why,
+I wouldn&#8217;t give a cent for a piece of pie myself&mdash;that is, not unless it
+was a piece of real cherry pie, with fresh cherries, <span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_192" id="Page_192">[Pg 192]</a></span>the kind we used
+to get&mdash;&#8221; All three boys looked at one another and broke out laughing.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Anyhow,&#8221; said John, &#8220;maybe we can make a sort of pie after the
+salmon-berries get ripe. At least we could if we had a little flour and
+lard and baking-powder and things&mdash;&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;And if we knew how,&#8221; added Jesse. &#8220;It seems to me the best thing we can
+do, the way things are, is to go egg-hunting as Rob suggests.&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>There was perhaps more wisdom in Rob&#8217;s plan than any one of the boys
+knew at first. He was old and wise enough to know that the best way to
+keep them all from homesickness was to be busy all the time. This
+discovery is not new among military men, or those who lead exploring
+parties, although it was one which Rob thought out for himself; so now
+he went on:</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;We&#8217;ll just take the dory,&#8221; he said, &#8220;and slip down the coast beyond the
+mouth of the creek, and so on beyond the rocks where Jimmy and we all
+went when we got the sea-parrot hides. There are rocks over there, tall
+needles with straight sides, that have got thousands of birds of all
+sorts on them.&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;What will we do with our eagles?&#8221; asked Jesse, hesitating.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;We can leave them plenty of food, and put a <span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_193" id="Page_193">[Pg 193]</a></span>few boards together so
+that they can get under in case the crows or ravens should attack them.
+They will get along all right, I am sure.&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;I&#8217;d like to go with Skookie in the bidarka,&#8221; said John, but Rob shook
+his head.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;No, you don&#8217;t,&#8221; he said, &#8220;you go in the dory with the rest of us. That
+boy is all right, but he might not be strong enough to handle a bidarka
+in a high sea; and up here we never can tell when the wind is going to
+come up.&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Suppose it did upset,&#8221; said John, sturdily. &#8220;I have been out of it,
+here in the lagoon.&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Yes, but that is different from getting upset out there in the middle
+of the bay. You know perfectly well that you could not get back in
+again; and swimming out there is something different from the lagoon,
+where the bank is right at hand all the time. I don&#8217;t even like to go
+very far out in the dory; but see, it is fair and calm just now. So
+hurry up and let&#8217;s get away. Get all the rope you can, too, fellows,
+because we may have to go down the face of the rock to get at the
+nests.&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;I have seen pictures of that,&#8221; said Jesse&mdash;&#8220;how the egg-gatherers go
+down in a rope handled by other men up above them on the rocks. Do you
+suppose that three of us could pull the other <span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_194" id="Page_194">[Pg 194]</a></span>fellow up and down?
+Skookie here looks pretty strong.&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;I don&#8217;t know,&#8221; said Rob, &#8220;but we&#8217;ll take the rope along and see how it
+works out.&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>Not long after they were safely off in the big dory, which, under two
+pairs of oars and with the wind favorable, astern, made very good time
+down the long spit at the mouth of the creek. Beyond that point they
+were obliged to take to the open bay, quite out of touch of land, for a
+distance of a mile and a half. This brought them to the foot of a small,
+rocky island, out of which arose two or three sharp, column-like groups
+of rocks which, as Rob had said, were literally covered with nesting
+birds.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;We&#8217;ll have to get around behind,&#8221; said Rob; &#8220;nobody could climb up on
+this side, that&#8217;s sure.&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>Scrambling over the loose rocks, left wet and slippery by the tide, they
+passed to the rear of these pillars, first having made fast the dory so
+that it could not be carried away. In the pools of sea-water they found
+many strange shells and several specimens of the squid, or cuttle-fish,
+upon which Skookie fell gleefully. He and his people are fond of this
+creature as an article of food; but its loathsome look turned the others
+against <span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_195" id="Page_195">[Pg 195]</a></span>it, so that with reluctance he was forced to throw them away
+again.</p>
+
+<p>At the back of the largest of these rock pinnacles they stood in
+hesitation for a moment, for the ascent seemed hard enough. At last,
+however, Rob found a sort of cleft or large crack, which seemed to lead
+up toward the top, and whose rough sides seemed to give foothold
+sufficient for a bold climber. &#8220;Here we go, fellows!&#8221; he said, and so
+started on up, hand over hand, the best he could. To their satisfaction,
+however, they found the going not so hard as it had looked from below.
+At the top, the sides of the cleft seemed to pinch together, so that in
+some places they were obliged to climb as a chimney-sweep does, their
+legs pressed across the open space; but as they were all out-of-door
+boys and well used to Alaska mountain work, they went ahead fearlessly
+and soon found themselves at the summit of the tower-like rock, whence
+they had a splendid view of the bay and the surrounding country.
+Startled by their presence, the sea-birds took wing in hundreds and
+thousands, soaring around them, flapping almost in their faces, and
+uttering wild, discordant cries. The boys fought these off as they began
+to explore the top of the rock. </p>
+
+<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_196" id="Page_196">[Pg 196]</a></span></p><p>&#8220;Mostly little gulls here,&#8221; said John, &#8220;and I never heard they were good
+to eat. I don&#8217;t like the look of these eggs, either. Looks as if we were
+too late for a real good egg season.&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Well,&#8221; said Rob, &#8220;anyhow, we have had a good climb and a good look over
+the country. Now, what I propose to do is to see what there is lower
+down on the face of the cliff. I&#8217;m sure there&#8217;s a lot of sea-parrots
+there, because I can see them flying in and out down below.&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Let me go down, Rob,&#8221; said John. &#8220;I&#8217;m lighter than you are.&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;No,&#8221; said Jesse, &#8220;I think I ought to go down, because I am even lighter
+than you, John, and Rob is stronger than either of us.&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;I&#8217;ll tell you how we&#8217;ll fix that,&#8221; said Rob. &#8220;We&#8217;ll tie the end of the
+rope around this big rock here; and I&#8217;ll pass the other end through my
+belt and pay it out as I climb down. I won&#8217;t need to put all my weight
+on the rope, but will just use it to steady me as I climb. If I have any
+trouble getting up, why, then you three fellows can see what you can do
+toward pulling. Don&#8217;t you let it slip, now. And if I shake the rope
+three times, then you begin to pull. You can signal me the same way if I
+get where you <span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_197" id="Page_197">[Pg 197]</a></span>can&#8217;t see me, or where you can&#8217;t hear me call for the
+noise the birds are making.&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>It was really a dangerous thing which Rob proposed to do, but boys do
+not always stop to figure about danger when there is something
+interesting ahead. Passing the rope through his belt as he had said, he
+kept hold of the free end with one hand, and so, picking his way from
+one projecting point to another, he began slowly to pass down the
+seaward face of the rock, which proved to be not so steep as it had
+seemed from below, although ridged here and there with sharp walls or
+cut banks, which crossed from almost one face of the pinnacle to the
+other.</p>
+
+<p>Rob&#8217;s daring was rewarded by the finding of countless numbers of nests
+of the sea-parrots, which were bored back straight into the face of the
+cleft. &#8220;Here they are, boys!&#8221; he called back, his voice being even by
+this time barely distinguishable amid the clamor of the gulls and other
+wild birds which continuously circled about.</p>
+
+<p>Rob thrust his arm into one of these holes in the cleft, and was lucky
+enough to catch a female parrot by the neck and to pull her out without
+any injury to himself. For a time he examined the bird, laughing at its
+awkward movements when he flung it on the rocks at last, uninjured.
+<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_198" id="Page_198">[Pg 198]</a></span>Then he edged on along the rock face, his foot on a sort of narrow
+shelf and his body guided by the supporting rope. &#8220;I can get a lot of
+them here!&#8221; he called up to his friends.</p>
+
+<p>A moment later he pushed his arm again into an aperture among these
+nests. At once he uttered a sudden, sharp cry and pulled out his arm.
+His finger had been bitten almost to the bone by the hornlike beak of
+one of the birds. The pain of this alone would have been bad enough, but
+now it caused a still more serious accident.</p>
+
+<p>As Rob shook his bleeding finger at his side, and half raised his left
+arm to fend off the rush of two or three angry wild birds, he suddenly
+slipped with one foot at the edge of the narrow shelf on which he stood,
+and before he could catch his balance or do more than tightly grasp the
+free end of the rope which passed under his belt, over and down he went.</p>
+
+<p>For one swift instant he saw the long, white, curling breakers on the
+beach below him, for he fell face downward, his body or feet scarcely
+touching the rocky wall. He never knew quite how it happened, but in
+some way the rope jammed at his belt, and before he had fallen more than
+fifteen or twenty feet he found himself fast, but swinging like a
+plummet at the end of the <span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_199" id="Page_199">[Pg 199]</a></span>line, entirely out of touch, with either
+hands or feet, with the face of the rocky wall. Below him he could
+faintly hear the murmur of the sea on the rocks a hundred and fifty feet
+below. Above him he could see nothing but the edge of the shelf over
+which he had fallen. As soon as he could control himself, he called
+aloud again and again, but he got no answer. If his friends above heard
+him, their answer was drowned by the clamor of the wild birds. Here,
+then, was the most serious situation in which he had ever found himself
+in all his life.</p>
+
+<p>Up above, on the summit of the rock, the boys had seen the sudden jerk
+on the rope and noticed that now it was motionless, whereas before it
+had trembled and shifted as Rob moved along the shelf. Skookie was the
+first to divine what had happened. He pointed to the cord, now tense and
+stiff, and leaned out over the rim, peering down at the shelf where Rob
+had stood.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Him gone!&#8221; said he, turning back a sober face. &#8220;Pretty soon him die
+now, I guess.&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>Jesse and John looked at each other with white faces. They sprang to the
+rope, but hesitated, fearing lest touching it might prove dangerous.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Wait,&#8221; said Jesse. &#8220;Let&#8217;s look around first <span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_200" id="Page_200">[Pg 200]</a></span>and get our wits together.
+One thing is certain, he is down there at the end of this. If the rope
+was not fast to him it would be loose and we could pull it up. That
+means that he is alive yet, anyhow, I am sure.&#8221; He leaned far out over
+the rim of the summit, and between his hollowed hands called down:
+&#8220;Don&#8217;t be afraid, Rob! We&#8217;ll pull you up pretty soon!&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>Dangling far down at the end of the rope, Rob at first grew faint and
+dizzy. He dared not look below him, but had presence of mind enough to
+keep his eyes fixed on the nearest part of the cap of the rocky wall, so
+that he was less dizzy, although he whirled round and about at the
+extremity of the rope, which it seemed to him would almost cut him in
+two. None the less he made the end all the more secure about his waist;
+then once in a while he would ease the strain by lifting a little with a
+hand above his head. He shifted the rope until the noose came closer
+under his arms, realizing that he must not exhaust his strength in
+trying to raise his weight hand over hand. Thus, after the first few
+minutes of fright and after he had dared to open his eyes and take stock
+of the dangerous plight in which he found himself, he began calmly to
+reason, as very often one will who finds himself in imminent peril, the
+<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_201" id="Page_201">[Pg 201]</a></span>situation being too serious to allow him time for fright.</p>
+
+<p>Skookie sat down apathetically on the rocks and made no move. &#8220;Get up
+there, Skookie!&#8221; said Jesse. &#8220;Why do you act like a dummy? Nobody is
+dead yet. We&#8217;re going to haul him up; don&#8217;t you see? Now get hold of the
+rope&mdash;all of us; now, all together!&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>They lifted as hard as they could, but, do their best, they could gain
+almost nothing on the rope. Little as that was, Rob felt it down below
+and knew that they were trying to save him.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Now what shall we do?&#8221; John asked Jesse, in distress. &#8220;If we can&#8217;t pull
+him up&mdash;and maybe we&#8217;d cut the rope on the rocks trying to do that&mdash;why,
+then, how is he going to get out of that?&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>Skookie, seeing that they had but little success in lifting the heavy
+weight at the other end of the rope, now, without any orders, tried a
+plan of his own. Passing along the edge of the rim of rock off to the
+right, he found a place where he could descend for at least a short
+distance. He disappeared below, but presently came back, his face
+lighted up with the first sign of hope it had shown.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Dis way!&#8221; he said; &#8220;dis way!&#8221; and made <span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_202" id="Page_202">[Pg 202]</a></span>motions that they should pull
+on the rope and shift it to the right as far as they were able. The
+young native&#8217;s sharp eyes had seen that if Rob could get to a place a
+little farther at one side than where he hung, he could get his feet
+against the rock, and so, perhaps, help himself more than otherwise
+would be possible.</p>
+
+<p>A little consultation followed at the top of the rock, then inch by inch
+the boys edged the rope along. Rob found himself, without any effort of
+his own, gradually approaching the face of the rock. At last he could
+kick it; and so he helped himself, pendulum fashion, until finally he
+got a hand on a rocky point, and so could rest his weight on the rough
+surface. To him even this vantage-ground seemed as if it were actual
+safety, so much better was it than swinging helpless like a fly on a
+cord. When his weight was taken from the rope those above at first
+thought that he had fallen to the foot of the cliff; but now he gave the
+signal of three short jerks, and they saw that he must have reached some
+place where he could support his weight. At this they broke out into a
+shout of joy.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Now, what will we do?&#8221; asked Jesse, thoughtfully. &#8220;We won&#8217;t pull up
+until he signals us again, I guess. Maybe he will try to come up
+<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_203" id="Page_203">[Pg 203]</a></span>himself, steadying himself by the rope, the way he went down. I wish we
+could see where he is.&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>This chance counsel of Jesse&#8217;s was precisely the best thing that could
+have happened, for Rob had now determined to help himself by climbing up
+the rope hand over hand in the attempt to reach the ledge from which he
+had fallen. How he was going to get over the edge he could not clearly
+see, but he was now convinced that the friction on the rope was such
+that his friends could not haul him up, and that if he were saved he
+must save himself by getting above that projecting edge.</p>
+
+<p>Slowly he began to feel his way up the rock, supporting his weight as
+much as possible without the use of the rope, until, half leaning
+against the rock and half pulling on the rope, which was now shifted to
+a point directly above his head, he reached a place where he could no
+longer keep in touch with the rocky face. Then bravely, as should any
+one who finds himself in such straits, he swung out and rapidly began to
+climb up the rope, hand over hand, sailor fashion.</p>
+
+<p>He reached the edge of the rock, and perhaps might have been able in
+some way to get above it without injury, although, on the other hand, he
+might never have been able to get across <span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_204" id="Page_204">[Pg 204]</a></span>unaided. What happened was
+that the boys up above, seeing the rope again agitated and not certain
+what their best course now might be, laid hold of it and began to pull
+as hard as they could. The result was that Rob&#8217;s left hand, just as he
+reached the rim of rock, was caught under the rope. He flung his other
+hand around the corner, caught the rope, and scrambled up on one knee
+just as the strong heave from above tore the rope almost through his
+fingers, cutting them open as they lay against the rocks.</p>
+
+<p>The pain was intense, but he hardly minded that, for he saw now that he
+was again in safety. From there on up the face of the rock he scrambled
+on hands and knees, slipping and falling, but still going up, assisted
+by the steady pull, hand over hand, of his friends, who now saw what had
+happened, and who encouraged him with their shouts. So, none of them
+knew just how, presently he found himself at the summit once more, the
+others about him, all talking at once.</p>
+
+<p>Rob held up his mangled hand, from which the blood was now flowing
+freely. The wounds to his fingers were really serious, but he bore the
+pain as bravely as he could, although his face was white.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Anyhow, I got back,&#8221; said he, shaking the <span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_205" id="Page_205">[Pg 205]</a></span>blood from his hand. &#8220;I
+think the best thing we can do now is to start on home. I ought to do
+something for this hand as soon as possible.&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>They were all pale and very much frightened. All at once Rob began to
+tremble, his hands and legs shaking uncontrollably. The nervous strain
+having now relaxed, the full shock of terror and pain set in, as often
+is seen in the cases of grown men similarly situated. It was some time
+before he recovered sufficiently to be able to risk the dangerous climb
+down the cliff on the inner side of the pinnacle. At last, however, they
+found themselves again safely in the dory, where, of course, his
+companions would not allow him to think of rowing. Progress against the
+wind and sea they found now much slower, and it was almost an hour
+before they reached the mouth of the creek, where Rob could land on the
+beach and so walk up toward the hut. By that time his hand was badly
+swollen and giving him intense pain.</p>
+
+<p>The boys did not attempt to take the dory around to the landing opposite
+to the hut, but left it moored at the creek mouth. They did not talk a
+great deal as they returned to the barabbara at the close of their
+disastrous day. The pain which Rob suffered gave them all concern. <span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_206" id="Page_206">[Pg 206]</a></span>It
+was Skookie once more who proved himself resourceful. Without asking
+leave of any one, he crossed the lagoon on the stepping-stones and
+disappeared in the thicket beyond. A few minutes later he appeared with
+his hands full of coarse green leaves with slender, lance-shaped tips,
+the name of which none of the boys ever knew.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;<i>Karosha</i>,&#8221; he said&mdash;&#8220;all right, all right,&#8221; and so proceeded to bind
+these on Rob&#8217;s wounded fingers. Having wrapped them in a number of the
+leaves, he led Rob to the edge of the creek, and here made up a big ball
+of mud, which he plastered over the entire hand.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Now I am a pretty sight,&#8221; said Rob. &#8220;I was going to wash my hands, but
+maybe this will do. I have heard that natives sometimes know a thing or
+two about taking care of such things.&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>The native lad&#8217;s knowledge of simples proved more efficient than any of
+them had dreamed. In the course of half an hour Rob&#8217;s face brightened.
+&#8220;Why,&#8221; said he, &#8220;I don&#8217;t believe it hurts so badly now. Skookie, you are
+a great little doctor.&#8221; And, indeed, that night he slept as soundly as
+any, although they all spent less time than usual that evening in talk
+about the doings of the day. </p>
+
+<hr class="large" /><p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_207" id="Page_207">[Pg 207]</a></span></p>
+<h2><a name="XXV" id="XXV"></a>XXV</h2>
+
+<h3>CRIPPLES&#8217; CASTLE</h3>
+
+<p style="float: left; font-size: 100%; line-height: 80%; margin-top: 0;">&#8220;</p><p class="n"><span style="float:left;font-size:40px;line-height:25px;padding-top:2px;padding-bottom:1px;">W</span>ell,&#8221; said Jesse, just before noon of the following day, as he stooped
+to enter the door of the barabbara, &#8220;accidents never come singly.&#8221; His
+face was drawn with pain, as Rob, to whom he spoke, noticed.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;What&#8217;s up, Jess?&#8221; asked Rob. &#8220;Has anything happened?&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;I struck my foot against an old nail or something of the sort,&#8221;
+answered Jesse. &#8220;A piece of an old <i>klipsie</i> was lying out in the grass,
+and it has cut through my shoe and gone into my foot.&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>Rob sat up on the blanket where he had been nursing his own crippled
+hand. &#8220;An old nail!&#8221; he said. &#8220;Lucky if it wasn&#8217;t worse! No telling what
+the point of it might do toward poisoning the wound. I&#8217;ll tell you right
+now that I don&#8217;t want even any rusty nails around my feet, let alone the
+irons of an old fox trap.&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;I&#8217;ve heard of such things as lockjaw,&#8221; said <span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_208" id="Page_208">[Pg 208]</a></span>Jesse. &#8220;There was a boy in
+our town had it, and he was just walking along and struck his foot
+against an old nail in a shingle.&#8221; His face seemed grave.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Now, don&#8217;t go to talking about that,&#8221; said Rob. &#8220;When a fellow gets
+scared of anything is when he catches it. They say that if a man goes to
+Africa and expects to come down with a fever he always does, and if he
+doesn&#8217;t think anything about it he probably gets along all right. Now,
+let&#8217;s have a look at your foot. Take off your shoe; and put the kettle
+on the fire, so that we can get some warm water. The first thing always
+is to keep a cut clean; and I have read, too, that where there is any
+rusty nail or toy pistol around the best thing is to keep a wound open.&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;That doesn&#8217;t seem to be the way you are treating your fingers,&#8221; said
+Jesse, looking at the cloth in which Rob still kept a big poultice of
+black mud.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Well, a poultice draws poison out of a wound, you see,&#8221; said Rob, &#8220;and
+mud is good for that. We had a pointer dog once, and he came home with
+his face all swelled up, and my father said he had been bitten by a
+snake. We didn&#8217;t know what to do, but the dog did; he wouldn&#8217;t let any
+one touch him, but went off to a slough back of the <span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_209" id="Page_209">[Pg 209]</a></span>house and lay down
+in the mud, and he kept his head in the mud for two or three days. He
+got well all right. Your foot cannot be any worse than if you had been
+snake-bitten, surely, and you and I ought to have as much sense as the
+dog. My hand does not hurt now, and I&#8217;ll warrant Skookie and I will fix
+up your foot in a jiffy.&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>He put his head out of the door and called for John and Skookie, both of
+whom presently came, the latter soon returning with a double handful of
+mud, for which Rob had asked. Meantime they had taken off Jesse&#8217;s shoe
+and stocking, cleaned the wound, and Rob had cut it open even a little
+wider with his knife&mdash;at which Jesse made a wry face.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;I hate to do it, Jess,&#8221; said Rob, &#8220;but that is what I read doctors do
+in a case like this. Now for a good poultice. You will be all right in a
+day or so.&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>In truth, they very probably did the very best that could be done in
+such circumstances. There might have been serious trouble from a wound
+from an old <i>klipsie</i> barb. Surgeons have died from poison received from
+knives used in post-mortem work. Lockjaw might very well follow upon a
+wound from a piece of dirty iron of this kind; but, luckily, the germ of
+that disease <span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_210" id="Page_210">[Pg 210]</a></span>seemed not to exist in this case; at least the treatment
+which Rob applied proved quite effective and no evil results followed.
+Although Jesse limped for a time, in a few days he became quite well,
+and the swelling in the foot amounted to very little.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;But now,&#8221; said John one morning, as the three of them sat by the
+fireside in the barabbara, &#8220;we are a fine-looking lot, aren&#8217;t we? Just
+look at us&mdash;every one of us has got something the matter with him!&#8221; They
+all took a glance and broke out in a loud laugh together, in which
+Skookie joined uproariously. As a matter of fact, each one of them was
+wearing a bandage. Rob had his hand done up, Jesse&#8217;s foot was encased in
+a mud plaster, and John still wore his handkerchief tied over his nose,
+whose tip he had nearly severed in his attempt at eating after the Aleut
+fashion.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Well,&#8221; said Rob, &#8220;it&#8217;s lucky that none of us is hurt bad enough to
+cripple him seriously, anyway; although I guess Skookie will have to do
+most of the work of getting wood and water for a day or so yet.&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;There&#8217;s no reason why I could not carry wood and water,&#8221; said John. &#8220;My
+nose is not in the road.&#8221; </p>
+
+<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_211" id="Page_211">[Pg 211]</a></span></p><p>&#8220;I shouldn&#8217;t say it was,&#8221; said Jesse. &#8220;It never was long enough to get
+in the road, John, and it seems as though you had tried your best to
+shorten it as it was.&#8221; They never tired of laughing at John for his
+clumsiness in Aleut table manners.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Now, see here, Jess,&#8221; said John, &#8220;if you keep on making fun of my nose
+I won&#8217;t give you any more mud for your old foot. I&#8217;m the only one that
+is not taking the mud cure excepting Skookie. I might just advise you
+two that about all our salt whale meat is gone, and it is too late now
+to get any more. It is about time we did some fishing, it seems to me.&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Well, I don&#8217;t want to sit around this way all the time,&#8221; said Jesse. &#8220;I
+am for going out in the dory and trying for some fresh codfish. I&#8217;m
+rather tired of salmon again.&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;That&#8217;s right,&#8221; said Rob. &#8220;I was just going to say the same thing. Back
+home we used to like salmon better than codfish, because the codfish was
+always salt. Salmon used to be forty cents a pound back in the States,
+but out here, where we can catch forty pounds in an hour, we don&#8217;t like
+it as well as codfish. All right, Jess, I&#8217;m game to go down to the mouth
+of the creek where we left the dory, and go out in the bay for <span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_212" id="Page_212">[Pg 212]</a></span>a try
+after cod. But how will you get down there with your foot all tied up?&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>Jesse put his hand on Skookie&#8217;s shoulder. &#8220;Oh, that will be easy,&#8221; said
+he. &#8220;Skookie and I will go down the creek in the bidarka.&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>They agreed to this plan, and Jesse, hobbling out to the edge of the
+lagoon, picked up one of the bidarka&#8217;s paddles&mdash;a narrow-bladed, pointed
+implement such as the Aleuts always use&mdash;rested the end of the paddle on
+the bottom on the other side of the bidarka, and, steadying himself by
+this means, slipped into place in the front hatch of the boat, just as
+one would step into a tottery birch-bark, although not even the latter
+can be more ticklish than one of these skin-covered native boats.
+Skookie was less particular, but, with the confidence born of long
+experience, took a running jump as he pushed off the bidarka and
+scrambled into the rear hatch. An instant later his own paddle was in
+motion, and Jesse and he made good speed down the creek. All the boys
+had by this time learned something about the use of the bidarka, and
+could handle themselves fairly well without swinging the craft from side
+to side as they paddled. Jesse always thought that the paddles were too
+small, but the only answer <span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_213" id="Page_213">[Pg 213]</a></span>Skookie made to this criticism was, &#8220;My
+peoples long time make paddles dis way.&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>The four met at the mouth of the creek, and soon they launched the
+faithful dory, in which they always kept their cod-lines on the
+hand-reels under the stern seat. Skookie took command of the expedition,
+for he seemed to know instinctively where the best fish could be found.
+Under his instruction he and John paddled the boat out fifty fathoms or
+so from the extreme beach point, where he motioned John to take up his
+hand-line while he held the boat in place. &#8220;Plenty deep waters here,&#8221; he
+said; &#8220;plenty dose codfish.&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Sure!&#8221; said John. &#8220;Here&#8217;s right where Jimmy took us the first time.&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>The boys threw over their lines, letting the heavy leads of the big
+hooks sink into more than one hundred feet of water. They had not long
+to wait, for the codfish seemed to be extremely numerous hereabout. John
+gave a sudden jerk and began to pull in rapidly, hand over hand. After a
+time they could see the gleam of a ten-pound codfish coming up to the
+surface on the line, rolling and twisting lazily and making no great
+fight. With a whoop John threw him into the boat, where the fish seemed
+even too lazy to flap about very much. It was a fine, dark fish, <span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_214" id="Page_214">[Pg 214]</a></span>and
+Skookie gave it his professional approval as he rapped it over the head.
+Hardly had John gotten his fish into the boat before Jesse also began to
+pull in and added a second prize. Rob was fishing on the opposite side
+of the boat, and using a sort of squid with lead run around the hook,
+much like a bluefish squid. He was pulling the bait up and down with
+long jerks, as the native codfishers do, when all at once he felt
+something strike. &#8220;This fish seems mighty heavy,&#8221; said he, &#8220;and it runs
+around different from a cod.&#8221; None the less, he kept on pulling in line,
+and at length saw the gleam of a fish. &#8220;Humph!&#8221; said he, &#8220;no wonder it
+pulls hard! I&#8217;ve hooked it right square in the side. It pulls harder
+than a foul-hooked salmon, down that deep in the water. I wonder what it
+is?&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>It was a flat, shiny fish, handsome enough to look at, but Skookie shook
+his head. &#8220;Him no good,&#8221; said he, and at once threw it overboard.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;I think that is what the sailormen call a silver hake,&#8221; said Rob; &#8220;but
+if Skookie doesn&#8217;t approve of it, I guess we won&#8217;t take any chances.&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>The fish kept on biting at Rob&#8217;s peculiar lure and at the pieces of
+salmon which the other boys used as bait. In the course of an hour they
+had the bow end of the dory well piled up with codfish, <span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_215" id="Page_215">[Pg 215]</a></span>and Rob
+declared that they had enough. They also had nearly a dozen gnarled,
+knobby-looking fish, mostly all head, which Skookie insisted were better
+than codfish, to which they later all agreed. Sailors call these fish
+&#8220;sea-lawyers,&#8221; because of their wide mouths, as they explain it. They
+rowed in to the beach near the mouth of the creek and dressed their fish
+on the shore not far from the salmon pool. After this they lay about in
+the sunshine of a beautiful day and idled away an hour or two more.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;I&#8217;ll tell you what, fellows,&#8221; said John, after a time, as he stopped
+throwing pebbles into the pool, &#8220;we ought to have some sort of a camp
+down here at the mouth of the creek, too. Look over there at that rock
+face on the other side of the creek; that would be a fine place to build
+another house. I think it would be fun.&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;But look at us, all crippled up as we are,&#8221; said Rob. &#8220;We never were in
+as bad shape to go to work.&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Oh, well,&#8221; demurred Jesse, &#8220;we wouldn&#8217;t have to do it all in one day. I
+think, too, it would be some fun to build a barabbara all of our own.&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;I suppose we could float some logs down the creek,&#8221; said Rob, &#8220;and
+maybe pick up some drift-wood <span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_216" id="Page_216">[Pg 216]</a></span>on the beach and tow it around with the
+dory. And there&#8217;s some drift right here at the mouth of our creek. We
+could build it over there just back of those scrubby trees, and with the
+cover of those and the tall grass no one could see it from the water
+unless he looked mighty close. And, as John says, it might save us a
+walk once in a while.&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;If that wasn&#8217;t a rock wall over there,&#8221; said Jesse, &#8220;we could make a
+dugout; but there isn&#8217;t any cave or opening in the rock there.&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;No,&#8221; said Rob, &#8220;and we can&#8217;t build a bark house like a Chippewa, nor a
+mat house like a Siwash, nor a tepee like a Sioux. On the whole, I have
+noticed that every country knows how to build its own houses best. The
+natives here make barabbaras because they have material for that sort of
+house, and they seem to do pretty well, if they do smoke a little.&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Suppose we build a barabbara, then,&#8221; suggested Jesse.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Ask Skookie,&#8221; suggested Rob.</p>
+
+<p>But Skookie, although he knew perfectly well what they were talking
+about, did not grow very enthusiastic over the idea. He could see no use
+in doing any work which was not absolutely necessary. &#8220;S&#8217;pose got plenty
+barabbara now, all <span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_217" id="Page_217">[Pg 217]</a></span>light,&#8221; he said, pointing up the creek at their
+camp. The others, however, overruled him, and when he saw his companions
+at work he fell to as enthusiastically as any, and they found his
+suggestions of the greatest value.</p>
+
+<p>At first they marked out a place about twelve feet square or so on the
+ground, and cleared it of grass, rocks, and pebbles. To this they
+dragged some of the drift logs which they found near by, and so began a
+rough sort of foundation. They had no nails which they could spare and
+not even a hammer, but the axe they found very useful in shaping the
+ends of the logs so that they would stay in place. They drove stakes to
+hold the corners together better and to keep the walls from falling
+down; and between the logs they put in chinking of moss, grass, and mud.
+Even before the end of their first day they had quite a start on their
+new house, and were eager for the next day&#8217;s work, sore and crippled as
+they were.</p>
+
+<p>On the following day they made house-building their first order. By noon
+they had their side walls fairly well laid up with logs, which now gave
+them some trouble to hoist and to keep in place. They towed drift-wood
+now into the creek, having used up most of the material which lay close
+at hand. </p>
+
+<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_218" id="Page_218">[Pg 218]</a></span></p><p>The roof gave them the most trouble. They built their side walls about
+four feet high, but they did not know how to keep the roof from falling
+in. They did not wish to plant any poles in the centre of the barabbara,
+as that would take up too much room and would interfere with the
+fireplace. They had no means of joining or framing any timbers for the
+roof, and they did not know how to make an arch. At last Jesse hit upon
+an idea.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;I&#8217;ll tell you,&#8221; said he; &#8220;we&#8217;ll get some long poles and rest them on
+the top of the walls and plant the ends in the dirt and weight them down
+with rocks there. Then the other ends will stick in over the walls
+toward the centre, and will do for rafters for us to put our roof on.
+We&#8217;ll leave a hole in the centre where the rafters don&#8217;t meet. In that
+way we can have a roof without any posts in the middle of our house, so
+that the inside will all be clear room.&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>This crude idea of architecture appealed to the others and, indeed,
+proved rather effective, although it was different from the plan on
+which their old barabbara was built. They had some trouble in getting
+poles sufficiently long, but at last succeeded. On these they laid such
+flatter pieces as they could find in the drift-wood <span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_219" id="Page_219">[Pg 219]</a></span>wreckage, piecing
+out the roof with poles and covering it all with grass and moss. Over
+this they put yet other timbers, and stones, and finished all with a
+heavy cover of dirt. This labor occupied them all that day and nearly
+three days more, as neither Rob nor Jesse was in very good condition to
+do much work. At last, however, they saw their new barabbara completed.
+It could hardly be seen from the opposite side of the creek, and any one
+passing the mouth of the creek on the bay would never have detected it
+at all.</p>
+
+<p>Tired by their labors, they lay down on the grass in front and looked at
+their structure. &#8220;I&#8217;ll tell you,&#8221; said John, rubbing his dirty hands
+over his face to wipe the perspiration from his eyes; &#8220;we&#8217;ll call this
+&#8216;Cripples&#8217; Castle.&#8217; I don&#8217;t think it&#8217;s bad for the time we have put in,
+when there wasn&#8217;t one of us feeling very well. But Rob&#8217;s hand is pretty
+near well now, and Jesse&#8217;s foot is getting better, and my nose is not
+going to come off, after all. We&#8217;ll call it &#8216;Cripples&#8217; Castle,&#8217; but hope
+that our luck will be better in it.&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Come on, let&#8217;s go inside,&#8221; said Jesse. So they crawled into the ragged
+hole in the wall which they had left for a door. They found the interior
+spacious enough for their needs, and the <span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_220" id="Page_220">[Pg 220]</a></span>roof in the centre was
+stronger than that of their old barabbara. They got some firewood
+together, and with Skookie&#8217;s help piled the floor under the eaves thick
+with sweet-smelling grasses from the flats near by. That night, when the
+Alaska sun gradually retired for its short rest, they sat around a
+brightly burning fire in the interior of their castle and ate the
+heartiest meal they had known for some time. It was then that Rob
+produced a surprise for the others.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Now we have got some of our old dried bear meat,&#8221; said he. &#8220;I suppose
+it&#8217;s good, but it doesn&#8217;t look it now&mdash;and a little salt whale and
+plenty of fresh codfish and salmon; and Skookie has got some of those
+white mock radishes of his, of which we don&#8217;t know the name. But it
+seems to me that everything runs to meat. How would you like to have
+some onions?&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Onions!&#8221; exclaimed Jesse; and &#8220;Onions!&#8221; repeated John after him.
+&#8220;Nothing would be better, but we haven&#8217;t got any.&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>Rob produced from behind his back a small sack which they found
+contained a few of these precious bulbs, most valued of almost any
+vegetable in the far north.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Where did you get those?&#8221; asked John. &#8220;They certainly didn&#8217;t grow
+here.&#8221;</p>
+
+<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_221" id="Page_221">[Pg 221]</a></span></p><p>&#8220;No,&#8221; said Rob; &#8220;I found this little sack hidden back under the
+<i>klipsies</i> in the far end of the old barabbara up there. I suppose some
+native hid it there when they came down in the bay after their whale.
+Anyhow, we have been on meat diet so long that I will take the liberty
+of using these, no matter whom they belong to. Of course we&#8217;re not
+living much on salt meat, but even if we don&#8217;t get scurvy we ought to
+have all the vegetables and green things we can get hold of. Now, onions
+mayn&#8217;t smell as nice as some things, but there&#8217;s no better medicine in
+this sort of life.&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Leave them to me,&#8221; said John, who had grown to be quite a good cook,
+perhaps by reason of his natural inclination for good things to eat.
+&#8220;I&#8217;ll make a stew of them with some of that bear meat and some of
+Skookie&#8217;s bulbs here. I&#8217;ll bet we&#8217;ll have the finest meal to-night we
+have ever had on the island.&#8221; And so they all agreed. Late that night
+they rolled up in their bedding on the grass beds of their new house,
+and soon slept soundly within close reach of the waves of the sea, whose
+steady sound along the beach came to them far more plainly here than had
+been the case at the older barabbara.</p>
+
+<p>After this the boys used this new house more <span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_222" id="Page_222">[Pg 222]</a></span>than the older house, and
+little by little moved most of their belongings down there, although
+they still kept their flag-staff up on the upper beach in the hope that
+some passing vessel might come into their bay and see their signal. </p>
+
+<hr class="large" /><p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_223" id="Page_223">[Pg 223]</a></span></p>
+<h2><a name="XXVI" id="XXVI"></a>XXVI</h2>
+
+<h3>THE JOURNEY AND THE STORM</h3>
+
+<p style="float: left; font-size: 100%; line-height: 80%; margin-top: 0;">&#8220;</p><p class="n"><span style="float:left;font-size:40px;line-height:25px;padding-top:2px;padding-bottom:1px;">N</span>ow I&#8217;ve got a notion,&#8221; said Rob, one morning not long after they had
+finished their new barabbara, &#8220;that if we were asked about this big
+island where we are living we couldn&#8217;t tell very much regarding it.
+We&#8217;ve only been over a little strip of country around here. I don&#8217;t
+suppose we&#8217;ve ever been more than five or six miles from camp yet, even
+when we climbed highest in the mountains beyond the creek. Yet we can
+see over thirty miles of country from here. I&#8217;d sort of like to have a
+trip up one of those other valleys.&#8221; He pointed a hand to the farther
+shore of the bay which lay before their gaze, level and calm as a
+mirror.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;That&#8217;s what I&#8217;ve thought more than once, too,&#8221; said Jesse. &#8220;Why not
+make an exploring expedition over there?&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;We couldn&#8217;t do it and get back in time for supper,&#8221; demurred John. </p>
+
+<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_224" id="Page_224">[Pg 224]</a></span></p><p>&#8220;No,&#8221; smiled Rob, &#8220;but we could have several suppers over there. Why not
+go across and camp out a night or two, and just rough it a little bit?
+You can see that there are pine woods on the mountains over there, and
+wherever there is pine it is always comfortable camping. We could take
+some grub along, of course, and our rifles.&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;How&#8217;d we sleep?&#8221; asked Jesse. &#8220;It has a way of raining in this country
+every once in awhile.&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Well,&#8221; said Rob, &#8220;we could sit under a tree if we had to. I don&#8217;t
+suppose we could make a bark shelter, and we have nothing that would do
+for a tent; but we have our <i>kamelinkas</i>, and the blanket we made out of
+the sea-parrot breasts. We&#8217;d get along somehow. What do you say,
+Skookie?&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>Skookie grinned, understanding what was on foot. &#8220;All light&mdash;all light!&#8221;
+he said.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Agreed then, fellows,&#8221; said Rob. &#8220;And we&#8217;ll start this very morning,
+because the bay is perfectly calm and there seems no danger of rough
+weather. It&#8217;ll be cold up in the mountains, so we&#8217;ll take one blanket
+for each two of us, and those that don&#8217;t carry blankets will carry grub.
+We two will take our rifles, John, and Skookie the axe. We&#8217;ll get on
+famously, I am sure.&#8221; </p>
+
+<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_225" id="Page_225">[Pg 225]</a></span></p><p>The boys began to put out the different articles on the ground for
+packing. &#8220;Now we don&#8217;t want to make our packs too heavy,&#8221; said Rob. &#8220;The
+best way to pack is with a pair of overalls.&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;How do you mean?&#8221; asked John.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Well, you put all your things down on a piece of canvas or something,
+and you lash it tight with a rope, making a bundle about twice as long
+as it is wide, so that it will lie lengthwise on your back. You put your
+cord around each end, and then around it all lengthwise. Now you take
+your pair of overalls and straddle the legs across the lengthwise rope
+until it comes to the cross rope around the lower end. Then you take the
+ends of the legs and spread them apart at the other cross rope, wide
+enough for your shoulders to go in, leaving enough of the legs for
+shoulder-straps. Then you tie the ends of the legs fast to the cross
+ropes with small cords. There you are with the best kind of pack straps,
+which don&#8217;t weigh anything and don&#8217;t cut your shoulders. The legs of the
+overalls are soft, you see. Big Mike showed me how to do this, back
+home. He used to pack two sacks of flour up the Chilkoot Pass on the
+snow.&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Yes,&#8221; said Jesse, &#8220;I&#8217;ve heard about that way, <span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_226" id="Page_226">[Pg 226]</a></span>and seen men pack that
+way, too. There&#8217;s only one thing that makes me against it now.&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;What&#8217;s that?&#8221; asked Rob, thoughtlessly.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;We haven&#8217;t got the overalls!&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>Rob&#8217;s face fell as he rubbed his chin. &#8220;That&#8217;s so,&#8221; he admitted, &#8220;we
+haven&#8217;t! And our trousers are getting pretty badly worn and wouldn&#8217;t do
+for pack straps. I suppose we&#8217;ll have to cut strips of seal leather or
+take a piece off our bear hides. Well, we won&#8217;t make the packs heavy,
+anyhow, and we&#8217;ll take it slow and easy.&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>Within an hour they had stowed their equipment in the dory and pushed
+off, all of them rowing and paddling. They thought they would soon be
+across the bay, whose opposite shore looked quite close; but they were
+somewhat startled to see how long it took them actually to make the
+distance, which must have been some six or eight miles. The bay,
+however, remained quiet and their progress was steady, although they
+were all very tired by the time they landed on the opposite beach, at
+the mouth of the valley which they purposed to explore.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;It seems wilder over here,&#8221; said John. &#8220;Look how rough the mountains
+seem and how thick the timber is on above there. And I don&#8217;t see any
+barabbara over here.&#8221;</p>
+
+<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_227" id="Page_227">[Pg 227]</a></span></p><p>&#8220;There&#8217;s something that looks like one, back from the beach a little
+way,&#8221; said Jesse, pointing out what seemed like a low heap of earth.
+They went over and found it to be, indeed, the ruins of an old
+barabbara, which looked as though it had not been occupied for a
+lifetime. The roof had fallen in and the walls were full of holes, so
+that it was quite unfit for occupancy. They left it and passed up the
+beach, where they saw the ruins of several other houses, no doubt
+occupied by natives very long ago. Beyond this a short distance, not far
+from a deep path which was worn in the tundra by the wild game, they saw
+a number of rude posts standing at different angles, loosely embedded in
+the soil, and in some instances fallen and rotting in the grass. Some of
+these had rude cross-arms at their tops, others two cross-arms, the
+lower one nailed up at a slant. The boys regarded these curiously, but
+Skookie seemed anxious to move on.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Why, what&#8217;s up, Skookie? What&#8217;s the matter?&#8221; asked Rob. &#8220;What do these
+posts mean, that look like crosses?&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Dead mans here&mdash;plenty, plenty dead mans, long time,&#8221; said Skookie. &#8220;No
+mans live here now. I&#8217;m not like dis place.&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Why,&#8221; said Rob, &#8220;they&#8217;re graves, and these <span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_228" id="Page_228">[Pg 228]</a></span>are crosses&mdash;I think that
+one with the double arms must be one of the old Russian crosses. Was
+there ever a village here, Skookie?&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>The Aleut lad nodded his head. &#8220;Long times, my peoples live here some
+day. Russian mans come here, plenty big boats; plenty shoot my peoples.
+Dose Russian mans make church here, show my peoples about church.
+Bime-by Russian mans go way. Bime-by my peoples get sick, plenty sick;
+all die, all dead mans here. My peoples go way, never come back no more.
+I&#8217;m not like dis place.&#8221; He shuddered as he looked at the grave posts,
+and was eager to go on.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;That must have been seventy-five years ago,&#8221; commented Rob. &#8220;Perhaps
+small-pox killed off the villagers who built this little town. See, the
+wind and the weather have polished these posts until they are white as
+silver. Well, I don&#8217;t know but I&#8217;m ready to go on myself.&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>Shouldering the packs which they had put down when they paused for their
+investigation, they took their way on up the ancient trail made by the
+bears and possibly once beaten by human feet. Once they came upon the
+fresh trail of a giant bear which had passed the night before, according
+to Skookie, but as the animal had swung off to the left and out of their
+course, they made <span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_229" id="Page_229">[Pg 229]</a></span>no attempt to follow it; and if truth be told, they
+seemed now so far from home in this new part of the country, and were so
+depressed by the thought of the abandoned village, that something of
+their hunting ardor was cooled for the time. The walking across the mile
+of meadow-like tundra was hard enough, and they were glad when they
+reached the rockier bank of the stream which came down, broad and
+shallow in some places, narrow and tumbling in others. Here sometimes
+they waded in the water to escape the tangled thickets of alder
+interspersed with the prickly &#8220;devil&#8217;s club,&#8221; peculiar to all Alaska&mdash;a
+fiendish sort of plant covered with small spines, which grows in all
+fantastic shapes, but which manages to slap one somewhere, no matter
+where one steps upon it, and whose little prickly points detach
+themselves and remain in the flesh. Our young explorers, however, were
+used to Alaska wilderness travel, and they took all of this much as
+matter of course, pushing steadily on up the valley until they reached a
+fork, where to the right lay rather better going and larger trees.</p>
+
+<p>They concluded to bear up the right-hand ca&ntilde;on, and, pausing only for a
+bit to eat, about the middle of the afternoon, they had perhaps gone
+<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_230" id="Page_230">[Pg 230]</a></span>six or eight miles from the sea-shore when they concluded to camp for
+the night.</p>
+
+<p>They were now at the foot of a dense mountain forest, where the shadows
+lay thick and cold, and there seemed something sinister in the silence
+all about them. None the less, they soon had a good camp-fire going, and
+with the axe they proceeded to make a sort of lean-to shelter out of
+pine boughs. Rob picked out a place near a big fallen log, drove in two
+crotches a little higher than his head, and placed across them a long
+pole; then from the log to this ridge-pole they laid others, and
+thatched it all with pine boughs until they had quite a respectable
+house. On the floor they spread out a deep bed of pine boughs, and so
+sat back under their shelter, with their fire roaring and crackling in
+front of them; and all agreed that they had a very comfortable camp.
+Pretty well worn out by the hard work of the day, for their packs and
+rifles had grown unspeakably heavy, they ate their supper of dried meat
+and smoked salmon, and so curled up in their blankets, too tired to stay
+awake.</p>
+
+<p>The next morning they were up, feeling much more courageous after their
+good rest.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;I think it might be a good plan,&#8221; said Rob, &#8220;to leave one of the grub
+packs here; and if we <span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_231" id="Page_231">[Pg 231]</a></span>camp farther on to-night, and decide to go yet
+deeper into the island, to leave a little grub at each camp, of course
+swung up so that nothing can get at it to eat it.&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;How far do you want to go?&#8221; asked John, whose legs were rather short,
+and who was feeling a little stiff after his first day&#8217;s travel.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Well, I don&#8217;t know,&#8221; answered Rob, &#8220;but if you fellows agree, I&#8217;d be
+for going at least a day&#8217;s march farther up this valley. It&#8217;ll be
+colder, and it&#8217;ll be harder climbing, but the footing will be better and
+we can take our time. I&#8217;d like to see if there isn&#8217;t some sort of a pass
+up here, the other side of which leads down into the interior. I&#8217;ve
+always heard that the arms of the sea came pretty near cutting this
+island in two, along about the middle somewhere. We might have to take a
+look over on the other side of the island sometime, if we stayed here
+five or ten years, you know!&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>The other boys looked sober at this sort of a jest, but pluckily agreed
+to go on for at least one more day. This they did not regret, for they
+found themselves now in a country savoring more of the mountains than of
+the sea. Snow lay just above them, but the tops of the mountains seemed
+fairly open. Their little valley had a steady <span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_232" id="Page_232">[Pg 232]</a></span>ascent, although by this
+time its watercourse had dwindled to a stream over which they could step
+as they pleased. Along the stream there showed the inevitable trail of
+the giant Kadiak bears which for hundreds of years had made these paths
+over all the passes down to the streams. Fresh bear signs the boys saw
+in abundance, but did not stop to hunt.</p>
+
+<p>Once, as they crossed their stream, they passed the mouth of a short,
+steep little ravine which opened down into the valley. Here Rob&#8217;s eye
+detected something white. Stepping over in that direction, he called the
+others. &#8220;Look here, fellows, here&#8217;s a great big bear skull all by
+itself!&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>They stood about this object, which certainly was enough to puzzle them.
+There it lay, entirely stripped of all flesh, and very white, although
+the bone was not badly bleached by the elements as yet. There was not
+the sign of any struggle anywhere about, nor was there the least
+particle of any other bones. They searched for the remainder of the
+skeleton of the animal, but found nothing of the sort anywhere about.
+There lay the grinning skull, far up here in the mountains, with nothing
+to tell whence it came or how it happened to be there. </p>
+
+<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_233" id="Page_233">[Pg 233]</a></span></p><p>&#8220;My, wasn&#8217;t it a <i>whale</i>!&#8221; exclaimed Jesse. &#8220;See, it&#8217;s almost as long as
+my arm. I&#8217;ll bet it&#8217;s eighteen or twenty inches long, measured as it is.
+But what could have killed it? Nothing could kill a bear except another
+bear; but that wouldn&#8217;t account for the head being here all alone.
+Skookie, what do you think about this?&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;My peoples, maybe so,&#8221; said Skookie.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Your peoples? Why, I thought you said no one lived over on this side.
+And we&#8217;ve seen no signs of hunting here anywhere.&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>Skookie went on to explain. &#8220;S&#8217;pose my peoples hunt. Kill big bear. Some
+mans take hide, some mans take meat, some mans take head. Dis head not
+good for eat, but very much heavy. Some mans get tired, lay it down
+here; maybe so birds eat-um all up but bone.&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;But how long ago did all this happen, Skookie?&#8221; asked John.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;I dinno.&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;And where did the hunters come from?&#8221; asked Rob.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;I dinno. Maybe so Eagle Harbor, maybe so Old Harbor.&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Which way is Old Harbor, Skookie?&#8221; asked Rob, suddenly.</p>
+
+<p>The lad pointed back across the mountains, <span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_234" id="Page_234">[Pg 234]</a></span>beyond the bay, and beyond
+their camp on the farther side. &#8220;Plenty far,&#8221; he said.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Then which way is Eagle Harbor&mdash;I suppose you mean a native village.&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Eagle Harbor dis way.&#8221; And Skookie pointed across the head of the pass
+toward which they were travelling up the valley.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;How far?&#8221; demanded Rob.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;I dinno,&#8221; answered Skookie; &#8220;plenty miles, maybe so. My peoples live
+Old Harbor.&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>Rob studied for a moment. &#8220;I&#8217;ll bet that if we kept on,&#8221; said he, &#8220;until
+we came to the top of this divide, we&#8217;d find the head of a river running
+down the other way. Like as not it would go to some bay where Eagle
+Harbor village is. Well, that makes the island seem not quite so big.
+Come on, let&#8217;s go on up to the top of this pass, anyhow.&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>So they plodded on, but did not reach the summit that night, nor did
+they find any further solution to the riddle of the lost bear skull,
+which latter Rob left in the trail, intending to pick it up on their
+return, although Skookie seemed to be averse to this performance; owing,
+no doubt, to some of his native superstitions. That night they camped
+high up in an air which was very cold, so that they shivered before
+morning, although <span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_235" id="Page_235">[Pg 235]</a></span>their fire of little logs had not yet burned out.</p>
+
+<p>By noon of the next day, two camps out from the sea, and at a distance
+of perhaps twenty-five miles or more, they reached what was plainly the
+divide between this valley and another leading off to the northwestward.
+Here they paused. Before them stretched a wilderness of upstanding
+mountain peaks into which there wound the narrow end of a new valley,
+widening but slightly so far as their eyes could trace it.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Eagle Harbor that way, Skookie?&#8221; asked Rob, leaning on his rifle and
+looking out over the wild sea which lay before him.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;I dinno,&#8221; said Skookie.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;How far do you think it is?&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;I dinno.&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>The Aleut lad was truthful, for neither he nor any of his family had
+ever crossed the island here, and he knew nothing of what lay ahead.
+Plainly uneasy now, Skookie had had enough of travel away from camp.
+&#8220;Maybe go back now?&#8221; he asked Rob, inquiringly.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;I suppose so,&#8221; replied the latter, &#8220;although I&#8217;d jolly well like to go
+over in here a little farther. I&#8217;ve a notion we&#8217;d come out somewhere
+closer to Kadiak town; and maybe we&#8217;d run across some <span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_236" id="Page_236">[Pg 236]</a></span>native who would
+take us in. But there doesn&#8217;t seem to be any game except once in a while
+a ptarmigan&mdash;those mountain grouse that strut and crow around here on
+the snow, and aren&#8217;t big enough to waste rifle ammunition on. Maybe it&#8217;s
+safer to go back to our camp and wait for a month or so more at least.
+What do you say, fellows?&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>The others, who were very tired and a little uneasy at being so far from
+what was their nearest approach to a home, voted for the return. So,
+after a rest at the summit, where cutting winds soon drove them back,
+they shouldered their lighter packs and began to retrace their way down
+the valley to the sea.</p>
+
+<p>Now they did not have to build any shelters for the night and could use
+their old camps. They found that their appetites were increased by their
+hard work, so that after the last camp they had little left to carry
+except their blankets and guns, although Rob manfully insisted on
+carrying out the great bear skull, which he found quite heavy enough
+before the end of the journey.</p>
+
+<p>When at last they left the mountains and crossed the tundra to the
+deserted village near which they had left their dory moored, they saw
+that a change had come over the weather. In the <span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_237" id="Page_237">[Pg 237]</a></span>north a black cloud was
+rising, and the surface of the bay, although little broken by waves so
+far as they could see, had a steely and ominous look.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Maybe so rain bime-by,&#8221; said Skookie.</p>
+
+<p>Rob studied the bay and the sky for some time. &#8220;What do you say, boys?&#8221;
+he asked. &#8220;Shall we try to make it across to-night? I don&#8217;t like the
+look of things out there, and you know it&#8217;s a long pull.&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Well,&#8221; said John, &#8220;I&#8217;m for starting across. There&#8217;s no place to stop
+here, and I don&#8217;t like this place any more than Skookie does, anyhow.&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>Jesse agreed that they might probably better try to make their home
+camp, as their supplies were low, and since, if stormy weather came, it
+might be a long time before they could cross the bay.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;All right, then,&#8221; said Rob; &#8220;but we&#8217;ve got to hurry.&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>Skookie also was plainly nervous. They rushed the dory from its
+moorings, and all taking oars and paddles, gave way strongly as they
+could. At that time there were no waves of consequence, only a long,
+slow motion like the pulse of the sea which came down from the outer
+mouth of great Kaludiak Bay. The wind had not yet risen, although
+steadily the twilight seemed to thicken. </p>
+
+<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_238" id="Page_238">[Pg 238]</a></span></p><p>For three-quarters of an hour they made good progress. Then they noticed
+that their boat began to pitch a little, and small, choppy waves raced
+by. A strong slant of wind was coming down from another valley farther
+toward the mouth of the bay, opposite which they passed, when they left
+at one side the long spit of land which had served as shelter to their
+part of the inner bay.</p>
+
+<p>Evidently the wind was freshening. A fine spindrift settled on the
+farther side of the bay, so that at times their own shore was cut out
+from view for many moments. Night, too, was now coming. Without a word
+the boys bent to their oars, thoroughly alarmed. Rob and Skookie were
+perhaps the calmest of the four, and Rob undertook to do what he could
+to encourage his companions.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;One thing you want to remember, boys,&#8221; said he, &#8220;and that is that one
+of these dories will stand almost as much sea as a ship, if you handle
+her right. We&#8217;ll keep her quartering into the waves, and will keep on
+rowing all night if we have to. Never mind where we strike the shore on
+the other side&mdash;we won&#8217;t try to come out just at our camp. I only hope
+we can make it above the mouth of our creek, because if we go below
+<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_239" id="Page_239">[Pg 239]</a></span>that point we might drift twenty miles, clear to the far end of the
+bay. Don&#8217;t pull too hard now and get fagged, but keep up a steady lick.
+Jesse, you&#8217;d better get in the stem and let John and Skookie each pull
+an oar. I&#8217;ll take the other pair. Get your tin pail ready, Jesse, and if
+we take in any water, keep it bailed out the best you can.&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>The others were plucky, although every one was anxious. The little crew
+kept sturdily at the oars, facing what was a situation serious enough to
+daunt even the strongest men. These Alaskan storms are dangerous even to
+the most powerful vessels, and no coast in the world has a longer record
+of shipwreck and lost vessels of which no trace ever is found.</p>
+
+<p>When once fairly out in the middle of the bay, the boys got a notion of
+the power of the sea such as they never before had known in their lives
+and thought never again to repeat. Clouds now obscured the sky. The wind
+increased steadily, coming in directly from the mouth of the great bay,
+and bringing with it all the power of the mighty Pacific Ocean. As these
+young adventurers looked over their shoulders it was a truly terrifying
+spectacle which met their gaze.</p>
+
+<p>In steady succession, a few moments apart, <span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_240" id="Page_240">[Pg 240]</a></span>there came down into the
+bay, apparently reaching from side to side across it, long black hills
+of water, great, roller-like waves which did not break but came in black
+and oily. Each one, as it towered above the little boat, seemed about to
+engulf it, but in some way the splendid little dory found its way up the
+side and across the crest; and then they would see the great, silent
+black hill of water swing on into the bay and pass out of sight, only to
+be followed by another. The wind was not yet strong enough to break the
+tops of the waves, and fortunately the tide was coming in, so that there
+were no rips, which would surely have swamped their little craft.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Keep on pulling, boys!&#8221; cried Rob. &#8220;We&#8217;re doing finely. She rides these
+big waves like a duck. She&#8217;s a splendid boat!&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>Skookie did not say anything, but once in a while cast an anxious eye
+toward the head of the bay.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Is it all right, Skookie?&#8221; asked Rob.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;I dinno,&#8221; answered Skookie, and bent again to his oar.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;So long as the sea doesn&#8217;t break,&#8221; said Rob, &#8220;we can ride these rollers
+all right. It&#8217;s when she goes white that you want to look out.&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>Perhaps this was precisely what Skookie had <span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_241" id="Page_241">[Pg 241]</a></span>feared. Within three
+minutes after Rob had spoken what he had dreaded actually occurred. They
+were riding steadily up toward the top of a long, oily wave whose
+leeward side was quite unbroken, when, just as they reached the top, the
+wind seemed to tear the crest of the wave into shreds. Without warning,
+a great, boiling surge of white, hissing water came up all around them.
+It was as though some angry spirit of the deep had risen up from below
+and tried to pull them down.</p>
+
+<p>The white water poured in over the gunwale and half filled the dory,
+which seemed on the point of sinking before the long wave crept away,
+growling, as though disappointed at being baffled in its purpose.</p>
+
+<p>Jesse, who had left the stern seat and was crouched in the bottom of the
+dory, uttered a cry of affright.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Quiet, there!&#8221; called out Rob, sharply. &#8220;Bail, bail as fast as you can!
+Hurry up!&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>Thoroughly frightened, but rallying to his young commander&#8217;s voice,
+Jesse obeyed, and bailed rapidly as he could, the sloshing water now
+leaving him for the bow, and now flooding him to the knees as it swept
+back to the stern when the bow arose. The dory yawed and veered
+unsteadily. <span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_242" id="Page_242">[Pg 242]</a></span>Had they struck another piece of white water the end must
+have come for them, for their craft would have been beyond the control
+of their weary arms. Good-fortune was with them, however, and Jesse&#8217;s
+efforts steadily lightened their little ship, while the others kept her
+headed up, quartering into the long waves.</p>
+
+<p>How long they rowed in this heart-breaking manner none of them ever
+knew, but it seemed many hours. No doubt it was two or three hours
+before they began to reach the shelter of the nearest projecting point
+on the farther side of the bay. By this time they were nearly worn out,
+their arms trembling, and their faces pale from over-exertion, but they
+dared not stop, and so pulled on as best they could. All at once Skookie
+spoke.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;<i>Karosha</i>!&#8221; he exclaimed. &#8220;Pretty soon all light, all light! I hear-um
+water over dar.&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>He meant that he now could hear the surf breaking along the beach on
+their side of the bay. The roar of the waves became plainer and plainer
+as they pulled in, and now the rollers became less gigantic, and their
+headway increased as the wind was shut off by the promontory at the head
+of their beach.</p>
+
+<p>The sound of the breaking surf was ominous enough of itself. In these
+wild seas it is not <span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_243" id="Page_243">[Pg 243]</a></span>every one who can take in a boat safely through
+such waters. Rob was wise enough to ask counsel of Skookie in this
+matter, when at last they could see the rim of white water breaking
+madly along the shingle.</p>
+
+<p>The young Aleut did not seem much concerned. He told them to stop rowing
+when they approached the first long ridge of breaking water, and with
+his own oars he held the boat for a minute, looking astern and waiting
+for the right instant. A great wave came in toward them, but just before
+it broke Skookie gave a shout and they all fell to their oars, going in
+just with the crest of this wave and keeping just ahead of where it
+broke. Thus their boat was carried high up the beach.</p>
+
+<p>At the right instant overboard went Skookie waist deep in the surging
+white water. In an instant Rob was out on the other side. The receding
+wave almost swept the dory back, but they held her; and another, lifting
+her clear and carrying the boys off their feet for a moment, flung her
+yet farther up the beach and at the edge of the high-water mark. As she
+grounded this time they were all out and helped run her up high and dry.
+Here they made her fast by the painter to a jagged rock which projected
+from the wall at <span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_244" id="Page_244">[Pg 244]</a></span>the edge of the beach. Then, too tired to do anything
+further, and trembling now in the reaction which followed the peril from
+which they had escaped, they flung themselves panting on the beach, with
+pale faces looking out into the stormy sea which thundered at their
+feet. They were all sobered thoroughly by their experience. At last Rob
+spoke, standing up preparatory to the walk down the beach toward their
+old barabbara.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;I know what I thought out there when she broke under us,&#8221; said he; &#8220;and
+I know what I <i>did</i>, too.&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Yes, and,&#8221; said Jesse, as he and the others rose to follow him, &#8220;I know
+what <i>I&#8217;m</i> going to do before I go to sleep to-night, too. I&#8217;m going to
+remember my prayers.&#8221;</p>
+
+<hr class="large" /><p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_245" id="Page_245">[Pg 245]</a></span></p>
+<h2><a name="XXVII" id="XXVII"></a>XXVII</h2>
+
+<h3>THE MAN-HUNT</h3>
+
+<p class="n"><span style="float:left;font-size:40px;line-height:25px;padding-top:2px;padding-bottom:1px;">F</span>or several days after their fortunate escape from the storm at sea the
+boys were willing enough to lie around their camps, resting, undertaking
+no labor beyond that necessary in getting their daily food. About this
+latter there was rarely any difficulty at all.</p>
+
+<p>Of course, after a time all the birds in the lagoon were easily
+frightened away, but once in a while during the coming week the young
+hunters repeated their hunt with the thongs, and finally saw quite a
+heap of smoked goose-breasts accumulate on their drying-rack, where some
+of the bear meat still remained, as well as a goodly number of split
+salmon.</p>
+
+<p>The gulls&#8217; nests and the salmon stream afforded their best source of
+supply, each practically exhaustless at that season. The salmon came
+practically to their very door, and, provided as they were now with
+salt, there was small excuse for <span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_246" id="Page_246">[Pg 246]</a></span>any of them going hungry. So easy,
+indeed, did life become, so far as food was concerned, that, as has been
+stated above, a certain monotony, not to say anxiety, settled upon them
+all. This, however, was one day broken by an event of most startling
+interest.</p>
+
+<p>They were following down the salmon creek, with the intention of taking
+a few fish at the pool near the mouth, when all at once the young Aleut,
+whose keen eyes were ever searching the country both far and near,
+paused and gave a low exclamation as he pointed to the mud near the
+banks.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Bad mans come!&#8221; he said.</p>
+
+<p>They peered where he pointed. Sure enough, there was the mark of a man&#8217;s
+foot, evidently that of a man wearing <i>mukluks</i>, or seal boots. The boys
+looked at one another.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Him come,&#8221; said Skookie, making signs of catching salmon. He made other
+signs of going to sleep, putting his hands against his cheek and closing
+his eyes, and then pointing up the hills. He pointed from the hills to
+the creek. Thus the boys knew what he meant, what they at once suspected
+to be the truth&mdash;that their late prisoner Jimmy was hiding out in the
+mountains, and coming down like a wild animal to make his living on the
+salmon run. </p>
+
+<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_247" id="Page_247">[Pg 247]</a></span></p><p>This was a situation which at once seemed to them very grave.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;He has not left, after all,&#8221; said Rob, moodily. &#8220;I wish we had him
+under lock and key again. The question is, are we going to catch him
+again, or is he going to catch us first? That&#8217;s what I want to know.&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;What do you mean?&#8221; asked John. &#8220;He&#8217;s free, and we don&#8217;t know where he
+is. Surely you don&#8217;t mean that we ought to go and hunt him up?&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;I feel just this way,&#8221; answered Rob, &#8220;as I always have about anything
+of the sort&mdash;if there&#8217;s going to be trouble, let us have it over and
+done with. For one, I don&#8217;t relish lying awake night after night
+wondering if our camp is going to be surprised; and neither do I like to
+walk these shores wondering if this fellow is going to slip an arrow
+into one of us from the grass.&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Wouldn&#8217;t we be safe in the house?&#8221; asked Jesse.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;We can&#8217;t stay in the house all the time, and we would not be safe even
+there. No, it looks as though we ought to go out and hunt this fellow up
+and see what he is doing and intends to do.&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>Without further words they turned back toward the house, followed by the
+Aleut boy, who looked from one to the other as if wondering what <span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_248" id="Page_248">[Pg 248]</a></span>their
+words signified. This he discovered a few moments later, when Rob and
+John both emerged, each with a loaded rifle under his arm.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Come on,&#8221; said Rob, and led the way, splashing through the shallow
+water at the foot of the lagoon which separated them from the
+mountain-side beyond.</p>
+
+<p>They climbed in silence for some time, steadily ascending the steep face
+of the snow-capped mountain which lay before them. Again they saw the
+wonderful pictures afforded by this region, where both ocean and
+mountains blend in the landscape. As now and then they paused for
+breath, they turned to look at the wonderful view of the great bay, the
+silver thread of the lagoon and creek, and the low, round dot made by
+their hut upon the flat. Above them circled many of the great bald
+eagles, which occasionally departed for their salmon-fishing in the
+stream. Once or twice they heard the sharp bark of a fox concealed in
+the alder thickets, and as they reached the upper slopes, where the snow
+still lay, frequently they saw the mountain ptarmigan, at this altitude
+still in its white winter plumage. These birds, when alarmed, would fly
+but a short way and then poise in the air, uttering a sharp, crowing
+cackle, soon to alight and stand motionless <span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_249" id="Page_249">[Pg 249]</a></span>on the snow. All these
+scenes of wild nature were noted by the boys, though perhaps not so much
+as they might have been had they not been upon so serious an errand.</p>
+
+<p>From time to time they caught the trail of the fugitive across the
+snow-field, where it could be seen for half a mile at a stretch. Beyond
+such a snow-field they came across the ashes of a fire which had been
+built behind a clump of rocks out of sight from the beach below. There
+were some half-burned bones, which showed that some one had cooked fish
+here. Skookie, making the sign of sleep, or night, held up six fingers,
+to show that it had been that many days since the fugitive had been
+here.</p>
+
+<p>They managed to puzzle out the trail for some distance up the mountains
+from this point, but finally lost it on a bare rock ridge which thrust
+up well toward the peak of the mountain between two snow-fields.
+Skookie, stooping down and hunting like a dog among the half-bare rocks,
+slowly puzzled out the trail for a time. Evidently the man they wanted
+had made a practice of sleeping far back in the mountains. For a time
+they almost despaired of discovering him, until at last Jesse, whose
+eyes were always keen, pointed out what he thought were tracks leading
+across <span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_250" id="Page_250">[Pg 250]</a></span>a snow-bank a quarter of a mile ahead. Hastening thither, they
+gained a half-mile more in their pursuit, but finally were obliged to
+halt puzzled at a bare rim of rock, beyond which and below them lay a
+wide expanse of rough country broken by ca&ntilde;ons and covered by a dense
+alder growth, the only timber of that region.</p>
+
+<p>In that broken country hiding might have been offered for a regiment,
+almost, it seemed. Rob suggested that it was perhaps as well to return
+to camp and give up the search.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Hold on a minute,&#8221; said Jesse. &#8220;Look over there! I think I see
+something.&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>He pointed ahead and below at some object a half-mile farther on.
+Presently they all saw it&mdash;a figure visible against the snow which lay
+along the edge of a sharp ca&ntilde;on wall. A moment later it was lost as it
+moved into the cover of the alder thicket; but even as they hesitated
+they saw arising a thin wreath of blue smoke, which proved to them that
+the figure they had seen was a man, and no doubt the one for whom they
+were looking.</p>
+
+<p>Skookie looked serious, his brown face drawn into a frown of anxiety and
+fear.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Bad mans, bad mans!&#8221; he said, over and over again, shaking his head.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Come on, fellows!&#8221; was Rob&#8217;s comment, and <span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_251" id="Page_251">[Pg 251]</a></span>he plunged on down the rock
+face, hurrying to get his party out of sight as quickly as possible.
+Once lower down, and near the elevation of the smoke at the ca&ntilde;on side,
+concealment was much easier, and from this point they stalked the hidden
+fugitive much as they would have done with a big-game animal had they
+been pursuing it.</p>
+
+<p>They paused at last at the rim of a shelving rock which projected out at
+the top of the ca&ntilde;on wall. The smell of the smoke was strong in their
+nostrils, and they knew that they were near the end of their hunt.
+Somewhere below them, perhaps within a few yards or feet, the fugitive
+must be lying; but, although they peered over cautiously, they could see
+no one. As a matter of fact, a shallow cavern existed directly under
+them in the side of the ca&ntilde;on wall, and it was at the mouth of this that
+the Aleut had built his fire.</p>
+
+<p>Seeing no sign of life, Rob proceeded to dispose his forces with the
+purpose of surrounding his man. He motioned to Jesse and the Aleut boy
+to remain at the rim of the ca&ntilde;on, and, sending John to a point below,
+he himself climbed down on the upper side of the fire. When he reached a
+point where he could see into the mouth of the cave and realized that
+very probably this was the abode of the escaped Aleut, he <span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_252" id="Page_252">[Pg 252]</a></span>waited until
+he saw John in position below, and then as they both covered the mouth
+of the cave with their guns he gave a loud call:</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Here, you, Jimmy, come out of that!&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>They all heard a low exclamation, which assured them that their man was
+at home; but at first he refused to appear. Rob called out loudly again,
+half raising himself above a rock behind which he had taken shelter
+against any surprise.</p>
+
+<p>Presently they heard a voice raised, not in defiance, but in entreaty.
+They scarcely recognized the figure which limped to the mouth of the
+cave, so gaunt and haggard did it seem. It was, indeed, their late
+prisoner, but now bent and weak, as though ill and half starved. He held
+his bow and arrows in one hand over his head, but the bow was not
+strung. Evidently he intended to surrender without any resistance.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Good mans, good!&#8221; he repeated, beating on his breast.</p>
+
+<p>They closed in on him now and took away his weapons. The Aleut boy
+jabbered at him in excited tones, apparently accusing or reproaching
+him. Jimmy edged away from him and looked at the white faces of the
+others, which regarded him sternly but with no apparent anger. He sadly
+pointed to his leg, which had been injured <span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_253" id="Page_253">[Pg 253]</a></span>by a fall on the rocks.
+Evidently he wanted to tell them that if they would take him back on the
+old footing he, for his part, would be glad enough to come, if only they
+would keep the savage brown boy away from him.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Now we&#8217;ve got him,&#8221; said Rob, at last, &#8220;and what shall we do with him?&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;We&#8217;ll have to take him down,&#8221; said John. &#8220;He&#8217;d just about die if we
+left him up here; and I don&#8217;t believe he&#8217;ll make us trouble any more.
+Besides, we&#8217;ve got Skookie here to watch him now.&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>Rob debated the matter in his mind for some time, but finally agreed
+that Jimmy would probably make them no more trouble, since he very
+possibly was hiding out more in fear of them than in any wish to harm
+them. Reasoning that one or both of these natives might be useful in
+later plans, he at last held out his hand to Jimmy, and with some effort
+persuaded Skookie that it would be better for him to shake hands with
+Jimmy than to take a rifle and shoot him, as the boy seemed more
+disposed to do. He knew that these natives soon forget their
+animosities.</p>
+
+<p>Thus at length they started down the mountain along the trail, which
+Jimmy pointed out, hobbling along in advance. In a couple of hours <span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_254" id="Page_254">[Pg 254]</a></span>they
+were at the top of the high rock face above the mouth of the creek. Here
+Jimmy paused and anxiously scanned the entire expanse of the adjacent
+cove and the long line of the beach beyond. He seemed overjoyed that
+there was no longer any sign of the hostile party which had come in
+pursuit of him. At least the boys guessed that was what he felt, and
+guessed also that he had been coming down to the stream at night and not
+in the daytime, perhaps thus sustaining the fall which had hurt his leg.</p>
+
+<p>They were hungry that night as they cooked their evening meal in the
+smoky barabbara.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;No watch to-night, boys!&#8221; said Rob. &#8220;These two friends can watch each
+other, if they feel like it, but I think we may sleep without anxiety.&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;For a prisoner, it looks to me that Jimmy was very glad to be caught,&#8221;
+remarked John. </p>
+
+<hr class="large" /><p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_255" id="Page_255">[Pg 255]</a></span></p>
+<h2><a name="XXVIII" id="XXVIII"></a>XXVIII</h2>
+
+<h3>A HUNT FOR SEA-OTTER</h3>
+
+<p class="n"><span style="float:left;font-size:40px;line-height:25px;padding-top:2px;padding-bottom:1px;">T</span>wo or three days more passed in this strange situation, but nothing
+took place which even to Rob&#8217;s watchful eye seemed to indicate any
+danger from either of their Aleut companions. In the wilderness the most
+practical thing is accepted as it appears, without much argument, if
+only it seems necessary; so now this somewhat strangely assorted company
+settled down peaceably into the usual life of the place, until an event
+happened which brought them all still more closely together.</p>
+
+<p>They were going over to the beach to see that their flag-staff was still
+in proper position, when Jesse&#8217;s keen eyes noted at the edge of the
+beach a small, dark object which had been cast up by the waves. A
+moment&#8217;s examination proved to them that this was nothing less than a
+sea-otter cub, a small animal not much larger than a wood-chuck, but
+with a long, pointed tail, and covered <span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_256" id="Page_256">[Pg 256]</a></span>with short, soft fur. All these
+boys had lived in Alaska long enough to know the great value of the fur
+of the sea-otter, which even at this time was worth more than a thousand
+dollars a skin. They reasoned that since this cub had come ashore there
+might be older otters about. The cause of the death of the cub they
+never knew; nor, indeed, do even the native hunters always know what
+kills the otters which they find sometimes cast up by the waves on the
+beaches. Some natives say that in very cold winter weather an otter may
+freeze its nose, so that it can no longer catch fish, and thus starves
+to death. Some, of course, are shot by hunters who never find them. It
+is customary for the profits of such a find to be divided among the
+tribe or family making the discovery, and even in case a hunter can
+prove that he has shot an otter at sea which has come ashore, the finder
+receives a certain proportion of the profits, most of the hunting done
+by these natives partaking of a communal nature.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;This fur is still good,&#8221; said Rob, pulling at it. &#8220;It hasn&#8217;t been dead
+very long, so maybe its mother is still around, or its daddy. That would
+be something worth while, wouldn&#8217;t it? Five hundred to fifteen hundred
+dollars, perhaps.&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>The older Aleut was standing on the summit <span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_257" id="Page_257">[Pg 257]</a></span>of the sea-wall, shading his
+eyes and looking steadily out over the waves. At last he gave a loud,
+sharp call, in which an instant later the Aleut boy joined. The two ran
+first toward the dory, which lay on the sea-beach, where it had been
+left after the last voyage for eggs, but an instant later they turned
+back to the lagoon where the bidarka lay, and made motions that this
+should be carried across and launched.</p>
+
+<p>Rob and John hurried for their rifles. Jimmy caught up his bow and
+arrows, and the Aleut boy his short spear. They hurried the bidarka
+across the sea-wall to the open water of the bay. Jimmy resumed his
+watch from the summit of the sea-wall. For what seemed a half-hour he
+stood motionless and staring out over the bay. Then again he called
+aloud and, hurriedly lifting his bow string into the notch, ran down to
+the bidarka, motioning to Rob to take his seat in the rear hatch.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;You others get into the dory with Skookie,&#8221; called out Rob, even as the
+strong sweep of Jimmy&#8217;s paddle swept them free of the shingle.</p>
+
+<p>To launch the heavy dory was something of a task for the younger boys,
+but in their excitement they accomplished it, so that the two boats
+<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_258" id="Page_258">[Pg 258]</a></span>were soon out for yet another of the wild sea-hunts of this far-away
+coast.</p>
+
+<p>The method of the natives who hunt the sea-otter is to make a surround
+with a fleet of bidarkas, much as they hunt the whale; but this, of
+course, was impossible now. None the less, Jimmy, who assumed the
+position of master of the hunt, motioned to the Aleut boy in the dory to
+keep off to the left, while he and Rob circled far to the right in the
+bidarka.</p>
+
+<p>To the Aleut mind nothing approaches a sea-otter hunt, for it affords
+not only the keenest sport, but the greatest possible financial reward.
+The method of the hunt is somewhat complicated in some of its features.
+When the otter dives the boats gather in a circle, and as soon as it
+appears every bowman does his best to strike it with an arrow. The first
+arrow to strike the otter makes the latter the property of the lucky
+bowman, who, of course, knows his own arrow by his mark. As, however,
+the first arrow may not stop the otter, the &#8220;owner,&#8221; as the boats close
+in upon the game, may very probably call out what he will pay for
+another arrow lodged in the body of the otter. Instances have been known
+where the first bowman has in his excitement pledged away more in
+arrow-interest than the total value of the skin <span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_259" id="Page_259">[Pg 259]</a></span>amounts to, so that he
+is actually loser instead of gainer by the transaction. The arrow
+closest to the tail is the one which most prevents the otter from
+diving; hence the value of the arrows is measured by the distance from
+the tail, the arrow of each man being so marked that it cannot be
+mistaken.</p>
+
+<p>All of this etiquette of the otter-hunt was, of course, unknown to the
+white boys, whose main interest, indeed, was one of sport rather than of
+profit. They were keen as the natives, none the less, and eagerly
+watched every signal given by the leader of the hunt.</p>
+
+<p>At last Jimmy held a paddle up in the air, a signal for the other boat
+to slow down. A moment later Rob spied the otter lying stretched out
+motionless on the water as though asleep, as indeed likely was the case,
+since that is the method of sleep practised by this species. Now, a few
+fathoms at a time, the native edged the bidarka up toward his game,
+precisely as the Aleut chief had approached the whale. The dory, no
+longer rowed furiously, but now paddled silently by John and Skookie,
+approached on the other side. As they now were on a comparatively smooth
+sea, and not more than fifty yards from the animal, Rob motioned to his
+companion to <span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_260" id="Page_260">[Pg 260]</a></span>allow him to fire with his rifle, but the latter
+emphatically refused. He knew that an arrow safely lodged is more sure
+to bring the sea-otter into possession than a rifle-ball, which might
+kill it, only to cause it to sink and be lost.</p>
+
+<p>Jimmy now laid down his paddle, took up his bow and arrows, and
+signalled to Rob to paddle ahead slowly. A few yards farther he motioned
+for the headway to be checked, and just as the bidarka stopped he
+launched his barbed arrow with a savage grunt.</p>
+
+<p>The weapon flew true! A wide rush of bubbles showed where an instant
+before the otter had lain.</p>
+
+<p>Both otter and arrow had disappeared, but the Aleut sat waiting grimly,
+although the boys in the other boat gave a yell of exultation. In a few
+moments the wounded animal showed a hundred fathoms ahead. Here, stung
+by the pain of the bone head, which had sunk deep into its back, it swam
+confusedly for a moment at the surface. The shaft of the arrow had now
+been detached from the loose head cunningly contrived by the native
+arrow-makers, and a long cord, which attached the arrow-head to the
+shaft, and which was wound around the latter, now unreeled and left the
+shaft floating, telltale evidence of the otter&#8217;s whereabouts, even when
+it dived. </p>
+
+<p><a name="Illo4" id="Illo4"></a></p>
+<div class="figcenter" style="width: 500px;">
+<img src="images/i272.jpg" class="ispace" width="500" height="323" alt="BOTH OTTER AND ARROW HAD DISAPPEARED, BUT THE ALEUT SAT
+WAITING GRIMLY" title="" />
+<span class="caption">BOTH OTTER AND ARROW HAD DISAPPEARED, BUT THE ALEUT SAT
+WAITING GRIMLY</span>
+</div>
+
+<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_261" id="Page_261">[Pg 261]</a></span></p><p>Jimmy tried a long shot as the bidarka swept ahead under Rob&#8217;s paddle,
+but this time he missed, and down went the otter again. It did not dive
+deep, however, and the shaft of the arrow told where it might be
+expected. As its round head, with bright, staring eyes, thrust up above
+the water, there came the twang of the young Aleut&#8217;s bow, and the second
+arrow chugged into the body of the otter. Even the older hunter greeted
+this shot with applause.</p>
+
+<p>The otter, however, is hard to kill with an arrow of this sort, since
+its skin is loose and tough. The creature dived once more, but the
+second floating shaft now began to handicap its motions. Both boats
+followed it from place to place as it swam. At last, almost exhausted,
+it showed once more, and the older Aleut sent home an arrow at the back
+of its head which killed it at once. He hauled up across the bidarka
+deck the body of the otter, a dark-brown creature, even at that season
+fairly well furred, and in weight about that of a good-sized dog.</p>
+
+<p>Now and again calling out in sheer exultation at the success of this
+strange hunt, they all now turned ashore. That day they had plenty to do
+in skinning the otter and making a rude stretching-board for the great
+skin. The boys were all <span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_262" id="Page_262">[Pg 262]</a></span>astonished to see how much larger it stretched
+than had seemed possible from the size of the body of the animal itself;
+but the hide of the sea-otter lies in loose wrinkles, so that it may
+bend and turn freely as a snake when making its way in the water. They
+found the skin to be more than six feet long from tip to tip.</p>
+
+<p>The young friends engaged in some speculation as to how much the skin
+might bring at the Seattle market. One thing of value it seemed to
+establish beyond doubt&mdash;Jimmy and Skookie, as they both worked at
+fleshing the hide, had dropped their mutual suspicions and become
+hunting companions. </p>
+
+<hr class="large" /><p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_263" id="Page_263">[Pg 263]</a></span></p>
+<h2><a name="XXIX" id="XXIX"></a>XXIX</h2>
+
+<h3>UNCERTAINTY</h3>
+
+<p class="n"><span style="float:left;font-size:40px;line-height:25px;padding-top:2px;padding-bottom:1px;">M</span>idsummer came and passed, and still no sign from the outer world came
+to relieve the growing anxiety of the boys so long marooned on these
+unfrequented shores. They had kept very small account of the passing of
+the days, and perhaps none of them could have told how many weeks had
+elapsed since the beginning of their unwilling journey from Kadiak. They
+no longer knew the days of the week; and, indeed, had any of their
+relatives seen them now, with their shoes worn to bits, their clothing
+ragged and soiled, and not a hat or cap remaining between them, they
+might have taken their sun-browned faces and long hair to be marks of
+natives rather than of white boys of good family.</p>
+
+<p>It is not to be supposed, however, that they had given up all hope, or
+that at any time they had allowed themselves to indulge in despondency.
+Rob especially, although serious and quiet, all <span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_264" id="Page_264">[Pg 264]</a></span>the time was thinking
+over a plan. This, one day, he proposed to the others.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;I have resolved,&#8221; said he, &#8220;that if you other boys agree, we will start
+for home just one month from to-day.&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>They sat looking at him in silence for some time.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;How do you mean?&#8221; asked Jesse, his eyes lighting up, for he was the one
+who seemed most to feel homesickness.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;I mean to start back to Kadiak, where we came from!&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Yes, and how can we tell which way Kadiak is?&#8221; inquired John.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;I&#8217;ll tell you how,&#8221; said Rob. &#8220;We will travel, of course, in our dory,
+which will carry our camp outfit and food enough to last for a great
+many days, even if we should prove unable to take any codfish or salmon
+along the coast.&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;But which way would we go?&#8221; insisted John.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;The opposite of the way we came,&#8221; smiled Rob. &#8220;A tide brought us into
+this bay. The same tide on the turn would carry us out of the bay. To be
+sure, the wind may have had much to do with our direction, but it is
+only fair to suppose that if we came down the east coast of Kadiak on an
+ebb we would go up that same <span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_265" id="Page_265">[Pg 265]</a></span>coast on the flood. At least, if we could
+do no better, we would be leaving a place where no word seems apt to get
+to us.&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;It would be a risky voyage,&#8221; said Jesse. &#8220;I didn&#8217;t like it out there on
+the open sea!&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;There is some risk in staying here,&#8221; was Rob&#8217;s answer. &#8220;Whether or not
+those natives took our message to Kadiak, they certainly will tell all
+the other villagers that we are here. In time they will know we are
+helpless. It may be only a matter of days or weeks before they will come
+and do what they like with us&mdash;steal our guns and blankets, and either
+take us far away, or leave us to shift for ourselves as we can.&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Could we send Jimmy out with another message?&#8221; suggested John.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;I doubt it,&#8221; answered Rob. &#8220;If he wanted to leave here he could take
+the bidarka almost any night and escape, but I believe he is afraid to
+leave the bay lest he may be found by some of these villagers whom he
+has offended. I don&#8217;t think Skookie would go anywhere with him. As it
+is, one is a foil to the other here with us, but each is afraid of the
+other <i>away</i> from us!&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;But don&#8217;t you suppose that Skookie&#8217;s people will come back after him
+sometime?&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;True enough, they may; but who can tell the <span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_266" id="Page_266">[Pg 266]</a></span>Aleut mind? I don&#8217;t
+pretend to. Of course, by the late fall, say November, when the snows
+come and the fur is good, I don&#8217;t doubt these people will come back here
+to trap foxes, for that is evidently a regular business here; but that
+would mean that we would have to winter either with them or by
+ourselves; and I want to tell you that wintering here alone is an
+entirely different proposition from summering here, now when the salmon
+are running and we can go out almost any day and get codfish, not to
+mention ducks and geese. Besides, our people would be driven frantic by
+that time. On the other hand, if we were lucky enough to make it to
+Kadiak we would get there in time to find your uncle Dick, or at least
+to get a boat home to Valdez sometime within a month after we got to
+Kadiak. Of course, we don&#8217;t know anything about the country between here
+and there. The whole coast may be a rock wall, for all we know.&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;The steamers have government charts to tell them where to go,&#8221; mused
+John; &#8220;but we haven&#8217;t any chart, and we don&#8217;t even know in what
+direction of the compass we ought to sail, even if we had a compass.&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Before ships could have charts,&#8221; said Rob, &#8220;it was necessary for some
+one to discover things <span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_267" id="Page_267">[Pg 267]</a></span>all over the world. I suppose that&#8217;s the class
+we&#8217;re in now&mdash;we&#8217;re the first navigators, so far as help from any one
+else is concerned. In Alaska a fellow has to take care of himself, and
+he has to learn to take his medicine. Now none of us is a milksop or a
+mollycoddle.&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;That&#8217;s the talk!&#8221; said John. &#8220;For my part, if Jesse agrees, we&#8217;ll try
+the journey back in the dory. But if we&#8217;re going to undertake it we
+ought to begin now to lay in plenty of supplies.&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;I have been thinking of that,&#8221; said Rob, &#8220;and so I move we begin now to
+get together our provisions.&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>From that time on they all worked soberly and intently, with minds bent
+upon a common purpose. They hunted ducks and geese regularly now, curing
+the breasts of the wild fowl on their smoke-rack. Codfish they did not
+trouble to take for curing in any great quantity, as they knew they
+could secure them fresh at almost any point along these shores. Salmon
+they smoked in numbers, for now the run of the humpback salmon was on,
+replacing the earlier one of the smaller red salmon. Part of their dried
+bear meat, now not very palatable, they still had left. They even tried
+to dry in the sun some of the bulbs which the natives occasionally
+brought in. <span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_268" id="Page_268">[Pg 268]</a></span>Their greatest puzzle was how they could carry water, for,
+since they knew nothing of the coast ahead, they feared that they might
+be obliged to pass some time without meeting a fresh-water stream. At
+last John managed to make Jimmy understand what they required, and he,
+grinning at their ignorance, showed them how they could make a
+water-cask out of a fresh seal-skin, of which they now had several from
+their hunting along the coast.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Now,&#8221; said John, when finally they had solved that problem, &#8220;we&#8217;ve got
+to have a sail of some sort.&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;And not a piece of canvas or cloth as big as your hand,&#8221; said Rob,
+ruefully. &#8220;I admit that a sail would be a big help, for we could rig a
+lee-board for the dory. Then, if the wind was right, we could get back
+to Kadiak in a day, very likely; for we couldn&#8217;t have been much more
+than that time in coming down here without a sail.&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>It taxed John&#8217;s ingenuity as interpreter for a long time to make the
+natives understand what he now required. At last, by means of his clumsy
+attempts to braid a sort of mat out of rushes and grass, they caught his
+idea and fell to helping him. That week they finished a large, square
+mat, fairly close in texture, which they <span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_269" id="Page_269">[Pg 269]</a></span>felt sure could be used as a
+square-rigged sail. They prepared a short mast and spars for this, and
+as they reviewed the progress of their boat equipment they all felt a
+certain relief, since all of them were more or less familiar with
+boat-sailing.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;I hate to go away and miss all the foxes we could get at the carcass of
+that whale this fall,&#8221; said Rob one morning, as he stood at the sea-wall
+and watched three or four of these animals scamper off up the beach when
+disturbed at their feeding on the carcass. &#8220;In fact, I feel just the way
+we all do, pretty much attached to this place where we&#8217;ve had such a
+jolly good time, after all; but we&#8217;ve got to think of getting home some
+way. We&#8217;ve got our water-cask ready, and our sail is done, and we&#8217;ve got
+two or three hundred pounds of fairly good provisions. We&#8217;ll pull the
+dory up to the beach here opposite our camp and get her loaded. What
+time do you say, John? And what do you think, Jesse? What time shall we
+set for the start?&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>John and Jesse stood, each breaking a bit of dried grass between his
+fingers as he talked. At last John looked up.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Any time you say, Rob,&#8221; he answered, firmly.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;To-morrow, then!&#8221; said Rob. </p>
+
+<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_270" id="Page_270">[Pg 270]</a></span></p><p>They stood for a moment, each looking at the other. For weeks they had
+been in anxiety, for many days extremely busy, most of the time too
+methodical or too intent to experience much enthusiasm. Now a sudden
+impulse caught all three&mdash;the spirit of resolution which accomplishes
+results for man or boy. Suddenly John waved his hand above his head.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Three cheers!&#8221; he exclaimed.</p>
+
+<p>They gave them all together.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Hip, hip, hurrah!&#8221; </p>
+
+<hr class="large" /><p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_271" id="Page_271">[Pg 271]</a></span></p>
+<h2><a name="XXX" id="XXX"></a>XXX</h2>
+
+<h3>&#8220;BLOWN OUT TO SEA!&#8221;</h3>
+
+<p class="n"><span style="float:left;font-size:40px;line-height:25px;padding-top:2px;padding-bottom:1px;">M</span>eantime, what had happened in the outer world during all these months?
+What had been the feelings of Mr. Hazlett on that day in early spring
+as, hour after hour, he walked Kadiak dock and peered into the fog in
+vain, waiting for the boat which did not appear? And what of his
+feelings as all that day and night passed, and yet another, with no
+answer to his half-frenzied search of the shores close to the town, of
+the decks of the still lingering steamer, and of the surroundings of the
+Mission School across the strait? None could answer his questions, and
+no guess could be formed as to the missing dory and its crew, until at
+last there were discovered the two natives who had rowed the dory away
+from the <i>Nora</i>.</p>
+
+<p>These told how the boat had disappeared while they were absent. They had
+thought that the boys had made their way back to town. Now, <span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_272" id="Page_272">[Pg 272]</a></span>finding
+that such had not been the case, they expressed it as their belief that
+when the latter had pitted their weak strength against the Pacific Ocean
+they had failed and had been blown out to sea.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Blown out to sea!&#8221; How many a story has been written in that phrase!
+How could this anxious watcher face the parents of those boys and tell
+them news such as this? At least for a time he was spared this, for no
+boat would go back to Valdez within a month, and those who awaited news
+were Alaska mothers and knew the delays of the frontier. None the less,
+Mr. Hazlett had borne in upon him all the time the feeling that he
+himself had been responsible for this disaster. Even as he set to work
+to organize search-parties he felt despair.</p>
+
+<p>The natives, not clear as to the instructions given them, had supposed
+that they were to go in search of the revenue-cutter <i>Bennington</i>; yet
+as a matter of fact that vessel was moored on the western instead of the
+eastern side of the island at the time, whereas it seemed sure that the
+dory with the missing boys must have been carried along the east coast
+of the island, and not through the straits to the westward.</p>
+
+<p>Mr. Hazlett knew well enough the strength of <span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_273" id="Page_273">[Pg 273]</a></span>the outgoing Japan Current
+here. A boat might be carried to Asia, for all one could tell to the
+contrary, although its occupants must long ere that have perished from
+hunger and thirst. And what chance had a small boat in waters so rough
+as those of this rock-bound coast, risky enough for the most skilled
+navigators and in the best of vessels? Was not all this coast-survey
+work intended to lessen the danger of navigation, even for the most
+skilled commanders? What chance had these, weak, young, and unprepared,
+who had thus been thrust into such perils? All that could be held sure
+was that the boys had disappeared as completely as though the sea had
+opened up and swallowed boat and all!</p>
+
+<p>Duty now required that Mr. Hazlett should report on board the
+<i>Bennington</i>; so, after a few days spent in fruitless searching within
+reach of Kadiak town, he took the pilot-boat and hastened over to the
+west side of the island where the <i>Bennington</i> lay at anchor, with her
+boat crews engaged in the tedious work of making coast soundings.</p>
+
+<p>Mr. Hazlett laid before Captain Stephens the full story of the
+mysterious loss of his young charges. The face of the old naval officer
+grew grave, and for some moments he turned away <span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_274" id="Page_274">[Pg 274]</a></span>and engaged in thought
+before he spoke. Then he turned sharply to his executive officer.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Call in the boat crews, sir!&#8221; he commanded. &#8220;We move station within the
+hour!&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Then you mean that you are going to help search for them?&#8221; asked Mr.
+Hazlett.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;With all my heart, sir!&#8221; said the rough commander. &#8220;I have boys of my
+own back in New England. We&#8217;ll comb this island rock by rock, and if we
+suspect foul play we&#8217;ll blow every native village off the face of it!&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>The hoarse roar of the <i>Bennington&#8217;s</i> deep-throated signal-whistles
+echoed along the rock-bound shore. Within an hour her boats were all
+stowed, and with each man at his quarters the trim cutter passed slowly
+down the west coast of the island.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;I&#8217;m not supposed to be a relief expedition,&#8221; muttered Captain Stephens,
+&#8220;and I s&#8217;pose we&#8217;ll all lose our jobs with Uncle Sam; but until we do, I
+figure that Uncle Sam can better afford to lose three months&#8217; time of
+this ship&#8217;s crew than it can three bright boys who may grow up to be
+good sailors sometime.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;We&#8217;ll skirt the island in the opposite direction from that in which the
+youngsters probably went,&#8221; said he, turning to Mr. Hazlett. &#8220;We&#8217;ll <span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_275" id="Page_275">[Pg 275]</a></span>have
+to stop at every cannery and settlement, and the boat crews will need to
+search every little bay and coast.&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;You talk as though you hoped to find them,&#8221; said Mr. Hazlett, catching
+a gleam of courage from the other&#8217;s resolute speech.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Find &#8217;em?&#8221; said Captain Stephens. &#8220;Of course we&#8217;ll find &#8217;em; we&#8217;ve
+<i>got</i> to find &#8217;em!&#8221; </p>
+
+<hr class="large" /><p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_276" id="Page_276">[Pg 276]</a></span></p>
+<h2><a name="XXXI" id="XXXI"></a>XXXI</h2>
+
+<h3>THE SEARCH-PARTY</h3>
+
+<p class="n"><span style="float:left;font-size:40px;line-height:25px;padding-top:2px;padding-bottom:1px;">I</span>t should be remembered that the coast of the great Kadiak Island is
+here and there indented with deep bays, which at one point nearly cut it
+in two. Had the boys known it, they were, in their camp near the head of
+Kaludiak Bay, not more than thirty miles distant across the mountain
+passes to the head of Uyak Bay, which makes in on the west side of the
+island, and which was the first great inlet to be searched by the boat
+crews of the <i>Bennington</i>. The total coast-line of so large a bay is
+hundreds of miles in extent, and broken with many little coves, each of
+which must be visited and inspected, for any projecting rock point might
+hide a boat or camp from view.</p>
+
+<p>On this great bay there were two or three salmon-fisheries in operation,
+and as these always employ numbers of natives who come from all parts of
+the island, Captain Stephens had close <span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_277" id="Page_277">[Pg 277]</a></span>inquiries made at each; but more
+than two weeks passed and no word could be gained of any white persons
+at any other portion of the island.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Naturally we won&#8217;t hear anything on this side,&#8221; said Captain Stephens
+to Mr. Hazlett. &#8220;Not many natives from the east coast come over here to
+work, and from what I know of the prevailing tides and winds I am more
+disposed to believe that they have been carried off toward the southeast
+corner of the island. The land runs out there, and, granted any decent
+kind of luck, the boys probably made a landing&mdash;if they could keep
+afloat so far.&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;But what may have happened to them before this?&#8221; began Mr. Hazlett.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Tut, man! We&#8217;ve all got to take our chances,&#8221; replied the old sea-dog.
+&#8220;They&#8217;ve done their best, and we must do our best, too.&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>Week after week, hour after hour, and, as it seemed, almost inch by
+inch, the cutter crawled on around the wild coast of Kadiak, tapping
+each arm and inlet, literally combing out the full extent of the broken
+shore-line. So gradually they passed below the southern extremity of the
+island, worked up from the southeast, and one day came to anchor not far
+from the native settlement known as Old Harbor. Here a breakdown to
+<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_278" id="Page_278">[Pg 278]</a></span>their machinery kept them waiting for ten days. Meantime, the boat
+crews were out at their work. One day a young lieutenant came in and
+with some excitement asked to see the captain.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;I have to report, sir, that I think we&#8217;ve got word of those boys!&#8221; he
+said, eagerly, as he saluted.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;How&#8217;s that? Where? Go on, sir!&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;There&#8217;s a big boat party back from Kaludiak Bay, sir. They were in
+there on a whale-hunt several weeks ago. They saw a camp with three
+white boys and one refugee Aleut.&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Arrest every man Jack of them and bring them in!&#8221; roared Captain
+Stephens.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Already done that, sir!&#8221; reported the lieutenant. &#8220;They are in the
+long-boat alongside.&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Then bring them here at once!&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>A few moments later he and Mr. Hazlett found the deck crowded with a
+score of much-frightened natives.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Who&#8217;s the interpreter here?&#8221; commanded the captain.</p>
+
+<p>A squaw-man who for some years had lived with the natives was pushed
+forward. He was none too happy himself, for he expected nothing better
+than intimate questions regarding certain wrecking operations which for
+years past had gone on along this part of the coast. </p>
+
+<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_279" id="Page_279">[Pg 279]</a></span></p><p>&#8220;Now tell me,&#8221; began Captain Stephens, &#8220;what do you know about those
+boys over there? Why didn&#8217;t these people bring out word to the
+settlement? What are you looking for here? Do you want me to blow your
+village off the rocks? Come, now, speak up, my good fellow, or you&#8217;ll
+mighty well wish you had!&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>Suddenly Mr. Hazlett uttered an exclamation and sprang toward one of the
+natives who carried a rifle in his hand.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;That gun belonged to Jesse, the son of my neighbor Wilcox at Valdez!&#8221;
+he exclaimed. &#8220;Tell me where you got it, and how!&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>As may be supposed, it was the Aleut chief whom he addressed, and the
+latter now engaged in a very anxious attempt at explanation. He declared
+at first that the boys had given him this rifle as a present; then he
+admitted that he had promised to take a message up to Kadiak, going on
+to say that he had intended to do this, but that his wife had been sick,
+that he had been kept at the village by many things, etc.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;He&#8217;s an old liar, without doubt,&#8221; said Captain Stephens. &#8220;Half of this
+band of natives down here are afraid to come to Kadiak because of the
+debts they owe the company store. They are wreckers, renegades, and
+thieves down here, <span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_280" id="Page_280">[Pg 280]</a></span>and you can&#8217;t believe a word of them. I&#8217;ve half a
+mind to hang the lot of them at the yard-arm, and good riddance of them
+at that!&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>The old chief understood something of what was going on, and now began
+to beg and blubber.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Me good mans!&#8221; he repeated, beating on his chest.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;He says that he&#8217;s got a boy of his own over there with the others in
+Kaludiak Bay. He&#8217;s got a message written out by the boys, but the truth
+is he was afraid to go to town with it. Says the renegade Aleut over
+there was a good hunter, but a dangerous man&mdash;he stole their sacred
+whale harpoon here and made away with it&mdash;&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;But the message!&#8221; insisted Mr. Hazlett.</p>
+
+<p>So at last the old chief fumbled in his jacket, and pulled out a soiled
+and crumpled paper nearly worn in bits. Enough of it at least remained
+to show the searchers that when it was written the boys were all alive
+and well, and were expecting help.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;The old fellow says he was expecting to take the paper up to town
+sometime this fall,&#8221; went on the interpreter. &#8220;Says the boys had plenty
+to eat&mdash;fish and birds, and they had killed three bears&mdash;&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Nonsense!&#8221; exclaimed Captain Stephens. </p>
+
+<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_281" id="Page_281">[Pg 281]</a></span></p><p>&#8220;Yes, says they had killed an old she bear and two cubs, and had the
+hides hung up&mdash;says the Aleut man had run away when they left&mdash;says they
+all killed a whale before they left, and left the boys as well fixed as
+they are here in this village. He can&#8217;t understand why you should be
+anxious about them, when his own boy is over there, too. Says he can
+take you over there all right if you want to go.&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;The little beggars!&#8221; said Mr. Hazlett, smiling for the first time in
+weeks. &#8220;We may get them yet.&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Get them? Of course we will!&#8221; growled Captain Stephens. &#8220;We&#8217;ll have
+them aboard by this time to-morrow. Their camp isn&#8217;t more than
+seventy-five miles from here at most.&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>The whistle of the <i>Bennington</i> once more roared out, and with the
+rattle of her anchor chains again the cutter pushed on up the coast,
+carrying with her, without asking their consent, the entire party of
+natives, who now fell flat on the deck in terror, supposing that they
+were being carried off to the white man&#8217;s punishment for native
+misdeeds. </p>
+
+<hr class="large" /><p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_282" id="Page_282">[Pg 282]</a></span></p>
+<h2><a name="XXXII" id="XXXII"></a>XXXII</h2>
+
+<h3>THE DESERTED CAMP</h3>
+
+<p style="float: left; font-size: 100%; line-height: 80%; margin-top: 0;">&#8220;</p><p class="n"><span style="float:left;font-size:40px;line-height:25px;padding-top:2px;padding-bottom:1px;">S</span>o the plucky little dogs killed a bear, eh?&#8221; went on Captain Stephens,
+as he paced up and down the deck. &#8220;I&#8217;ll warrant they&#8217;ve had a deuce of a
+good time in there all by themselves, and they&#8217;ll be sorry to be
+disturbed. Find them! Of course we will&mdash;find them fat as seals and
+happier than we are!&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>In spite of all this both he and Mr. Hazlett were uneasy enough when
+finally the <i>Bennington</i> steamed majestically through the narrow mouth
+of Kaludiak Bay&mdash;the first steamer ever to awaken the echoes there&mdash;and
+finally swung to her anchor at a point indicated by the Aleut chief.</p>
+
+<p>But to the whistle there came no answer of a rifle-shot, no signal
+fluttered, and no smoke was seen. The Aleut chief now became genuinely
+frightened as he pointed out the landing-place opposite to the
+barabbara, which, of course, could not be seen by reason of the low
+sea-wall. </p>
+
+<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_283" id="Page_283">[Pg 283]</a></span></p><p>The rattle of the davit blocks followed that of the anchor chains as a
+bow boat was launched.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Go aboard, Mr. Cummings!&#8221; said Captain Stephens. &#8220;Take Mr. Hazlett and
+this old chief, and don&#8217;t you come back without those boys! They&#8217;re only
+out hunting somewhere, or else they&#8217;d have a fire going.&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>As the bow of the boat grated on the shingle Mr. Hazlett sprang ashore,
+and, under guidance of the Aleut, hastened over the sea-wall and across
+the flat to the barabbara. All was deserted and silent! No smoke issued
+from the roof, and not the slightest sound was to be heard. No boat
+appeared at the shore of the lagoon. The Aleut chief threw himself on
+the ground and began to chant.</p>
+
+<p>Mr. Hazlett kicked open the door of the hut and pushed in, searching the
+half-dark interior. Only the whitened ashes showed a former human
+occupancy. It was not until, in his despair, he had turned to leave that
+he saw, fastened by a peg to the inside of the door, a brief note on a
+bit of paper.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Mr. Richard Hazlett,&#8221; it read. &#8220;All well. We sailed about July 30th.
+Love to the folks.&#8221; Signed to this were the names of the three boys.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;God bless them!&#8221; he muttered. &#8220;They knew <span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_284" id="Page_284">[Pg 284]</a></span>I&#8217;d come! Why did I not come
+soon enough! But where did they sail&mdash;which way&mdash;and what has become of
+them?&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>He turned to the grovelling native.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;You lying coward!&#8221; said he. &#8220;Take me to them now, or by the Lord you&#8217;ll
+swing for it! Do you hear?&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>The old man wept bitterly. &#8220;My boys go, too,&#8221; he wailed. &#8220;Bad mans go,
+maybe so! Maybe so all dead now!&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>In answer he was caught by the arm and hastened back to the gravely
+waiting boat crew. It was a saddened party which reported the truth on
+board the <i>Bennington</i>.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Get under way, Mr. Cummings!&#8221; ordered Captain Stephens. &#8220;We&#8217;ve not lost
+them yet. The writing is pretty fresh on that note. We haven&#8217;t passed
+them anywhere below, and they must be on their way back to Kadiak.&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>Without delay the <i>Bennington</i> once more took up her course and,
+emerging from the mouth of Kaludiak, headed northward up the east side
+of the island. Within ten miles the sharp-eyed Aleut detected a flat bit
+of beach, and the interpreter suggested that a boat be sent ashore to
+examine it, as it was sometimes used as a camping-place. When the
+lieutenant returned he <span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_285" id="Page_285">[Pg 285]</a></span>reported that he had found poles cut not long
+before and used as a shelter support. A fire had been built not more
+than a week ago, in his belief. It might or might not be the
+camping-place of the missing boys.</p>
+
+<p>The face of Captain Stephens brightened. &#8220;Of course it&#8217;s those boys!&#8221; he
+said. &#8220;I tell you, those youngsters are <i>sailors</i>. We&#8217;ll find them all
+lined up on Kadiak dock waiting for us&mdash;and me obliged to report to
+Washington that I&#8217;ve spent two months with this vessel hunting for them!
+God bless my soul!&#8221; However, it was satisfaction and not anxiety which
+caused his eyes to glisten.</p>
+
+<p>Precautions were not ceased, and the boats continued to comb out every
+open bay which could not be searched with the ship&#8217;s glasses. Finally
+they reached the mouth of Eagle Harbor, near the entrance to which the
+boats discovered yet another camp-fire, probably marking the limits of
+another day&#8217;s journey of the young voyagers.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Plucky little dogs&mdash;plucky!&#8221; grumbled the captain. &#8220;They&#8217;re not old
+women like you, Hazlett! They can take care of themselves all right!&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>The interpreter stepped up. &#8220;The old man says there&#8217;s a village at the
+head of this harbor,&#8221; <span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_286" id="Page_286">[Pg 286]</a></span>he began. &#8220;Says there may be a few people living
+there, though most of them have likely gone to the fisheries. He thinks
+the village ought to be examined.&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Go in with the boat, Mr. Cummings!&#8221; ordered Captain Stephens. &#8220;It&#8217;ll
+keep you overnight. As for me, I don&#8217;t dare risk the tide-rips between
+these rocks and that big island over there&mdash;which must be Ugak Island, I
+suspect. I&#8217;m going to drop back and go outside that island, and
+to-morrow I&#8217;ll meet you thirty miles up the coast. Comb out the bay! If
+the boys have left the village they&#8217;ve very likely sailed for the
+opposite point of this bay, and maybe you&#8217;ll get word of them at one
+place or the other.&#8221; </p>
+
+<hr class="large" /><p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_287" id="Page_287">[Pg 287]</a></span></p>
+<h2><a name="XXXIII" id="XXXIII"></a>XXXIII</h2>
+
+<h3>SAVED!</h3>
+
+<p class="n"><span style="float:left;font-size:40px;line-height:25px;padding-top:2px;padding-bottom:1px;">I</span>t was a night of anxiety and expectation on the <i>Bennington</i>, and, as
+the cutter swung at anchor north of the bold and dangerous point of Ugak
+Island, every one on board was astir at early dawn.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Boat on the larboard bow, sir!&#8221; reported an ensign, soon after Captain
+Stephens was known to be awake in his cabin.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;What boat is it?&#8221; inquired the latter, eagerly, throwing open the
+dead-light of his room and gazing out along the shore.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;It&#8217;s our boat, sir, with Lieutenant Cummings.&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Any passengers aboard?&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;I&#8217;m afraid not, sir.&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>The captain slammed shut the dead-light and turned moodily to his desk.
+He did not seem to enjoy the breakfast which one of the cook&#8217;s men
+presently brought to him. </p>
+
+<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_288" id="Page_288">[Pg 288]</a></span></p><p>&#8220;Tell Lieutenant Cummings to report as soon as he comes aboard,&#8221; he
+commanded.</p>
+
+<p>Lieutenant Cummings, however, far from being discouraged, was much
+elated when he appeared, smiling, at the captain&#8217;s door.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;They slept at the village, sir,&#8221; he said. &#8220;Five persons in all.
+Everybody&#8217;s gone from the village but one or two old people, and these
+report that the boys came in there for water and to see what news they
+could get. They had a young native boy with them and a full-grown Aleut.
+They put him in irons&mdash;&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Put him in irons!&#8221; roared Captain Stephens. &#8220;God bless my soul! Those
+young rascals will be sending out to look after <i>us</i> before long!
+Sailors!&mdash;and they&#8217;ve got a man in <i>irons</i>!&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;They say the Aleut was afraid to go to town,&#8221; resumed the lieutenant,
+&#8220;and tried to escape. They halted him and kept him under guard all
+night. The five of them left yesterday about noon, and as they were seen
+not far from the mouth of the bay toward evening, they&#8217;re very likely
+camped not far around the point yonder, sir.&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Get under way!&#8221; ordered Captain Stephens. &#8220;I&#8217;ve got a little
+professional pride about this thing, and I don&#8217;t want those youngsters
+to beat the <i>Bennington</i> into port! Full speed ahead!&#8221; </p>
+
+<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_289" id="Page_289">[Pg 289]</a></span></p><p>Half an hour later the <i>Bennington</i> poked her nose around the next bold
+promontory of the east coast of Kadiak. One more broad bay lay before
+them.</p>
+
+<p>Tossing up and down on the waves, half-way or more across, was a small,
+dark object!</p>
+
+<p>The eyes of the old Aleut were first to discover this, and he began to
+shout and gesticulate as several pairs of glasses were turned upon it.
+Old Captain Stephens broke out in a string of nautical ejaculations,
+which need not be printed in full. &#8220;Look at that!&#8221; he cried. &#8220;Talk about
+<i>sailors</i>! See &#8217;em go! They wouldn&#8217;t reef a point if they could&mdash;and I
+guess they can&#8217;t, for they seem to have a board or something for a sail.
+And they&#8217;ve got leeboards down. They&#8217;ve got two oars out for
+steering-gear. By the great horn spoon! Cummings, crack on more steam or
+they&#8217;ll beat us to New York! Why, dash my eyes, Hazlett, you old woman,
+didn&#8217;t I <i>tell</i> you you couldn&#8217;t lose those boys?&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>The gentleman whom he addressed smiled rather crookedly but could find
+no speech.</p>
+
+<p>The whistle of the <i>Bennington</i> roared out three times in salute. At
+once the distant dory came about and laid a long tack to intercept the
+course of the cutter. In a few minutes she was within <span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_290" id="Page_290">[Pg 290]</a></span>hailing distance.
+The crew of the <i>Bennington</i> were along the rail, and without orders
+they greeted the young sailors with a cheer.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;By gad!&#8221; said Captain Stephens, turning away. &#8220;It&#8217;s worth a couple of
+months of Uncle Sam&#8217;s time to see a thing like that. There&#8217;s where we
+get our <i>men</i>! Safe? Humph!&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>Rob, John, and Jesse, all ragged and bare-headed, stood up in the
+pitching dory, calling out and waving their hands. First they passed up
+their prisoner, and an instant later they were on board and in the
+middle of excited greetings. These over, they hurriedly explained the
+events covering the strange situations which have been recounted in our
+earlier pages. Meantime, Skookie was standing silently and stolidly at
+the side of his father, who made no such great excitement over him. The
+boys now introduced him, with the highest praise for his faithfulness
+and a plea that something be done for his reward.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;So far as that is concerned,&#8221; said Mr. Hazlett, &#8220;every decent native
+concerned in this shall have more than justice done to him. I&#8217;ll put the
+boy into the Mission School at Wood Island, if he likes, and he shall
+have all the clothes he needs, and something besides. It&#8217;s lucky for
+this bunch <span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_291" id="Page_291">[Pg 291]</a></span>of natives that we don&#8217;t put them all in jail. How about
+this man they tell me you&#8217;ve been keeping prisoner?&#8221; continued Uncle
+Dick.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Please, sir,&#8221; said Rob, earnestly, &#8220;don&#8217;t be hard with him. I&#8217;m not
+sure that we understand all about the way these natives think. He tried
+to get away from us, and we tied him up because we needed him as a
+pilot. We didn&#8217;t know the way back to town, you see, because when we
+came down the coast it was all in a fog and we couldn&#8217;t see anything.&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Rather risky pilot, from what I hear,&#8221; commented Uncle Dick.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;I believe he was more scared than anything else,&#8221; went on Rob. &#8220;He
+never really made us any trouble, and he did a lot of work for us for
+which we have promised him pay. We&#8217;ve got to keep our word to all these
+people, you know. But, if you please, we&#8217;d rather pay money to them than
+to give up our rifles; and we&#8217;d like Jesse&#8217;s rifle back.&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;That will be easy,&#8221; said Uncle Dick. &#8220;All these people will count
+themselves fortunate. But what a lot of them we&#8217;ll have to ship back
+down the coast to Old Harbor&mdash;I suppose we&#8217;ll have to charter a schooner
+for that!&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;I say, Uncle Dick,&#8221; broke in John, eagerly, <span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_292" id="Page_292">[Pg 292]</a></span>&#8220;if you send a schooner
+down, <i>couldn&#8217;t we boys go along with her</i>?&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>Uncle Dick looked at him quizzically for a moment.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;You could not!&#8221; he answered, briefly.</p>
+
+<p>&nbsp;</p>
+<p>&nbsp;</p>
+<hr class="full" />
+<p>***END OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK THE YOUNG ALASKANS***</p>
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+The Project Gutenberg eBook, The Young Alaskans, by Emerson Hough
+
+
+This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere 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
+
+
+
+
+
+Title: The Young Alaskans
+
+
+Author: Emerson Hough
+
+
+
+Release Date: May 16, 2008  [eBook #25494]
+
+Language: English
+
+Character set encoding: ISO-646-US (US-ASCII)
+
+
+***START OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK THE YOUNG ALASKANS***
+
+
+E-text prepared by D. Alexander, the staff of the Rare Books Collection at
+Marriott Library, University of Utah, and the Project Gutenberg Online
+Distributed Proofreading Team (https://www.pgdp.net) from page images
+generously made available by Internet Archive
+(http://www.archive.org/index.php) 
+
+
+
+Note: Project Gutenberg also has an HTML version of this
+      file which includes the original illustrations.
+      See 25494-h.htm or 25494-h.zip:
+      (https://www.gutenberg.org/dirs/2/5/4/9/25494/25494-h/25494-h.htm)
+      or
+      (https://www.gutenberg.org/dirs/2/5/4/9/25494/25494-h.zip)
+
+
+      Images of the original pages are available through
+      Internet Archive. See
+      http://www.archive.org/details/youngalaskans00hougrich
+
+
+
+
+
+THE YOUNG ALASKANS
+
+by
+
+EMERSON HOUGH
+
+Author of
+"The Story of the Cowboy"
+"The Mississippi Bubble"
+Etc.  Etc.
+
+Illustrated
+
+
+
+
+
+
+
+Harper & Brothers Publishers
+New York and London
+MCMVIII
+
+Copyright, 1908, by Harper & Brothers.
+All rights reserved.
+Published October, 1908.
+
+
+
+
+[Illustration: See p 66
+SUDDENLY DROPPING TO HIS KNEE HE FIRED WITHOUT LONGER HESITATION]
+
+
+
+
+CONTENTS
+
+
+ CHAP.                                                      PAGE
+
+ I.      AT HOME IN ALASKA                                    1
+ II.     AFLOAT ON THE PACIFIC                                7
+ III.    THE JOURNEY TO THE NORTH                            16
+ IV.     LOST IN THE FOG                                     23
+ V.      THE MISSING DORY                                    28
+ VI.     ADRIFT ON THE OCEAN                                 35
+ VII.    THE HUT ON THE BEACH                                41
+ VIII.   THE SALMON RUN                                      49
+ IX.     THE BIG BEAR OF KADIAK                              58
+ X.      THE SAVAGE REFUGEE                                  68
+ XI.     A TROUBLESOME PRISONER                              76
+ XII.    WAYS OF THE WILDERNESS                              80
+ XIII.   MAKING A LIVING                                     93
+ XIV.    THE SURPRISE                                       101
+ XV.     THE WHALE-HUNT                                     111
+ XVI.    THE MISSING PRISONER                               122
+ XVII.   THE ALEUT BOY                                      126
+ XVIII.  UNWELCOME VISITORS                                 130
+ XIX.    HOPE DEFERRED                                      136
+ XX.     THE SILVER-GRAY FOX                                143
+ XXI.    AN ALEUT GOOSE-HUNT                                159
+ XXII.   SPORT WITH THE SALMON                              170
+ XXIII.  AMONG THE EAGLES                                   182
+ XXIV.   AN ADVENTURE ON THE GULL ROCKS                     191
+ XXV.    CRIPPLES' CASTLE                                   207
+ XXVI.   THE JOURNEY AND THE STORM                          223
+ XXVII.  THE MAN-HUNT                                       245
+ XXVIII. A HUNT FOR SEA-OTTER                               255
+ XXIX.   UNCERTAINTY                                        263
+ XXX.    "BLOWN OUT TO SEA!"                                271
+ XXXI.   THE SEARCH-PARTY                                   276
+ XXXII.  THE DESERTED CAMP                                  282
+ XXXIII. SAVED!                                             287
+
+
+
+
+ ILLUSTRATIONS
+
+
+ SUDDENLY DROPPING TO HIS KNEE HE FIRED
+     WITHOUT HESITATION                          _Frontispiece_
+
+ HE SHIFTED HIS GUN TO HIS LEFT HAND AND
+     HELD OUT HIS RIGHT WITH A SMILE            _Facing p._ 102
+
+ THE ALEUT BOY LAUNCHED HIS MISSILE INTO
+     THE MASS OF FLYING FOWL                        "       164
+
+ BOTH OTTER AND ARROW HAD DISAPPEARED,
+     BUT THE ALEUT SAT WAITING GRIMLY               "       260
+
+
+
+
+THE YOUNG ALASKANS
+
+
+
+
+I
+
+AT HOME IN ALASKA
+
+
+"Steamboat! Steamboat!"
+
+Rob McIntyre had been angling for codfish at the top of Valdez dock for
+the past half-hour. Now, hearing the hoarse boom of the ocean vessel's
+whistle out in the fog-bank which covered the mouth of the harbor, he
+pulled in his fishing-line, hurriedly threw together his heap of
+flapping fish, and, turning, sent shoreward the cry always welcome to
+dwellers in Alaska coast towns.
+
+"Steamboat! Steamboat!" Some one at the freight office on Valdez dock
+heard him and repeated the cry. Again and again it was passed from one
+to another along the half-mile of high sidewalk which led from the dock
+to the town. Soon in every corner of the streets of Valdez there
+resounded the call: "Steamboat! Steamboat!"
+
+Now there came to the ears of all the low, hoarse boom of the steamer's
+whistle. The great vessel was lying out somewhere in the fog, nosing
+her way in carefully, taking care not to touch any of the hidden rocks
+which line the Alaskan shores. The residents of the town poured out from
+dwelling and shop alike, and soon the streets were full, almost the
+entire population hurrying over the long trestle to the dock where the
+boat must land. The whistle said to them that there were now at hand
+cargoes of goods for the merchants, machinery for the new railroad
+building inland, necessities and luxuries for every-day life, and, best
+of all, letters, books and papers from the outside world. "Outside" in
+an Alaskan coast town means the United States. Across the range of
+mountains which fence off the coast from the vast interior "outside"
+means the coast itself; just as to any town dweller of the Alaska coast
+"inside" means somewhere in the icy interior, vast and unexplored.
+
+Among the first to hasten down the long walk from the main street of the
+town were two friends of Rob McIntyre--Jesse Wilcox and John Hardy, the
+former ten and the latter twelve years of age, each therefore a little
+younger than Rob, who himself was now nearly fourteen. These boys might
+be called young Alaskans, for although the town of Valdez itself was not
+more than a few years old, their fathers had helped found the town and
+were prominent in its business affairs. Mr. Hardy was engaged in railway
+contracts on the new railroad, and Mr. Wilcox was chief of engineers on
+the same road. Rob's father, Mr. McIntyre, owned the leading store,
+where all sorts of articles were sold, from shovels and picks to needles
+and pins. The three boys, it need not be said, were great cronies, and
+many was the hour of sport they had had here in far-away Alaska.
+
+"Hello, Rob!" called John, as he hurried up; "how many fish did you get?
+What boat's that, do you think? Do you suppose my uncle Dick's on
+board?"
+
+"Hope so," rejoined Rob, now rolling up his fishing-line, and again
+kicking his codfish out of the road of the gathering crowd. "He's
+probably got something for us if he is."
+
+"How far is she out?" inquired Jesse. "She blows like the _Yucatan_, but
+maybe she's the old _Portland_ coming in."
+
+"If she's the _Portland_ my father might be aboard," said John. "If it's
+the _Yucatan_, and Uncle Dick's coming, then we'll get my new rifle,
+sure."
+
+"One apiece, then," said Rob. "If each of us had a gun we could all go
+hunting together."
+
+"Pack-train just came across the divide yesterday," said Jesse, "and
+they had four bear-skins. They got 'em less than thirty miles inland.
+The fellow that killed them threw away two skins because they were so
+heavy he didn't want to bother to pack 'em. But I don't suppose they'd
+let us go bear-hunting yet," said Jesse, hesitatingly.
+
+"The biggest bear in this whole country," began Rob, who was posted on
+such matters, "are over toward Kadiak Island. I heard a trader from
+Seldovia saying there were a few sea-otters over there, too."
+
+"Wouldn't you like to go over to Kadiak--just once?" said John. "A big
+bear-skin or two, and maybe a sea-otter--we could cash in our fur for
+enough to buy a mining claim, like enough! My uncle Dick's due to go
+over there, too, before long," he ruminated. "You know he's employed on
+the government survey, and they're making soundings on that part of the
+coast."
+
+Rob drew a long breath. "Well, maybe _sometime_ we could get over
+there," he said; and the others nodded, because they had come to look
+on him as something of a leader in their out-door expeditions.
+
+"Priddy soon dat fog shall lift," remarked Ole Petersen, an old sailor
+who was lounging about the dock. He nodded toward the mouth of the
+harbor, where now all could see the heavy veil of mist growing thinner.
+Little by little, even as the steady boom of the steamer's whistle came
+echoing in, the front of the fog-bank thinned and lifted, showing the
+white-capped waves rolling beneath. Suddenly a strong shift of wind
+descended from the canyon between two of the many mountain-peaks which
+line the bay, and broke the fog into long ribbons of white vapor. The
+sun shone through, and its warmth sent the white mist up in twisting
+ropes, which faded away in the upper air. At last there came into view
+the red-topped smoke-stacks and the gaunt, dark hull of the great ocean
+steamer, whose funnels poured forth clouds of black smoke which drifted
+toward the farther shore of the bay.
+
+"_Yucatan!_" sang out Rob--and Ole Petersen calmly seconded him with a
+nod--"_Yucatan!_"
+
+The gathered population of Valdez--men, women, children, and
+dogs--greeted the vessel with a general outcry of welcome.
+
+"In she comes," said Rob; and now, with two more long, hoarse roars from
+her giant whistle, the _Yucatan_ slowly forged ahead, and within half an
+hour majestically swept up to her moorings at the front of Valdez dock.
+
+
+
+
+II
+
+AFLOAT ON THE PACIFIC
+
+
+As the deck-hands cast ashore the light lines attached to the
+cable-loops, our young friends were among the first to lay hold and aid
+in dragging ashore the heavy cables which made fast the steamer to the
+dock-posts. Then they ran back amidships where the gang-plank was put
+out. The jingling of the ship's bells and general outcry from those on
+the dock or crowding along the rail of the vessel made everything a
+scene of confusion. Greetings were passed from ship to shore and back
+again. Friends now would meet, cargo would be discharged; touch with the
+outer world once more would be had.
+
+"But I don't see Uncle Dick anywhere," said John, ruefully, as he
+examined the throng of figures packed along the rail waiting for the
+gangway to be made fast.
+
+"Maybe he didn't come," suggested Jesse.
+
+"There he is!" shouted John; "he's waving to us, over there 'midships."
+
+"He's got something under his arm," said Rob, judicially.
+
+A tall, brown-faced man with a wide, white hat and loose gray clothing
+edged his way toward the head of the gangway. Catching sight of the
+boys, he called out a hearty greeting.
+
+"Have you got it, Uncle Dick?" asked John, excitedly, as at last the
+latter reached the dock.
+
+Uncle Dick's answer was to pass to his nephew a certain long package,
+which proved to be a fine rifle in a leather case. For the moment all
+three boys were so much engaged in examining this that they paid little
+attention to what was going on--hurry and confusion, shouting and
+laughing and excited talk, mingled with the creak of the hoists and the
+rattle of the donkey-engine as the ship's men now began the work of
+discharging the cargo of the _Yucatan_. It must be remembered that in
+Alaska few things are manufactured, and everything must be shipped in,
+fifteen hundred miles or more, from San Francisco, Seattle, and other
+points.
+
+"Well, young gentlemen," said Uncle Dick, at last, "you seem gladder to
+see that gun than you are to see me."
+
+"No, we're not, sir," rejoined Rob; "but we're pleased enough, even so,
+because now each of us has a rifle."
+
+"And no place to use one," answered Uncle Dick.
+
+"Well, we may be able to go inside, hunting, before long," said Jesse,
+stoutly. "My father doesn't care if I go with him."
+
+"How would you like to go over to Kadiak with me?" asked Uncle Dick,
+directly, looking at them keenly from his gray eyes.
+
+"You don't mean it!" exclaimed Rob. The three gathered round him.
+
+"Are you going over there right away?" asked Jesse, staring up at him.
+
+Uncle Dick nodded. "Same boat," he answered. "I'm going on with the
+_Yucatan_ to Seward, and will take the _Nora_ from there to Kadiak.
+Chance of your life to spend the summer, if your mothers will say the
+word. And not to hurry you any, you've got just about an hour and a
+quarter to get ready--that is to say, to get consent and get ready
+both."
+
+The three boys hardly stopped to hear the last of his words. They were
+off, running at top speed across the long sidewalk toward the town.
+Uncle Dick followed them at his leisure, talking and telling the news
+to his acquaintances, of whom he had many in the town. He explained to
+these that the government work in soundings would be done by the revenue
+cutter _Bennington_, along the shores of Kadiak Island, for the next
+four months. Now, although to those unfamiliar with Alaska, Valdez may
+seem as far away as Kadiak, the latter really is some hundreds of miles
+farther to the northwest, and near the base of that long peninsula which
+tapers to a point in the Aleutian Islands. A dweller in a coast town in
+Alaska knows what goes on immediately about him. There were few in
+Valdez who knew more of Kadiak than they did of Kamchatka.
+
+"G'long there, ye young rascals!" called out a hearty voice at the
+fleeing boys. Captain John Ryan waved a cap toward them as he came down
+the gang-plank. But the boys, usually ready enough to visit with him on
+his stops at Valdez, were now too much excited to more than wave their
+hands as they disappeared.
+
+"So ye're plannin' to take the rascals along with us, west, are ye?"
+asked Captain John Ryan of Uncle Dick. "A summer out there would be the
+makin' of the youngsters."
+
+Uncle Dick's eyes wrinkled in a smile as he and the sturdy sea-captain
+started on down and walked to the town. At the farther end they were
+met by the three boys and by three nice-looking ladies, each
+prosperous-looking and well dressed, and each bearing a very anxious
+expression of countenance.
+
+"I tell you it's absolutely absurd, Richard," began one of these, as
+they approached--"your putting such notions into the heads of these
+boys."
+
+"It's all utterly impossible, of course," said Rob's mother, in turn,
+her mouth closing tightly as she looked around at her son.
+
+Mrs. Wilcox said less, but kept her hand on Jesse's shoulder. "What
+would you do at night with no one to see you safe in bed, my son?" said
+she, at length.
+
+"Oh, mother!" began Jesse, shamefacedly.
+
+"I'll take care of the boys," said Uncle Dick, at length. "I won't
+mollycoddle them, and they will have to shift for themselves, but I'll
+see that they get through all right. Think it over, good people. It will
+be the making of the kids."
+
+"Oh, well now, Richard," began Mrs. Hardy, once more, "how do we know
+when you are coming back?"
+
+"You don't know. I don't know myself."
+
+"But these boys have to go to school."
+
+"Oh, I'll get them back in time for the fall term. Boats are coming down
+from Kadiak every month or so."
+
+"But they say the storms out that way are perfectly frightful," began
+Mrs. McIntyre.
+
+"We'll not be in any storms. The cutter _Bennington_ anchors in the
+harbors, and, besides, the boys will be ashore in town at Kadiak. You
+don't suppose that Uncle Sam will let me have them around underfoot all
+the time, do you? I'll have something else to do."
+
+"But what could the boys do, then?" inquired Mrs. McIntyre.
+
+"Nothing much. Hunt seals and otters and whales and bears, and a few
+little things like that--catch more codfish and salmon than they ever
+thought of around here--go boat-riding with the Aleuts--"
+
+"In those tippy bidarkas?"
+
+"Tippy bidarkas," nodded Uncle Dick; "and go egg-hunting on the gull
+rocks, and all sorts of things. Why, they'd have the time of their
+lives, that's all."
+
+"But not one of the boys has a father at home now to advise in the
+matter," hesitated Jesse's mother. "They are all inside, and won't be
+back for a week."
+
+"They'll all be back just a week too late," answered Uncle Dick. "In
+about three-quarters of an hour from now, as Captain Ryan here will
+advise you, we start; and these boys, I think, will be on board the
+_Yucatan_ headed for Kadiak. You want to remember that this is Alaska,
+and that these are Alaskan boys. They've got to grow up knowing how to
+take care of themselves in this country. They're not sissies, with red
+morocco shoes and long yellow curls--they're the stuff we've got to make
+men out of up here. How'd Alaska ever have been found, in the first
+place, if there hadn't been real men raised from real boys?"
+
+"Oh, well!" began Mrs. McIntyre; and each of the other ladies echoed,
+"Oh, _well_!"
+
+"Oh, _well_!" echoed Uncle Dick. "I'll tell you what: you had better
+hurry back home and get their blankets rolled, and an extra pair of
+shirts and some spare socks thrown together. And, boys, the best thing
+you can do is to go down to the store and get some ammunition. We can
+get all the grub we want from the ship's stores out at Kadiak. Now,
+excuse me, ladies, but don't take my time arguing this matter, because
+I've got several things to do; and the boat's going to start inside of
+an hour, and we're going to start with her!"
+
+Sure enough, when at last the heavy boom of the _Yucatan's_ warning
+whistle caused the window glass along the main street to tremble, a
+little party once more wended its way down the sidewalk toward the
+wharf. Uncle Dick led the way, earnestly talking with three very grave
+and anxious mothers. Behind him, perfectly happy, and shouting excitedly
+to one another, came Rob, Jesse, and John. Each carried a rifle in its
+case, and each looked excitedly now and then at the wagon which was
+carrying their bundles of luggage to the wharf.
+
+"All aboard!" called the mate at the head of the gang-plank, laying hold
+of the side lines and waiting to pull it in. Again came the heavy
+whistle of the ocean steamer. The little group now broke apart; and in a
+moment the boys, somewhat sobered now, were waving their farewells to
+the mothers, who stood, anxious and tearful, on the dock.
+
+"Cast off, there!" came the hoarse order from the captain's bridge.
+
+"Ay, ay, sir!" rejoined the mate, repeating the command to the dock
+hands. Slowly the great propeller began to churn the green water astern
+into white. The bow of the great vessel slowly swung, and majestically
+she headed on her way out to the mouth of the bay. Clouds of white
+gulls followed her, dipping and soaring. Once more her whistle saluted
+the town from which she departed, its note echoing deeply from the steep
+fronts of the adjacent mountains. The wheelsman laid the course straight
+for the mouth of the gap between the outer mountains which marked the
+mouth of the bay. In less than an hour the bold headlands were passed.
+Beyond rolled the white-topped swells of the sea, across which lay none
+might tell how much of adventure.
+
+"Now," said Rob, turning to his friends, "maybe we'll see something of
+the world."
+
+
+
+
+III
+
+THE JOURNEY TO THE NORTH
+
+
+The good ship _Yucatan_ steadily ploughed her way along the rock-bound
+Alaskan coast until, at noon of the second day, she nosed her way into
+the entrance of that great indentation of the coast known as
+Resurrection Bay, and finally concluded her own northbound journey at
+the docks of the town of Seward, which lies at the head of that harbor.
+Here the voyagers were to change to a smaller vessel, the sturdy little
+craft called the _Nora_, which was to carry them still farther northward
+and westward. The young travellers, although before this they had known
+Alaska to be a great country, now began to think that they had not
+dreamed how large it really was, for Uncle Dick advised them that they
+would need to steam almost a week yet farther before they could arrive
+at Kadiak harbor.
+
+Once out of Resurrection Bay on their journey to the farther north, they
+began to see sights strange even to them, long as they had been used to
+Alaska. Hundreds of sea-lions crowded some lofty rocks not far beyond
+the entrance to the bay, roaring and barking at the ship as she steamed
+close in to the rocks, and plunging off in scores as the whistles of the
+boat aroused and frightened them from their basking in the sun.
+
+Rob's eyes proved keener than those of his friend, and he was always
+looking out across the sea in search of some strange object.
+
+"What's that, Mr. Dick?" he exclaimed, after he had been gazing steadily
+at the far horizon for some moments.
+
+Uncle Dick hastened to his state-room and returned with a pair of
+field-glasses.
+
+"That," said he, "is a whale--in fact, more than one; indeed, I think
+there is a big school of whales on ahead. We'll run almost square into
+them at this rate."
+
+Sure enough, within the hour they came within plain sight of a number of
+great black objects which at first seemed like giant logs rolling on the
+water. All at once there appeared splashes of white water among the
+whales, and the latter seemed to be much agitated, hastening hither and
+thither as though in fear. Captain Zim Jones, of the _Nora_, leaned
+down from his place on the bridge.
+
+"School of killers in there!" he sang out.
+
+"That's right," exclaimed Uncle Dick, handing the glasses to Rob. "Watch
+close now! Don't you see those smaller black things swimming along, with
+tall, upright fins? Those are killers, and they are fighting the whales
+right now!"
+
+Eagerly the boys took turns with the glasses, watching the strange
+combat of the sea now going on. Evidently some of the whales were much
+distressed; one large one seemed to be the especial mark of the enemy,
+which pursued him in a body.
+
+"Look, look!" cried John. "He jumped almost out of the water. He is as
+big as a house!"
+
+"I didn't know anything could hurt a whale, he's so big!" commented
+Jesse. "How do they fight a whale?"
+
+"Maybe they poke 'em with that big fin," said Uncle Dick. "But they do
+the damage with their jaws. One of them will bite a chunk out of a
+whale, and as quick as he lets go another will take his place. They come
+pretty near to eating the whale alive sometimes, although I don't know
+that they really kill them very often."
+
+"Well, I don't know," said Rob, who was looking steadily ahead. "There
+is one right ahead of us who just came up, and he's acting mighty
+stupid. See, he's coming right across the bows. If we don't look out
+we'll hit him. There!"
+
+Even as he spoke there came a heavy jar which almost stopped the ocean
+vessel. Her steel-shod bow had struck the whale full in the middle of
+the body.
+
+"Caught him square amidships," sung out Captain Zim from his station. "I
+guess we finished what the killers began!"
+
+The great creature lay for an instant stunned on the surface of the
+water, its vast body bent as though its back were broken. Then as the
+ship passed on it slowly sank from sight, even as the school of whales,
+diving and breaching, also fell astern, still pursued by their savage
+enemies.
+
+"Well," said Captain Zim, "I've sailed these waters thirty years, but
+that's the first time I ever struck a whale."
+
+"I've promised these boys plenty of exciting things," commented Uncle
+Dick. "But if you don't mind, I'd rather you wouldn't run over any more
+whales. You'll be taking the keel out of this ship the first thing you
+know."
+
+"I see something else!" called Jesse, who was examining the rolling sea
+studiously with the field-glasses. "See it--right over there about two
+hundred yards! It looks like a man standing up in the water."
+
+"Oh, _that_," said Uncle Dick, "it's only a seal."
+
+"Couldn't I shoot it?" asked Rob. "I'd like to get its fur."
+
+Uncle Dick laughed. "You wouldn't find its hide worth more than a dollar
+or so, if you got it," said he. "That's only a little hair seal. You
+won't find any fur seals until you get a good many hundred miles beyond
+Kadiak. And that's a good many hundred miles yet from here. Let the
+little fellow go, and turn the glasses on that big bunch of whale-birds
+over there. See them flying--there's a string nearly a mile long."
+
+"I see them! I see them!" called out Rob. "There are thousands and
+thousands of them. I've seen them before, and one of the sailors told me
+that there is always most of them where there are whales around. They
+seem to feed on the same sort of things in the water, someway."
+
+"There are plenty of things you see up in this country," said Uncle
+Dick, as he turned away. "You may have thought Valdez was pretty much
+all of Alaska, but I'll show you it is just the beginning."
+
+"Do they have shipwrecks up here, Uncle Dick?" asked John. "It looks to
+me pretty rocky along these shores."
+
+"Don't talk about shipwrecks!" replied his uncle. "This coast is full of
+them. I can show you the skeletons of four ships within two hours' sail
+of Kadiak, and how many small boats go ashore, never to be heard of, no
+man can tell. There are big ships lost, too, up and down this coast.
+Last year the natives below Kadiak brought in casks and boxes and all
+kinds of things bearing the name of the steamer _Oregon_. She was
+wrecked far to the south of Valdez, but the Japan Current carried her
+wreckage a thousand miles to the north and west, and threw it on the
+coast of Kadiak and the smaller islands west of there. It made the
+natives rich, they found so much in the way of supplies."
+
+"Are there any bears out there?" asked Jesse, wonderingly.
+
+"Biggest in the world!" replied Uncle Dick. "You'd better keep away from
+them. We're sailing now just south of the great Kenai Peninsula of
+Alaska. There's bears over there, but mostly black ones. Plenty of moose
+and caribou in these mountains, and once in a while a grizzly, but the
+biggest grizzlies are the brown bears of Kadiak and the peninsula on
+beyond."
+
+Rob was silent for a time, but at last remarked: "From what I hear of
+this Kadiak country, I believe we're going to like it. When'll we get
+there?"
+
+Uncle Dick smiled. "Oh, sometime within a week," he answered. "Distances
+are long up here, and wind and tide have something to do with even a
+steamer's speed."
+
+
+
+
+IV
+
+LOST IN THE FOG
+
+
+Sure enough, it took five days more of steady steaming before the _Nora_
+approached the shores of far-off Kadiak Island. In the nighttime the
+boys heard the steamer's whistle going, and knew that Captain Zim was
+sounding the echoes to get his bearings in the thick weather then
+prevailing. Sea-captains on those shores, when the fog is thick, keep
+the whistle going, and when they hear the echoes from the rocks too
+plainly they make outward to the open sea.
+
+The _Nora_ crawled down the coast of Afognak Island in the fog and the
+dark, but finally cast her anchor as near as could be told off the
+entrance to the narrow channel of Kadiak Harbor. Here she sounded her
+whistle for more than an hour at short intervals, waiting for a pilot to
+come out. At last, soon after those on board had finished breakfast,
+they heard the sound of oars out in the fog and a rough voice calling
+through a megaphone: "Steamer ahoy! What boat is that?"
+
+"_Nora_, from Valdez," answered Captain Zim. "Are you the pilot?"
+
+"Ay, ay!" came the voice through the fog.
+
+"Come on board--this way!" called Captain Zim; and once more the hoarse
+whistle of the steamer boomed out into the fog.
+
+Needless to say, the three boys now were on deck, and they leaned over
+the rail as there appeared at the foot of the rope-ladder a big dory
+with two native oarsmen, and a stout, grizzled man, whom the ship's
+company announced to be Pete Piamon, the pilot for that coast.
+
+"How are you, Pete?" said Captain Zim. "Can we take her in? I'm late and
+in an awful hurry."
+
+Pete grinned. "All the time you ban in awful hurry, Captain Zim. Dis fog
+awful tick. Yas, we shall take her in if you say so--and maybe so pile
+her up on de rock. You don' min' dat, eh?"
+
+"Where's the revenue-cutter _Bennington_ lying, Pete?" asked Uncle Dick.
+
+"Inside, beyond de town." Pete jerked a thumb over his shoulder.
+
+"I'll tell you what I'll do, captain," said Uncle Dick. "I'm in a big
+hurry to report to my commanding officer on the _Bennington_, for he's
+no doubt been lying here two or three days waiting for us. You keep
+Pete here, and let me and the boys take his dory and pull in--they'll
+take us through the tide-rips all right, if it gets bad. I won't ask you
+to put down one of the ship's boats."
+
+Pete looked at Captain Zim, who answered: "Oh, all right, if you're in
+such a hurry; though you might wait and let us all go in together. How
+are you going to get all of your hand luggage and all four of you into
+that dory, though?"
+
+"You couldn't spare us a ship's boat?"
+
+"Sure I can," answered obliging Captain Zim. "I'll tell you--put the
+boys in the dory, and I'll send you and the luggage over in the
+long-boat."
+
+"Get down there, boys," commented Uncle Dick, briefly, pointing to the
+rope-ladder. "Are you afraid to go down the ladder?"
+
+Rob's answer was to make a spring for the top of the ladder, and down he
+went hand over hand, followed by the others, each of whom could climb
+like a squirrel. The two natives, grinning, reached up and steadied them
+as they reached the jumping dory. The boys insisted on having their
+blankets and rifles in the boat with them--a part of Alaska education
+which had been taught them by old prospectors.
+
+Pete shouted something over the rail in the Aleut tongue. At once the
+two natives bent to their oars, and the dory slipped away into the fog.
+Uncle Dick, busy with hunting out his luggage for the long-boat, did not
+at first miss it from the foot of the ladder.
+
+"Hello! Where did that dory go?" he asked, finally. In the confusion no
+one answered him. So at last he concluded his own work in loading the
+long-boat and went overside, ordering the boat's crew to give way
+together, strongly, in order to overtake the dory.
+
+But when the long-boat, after feeling its way down the narrow channel,
+emerged from the fog and pulled up at Kadiak dock there was no dory
+there.
+
+"Hello, there, Jimmy!" cried Uncle Dick to the manager of the warehouse
+at the dock. "Where's that boat?"
+
+"What boat do you mean, sir?" answered the other.
+
+"Why, Pete's dory. We just sent it in by two natives, with three boys
+I've got along--friends and relatives of mine."
+
+"You're joking, sir. You can't have brought boys away up here. Besides,
+they haven't showed up here at the dock, nor any dory, either."
+
+"They must have got into the other channel mouth in the fog and gone
+down Wood Island way," said Uncle Dick, at last, beginning to be
+troubled.
+
+"Well, if an Aleut can do anything wrong, that's what he's going to do,"
+answered the dock-master. "We'll have to send a boat over there after
+those people yet. By-the-way, Captain Barker, of the _Bennington_, is
+waiting for you. And he told me to tell you to come aboard in Pete's
+dory as soon as you struck the town."
+
+"But the dory's gone," commented Uncle Dick. "I don't like the look of
+this."
+
+Both men, with lips compressed, stood staring out into the heavy blanket
+of fog.
+
+
+
+
+V
+
+THE MISSING DORY
+
+
+What happened was this: The two natives in the dory were unable to
+understand English, and of course the three boys knew nothing of the
+native language. Yet from the hasty instruction of the pilot, Pete, the
+natives had gathered that "the boss gentleman"--that is to say, Uncle
+Dick--wanted to go to the revenue-cutter _Bennington_. Accordingly they
+concluded that the boys also were bound directly for the cutter, and so
+instead of heading to the channel which led to the town, they proposed
+to take a cut-off behind Wood Island, best known to themselves. Thus
+they rowed on for more than half an hour before any of the boys
+suspected anything wrong. Rob made signs to them to stop rowing. All the
+boys looked about them in the fog. They were still in the roll of the
+open sea, and the dory pitched wildly on the long swell, but, listen
+intently as they might, they could hear no sound from any quarter.
+
+"We ought to have stayed with Uncle Dick," suggested Jesse.
+
+"That's right!" admitted Rob. "But the question is, what ought we to do
+now? They pointed out town that way from the _Nora_, and I know we're
+not going the right direction."
+
+To all inquiries and commands the natives did nothing but shake their
+heads and smile pleasantly. At last they resumed their oars and began to
+row steadily on their course. The sea now came tumbling in astern in
+long black rolls, broken now and again by whitecaps. Like a cork the
+dory swung up and down on the long swells, and all the boys now grew
+serious, for they had never been in so wild a water as this in all their
+lives.
+
+They progressed this way a little while, until Rob bethought himself of
+the plan employed by the captains when skirting the shore in fog. He put
+his hands to his mouth and gave a loud, drawn-out shout, and then
+listened for an echo. Sure enough it came, faint and far off, but
+unmistakable.
+
+"We're running down the coast, or else the channel is wide here," said
+Rob, "because the echo is only on one side."
+
+From time to time they renewed these tactics, and for mile after mile
+kept in touch of the shore, on which now and then they could hear the
+waves breaking wildly. At last Rob set his jaw tight in decision.
+
+"I tell you what," said he; "we're going the wrong way. We ought to have
+been at the town long before this. I'm for going ashore and waiting till
+the fog lifts."
+
+Both Jesse and John agreed to this, for now they were thoroughly
+alarmed. Rob made motions to the two native oarsmen that they should
+head the dory inshore. They, always disposed to be obedient to the white
+race, agreed and swung the dory shoreward. "_Karosha_," said the older
+of the two men; by which they later learned he meant to say, "All
+right."
+
+The two natives were well used to making a landing through the surf.
+Arrived off shore, they waited till a big wave came directly at the
+stern, then with a shout gave way and rode in on its crest, jumping out
+into the water and pulling the dory high up on what proved to be a
+shingle beach backed by a high rock wall a hundred yards or so inland.
+
+All the boys now scrambled out, glad enough to set foot on shore. But
+they found their surroundings cheerless rather. The soft blanket of the
+fog shut in, white and fleecy, all about them. Now and again they heard
+a wandering sea-bird call, but they could see neither the sea nor any
+part of the shore beyond the rock wall near at hand. They no longer
+heard the whistle of the _Nora_ lying at anchor at the mouth of the
+channel.
+
+Both the natives now pulled out pipes and began to smoke silently. One
+produced from his pocket an object deeply wrapped in a bundle of rags
+and hide, which finally proved to be an old brass watch, which he
+consulted anxiously.
+
+"Him sleep," he remarked, shaking the watch and putting it to his ear.
+By this Rob knew that he meant that the watch had stopped.
+
+"I knew he could talk," said John. "Ask him where we can get something
+to eat. I'm getting awful hungry."
+
+"You're always hungry, John," said Rob. "The most important thing for us
+is to find where we are. Here, you!" He addressed the natives. "You can
+talk English. Which way is town? How far? Why don't we get there at
+once?"
+
+The wrinkled native smiled amiably again, and remarked "By-'n-by"; but
+that seemed to be the extent of his English, for after that he only
+shook his head and smiled.
+
+"This is a fine thing, isn't it?" said Rob. "I wonder what your uncle
+Dick will think of us. Anyway, we've got our guns and blankets, and
+there's a box of crackers and some canned tomatoes under the boat seat."
+
+At last the two natives began to jabber together excitedly. They turned
+and said something to the boys which the latter could not understand,
+and then, without further ado, made off inland and disappeared in the
+fog. Some moments elapsed before the boys understood what had happened,
+and indeed they had no means of knowing the truth, which was that the
+two natives, who were perfectly friendly, had started across to the
+Mission House of Wood Island, some two miles or more, in search of
+something to eat, and possibly in the wish of getting further
+instructions about these young men they found in their charge.
+
+"Why don't they come back?" asked Jesse, in the course of half an hour
+or so, during which all were growing more anxious than they cared to
+admit.
+
+"Who knows how long 'by-'n-by' may mean? I'd like to get out of here,"
+added John.
+
+"I'll tell you what we'll do," said Rob, after they had waited for
+perhaps another half-hour. "These men have left us, and now we'll leave
+them in turn. The sea is pretty rough, but this is a good boat and we
+can run her. We can go back that way, and get to the mouth of the
+channel, because I noticed which way the wind was blowing. Town must be
+off to the left, and we can keep track of the shore by the echo. I'm for
+pulling out right away."
+
+"So am I," assented John. And Jesse, although he looked rather sober at
+the sight of the white-topped waves, agreed.
+
+By great good-luck they were able to push the dory out with the receding
+crest of a big wave, and the first thing they knew they were pitching up
+and down in the white water. By hard pulling they got the boat offshore,
+and being there outside the more broken water made fairly good headway,
+although they found the boat heavy and hard to pull.
+
+"We can't make it," said Rob, at last. "She's too big for us to pull
+against the wind, and that's the way we must go if we go toward town.
+I'm afraid we'll have to go ashore again."
+
+"Look, look there!" cried John, suddenly.
+
+They all stopped rowing for a moment and gazed ahead.
+
+A towering ridge of white, foamy waves arose directly in front of them,
+higher than their heads had they stood upright in the boat. Swirling
+and breaking, it seemed to advance and march down upon them. The surface
+of the water was agitated as though some great creature were lashing it
+into foam. But soon they saw that this was something worse than any
+creature of the deep.
+
+"It's the tide-rips!" cried Rob, anxiously. "The tide-bore is going out
+the channel--I've heard them tell of that before. Look out, now! Give
+way, and put her into it quartering, or it'll swamp us, sure!"
+
+
+
+
+VI
+
+ADRIFT ON THE OCEAN
+
+
+A thousand angry, choppy waves pitched alongside the dory, as though
+reaching up and trying to come aboard. Time and again the boys thought
+all was lost. Instead of passing through the tide-rips, the dory seemed
+to be carried on with them as they shifted.
+
+The tide, indeed, had now turned, and with its turn the fog began to
+lift. Getting some idea of what now was happening, Rob undertook to make
+back toward the shore, where they could hear the surf roaring heavily.
+Perhaps it was lucky they did not succeed in this attempt, for the boat
+would no doubt have been crushed like an eggshell on the rocks. Instead,
+they began to float down parallel with the coast, carried on the crest
+of the big tide-bore which every day passes down the east coast of
+Kadiak between the long, parallel islands which make an inland channel
+many miles in extent. As the boys called now they could hear an echo on
+each side of them, and indeed could see the loom of the rock-bound
+shore; but all about them hissed and danced these fighting waves,
+tossing the dory a dozen ways at once, and all the time there came
+astern the long roll of the mighty Pacific in its power, the Japan
+current and the coast tide in unison forcing a boiling current down the
+rocky channel. Escape was hopeless.
+
+"Boys," said Rob, his face perhaps a trifle pale, "we can't get out of
+this. All we can do is to run."
+
+The others looked at him silently.
+
+"She's a splendid boat," went on Rob, trying to be cheerful. "She rides
+like a chip. I believe if we keep low down she'll be safe, for it
+doesn't seem to be getting any worse."
+
+A powerful steamboat, if it were caught under precisely these
+conditions, could have done little more than drift down the channel. The
+boys resigned themselves to their fate. Now and again the fog shut down.
+Wild cries of sea-birds were about them. Now and then the leap of a
+great dolphin feeding in the tide splashed alongside, to startle them
+yet more. Each moment, as they knew, carried them farther and farther
+from their friends, and deeper and deeper into dangers whose nature
+they could only guess.
+
+"I wish we'd never left Valdez," said Jesse, at last, his lip beginning
+to quiver.
+
+"That's no way to talk," said Rob, sternly. "The right thing to do when
+you're in a scrape is to try to get out of it. This tide can't run clear
+round the world, because your uncle Dick said this island wasn't over
+one hundred and fifty miles long, and there must be any number of bays
+and coves. Pull some crackers out of that box and let's eat a bite."
+
+"That's the talk," said John, more cheerfully. "We'll get ashore
+somewhere. It's no use to worry."
+
+John was always disposed to be philosophical; but the great peculiarity
+about him was that he was continually hungry. He found the crackers now
+rather dry and hard to eat, so worried open a can of tomatoes with his
+hunting-knife, complaining all the time that they had no water to drink.
+
+Their hasty meal seemed to do them good. Finding that their dory was
+still afloat, they began to lose their fears. Indeed, little by little,
+the height of the waves lessened. The tide was beginning to spread in
+the wider parts of the channel.
+
+"Let's try the oars again," said Rob, at last.
+
+To their delight they found that they could give the dory some headway.
+But in which direction should they row? Small wonder that in these
+crooked channels, with the wind shifting continually from the shore and
+the veil of fog alternately lifting and falling again, they took the
+wrong course.
+
+They had now been afloat for some hours, although at that season of the
+year there is daylight for almost the entire twenty-four hours, so that
+they had no means of guessing at the time. They had passed entirely
+across the mouths of two or three of the great inland bays, which make
+into the east shore of Kadiak Island. At the time when they flattered
+themselves they were making their best headway back toward town, they
+were really going in the opposite direction, caught by the stiff tide
+which was running between Ugak Island and the east coast of Kadiak. In
+all, they remained in the dory perhaps ten or twelve hours, and in that
+time they perhaps skirted more than one hundred miles of shore-line,
+counting the indentations of the bays, although in direct distance they
+did not reach a total of more than fifty or sixty miles. At the head of
+one of these bays, had they but known it, there were salmon rivers where
+fishing-boats occasionally stopped; but all that they could do was to
+use the best of their wisdom and their strength, and they kept on,
+steadily pulling, believing that the tide had turned, whereas in truth
+they were going down the coast still with the tide and approaching the
+mouth of the vast crooked bay known as Kaludiak, half-way down the east
+coast of the great island. Thus they were leaving behind a possible
+place of rescue. Although their first fright had in time somewhat worn
+away, they were now tired, hungry, thirsty, and, in fact, almost upon
+the point of exhaustion.
+
+All at once, at an hour which in the United States would probably have
+been taken to be just before sundown, but which really was nearly eleven
+o'clock at night, a change in the contour of the coast caused the wind
+to whip around once more. The fog, broken into thousands of white, ropy
+wreaths, was swept away upward. There stretched off to the right the
+entrance of a vast bay, with many arms, whose blue waters, far less
+turbulent than these of the open sea, led back deep into the heart of a
+noble mountain panorama of snow-covered peaks and flattened valleys.
+
+"It's almost like Resurrection Bay, or Valdez Harbor," said Rob. "At any
+rate, I'm for going in here. There will be streams coming down out of
+the mountains, and we can stop somewhere and make camp."
+
+
+
+
+VII
+
+THE HUT ON THE BEACH
+
+
+Rob pointed to a valley which made down to the bay some distance ahead.
+
+"There must be a stream somewhere in there," said he. "Besides, it looks
+flat, as though there were a beach. We'd better pull over there."
+
+So, weary as they were, they tugged on the oars until finally they drew
+opposite this narrow beach. A long roll from the sea came down the bay,
+but the surf did not break here so angrily, so that they made a landing
+with nothing more serious than a good wetting. They pulled the dory as
+far up the beach as they could, and made it fast by the painter to a big
+rock.
+
+They now found themselves in a somewhat singular country. The beach, of
+rough shingle, rose at an angle of thirty degrees for perhaps a hundred
+feet, where it terminated in a long, low ridge which, like a wall,
+paralleled the salt water as far as they could see on either hand.
+Inside of this wall, which was not very many yards across the top, they
+beheld a flat valley lying between the ocean and the foot of the
+mountains, perhaps a quarter of a mile across. A part of this valley was
+occupied by a long lake or lagoon, into which the water from the
+mountains seemed to come, and which found its outlet through a creek,
+which made off to the sea, far to the right.
+
+All this country is covered with the heavy moss, or tundra, peculiar to
+Alaska, which, when covered with a heavy growth of grass, as was the
+case here, affords rather difficult walking. But as the boys left the
+edge of the sea-wall Rob uttered an exclamation.
+
+"Here's a path!" he cried. "It must go somewhere. There have been people
+here!"
+
+"Look yonder!" said Jesse, pointing ahead. "There is the reason. There's
+a house over there!"
+
+The three now stopped and looked ahead anxiously. There was, indeed, a
+low hut built of drift-wood and earth--such a dwelling as is used by the
+Aleuts in their native condition and is called by them a "barabbara."
+
+"There's no smoke," said Rob. "Maybe it's deserted. We'd better be
+careful, though."
+
+They had been told by Uncle Dick that there lived on the east coast of
+Kadiak Island a part of the Aleut tribes who still remained savage, and
+who never visited a white settlement unless obliged to do so. Many tales
+of theft and bloodshed came from these natives, who had always refused
+to come under the influence of the missions or schools, one or two of
+which are established near Kadiak. In short, as Rob especially very well
+knew, there was no wilder or more dangerous portion of Alaska than that
+in which they now found themselves. It was very well to be cautious when
+approaching the dwelling-place of any of these wild natives, who had
+reasons of their own for putting out of the way any stray white man who
+might come into the country.
+
+Thirst, however, drove them on. They watched the low house for several
+minutes, and then cautiously advanced along the path. They found the
+place to be a typical native camp. Pieces of drift-wood lay about,
+mingled with skeletons of foxes, bones of salmon and codfish--all the
+uncleanliness of an Aleut dwelling. The only opening of the low, round
+hut itself was fastened by a square door about three feet across. No
+sound came from it.
+
+"Who's afraid?" said Rob, at last, and boldly pushed open the door. He
+stooped and entered, and the others followed him.
+
+They found themselves now in the interior of a low hovel, perhaps
+fifteen feet across, and rudely circular in form. A wall of roughly laid
+timbers extended all around, perhaps three feet from the ground, and
+from these eaves to a conical point there rose the rough beams of the
+roof, which was covered heavily with dirt, grass, and moss. A hole was
+left in the middle of the roof for the smoke to escape. In the centre
+lay the white ashes of many fires, on opposite sides of which stood two
+half-burned sticks which had supported kettles. The plan of the
+barabbara, in fact, is precisely similar to that of the tepee of the
+Plains Indians, except that it is not movable and is lower and even less
+roomy than a good tepee.
+
+"Nobody home!" said Jesse, looking about the dark interior, where the
+smoke had blackened all the wood, and where only a little light came
+through the door and the smoke-hole, there being no window at all.
+
+"Nor has there been for a long time," said Rob. "These bits of fish are
+all dried up. The ashes have been wet with rain for a long time. See,
+back there under the eaves there are a lot of _klipsies_. That's what
+they call their fox traps. Yes, this no doubt is the camp of a trapper
+or two who live here in the winter-time."
+
+"But where do they go in the summer?" asked John.
+
+"Probably to some of their own villages. It's almost too late now to
+trap foxes for their furs, so the chances are there will be no one here
+until next winter."
+
+"Why, then," said Jesse, his eyes brightening, "we could use this for
+our house, couldn't we?"
+
+"Precisely," said Rob. "That's just what we will do."
+
+"That'll be fine," said John, his eyes brighter than they had been for
+many an hour. "Now if we only had something for a good meal."
+
+"Here's an old tin lard-pail they no doubt used for a water-pail," said
+Rob, kicking about in the heavy covering of grass which lay on the
+floor. "Now, I tell you, I'll go get some water; you clean the hut,
+Jess; and, John, you go to the boat and bring over the box of crackers
+and tomatoes."
+
+With light hearts the others complied, each glad that now at least they
+were free from the dangers of the sea.
+
+"I believe we're going to be all right here, John," said Jesse, as the
+latter started toward the boat.
+
+"Surely we will," said John. "Only I know I want a drink pretty badly."
+
+When they met at the door of the hut a few moments later Rob offered
+them his kettle of water, from which he had not yet drunk. John took a
+deep draught and spat it out with a wry face.
+
+"Salt!" he exclaimed. "That's awful!"
+
+Rob looked at him in surprise.
+
+"That's strange," said he. "I saw the creek tumbling right down through
+the alders into this little lake, and it must be fresh water." He
+scratched his head. "Oh, I know," said he. "The tide backs up in here to
+the foot of the little falls. Give me the kettle. It's shallow out there
+in front, and there's rocks. We'll cross the lake to get a drink!"
+
+Suiting the action to the words, he went off on a run, and this time
+when he returned he had the pail full of excellent fresh water, cold as
+ice.
+
+"I got my feet wet," said he; "but never mind that. I've learned
+something else--or, at least, I think I have."
+
+"What's that?" asked Jesse.
+
+"Why, it's this. Our crackers and tomatoes won't last very long, and we
+can't eat moss or dried grass. We've got our fishing-lines done up in
+the bedrolls in the boat, and if we can't catch any codfish in the bay,
+there'll be a time before long, unless I'm mistaken, when there'll be
+salmon in this creek. They say they run in every river on the Alaska
+coast, and I suppose it's the same here."
+
+"We'd better not eat up all our crackers right away," suggested Jesse,
+hesitating.
+
+"No," said Rob, who seemed to drop into the place of leader. "We'll have
+to do the way people do when they're shipwrecked and cast away. We'll go
+on short rations for a while."
+
+"Well," said John, "let's have a cracker, anyway, and the rest of that
+last can of tomatoes we opened. I'd like a cup of tea pretty well; but
+it may be some time before we see tea again."
+
+"Worry enough for the day," said Rob. "And what we ought to be is mighty
+thankful we got off as well as we have. Anyhow, we're alive; and,
+anyhow, we'll camp here to-night. Now you boys go over to the boat and
+get the bedrolls, while I pick up some wood and get some fresh grass for
+the beds. It'll be dark now before long. We'll make a fire and cook the
+tomatoes in the can."
+
+Following Rob's advice, each now busied himself at these different
+tasks. In the course of an hour they had a fire glowing at the centre of
+the barabbara, which now would otherwise have been quite dark. The smoke
+did not seriously trouble them after they had learned to keep down low
+on the floor. Each unrolled his blankets on the deep, sweet-scented
+grass near-by the fire. Thus, alone and far from home, in a situation
+stranger than any of them had ever fancied himself about to see, they
+lay about the fire at midnight of the short Alaskan darkness. Each
+without instruction took his rifle from its case and put it on the
+blankets beside him, taking care that it was loaded. Outside they could
+hear the calls of flying birds; otherwise deep silence reigned. They
+felt, although they could not see, the presence of the surrounding walls
+of the great white mountains. Now and then they could hear the faint
+boom of the sea on the opposite side of the inner wall. It was a wild
+and new experience for them as at last, one by one, each nodded and
+dropped back upon his blankets for such sleep as he could find in his
+first night in camp on the unknown Kadiak coast.
+
+
+
+
+VIII
+
+THE SALMON RUN
+
+
+Worn out as they were by the adventures of the preceding day, the boys
+slept long and soundly. When at length Rob awoke he saw that the sun was
+shining brightly down through the smoke-vent in the roof. He called the
+others, who rolled over sleepily in their blankets.
+
+"Time for breakfast, John," said he, laughing.
+
+"Yes, and no breakfast," grumbled John--"at least, nothing but more
+crackers and tomatoes, and not very much of that."
+
+"I'll have a look outside first," said Rob, crawling over to the door
+and pushing it open. "I say, it's a fine day! You can see the mountains
+all around as clear as you please. Wherever we are, it's a big country
+at least."
+
+"What was that I heard just now?" exclaimed John, joining him at the
+door; "it sounded like a splash."
+
+They both crawled out of the door and stood up where they could see the
+surface of the lagoon, which lay but a few yards distant from the front
+of the hut. Sure enough, a series of spreading wrinkles marked the
+water.
+
+"Must have been a fish," said John. "There he goes again!"
+
+Even as he spoke Rob had left him and was running to the edge of the
+water. "Salmon!" he cried. "Salmon! I thought so. Now we're all right!"
+
+These were Alaska boys, and a run of salmon was nothing new to them,
+although it is something never failing of interest no matter how
+often one sees it. The three now gathered at the shallow water a short
+distance below the hut. All along the creek crows and ravens were flying
+in great flocks. From the heavy grove of cotton-wood beyond the
+creek there arose several great birds, soaring majestically
+across--eagles--also interested in the coming of the fish. Suddenly one
+of these made a swift dart from its poise high in the air, straight as
+an arrow, and flinging the water in every direction as it struck.
+Struggling, it rose again with a great fish in its talons.
+
+"He's got _his_ breakfast, anyhow," said John, ruefully. "But now how
+are we going to get ours?"
+
+"Run to the boat, John," said Rob. "I remember seeing some cod-lines
+with big hooks under the back seat. Must have belonged to those natives.
+You bring me those hooks while I hunt for a pole."
+
+Excitedly they all now began to see what might be done toward making a
+salmon-gaff such as Indians use; for all these boys knew very well that
+the Alaska salmon will not take any sort of a bait or lure when they are
+ascending a stream; and these were the red salmon, fish of about eight
+or ten pounds in weight, which in that part of the world are never known
+to take any kind of lure.
+
+In a few minutes Rob, having found a longish pole in the grass near by,
+had hurriedly bound with a piece of cod-line the three large hooks at
+the end so that they made a gang or gaff. Taking this, and rolling up
+his trousers high as he could, he waded into the shallow, ice-cold
+water.
+
+"Where are they now?" he asked of the others, who remained on the bank.
+
+"There they come--there's a school coming now!" cried Jesse.
+
+All at once Rob could see the surface of the water below him just barely
+moving in low, silvery ripples as though a faint wind touched it. A
+sort of metallic lustre seemed to hang above the water--the reflection
+from the bright scales of the many fish swimming close to the surface.
+Presently, as he looked into the water directly at his feet, he could
+see scores of large, ghostly looking creatures, pale green or silvery,
+passing slowly by him, some of them so close as almost to touch his legs
+as he stood motionless. Once or twice he struck with his gaff, but the
+quick motions of the fish foiled him; and it looked as though the boys
+would wait some time for their breakfast, after all. At last, however,
+he waded closer to the shore and half hid behind a bush, extending his
+gaff in front of him with the hooks resting on the bottom.
+
+"Now, drive them over this way--throw in some stones," he directed.
+
+The others did as he said, and all at once Rob saw the water directly in
+front of him full of a mass of confused fish. A quick jerk, and he had a
+fine, fat fish fast, and the next instant it was flopping on the bank,
+while all three of them fell upon it with eager cries.
+
+"Now another!" said Rob. "They may not be running all day."
+
+He returned to his hiding-place near the bush, and thus in a few
+minutes he had secured a half-dozen splendid fish.
+
+"That will do for now," said he. "What do you think of the chance for
+breakfast now, Mister John?"
+
+John grinned happily. He already had a couple of the fish nicely
+cleaned.
+
+"I'll tell you what," said Jesse, "after we've had breakfast we'll catch
+a lot of these fat ones and split them open the way the Indians do. I
+think we could make a smoking-rack for them without much trouble."
+
+"Capital," said Rob. "We ought to dry some fish when we have the chance,
+because no one can tell how long we may have to live here."
+
+"But we won't do anything till after breakfast," said John, looking up.
+
+"No," laughed Rob, "I'm just as hungry as you are. So now let's build a
+little fire and, since we have no frying-pan as yet, do what we can at
+broiling some salmon steaks on sticks."
+
+It was not the first time they had cooked fish in this way, and although
+they sadly missed the salt to which they were accustomed, they made a
+good breakfast from salmon and a cracker or so apiece, which Rob doled
+out to them from their scanty supply.
+
+"We ought to keep what we have as long as we can," said Rob. "For
+instance, we've only a couple of boxes of matches, and we must not waste
+one if we can help it. We'll look around after awhile and see if we can
+scare up a frying-pan. But now I move that the first thing we do be to
+explore our country just a little bit."
+
+"Agreed," said John, who was now well fed and contented. "Suppose we
+walk down to the mouth of the creek over there."
+
+Following along the winding shores of the small stream, which here at
+high tide was not above the level of the sea, they found themselves
+finally at the angle between the creek and the open bay, beyond the end
+of the low sea-wall which has earlier been mentioned. The creek here
+turned in sharply toward the foot of the mountain, and across from where
+the boys stood a sheer rock wall rose several hundred feet. This shut
+off the view of a part of the bay on that side, but in other directions
+they could see the white-topped waves rolling, eight or ten miles across
+to the farther side, where there were many other bays making back among
+the mountains.
+
+Out in the bay where the stream emptied, schools of salmon, apparently
+thousands in number, were flinging themselves into the air as they
+started toward the mouth of the creek. At the last angle of the stream,
+where it turned against the rock wall, there was a pool perhaps fifty
+feet across and twenty feet in depth, and as the boys looked down into
+this it seemed literally packed with hundreds and thousands of great
+salmon, which swam around and around before picking out the current of
+the stream up which they were to swim.
+
+"Here's fish enough for us whenever we want any," said Rob. "We can
+catch them here without much trouble, I think."
+
+"I don't know, we may not be so badly off here for a while, after all,"
+admitted John.
+
+"Just look at the gulls," said Jesse, idly shying a pebble at one great
+bird as it came screaming along close above them, to join its kind in
+the great flocks that circled around above the salmon, which they were
+helpless to feed upon, not being equipped with beak and talons like the
+eagles.
+
+"Yes," said Rob, "thousands of them. And every pair of them with a nest
+somewhere, and every nest with two eggs, and a good many of them good to
+eat. Do you see those tall, ragged rocks out there? That looks to me
+like their nesting-ground."
+
+"But we can't get there," said John, pointing to the creek.
+
+"Oh yes, we can, in two ways. We could wade the creek up above and climb
+across the shoulder of the mountain there, and maybe cross the next
+creek beyond, and so get out to those rocks on the point below. Or we
+can launch the dory up above and come down the coast to the mouth of the
+creek, and then skirt the shore over there."
+
+"Why don't we bring our boat over here and take it up the creek?" asked
+Jesse. "We wouldn't have to row more than a mile or so, and then we'd
+always know our boat was safe."
+
+"That's a good idea," said Rob. "We'll do that this very day. Suppose we
+go back now to the house."
+
+They now turned and began slowly to walk up the creek again. Suddenly
+Rob stooped down and parted the grass, looking closely at something on
+the ground.
+
+"What is it, Rob?" asked John, joining him.
+
+The two now pushed the grass apart and looked down eagerly. Rob rose to
+his knees and pushed the cap back on his forehead.
+
+"If I didn't know better," said he, "I'd call that the track of an
+elephant or a mastodon or something. See, there it goes, all along the
+shore."
+
+"But it can't be an elephant," said Jesse.
+
+"No, it can't be anything but just what it is--the track of a bear! What
+Uncle Dick said is true. Look, this track is more than half as long as
+my arm."
+
+"We'd better get back to the house as quick as we can," said Jesse,
+anxiously. "That bear may come back any minute!"
+
+
+
+
+IX
+
+THE BIG BEAR OF KADIAK
+
+
+The three now started up the creek toward the barabbara, their steps
+perhaps a little quicker than when they came down-stream. Rob was
+scanning the mountain-side carefully, and looking as well at the sign
+along the creek bank.
+
+"That's where he lives, up in that canyon across the creek, very likely,"
+he said, at length. "Here's where he crossed in the shallow water, and
+last night he fished all along this bank. My! I'll bet he's full of
+bones to-day. It's the first run of fish, and he was so hungry he ate
+pretty near everything except the backbone." He pointed to a dozen
+skeletons of salmon that lay half hidden in the grass. The latter was
+trampled down as though cows had been in pasture there.
+
+"I don't know," said Jesse, soberly. "I always wanted to kill a bear,
+and there's three of us now and we've got guns; but I don't believe I
+ever wanted to kill a bear quite as big as this one. Why, he could
+smash in the door of our house in the night and eat us up if he wanted
+to."
+
+"We'll eat _him_, that's what we'll do," said John, decisively. "I only
+wish we had a kettle or a frying-pan or something."
+
+"Seems to me you'd better get the bear first," said Jesse. "But we might
+look in among the traps in the back of the hut and see what we can find.
+These hunters nearly always leave some kind of cooking things at their
+camps."
+
+Sure enough, when the boys entered the barabbara to look after their
+rifles, and began to rummage among the piles of _klipsies_ which they
+found thrown back under the eaves, they unearthed a broken cast-iron
+frying-pan and, what caused them even greater delight, a little, dirty
+sack, which contained perhaps three or four pounds of salt. They sat on
+the grass of the floor and looked at one another with broad smiles. "If
+everything keeps up as lucky as this," said Jesse, "we'll be ready to
+keep house all right pretty soon. But ought we to use these things that
+don't belong to us?"
+
+"Surely we may," answered Rob. "It is always the custom in a wild
+country for any one who is lost and in need to take food when he finds
+it, and to use a camp as though it were his own. Of course we mustn't
+waste anything or carry anything off, but while we're here we'll act as
+though this place were ours, and if any one finds us here we'll pay for
+what we use. That's the Alaska way, as you know."
+
+"You're not going out after that big bear, are you?" asked Jesse,
+anxiously, of Rob.
+
+"Of course; we're all going! What are these new rifles for--just look,
+brand-new high-power Winchesters, every one--and any one of these guns
+will shoot as hard for us as for a grown man."
+
+They sat for some time in the hut discussing various matters. At last
+John crawled to the door and looked out. He was rather a matter-of-fact
+boy in his way, and there seemed no special excitement in his voice as
+he remarked: "Well, Rob, there comes your bear."
+
+The others hurried to the door. Sure enough, upon the bare mountain
+slope beyond the lagoon, nearly half a mile away, there showed plainly
+enough the body of an enormous bear, large as a horse. It was one of the
+great Kadiak bears, which are the biggest of all the world.
+
+"Cracky!" said Jesse; "he looks pretty big to me. Do you suppose he'll
+find us here in the house?"
+
+Rob, the oldest of the three, who had been on one or two hunts with his
+father, looked serious as he watched this giant animal advancing down
+the hill-side with its long, reaching stride. Suddenly he uttered an
+exclamation. "Look!" said he; "there's two more just come out of the
+brush. It's an old she bear and her cubs coming down to fish!"
+
+All could now see the three bears, the great, yellow-gray mother, huge
+and shaggy, and the two cubs, darker in color and, of course, much
+smaller, although each was as large as the ordinary black bear of the
+United States. Certainly it was an exciting moment as the boys looked at
+these great creatures now so close at hand.
+
+Presently the old bear seemed to suspect something, for she stopped and
+sat up on her haunches, swinging from side to side a head which was
+fully as long as the arm of any one of the boys.
+
+"She probably smells the smoke," whispered Rob. "Oh, I hope she won't
+get scared and run away! No, there she comes; it's the first salmon run,
+and they're all hungry for fish."
+
+They watched the bears until at last they disappeared in the brush which
+lined the creek on the farther side. Rob kept his eye intently fixed on
+the place where they had disappeared, but made no motion to leave the
+hut until finally all three of the bears once more appeared, this time
+splashing across the creek.
+
+"She knows the tide as well as we do," muttered he. "It won't be long
+now before the fish begin to move up the creek again. Now, come on,
+fellows, if you're not afraid!"
+
+Rob looked around at John, who had his new rifle in his hand, but looked
+none too eager, now that the opportunity had come to use it. Jesse's
+lip, it must be confessed, trembled a little bit, and he was pale. The
+first sight of a large bear has been known to unsettle the nerves of
+many a grown man, and it was not to be wondered at that it should
+disturb one of Jesse's years. There was, perhaps, in the wild and remote
+situation in which they found themselves something which gave them
+courage. They had escaped such dangers of the sea that now the danger of
+the land seemed less by comparison. Moreover, they all had the hunting
+instinct, and were accustomed to seeing big game brought in by their
+relatives and friends. Had an older person been with them, no doubt they
+would all have been frightened; but there is something strange in the
+truth that when one is thrown on one's own resources courage comes when
+needed--as it did now to these three castaways.
+
+Without any further speech Rob passed out at the door and stood waiting
+for the others to follow. Each was silent as he held his way down the
+creek.
+
+For some distance they did not need to conceal themselves; then their
+leader took them along the edge of the creek, where their heads would
+not show above the grass. Thus following down the stream, and carefully
+peering over the banks at each bend, they worked along until they were
+perhaps three or four hundred yards above the big salmon pool and near
+to a flat piece of water which extended above it. Rob raised a warning
+finger.
+
+"Listen!" he hissed.
+
+They could hear it now distinctly--heavy splashing in the water, broken
+with low, grumbling whines in a deep, throaty voice, something like what
+one may hear in a circus at feeding-time. Once in a while a squeak or a
+bawl came from one of the cubs. Rob laughed. From his position near the
+top of the bank he could now see the picture before him.
+
+The old mother was sitting on her haunches out in the middle of the
+stream, with a cub on either side of her. She was trying to teach them
+to fish. Once in a while she would make a sudden, cat-like stroke with
+her long forearm, and almost always would throw out a fine salmon on the
+bank. Toward this the cubs would start in their hunger, but the old
+lady, reproving them for their eagerness, would then cuff them soundly
+on the head, knocking them sprawling over in the water, to their very
+great disgust. Once in a while one of them, his ears tight to his head,
+would sit down in the water, lift up his nose and complain bitterly at
+this hard treatment. Then again he would make a half-hearted stroke at
+some of the fish which he could see swimming about him; but his short
+claws would not hold like the long, curved ones of his mother, and no
+fish rewarded the efforts of either of the cubs. The boys lost all sense
+of fear in watching this amusing scene, which they studied for some
+minutes. They really lost their best opportunity for stalking their
+game, because presently the old grizzly changed her mind and led the way
+out to the bank where several fish were lying flapping. Upon these they
+all fell eagerly, grunting and grumbling, and now and again fighting
+among themselves.
+
+Rob turned toward his friends. "Quick now!" he whispered, sternly, and
+led the way, crawling into the high grass which would afford them cover
+for a closer approach to their game. The hearts of all of them now were
+throbbing wildly, and probably each one doubted his ability to do good
+shooting. Something, however, led them on, and although Rob saw two pale
+faces following him when he looked back, there was a glitter in the eyes
+of each which told him that at least each of his friends would do his
+best.
+
+Passing now out of the grass to the cover of the bank again, Rob ran
+along crouching, until he pulled up under cover of the bank at a point
+not more than seventy-five yards from where they could now distinctly
+hear the bears at their feeding.
+
+"Get ready now!" he whispered.
+
+Slowly the three crawled to the top of the bank. Rob laid a hand on
+Jesse's rifle barrel, which he saw was unsteady. He made motions to both
+of the others not to be excited. A strange sort of calm seemed to have
+come upon him. Yet, plucky as he was, he was not prepared for the sight
+which met him as he gazed through the parted grass at the top of the
+bank.
+
+The old grizzly, once more suspicious, had again sat up on her haunches,
+and turning her head from side to side began to sniff as though she
+scented danger. Her shaggy hair shone silvery now in the sun, and she
+seemed enormously large. Rob's heart leaped to his mouth, but suddenly
+dropping to his knee, and calling out to the others "Now!" he fired
+without longer hesitation.
+
+The sound of the other two rifles followed at once. The great bear gave
+a hoarse roar which seemed to make the hair prickle on the boys' heads;
+but even as she roared she dropped and floundered in the mud of the
+bank, up which she strove to climb. Again and again the rifles spoke.
+
+"Now the little ones--quick!" cried Rob, half springing to his feet, and
+continuing to fire steadily. Some one's shot struck the first cub square
+through the spine and killed it instantly. The second cub stood but a
+moment longer. These boys had used rifles many times before, and
+although not every shot went true, perhaps half of them struck their
+mark; and it was as Rob had said--the rifles shot as hard for them as
+for a grown man.
+
+The great she bear, possessed of enormous vitality, was not easily
+disposed of. The magazines of all the rifles were emptied the second
+time before Rob would allow them to go a foot closer, and even so, the
+great gray body retained life enough to roll half down the bank as they
+approached. This time Rob finished the old bear with a shot through the
+head, at a distance of not more than thirty yards.
+
+The game was down and dead--three great bears, one of them huge beyond
+the wildest dreams of any of them, and unbelievably large even for the
+most widely experienced sportsman. Indeed, any sportsman might have been
+proud of this record. Rob turned to look at his friends.
+
+Suddenly he himself sat down, and to his surprise found that he was
+trembling violently all over. Jesse and John were both doing the same.
+He saw that their faces were deathly pale.
+
+"I'm--I'm--I'm sort of--sort of sick at my stomach!" said Jesse.
+
+
+
+
+X
+
+THE SAVAGE REFUGEE
+
+
+"Well," said Rob, finally, looking around at his friends and grinning,
+"I don't know which of us is the worst scared; but, anyhow, we've got
+our game, and a lot of it. Do you suppose we can skin these big
+fellows?"
+
+"We'll have to," said John. "There's meat enough to last us a year. That
+old bear is bigger than any horse in Valdez."
+
+"And tough as any horse, too," said Rob. "The cubs may be better to eat.
+I have heard my father say that bear liver isn't bad; and certainly we
+can get all the fat we want to fry our fish. Lucky we've all got our
+hunting-knives along; so here goes!"
+
+They now arose and began the difficult task of skinning out the great
+bear--slow work for even an experienced hunter. They kept at it,
+however, and had made a good beginning when all at once a slight sound
+at the edge of the creek bank attracted Rob's attention.
+
+As he turned the others noticed him, and all three of them stood staring
+an instant later at the same object: a round, dark face gazing at them
+motionless through the grass--a face with cunning little eyes set
+slantwise, like those of a Japanese, and long, stringy locks of dark
+hair hanging down about the cheeks. Instinctively each boy reached for
+his rifle, which he had left leaning against the carcass of the great
+bear. Apparently not alarmed, the face kept its place, staring steadily
+at them. Rob now guessed the truth, which was that this Aleut savage had
+heard the shots and had entered the mouth of the creek in his boat. Not
+knowing whether he was friend or foe, Rob motioned the others to follow
+him, and approached him with his rifle at a ready.
+
+Seeing that they were not afraid, nor disposed to be driven from their
+place, the Aleut savage--for such it proved to be--arose, and with what
+he meant to be a smile stretched out his hand as though in friendship.
+His gun, a rusty old affair, he left lying on the ground at his side.
+Rob kicked it away as he approached.
+
+They now saw how the Aleut had reached them. His boat, a long, native
+bidarka, lay in the creek, up which the native had paddled silently on
+his own errand of discovery. This boat interested the boys very much.
+It was nearly twenty feet long and not more than two feet wide, covered
+entirely with tightly stretched skin. In the deck were two round holes,
+around each of which there was a mantle, or hood, of oiled hide or
+membrane, which could be drawn up about the waist of a man sitting in
+the hatch. On the narrow and sloping deck there was lashed a long spear
+and an extra paddle. The boys also noticed sticking to the deck a
+stringy-looking mass of grayish white, which at first they could not
+identify, though later they found it to be a collection of devil-fish,
+or octopi, which the native had gathered among the rocks for later use
+as food. Peering into the hatches they saw a copper kettle partly filled
+with a whitish-looking meat, which later they found to be whale flesh.
+There was a ragged blanket of fur thrust under the deck between the
+hatches.
+
+"He's been cruising along the coast," said Rob; "but this is a two-hatch
+bidarka, so probably he's got a partner somewhere around."
+
+"Maybe he's up at our house now stealing everything we left there,"
+suggested Jesse.
+
+"Yes, and maybe it's his house that we've moved into," added John.
+
+Rob, the older of the boys, and the one on whose judgment they had come
+to rely, remained silent a moment.
+
+"Boys," said he, at last, "this fellow looks like mischief to me. We
+can't let him go away, to come back after awhile and rob us. We can't
+leave his gun here with him and go on with our work. The only thing we
+can do is to take him in charge for a while."
+
+"Let me get his gun away from him," began John.
+
+Possibly the Aleut understood some of this, for all at once he made a
+sudden spring and caught at his gun.
+
+Quick as a flash Rob covered him with his own rifle. "No, you don't," he
+said; "drop it! That settles it for you!"
+
+Again the Aleut seemed to understand, for he stood up, tried to smile
+again, and once more held out his hand.
+
+"Take his gun and chuck it in the boat, Jess," commanded Rob. "Now you
+mush on!" he ordered the Aleut, pointing to the carcass of the bear.
+("Mush on," in Alaska dog-train vernacular, means "march on," being a
+corruption from the French word _marchons_.)
+
+The native sullenly walked on ahead, and finally sat down by the side of
+the bear.
+
+"You watch him, John," said Rob. "I've got to go on skinning this bear."
+So saying, he resumed his work, presently rejoined by Jesse.
+
+The native watched them, but finally began to smile at their clumsiness.
+
+"I'll tell you what," said Jesse; "if he's so smart about this, let's
+make him help skin."
+
+"A good idea!" added Rob. He began to make signs to the Aleut. "Here,
+you," said he, "get up and go to work--and keep on your own side of the
+bear."
+
+He pointed to the crooked knife which he saw in the native's belt. The
+latter, none too well pleased, sulkily arose and began to aid in
+skinning the bear. It was easy to see that it was not the first work of
+the kind he had done. He laid the hide off in folds, with long, easy
+strokes, doing twice as much work as all the other three. After a time
+the boys stopped their work entirely and stood watching him with
+admiration. The Aleut paid no attention to this, but went on with his
+work, once in awhile helping himself to a piece of raw fat. In the
+course of half an hour or so he had the great robe spread out on the
+grass, with the difficult work of skinning out the feet all done, and
+the ears, nose, and all parts of the head skinned out without leaving a
+slashed spot on the hide.
+
+"This beats doing it ourselves!" said John, who was not especially fond
+of work.
+
+"We ought to thank him some way," said Rob. "You know a little Chinook,
+John; why don't you talk to him?"
+
+John grinned.
+
+"_Kla-how-yah, tillicum!_" he began. "_Klosh-tum-tum_, eh? _Skookum!
+Skookum!_"
+
+Again the Aleut smiled in his distorted way, but whether or not he
+understood no one could tell.
+
+"What did you say to him, John?" asked Jesse.
+
+"Asked him how he was; told him that we were all pretty good friends,
+and that he had done mighty good work," interpreted John, proudly.
+
+"Well, it didn't seem to do much good, anyhow," said Rob. "But what
+shall we call him?"
+
+"Call him Jimmy," said Jesse. "He looks as though his name might be
+Jimmy as much as anything else."
+
+"All right!" agreed their leader. "Here, you, Jimmy, catch hold here!
+I'll show you a better way of getting this hide up to camp than
+carrying it there."
+
+He motioned that they should put the hide on the deck of the bidarka,
+and in time this was done, although the great weight of the green hide,
+a load for two strong men, sunk the bidarka so deeply that half its deck
+was covered.
+
+"Now get in, Jimmy," ordered Rob, pointing to the rear hatch. The native
+stepped in lightly, paddle in hand, and showed his ability to handle the
+little craft, even heavily loaded as it now was. Rob pointed up the
+creek, but with a sudden sweep of his paddle the Aleut turned the other
+way and started for the sea.
+
+"Quick, get the guns!" cried Rob. "Head him off across the bend!"
+
+Quick as were their movements, they were none too soon, for as they
+rushed across the narrow part of the creek bend they saw the Aleut
+almost upon them. He made no attempt to get at his gun, which was buried
+under the hides in the front hatch, but was paddling with all his might.
+Without hesitation Rob fired two shots into the water ahead of his boat,
+and held up his hand in command to him to stop. These things were
+language that even an Aleut could understand. Scowling and sullen, he
+slowly paddled up to the bank. He understood the fierce menace of the
+three rifles now pointing at him. This time he obeyed the gestures made
+to him, and, turning about, proceeded to paddle slowly up the creek,
+followed by the boys along the bank.
+
+
+
+
+XI
+
+A TROUBLESOME PRISONER
+
+
+When they reached the lagoon in front of the barabbara they stood for a
+time closely watching the latter. No sign of any visitor appeared,
+however. At last Rob boldly went on, kicked open the door, and called to
+the others to follow. Evidently, if the Aleut had any companion, he was
+not in that part of the island.
+
+"You watch me make this fellow work," said John. "I know a few words of
+Aleut as well as some Chinook. Here, you, Jimmy," he went on, "_sashgee
+augone! Skora!_"
+
+To the surprise of all the Aleut actually smiled, as though in pleasure
+at hearing his own tongue.
+
+"Got him that time!" said John, importantly. "Why, I can talk to these
+people all right. _Skora_, Jimmy!" he added, sternly, pointing to the
+fireplace.
+
+"_Da! Da! Skora!_" said the Aleut, and began to hunt about for wood.
+
+"What did you tell him that time?" asked Jesse.
+
+"Told him to make a fire, and be jolly quick about it," said John. "If
+you want to get anything done, come to me, fellows. Look at Jimmy build
+that fire!"
+
+In truth the Aleut seemed to accept the place assigned him. He not only
+built the fire in the middle of the hut, but picked up the skillet as a
+matter of course, wiped it out with some dried grass, put into it some
+of the bear fat, and added a part of the liver which they had brought
+along. He handed out the empty pail to John, grunting something which no
+one understood; but John, passing the pail in turn to Jesse, said he
+thought that what the Aleut wanted was some water to boil.
+
+"_Chi?_" asked the Aleut, suddenly, of John.
+
+"_Natu chi_," said John ("Haven't got any tea").
+
+In reply to this the Aleut stooped down, went out of the door, and
+walked over to the bidarka, where it lay at the bank. Rob followed him
+to see that he attempted no treachery, but the Aleut seemed to have no
+intention of that. He pulled out from his boat a dried seal-skin or two,
+his old blanket, and his gun, which latter Rob took from him.
+
+"He's been hunting and fishing," said Rob. "Looks like he had a
+bear-hide of his own underneath there. He's got two or three fresh
+codfish, and here's his cod-line of rawhide--with bone sinkers. And
+here's a bow and some bone-tipped arrows, besides his spear there on the
+deck. If we kept his rifle and turned him loose he could make a living
+all right."
+
+"But we don't want to turn him loose," said John; "he's too useful. Look
+at that."
+
+The Aleut finally produced from under the deck a dirty little bag
+tightly tied.
+
+"_Chi!_" he exclaimed, holding it up in triumph.
+
+"You see," said John, "we've got tea all right. Now it looks to me that
+we could get a pretty good meal."
+
+By the time the Aleut had prepared their supper for them, and had made
+each a tin can of hot tea, all the boys began to feel tired and sleepy,
+for now the hour of night was well advanced, although the Alaskan sun
+stood well above the horizon.
+
+"I'm mighty sleepy," said John, yawning.
+
+"I should think you would be," said Jesse, "after all you ate. But if
+we're sleepy, why can't we go to sleep?"
+
+"That would never do," spoke up Rob. "We don't know what this native
+might do while we were all asleep. I've been thinking that over. It
+seems to me the only way we can do is to tie his hands together, so he
+can't do any harm, and then take turns in standing watch."
+
+"Have we got to do that always?" asked John, sleepily.
+
+"We've got to do it to-night, at least," said Rob, emphatically. "Take
+that piece of hide rope, John, tie his wrists together, and pass it down
+to his ankles behind his back. He can sleep a little in that way, at
+least; and I'll stand the first watch."
+
+The Aleut, not doubting at the first of these motions that they intended
+to kill him, fell upon his knees and began to jabber, apparently begging
+for mercy. At last he grinned as he looked down at his manacled hands,
+and presently, without much more ado, rolled himself over on his
+blankets and seemed to fall asleep. On the opposite side of the hut
+Jesse and John followed his example, and soon were fast in real sleep.
+Rob sat by the failing fire, his rifle across his knees. He, too, was
+tired with the work of the day. At times, in spite of himself, his head
+would drop forward and he would awake with a start.
+
+
+
+
+XII
+
+WAYS OF THE WILDERNESS
+
+
+Rob awoke with a sudden jerk. A slight sound had disturbed him. He gazed
+steadily at the figure of the Aleut in the faint light of the embers.
+The latter was lying quite motionless, but something caused Rob to feel
+suspicious. He put out a hand and awakened his two companions, who sat
+up, rubbing their eyes sleepily.
+
+"What's the matter?" asked Jesse. "Where are we, and what sort of a
+place is this? My! I was dreaming, and I thought I was back home in
+bed."
+
+"John," said Rob, "crawl over and look at that fellow's fastenings. I
+thought I heard him move. Don't be afraid. I'll keep him covered with
+the rifle. Build up the fire a little."
+
+John complied, presently stooping down to examine the cord with which
+the Aleut had been confined. He gave an exclamation. "Why, he's loose!
+He's gnawed the hide clean in two with his teeth. He could have got
+away any time he liked."
+
+Rob admitted his fault. "The truth is," said he, "I was very sleepy, and
+I must have dozed off. But now, what shall we do? Here we've got this
+man, and he evidently doesn't intend to stay a minute longer than he can
+help. Whether he would hurt us or not is something we can't tell; but we
+don't dare take the chance."
+
+"It'll be a great deal of trouble to watch him this way all the time,"
+suggested John.
+
+"True, but we must watch him. On the other hand, what right have we to
+take him prisoner, since we don't know that he ever meant any wrong?
+We're not officers of the law, and this man has not committed any crime,
+so far as we know. The question is, what would he do to us if he got us
+before a law-court and accused us with making him a prisoner for no
+cause?"
+
+The three sat in the dim light of the hut for a time and pondered over
+these matters. At length Rob spoke again with decision.
+
+"It's the greatest good for the greatest number," said he. "It seems to
+me that the best thing we can do is to treat this man well, but not let
+him get away. He ought to do his share of the work, and he's stronger
+than any of us. Then, if we should ever be rescued--"
+
+Jesse's lips began to twitch. Evidently he was getting rather homesick.
+Rob noticed his face, and went on: "Of course we will get out of here
+before long, someway," he said. "Meanwhile, we will have to make the
+best living here we can. If we ever get this man to a white settlement,
+where we can find out who and what he is, why, then, we can pay him for
+his time, if it should prove that he is only an innocent native hunting
+away from his village. On the other hand, if he turns out to be a
+criminal of any kind, then we've had a right to arrest him, and can't
+get into any trouble over it."
+
+"It's a pretty rough joke on him," said John, "if he hasn't done
+anything wrong. He acts as though he had been here before. For all we
+can tell, he may own this house that we've taken over for ourselves. The
+only thing sure is that he's a better hand in camp than we are, the way
+things stand now. I'm for keeping him and letting him work. My folks'll
+pay him whatever is right, if it comes to that; and you never saw an
+Aleut who wasn't glad to get hold of a little money, I'll warrant that."
+
+"Well," said Rob, "we'll let it stand that way. And now, as the night
+seems to be about half done, suppose you and Jess keep watch together
+and let me take a little nap. If one of you gets sleepy the other can
+waken him. I suppose there's no use tying that man again, for he's got
+teeth like a beaver."
+
+The Aleut made no further disturbance during the long hours of waiting,
+which seemed endless to the two young watchers. At last, however, the
+light grew stronger in the dark interior of the barabbara. John
+announced his entire willingness to eat breakfast, and, pushing open the
+door, motioned for the Aleut to go and get some wood. Without any
+resistance the man did as he was bid, shaking the remaining thong off
+his wrist with a grin. They finished their breakfast of bear meat and
+tea, the prisoner seeming immensely to enjoy the biscuits which the boys
+offered him as pay in return for his contribution of tea.
+
+"Now, what's on the programme for to-day?" asked John, finally. "It
+certainly looks as though we ought to take care of all that meat."
+
+"Yes," assented Rob. "We'll see if we can't dry some of it, at least.
+Suppose you go on down the creek, John, and keep the crows and eagles
+away from the meat, while the rest of us bring the boat down the beach
+and into the mouth of the creek. That'll give us plenty of boat room to
+bring up quite a cargo of meat to the camp here."
+
+"There's another thing we ought to do," said John, "and that is to put
+up some kind of a signal in case a boat should come down into the bay
+here. Of course Uncle Dick will be looking for us, and there might be a
+boat in here almost any day."
+
+"That's a capital idea!" exclaimed Rob. "Now, Jesse, if you'll get a
+long pole and tie this handkerchief to it, I'll meet you over at the
+dory with the other things which we'll need on our trip this morning."
+
+Rob left the Aleut's gun on the deck of the bidarka, but carried along
+his hide fishing-line and both the bidarka paddles. His own rifle and
+that of Jesse he put in one end of the dory, opposite the seat where he
+intended the Aleut to sit. Telling Jesse to watch the latter, he once
+more ascended to the top of the sea-wall, and here erected his
+signal-flag, piling up a heap of stones at the foot of the staff. Long
+and anxiously he gazed out toward the mouth of the bay, but only the
+long green billows of the sea came rolling in, unbroken by any sail or
+cloud of smoke. Across the bay, a half-dozen miles or so, the great
+mountains stood grim and silent, the tops of many of them wreathed in
+fog. It was a wild and desolate scene, and one to try the courage of any
+young adventurer. But Rob, seeing how homesick Jesse was becoming, did
+his best to cheer him as he joined him at the dory.
+
+"Plenty to do to-day!" he said. "And now for a good boat ride. It's
+lucky we've so good a sea-boat along as this dory--it's far safer than
+Jimmy's bidarka over there."
+
+Rob seated himself at the stern and put Jesse in the bow. He motioned to
+the Aleut to take up the oars and row, and the latter, without
+objection, skilfully got the dory out through the surf, and at once
+proved himself master of the white man's oars as well as the native
+paddle. The wind was coming astern, and their run of something like a
+mile down to the mouth of the creek was made rapidly. Just around the
+point from the mouth of the stream Rob motioned to the Aleut to stop
+rowing.
+
+"It looks deep here," said he to Jesse. "Maybe we could get a codfish.
+Here, Jimmy, take a try with your own fishing-line."
+
+The Aleut grinned as Rob tossed him his rough-looking line of hide, and
+at once set to work. Nor did he prove inefficient, even with this rough
+tackle of hide and bone. He baited the crude hook with a piece of meat
+which he took from his pocket, and dropped it overboard in twenty
+fathoms of water. Motioning to Rob to keep the boat steady, he began to
+pull the line up and down in long, steady jerks. Before long he gave a
+short grunt and began to pull it in rapidly hand over hand. Rob and
+Jesse, gazing over the side, at length saw the gleam of a large fish
+deep down in the water. The Aleut, with another grunt, pulled the fish
+in, swung it over the sides, and threw it flopping at the bottom of the
+dory. It was a fine codfish weighing perhaps a dozen pounds.
+
+"Well, I'll say one thing," said Jesse, finally, smiling: "since we have
+to make a living for ourselves, this is about as easy as any country we
+could have gotten into. Try it again, Jimmy."
+
+Whether or not Jimmy understood any English they never knew, but at
+least he cast over his bone hook once more, and, continuing his
+operations as the dory slowly drifted, in less than half an hour he had
+eight fine fish aboard.
+
+"That'll do, old man!" said Rob to him, and motioned to him now to row
+into the mouth the creek which was nearly opposite. They now could see
+John waiting for them on the shore. He had seen them fishing, and
+congratulated them on their fine catch, agreeing with Jesse that
+certainly they at least would not lack abundance to eat.
+
+"I've heard you can make salt by boiling sea-water," said John, who,
+although a hearty eater, was sometimes rather particular about his food.
+"That is almost the only thing we need that we haven't got now. Our
+little sack won't last forever."
+
+"Yes," said Rob, "it would be all the better for our bear meat in this
+moist climate. But we'll have to do the best we can by drying it with
+smoke."
+
+They now pulled the dory into the mouth of the little creek, turning it
+at the face of the high rock wall, and noticing the thousands of salmon
+that swam round and round the deep pool just above the entrance of the
+stream. From this point up the crooked bends to the place where the dead
+bears lay was perhaps a quarter of a mile. But presently they all met
+there.
+
+"There is pretty near a ton of meat," said Rob, looking down at the dead
+bears. "We ought to have skinned those young bears yesterday, but will
+do that now before they spoil. Then maybe we can make Jimmy understand
+what we want to do about saving the meat."
+
+They all fell to work now, the boys at one of the cubs and the Aleut at
+the other. The latter, with a grin of triumph, held up his fresh hide
+entirely skinned out before the three boys together had finished theirs.
+In some way he seemed to understand what they wished to have done about
+the meat, perhaps himself being inclined to see that plenty of food was
+on hand, since his captors were not disposed to let him go away. The
+Aleuts, who never see any fresh beef, and who live in a country where
+not even caribou are often found, are very fond of bear meat, which the
+more civilized ones call "beef." The captive seemed to understand
+perfectly well how to take care of this "beef," and he took out the long
+tenderloins from the back of each cub and separated the hams. For the
+big bear he did not seem to care so much, and made signs to show that it
+was tough and hard to eat. Rob insisted, however, that he should take
+some of the choicer parts of the bear also, since it seemed a shame to
+let it waste. They loaded their dory down as heavily as they dared, and
+so, dragging on the painter and poling with the oars, at last they got
+their cargo up to camp, mooring the dory alongside the bidarka.
+
+Without much more ado Jimmy began to search around in the grass and
+found some long poles, one end of which he rested on the roof of the
+barabbara, supporting the other on some crotches which he set up. Across
+these poles he laid smaller sticks and made a rough drying-rack. He
+showed the boys how to cut the meat into long, thin strips, and under
+this, after it was stretched on the rack, he built a small fire, so that
+the smoke would aid the sun in curing the meat--none too sure a process
+in a country where rain was apt to come at any hour. After this the
+Aleut turned toward the dory, and hauled out something which the boys
+had not noticed before. He busied himself at the edge of the lagoon.
+
+"What's he doing, John?" asked Rob.
+
+They all stepped up and watched him.
+
+"Why, that's the intestines of the old bear," said Rob, at last. "I
+didn't see him throw them into the boat."
+
+"I know what he's doing," said John. "He's going to clean 'em out. They
+make all sorts of things. For instance, that hood around the bidarka is
+made out of this sort of thing, I believe. And then they make other
+outfits--"
+
+"_Kamelinka!_" said Jimmy, suddenly, holding up a part of the intestines
+and smiling. He motioned to his own sleeves.
+
+"_Da! Da!_" exclaimed John, in Aleut language. "Yes, that's so! Sure!
+
+"He means he is going to make one of their rain-coats out of it," he
+explained to the others. "A _kamelinka_ is made out of these membranes,
+and they put it on like a coat, and no water can get through it. Didn't
+you ever see one? They tear if they're dry, but if you wet them they're
+tough, and no water will go through them. Mr. Jimmy puts on his
+_kamelinka_, and gets in the bidarka and ties the hood around his waist,
+and there he is, no matter how high the sea runs. No water gets into the
+boat, and when he comes home he is dry as when he started. Pretty good
+scheme, isn't it?"
+
+They watched Jimmy for a time at his work before they finished
+stretching all the meat. Then they cleaned the codfish and put them
+inside the hut, so that the crows could not get them. Over the fresh
+meat on the scaffold they now spread some damp grass, because it was
+their intention to leave the place for a little while.
+
+"We'll make a hunt this afternoon," said Rob, "and see whether we can
+find any gull eggs. First we want to see what our resources are, and
+after that we can help ourselves as need be."
+
+Accordingly, after they had taken the cargo out of the dory, and thus
+completed their labors for the time, they all four embarked in the dory,
+pushed rapidly down the creek, and out into the open waters of the bay.
+Here, a half-mile ahead of them, below the mouth of the creek, they saw
+some rough pinnacles of rock, over which soared thousands of sea-birds.
+As they approached these rocks they found a narrow beach wide enough to
+hold the dory. It took them but a few moments' climb to gather all the
+eggs they wanted. These they were obliged to carry in their pockets or
+in the folds of their jackets. They trusted Jimmy to tell them which
+were fresh. Jimmy seemed always to know what ought to be done, and now
+without any advice he left the boys and proceeded to climb up to the
+steeper part of the rocks, where the nests of the gulls and sea-murres
+were so thick that he could scarcely avoid crushing the eggs as he
+walked. Evidently it was not eggs he sought. Agile as a cat, he climbed
+to the top of a sheer face of rock, and leaning over put his hand into a
+hole. A moment later the boys saw a dark body hurtle through the air and
+fall on the beach. It proved to be a stout, heavy, dark-colored bird
+with a strong, parrot-like beak and a crest of long yellow feathers on
+each side of the head.
+
+"That's a sea-parrot," said Rob, picking it up. "Look out, Jesse, there
+comes another!"
+
+Sure enough, one after another of the dead bodies of the sea-parrots
+fell on the narrow beach, until two or three dozen were lying there.
+
+Jimmy ceased his labors, climbed down the rocks, and calmly began to
+skin off the breast plumage of the birds.
+
+"What's he doing that for?" asked Jesse of Rob.
+
+"They're not good to eat," said Rob, "that's one thing sure. I'll tell
+you what--I've seen some dark-colored feather coats and blankets at the
+trader's store down below Valdez. I'll warrant they were made out of the
+breasts of these very sea-parrots here."
+
+Whatever were Jimmy's plans he could not or did not disclose them. After
+a time he threw his heap of parrot-skins into the front of the dory, and
+stood waiting at the side of the boat, as though ready to go home if the
+others wished it. They therefore embarked for return to their camp.
+
+
+
+
+XIII
+
+MAKING A LIVING
+
+
+"If any of our people were along," said John, as they headed the dory
+back toward the mouth of the creek, "I would say we could have a pretty
+good time here."
+
+"I don't doubt," answered Rob, "that we can get along all summer without
+trouble. I believe, too, that the natives come here so often we may be
+able to send out word even if we can't get out ourselves. We can't
+possibly be a hundred miles from Kadiak town, and although we might get
+there in our dory, the chances are so much against it that I think we
+would do better to stay right where we are for a time at least. As we
+were saying not long ago, this country furnishes a living without much
+trouble."
+
+"And without much work," added John, "as long as we have Jimmy."
+
+"He's stronger than we are," admitted Rob; "still, each of us must do
+his share of the work around camp, because that's the only right way to
+do. He's a good teacher, for we're in his country and will have to live
+in his way--What's on his mind now, do you suppose?" Rob continued, as
+Jimmy suddenly stopped rowing and began to look keenly off toward shore.
+
+"I see him!" exclaimed Jesse, eagerly. "It's a seal! Look at him!"
+
+About sixty yards away there was a round object with two shining spots
+on it standing just above the water--the head of a seal which was
+closely examining the strange object which approached it. All at once,
+as they looked at it, the seal suddenly sank out of sight. Without
+instruction the Aleut now bent to his oars as hard as he could, and
+hurried to the beach which lay not far beyond. Hurriedly pulling the
+dory up, he motioned to Rob to get out with his rifle.
+
+"There he is again!" called John, pointing. "He's closer in now. Look,
+he isn't a hundred yards away! You try him, Rob; you're the best shot."
+
+Crouching down, Rob hurried toward a big rock which lay at the water's
+edge. Here he rested his rifle and, taking quick aim, fired. The splash
+of the ball on top of the intervening wave showed that he had missed.
+Once more the seal sank, but in the course of a few minutes it appeared
+yet again, this time still closer in. Carefully Rob fired a second time,
+and this time they all heard distinctly the thud of the bullet, which
+proved that the shot had struck true. With a splash the seal
+disappeared, but giving a shout the Aleut pushed off the dory and called
+to them all to get in. In a few moments he brought them alongside the
+still struggling body of the seal, which appeared now above and now
+beneath the surface of the water. Hurriedly catching up his long spear,
+the native made a thrust at the seal and fastened it with the barb, and
+with many grunting chuckles drew it alongside. Soon, with a heave, he
+got it inboard--a small hair seal not much more than three feet in
+length.
+
+"_Karosha!_" exclaimed the Aleut, with a grin.
+
+"He means that it's good--that it's all right," explained John, who
+seemed to be the official interpreter.
+
+"Well, I don't believe that I care to eat seal meat," said Rob; "but
+maybe Jimmy knows what he can do with the hide, or something else. We'll
+skin Mr. Seal and peg his hide out up at the camp. It's time now we got
+the bear hides stretched so that they can begin to dry."
+
+Much elated with their successful day's work, the boys now assisted the
+native in stretching all the green hides, flesh side upward. The native
+showed them how to flesh and scrape the hides, and they spent an hour or
+so at this until each complained that his back was aching.
+
+"Suppose we cross the creek and take a little climb up the
+mountain-side," suggested Rob. "We can get a good look out from there."
+
+"All right," said John. "Of course we'll have to take our _tillicum_
+along. Mush on, Jimmy!"
+
+The Aleut, although apparently a native of the country where the
+language of the dog-train was little known, nevertheless seemed to
+understand the Alaskan command to "March!" He stood ready, only looking
+to see which way they wished him to go. Rob set off in advance, and they
+all splashed through the waters of the shallows at the lower end of the
+lagoon.
+
+"Here's where Jimmy has a good deal the best of us," said Rob, pointing
+to their wet feet. "Our shoes will be gone in a little while; but look
+at his seal boots with high tops. They keep his feet dry."
+
+"They call them _tabosas_," said John. "The Eskimos use boots like that,
+but they call them _mukluks_. You see, I used to know a native from
+up-coast who was a waiter in a restaurant at Valdez. That's how I
+picked up my knowledge of the Aleut language--which, you see, is quite
+considerable," he concluded, swelling out his chest a trifle.
+
+"I see now why he wanted that seal," commented Rob. "Every country has
+its own way of getting along, hasn't it? Now, I suppose Jimmy here is
+about as comfortable when he is at home as we are in our houses down in
+Valdez; and he certainly does know how to make his living off the
+country."
+
+They now continued their slow climb up the steep mountain-side, which
+lay beyond the little creek. Here the deep moss or tundra extended quite
+to the top of the smallest peak, but although heavy snow-fields lay at
+the top, the spring sunshine had now melted the snow at the lower
+levels, so that continually they were walking in little pools of
+ice-water, none too pleasant to persons shod as they were.
+
+Jesse, the youngest of the party, now and then stopped for a moment to
+catch his breath; and, in fact, he seemed none too happy with some of
+these hardships of their experience.
+
+"Come on," said Rob; "we'll stop when we get to the thicket just up
+above there. Jimmy acts as though he was looking for something up
+there--I don't know what."
+
+They toiled on upward, now and again turning to look at the great
+expanse of country which lay below them--the wide bay shining in the
+sunlight, the magnificent panorama of the mountains beyond, and the line
+of the deep sea beyond the entrance to the bay. They turned as they
+heard a sudden exclamation from Jimmy, who was prowling at the edge of
+the alder thicket where they had stopped for the moment. As he pointed
+down they saw the surface of the ground among the alders ripped up as
+though by a giant plough.
+
+Jimmy held up three fingers and pointed below toward their camp, the
+smoke of whose fire they could dimly see. At first they could not
+understand him, until he made motions as if digging, and swung his head
+from side to side, grunting in such plain imitation of a bear that they
+could not mistake. Then they saw that this had probably been the
+feeding-ground of the three bears which they had killed. Apparently the
+bears had been living high up in the mountains for a long time, waiting
+for the salmon run to begin. The country was all torn up where they had
+dug for roots and bulbs.
+
+"Well, now, what's Jimmy going to do this time?" asked Jesse,
+interested.
+
+The Aleut, talking to himself in some unknown words, was down on his
+hands and knees, himself digging in the holes among the alders.
+
+"_Karosha!_" said he, at length, holding up several long, white bulbs
+about as thick as his finger; and he made a motion as though to eat
+them.
+
+"Ah, ha!" said Rob. "This is an Aleut potato-patch, it seems. All right,
+we'll just gather some of these and use them for vegetables. They'll
+help out the meat and fish, perhaps."
+
+As Jimmy dug the bulbs they put them into the folds of their jackets and
+sweaters until they had a good supply. After this they made their way
+down the mountain, splashed through the creek again, and threw down
+their new discoveries beside the meat scaffold. Jimmy indulged in a
+broad smile.
+
+"Plenty soup!" said he, suddenly.
+
+"The beggar!" said Rob. "I shouldn't wonder if he understood English as
+well as we do!"
+
+They could not, however, induce him to use any further words than this,
+which is common among the Aleuts as the meaning of "food" or "plenty to
+eat," they having got this word from their association with
+English-speaking persons. The Aleut language now is a mongrel, made up
+largely of Russian, with many native words and a few of English.
+
+Jimmy proceeded to show that he meant to use in his "soup" some of these
+bulbs which they had brought down, for now he began to strip them down
+to the clean white inner portion and half filled their water-can with
+them, presently setting it on the fire to stew. The boys never knew the
+name of this bulb, but they found it not unpleasant to eat--rather
+sweetish and insipid without salt, however.
+
+They were all very tired that night; but they felt it necessary to keep
+some watch upon their Aleut prisoner, obliging as he had proved himself
+throughout the day. Again Rob stood the first watch, until he grew so
+sleepy that he was obliged to waken the others. Thus the long and
+uncomfortable night wore away, the prisoner being the only one who slept
+undisturbed.
+
+
+
+
+XIV
+
+THE SURPRISE
+
+
+As daylight began to shine more clearly in the interior of the
+barabbara, John, who was standing the last watch, suddenly reached out
+an arm and wakened his companion. "Listen!" he whispered. "I hear
+something outside."
+
+As they all sat up on the blankets they were surprised to see their
+prisoner also waken and lift himself half on his elbow. He, too, seemed
+to be listening eagerly and to feel some sort of alarm.
+
+"Some one is coming!" said Rob. Now, indeed, there was no doubt. They
+heard shuffling foot-falls and many voices in some confused speech which
+they could not understand.
+
+"I'm afraid!" said Jesse. "They're not white people."
+
+Rob raised a warning hand that they should all be silent. At last a loud
+voice called out to them in broken English:
+
+"White mans there! You come out! Me good mans! All good mans!"
+
+The faces of all inside the hut were now very serious, for they did not
+know what might be the nature of these visitors, and there was no window
+or crack through which they could peer. Jimmy made no motion to go out
+of the door, but, on the contrary, was trying to hide behind the pile of
+fox-traps under the low eaves.
+
+"One thing is certain," said Rob, with determination: "we're trapped in
+here, and can't get out without their seeing us, whoever they are. So
+come on and let's go out and face them. Are you ready now?"
+
+The others, silent and anxious, crawled close behind him as he pushed
+open the door and sprang out, rifle in hand.
+
+They found themselves surrounded by nearly a score of natives--short,
+squat fellows with wild, black hair, most of them in half-civilized
+garments. They bore all sorts of weapons, some of them having rifles,
+others short harpoons, and bows and arrows. A large, dark-faced native
+seemed to be their leader, and seeing the boys now ready to defend
+themselves, he shifted his gun to his left hand and held out his right
+with a smile, continuing his broken English.
+
+[Illustration: HE SHIFTED HIS GUN TO HIS LEFT HAND AND HELD OUT HIS
+RIGHT WITH A SMILE]
+
+"Good mans me," he said. "You good mans. Plenty fliend, all light, all
+light, all light!"
+
+He continued to repeat these last words as though they would serve for
+the rest of the conversation. Rob, willing enough to accept his
+assurance of friendship, shook him by the hand, all the time, however,
+keeping his eyes open for the wild-looking group around him.
+
+"Come dat ways, bidarka!" said the chief, pointing to the beach beyond
+the sea-wall. "Hunt bad mans. You see-um bad mans? Him steal."
+
+John touched Rob quietly on the arm and whispered to him: "He means
+Jimmy," he said. "They are after him, and he knows it. That's why he
+wouldn't come out."
+
+"You see-um bad mans?" asked the chief, eagerly. "Him there?" He pointed
+at the door of the barabbara, and would have stepped over to look in.
+Rob moved in front of him.
+
+"No!" he said. "All good mans here. What you want?"
+
+"No want-um white mans," answered the chief. "Village over dar." He
+pointed across the mountains.
+
+Rob guessed that these natives had therefore followed around the
+coast-line from their town, although he was not yet clear as to their
+purpose in coming hither.
+
+"You got-um bad mans here," said the chief, sternly, at last. "See-um
+boat dar." He pointed to the bidarka at the edge of the lagoon.
+
+"What you do with bad mans?" asked Rob.
+
+"Plenty shoot-um!" answered the chief, sternly, slapping the stock of
+his gun. "Him steal! Him steal dis! Steal-um _nogock_! All time my
+peoples no get-um whale. Him steal-um _nogock_!"
+
+Rob was puzzled.
+
+"Now what in the world do you suppose he means?" asked he of John. "And
+what is that thing he's got?"
+
+The chief was holding up a strange-looking object in his hand--a short,
+dark-colored, tapering stick, with hand-holes and finger-grips cut into
+the lower end, and with a long groove running toward the small end,
+which was finished with an ivory tip.
+
+"I saw that thing in the boat," said John. "That must be what he means
+by _nogock_. I don't see how they would kill a whale with it, though, or
+anything else."
+
+The chief evidently understood their ignorance. With a smile he fitted
+to the groove of the short stick the shaft of a short harpoon, whose
+head, about a foot and a half in length, they now discovered to be made
+of thin, dark slate, ground sharp on each edge and at the point. When
+the chief had fitted the butt of this dart against the ivory tip, he
+grasped the lower end of the _nogock_ firmly in his hand, steadying the
+shaft in the groove with one finger. He then drew this back, with his
+arm at full length above his head, and made a motion as though to throw
+the harpoon. In short, the boys now had an excellent chance to see one
+of the oldest aboriginal inventions--the throwing-stick, used from
+Australia to Siberia by various tribes in one form or another. As they
+themselves had sometimes thrown a crab-apple from a stick in their
+younger days in the States, they could readily see that the greater
+length added to the arm gave greater leverage and power.
+
+"I'll bet he could make that old thing whiz," muttered John. "Still, I
+don't see how he could hurt a whale with it."
+
+None of them knew at that time anything about the native Aleut method of
+whale-killing. Neither did they know that the _nogock_, or whale-killing
+weapon, is a sacred object in the native villages, where it is always
+kept in the charge of the headman, or leader in the whale-hunts, who
+wraps it up carefully and hides it from view. The Aleuts never allow
+the women of their villages to look at the _nogock_, saying that it
+brings bad luck for any one to look at it or touch it except the chief
+himself. Therefore, had the boys known that their prisoner had stolen
+this sacred object, as well as the bidarka and much of its cargo, they
+would better have understood the nature of this pursuit and the
+intentness of the Aleut chief to punish the offender, who had been
+guilty of a crime held, in their eyes, to be as bad or worse than
+murder.
+
+Not, however, understanding all these things, and being very well
+disposed toward their captive, who had been of such service to them, the
+boys were not willing to turn him over at once to these people whom he
+so evidently feared, and who with so little ado announced their
+intention of killing him. For the time Rob could think of nothing better
+than continuing the parley.
+
+"You got-um bad mans!" asserted the chief again.
+
+"One mans," admitted Rob. "Maybe so good mans; we don't know."
+
+"Where you comes?" asked the chief, presently, looking about him. "This
+my house here. White mans come here now?"
+
+Rob did not think it best to admit that they were castaway and lost on
+these distant shores, so he determined to put on a bold front.
+
+"Heap hunt here," he said, pointing to the meat and the hides stretched
+on the ground. "Kill three bear. Catch-um plenty fish. By-and-by
+schooner come."
+
+"When schooner come?" asked the chief, with a cunning gleam in his eye.
+
+"Pretty soon, by-and-by," said Rob, sternly. "Plenty white mans come
+pretty soon."
+
+The chief was not to be balked of his purpose, and kept edging toward
+the door of the barabbara. "Kill-um bad mans," he muttered. "Him steal."
+
+Rob, seeing that he was bent on this, and unable to dissuade him from
+his certainty that the fugitive was inside the hut, for the moment
+scarcely knew what to do.
+
+"No touch-um mans!" he finally commanded, sternly. "White mans come here
+by-and-by--Uncle Sam white mans. Suppose bad mans steal; Uncle Sam
+catch-um. You no touch-um bad mans!"
+
+The chief hesitated, for he knew perfectly well that all the villages of
+this island were under control of United States law, and although the
+natives sometimes kept their own counsel and wreaked their own
+punishment on those whom they held to be offenders, they were, if
+detected, certain to be held to account by the United States government,
+which holds control over all this country to the uttermost point of the
+Aleutian Islands, although little enough law reaches enactment in these
+far-off regions. As he hesitated the chief turned away from the door,
+and the Aleuts now began to jabber among themselves. They pointed to the
+meat, and made signs that they were hungry.
+
+"_Da, karosha!_" assented Rob, who was beginning to learn Aleut from his
+friend John.
+
+He motioned them to help themselves. Without much more ado the natives
+proceeded to take off pieces of the meat from the scaffold, and drawing
+a little apart they built a fire. Rob observed that they used matches,
+and so knew that they must be in touch with civilization at least once
+in a while.
+
+"It's all right, Jess," said he. "We're going to get out of here sure
+before very long. These people can take us to the settlements any time
+they feel like it. I only wish we could talk more of their language or
+they more of ours."
+
+The Aleuts for the time did not talk much of any language, for presently
+their mouths were too full for speech. Each would stuff his mouth full
+of meat, and then with his knife cut off a piece so close to his lips as
+would seem to endanger his nose.
+
+"We won't have much meat wasted if they stay around," remarked John,
+ruefully. "For my part, I wish they'd go. It's trouble enough to take
+care of one native, let alone more than a dozen."
+
+The chief seemed to be actuated with some sense of fair-play, or else
+wished to continue in the good graces of the whites. Some of the men
+began to boil a kettle and to make tea. The chief picked up the bag of
+tea and made a gesture of inquiry of Rob. "_Chi?_" he asked.
+
+Rob shook his head, and made a motion signifying that they had but very
+little. The chief poured out in his hands what must have represented to
+him considerable value in tea.
+
+"Now ask him for salt, John," said Rob.
+
+This was too much for John's knowledge of the Aleut language. He got a
+little red in the face as he admitted this.
+
+"Here, you mans," he said. "You got-ums salt?"
+
+The chief shook his head.
+
+"Salt! Salt-ums! Heap salt!" went on John, frowning. He made a motion
+as of sprinkling something on the meat, then touched his fingers to his
+mouth, smacking his lips.
+
+The chief grinned broadly. "_Da! Karosha!_" He jabbered something to one
+of his men, and the latter went down the path toward the beach.
+Evidently he had supplies there, for in a few moments he returned
+carrying a dirty sack in his hand. The chief took this in his hand and
+grinned, addressing John.
+
+"Salt, salt-um, salt! All light, all light, all light!" he explained,
+and divided generously with the boys, giving them something which was of
+great value to them.
+
+For a time attention seemed to be diverted from the purpose of these
+strange visitors, the chief making no reference to the man for whom they
+were searching, but seeming to be content to sit at the fire and eat.
+What might have been the result was not determined, for all at once
+something happened which set them all on a run for the beach.
+
+A man appeared at the top of the sea-wall excitedly shouting, waving his
+arms, and pointing toward the sea. The others answered with loud cries,
+and in a moment the space immediately about the barabbara was entirely
+deserted.
+
+
+
+
+XV
+
+THE WHALE-HUNT
+
+
+For a moment Rob, John, and Jesse stood looking after the natives as
+they hastened toward the beach. Their first thought was one of relief
+for the present at least; the prisoner in the hut remained unmolested.
+Then their curiosity as to the cause of all the excitement led them to
+forget everything else.
+
+"Come on!" called Rob; and in an instant they were hurrying to join the
+scene of confusion which now was enacting on the beach.
+
+As they reached the top of the sea-wall they saw for the first time the
+full party of natives, not more than half of whom had come over to the
+camp. More than thirty bidarkas lay pulled up along the beach, most of
+them two-hatch boats. To these boats the natives were now hastening;
+indeed, some of them had already launched their bidarkas and were
+paddling back and forth, as much at home on the water as on the land.
+With much shouting and gesticulation, one after another bidarka joined
+these, the hunter in each hurriedly casting off the lashings of his
+harpoon which lay along deck.
+
+At first the boys could see no reason for all this hurry, but as they
+gazed out across the bay all at once there arose in plain sight of all a
+vast black bulk which at once they knew to be a whale. The white spray
+of its spouting was blown forty feet into the air as it moved slowly and
+majestically onward deeper into the bay. It was plain that the natives
+meant to attack this monster in their fleet of bidarkas.
+
+The old Aleut chief saw the boys as they came up. He motioned hurriedly
+to Rob as he ran to his own bidarka, grinning as though he hardly
+expected Rob to accept the invitation to come and join the hunt. Not so,
+however; for Rob was so much excited that he did not stop to think of
+danger. As the chief thrust the long, narrow craft into the water,
+steadying it with his paddle, Rob sprang in behind the rear hatch. In an
+instant they were off!
+
+Rob looked around to see Jesse and John both crowded together in the
+rear hatch of yet another bidarka, where they did what they could to
+help a swarthy boatman to propel their craft. Rob noticed now that each
+hunter had his paddles, his harpoon, and his arrows marked in a certain
+way with red-and-black paint, so that they could not be mistaken for the
+property of any one else. All the hunters made ready their gear for the
+chase as they paddled on, perfectly assured and apparently not in the
+least anxious about the result of the hunt.
+
+The other boats held back until the chief had taken his place at the
+head of the procession. It now became plain that his was the task of
+using the mysterious _nogock_, over whose loss he had seemed so
+concerned. Even as his bidarka shot forward with its own momentum, he
+drew out from the forward hatch this sacred instrument and fitted to it
+the short harpoon. He made over the weapon some mysterious passes with
+one hand, and as he fitted the harpoon or heavy dart to the
+throwing-stick he blew three times on the point of it, passing his
+fingers along the edge. Finally he held the weapon up toward the sky and
+uttered some loud words in his strange tongue. Having completed these
+ceremonies, he placed the _nogock_ and harpoon crosswise on the deck in
+front of him and bent again to his paddle. Rob himself, no bad canoeman,
+had meantime been paddling as though he quite understood what was
+expected of him.
+
+The head bidarka now passed steadily and swiftly on toward the great
+bulk of the whale, which lay plainly visible not more than a quarter of
+a mile away. As the other boats came on in squadron close behind, Rob
+could hear a sort of low, rhythmic humming, as though all the natives
+were joining in an incantation. It was his privilege to see one of the
+native hunts for the whale in all its original features--something which
+few white men have ever seen. The strange excitement of the scene, so
+many savage hunters all bent upon one purpose, and evidently using every
+means to screw their courage to the sticking-point, did not lack its
+effect upon the young adventurers who found themselves, with so little
+preparation or intent, swept on in this wild scene.
+
+Once in a while Rob cast his eye about to see how his friends were
+prospering. Jesse looked a little pale, yet both he and John were eager.
+Crowded as they were both in one hatch, they could not paddle to much
+effect, but the native in the bow managed to keep his place in the
+procession. The first thought of Rob was that it was absolute folly to
+think of killing so great a creature with the insignificant weapons
+which he now saw ready for use.
+
+As the chief began to approach the great whale more closely, he slowed
+down the speed, creeping cautiously onward at times when his instinct
+told him his boat was least apt to be discovered by the whale. The
+latter seemed ignorant or careless of the approach. Now and again it
+blew a vast spout of water into the air, and sometimes it rolled and
+half lifted its vast bulk free of the water, until it seemed larger than
+a house. The humming chorus of the Aleuts continued, but fell to a lower
+note as the boats drew near.
+
+For what seemed an interminable time the bidarka of the headman lay
+silent, trembling and heaving on the swell of the choppy sea, while the
+huntsman sat steadily and studied the giant quarry in front of him. Once
+or twice he gently turned the prow of the bidarka, using the least
+possible motion. Again, a few feet at a time, he would edge it on in,
+pausing and crawling forward, his hand motioning back to Rob to be quiet
+and steady.
+
+Now the Aleut showed at his best. There was no fear or agitation in his
+conduct. Without hesitation he gazed intently at the dark, glistening
+bulk in front of him, apparently hunting for the exact spot which he
+wished to strike--a point about a third of the way back from the angle
+of the jaw. The whale itself seemed to be stupid, as though sleepy,
+although now and again it rolled slowly from side to side as though
+uneasy.
+
+Like a cat the huntsman crept in and in toward his prey, scarce more
+than an inch at a time, till at last Rob saw the boat reach a point
+where the body of the whale seemed to tower above their heads.
+
+Finally the hand of the chief was raised to signal Rob to stop paddling.
+
+With his own paddle in his left hand clinched against the rim of the
+bidarka hatch, the chief with his right hand slowly and deliberately
+raised the _nogock_ and its slate-tipped harpoon. His arm, extended at
+full length and quite rigid, passed now in a straight line above his
+head and slightly back of his shoulder. Rob, intent on all these
+matters, saw the native's thumb and fingers whiten in the intensity of
+their grip on the butt of the _nogock_; yet the middle finger lay light
+and gentle, just holding in place the slender shaft of the harpoon,
+whose slate head, blue and cold, extended down and in front of the
+throwing hand.
+
+Still the chief poised and waited until the exact spot he wished to
+strike was exposed as the whale rolled slowly toward the right. Then
+suddenly, with a sighing hiss of his breath, the dark huntsman leaned
+swiftly forward. The motion of his hand was so swift the eye could
+scarcely follow it.
+
+After that all that Rob could tell was that he was in the bidarka
+speeding swiftly away from a churning mass of white water, in the middle
+of which a vast black form was rolling. He heard a sort of hoarse roar
+or expiration of the breath of the stricken monster. Once he thought he
+caught sight of the slender shaft of the harpoon, which in truth was
+buried, head and all, eighteen inches or more deep in the side of the
+whale, the point passing entirely through the blubber and into the red
+meat of the body. Although Rob did not know it, the shaft did not long
+remain attached. The struggles of the whale broke off the slate-head at
+a point near to the shaft, where it was cunningly made thinner in order
+that it might break. A foot or fifteen inches of the slate-head remained
+buried deep in the body of the whale. The _nogock_ had done its work!
+
+A loud chant now broke from all the boatmen, who joined the head
+bidarka, all backing away from the struggling whale. To the surprise of
+Rob, no further effort was made to launch a harpoon, and he saw that the
+presence of these other boats was rather intended as a part of the
+ceremony than as an actual assistance in the hunt, the savage mind here,
+as elsewhere, taking delight in surrounding itself with certain
+mummeries.
+
+As Rob gazed back of him to watch the struggle of the whale, he saw the
+sea gradually becoming quiet. The giant black form was gone, the whale
+having sounded, or dived far below the surface.
+
+"Plenty sick now," said the chief, sententiously, motioning toward the
+spot where the whale had disappeared. Then all at once he gave a loud
+whoop and started paddling toward the shore, followed by the entire
+fleet of bidarkas, all the occupants of which were singing joyously. Rob
+could not in the least understand all this, for it seemed to him the
+hunt had met with failure; but there seemed to be some system about it,
+for nothing but satisfaction marked the faces of the hunters as they
+finally drew up their bidarkas again upon the beach.
+
+"Maybe so two--tree day, him die now," said the chief, at last. Rob did
+not even then understand what he later found to be the truth: that what
+the Aleut really does with his slate harpoon-head is not to kill the
+whale with the wound, but to poison it. If the stone harpoon-head
+passes through the blubber and into the red meat the wound is sure to
+fester, and in the course of a few days to kill the whale, which then
+floats ashore somewhere and is discovered by the waiting hunters.
+
+There continued some sort of system in this hunt, even though it was now
+arrested for the time. Men kept an eye out on the bay, where in a few
+moments the whale arose, spouting madly, and once more stirring the
+water into foam. Swimming on the surface, it then took a long, straight
+run apparently for the mouth of the bay. The chief gave some hurried
+command, and a dozen boats shot out, whether to head it or to watch it
+Rob could not tell, for presently the whale once more sounded, and when
+it next arose it was deeper into the bay. The situation now seemed to
+please the old hunter.
+
+"Maybe so him stay here now," he said, briefly, though why he thought so
+Rob could not tell.
+
+No one made any attempt to pursue the whale after that. The chief,
+carefully wiping off the sacred _nogock_, again wrapped it up in its
+coverings, made some mysterious passes over it, and restored it to its
+place in his bidarka, whence, as Rob now began to understand, the
+guilty Jimmy had some time since stolen it.
+
+As the boys met on the beach it must be confessed they were not thinking
+of their prisoner or his fate. In their excitement they were chattering
+to one another about the hunt, which they all agreed was the wildest and
+most peculiar one they had ever seen or heard of.
+
+"You had the best of it all, Rob," said John, enviously. "Our man
+wouldn't row up any closer. My, that old whale must have looked big from
+where you were!"
+
+"Well, he did, a little bit," admitted Rob, who had lost his cap
+somewhere and was now bare-headed.
+
+"That beats bear-hunting," said Jesse, "even although we haven't got our
+game yet."
+
+"They say he'll come ashore maybe in two or three days," said Rob.
+"Meanwhile, I suppose these natives will hang around here and wait. If
+they do get him, it's very likely they'll squat down here to eat him up,
+and that would take all summer! I must confess I don't like the look of
+it very much."
+
+"And there's Jimmy--" began John.
+
+"That's so! We must go and see about him."
+
+Quietly they edged their way out of the excited throng of natives and
+hurried across the sea-wall to the barabbara. Opening the door they
+peered cautiously in. No motion met their gaze, and although they called
+several times in a low tone there was no response. Passing into the
+barabbara they searched every corner of it. No doubt remained--their
+late prisoner was gone!
+
+
+
+
+XVI
+
+THE MISSING PRISONER
+
+
+For a time the boys sat silent and moody in the barabbara. The
+situation, as it appeared to them, was not a pleasant one. On the one
+side were half a hundred natives, whose intentions they could only
+guess; upon the other, as they now suspected, there might be an active
+enemy whose whereabouts they could only surmise. At last Rob spoke.
+
+"It looks this way to me," said he: "we three could not make any kind of
+defence against that band of natives, but perhaps they will not attack
+us. From what has happened, I do not think they will. Now, here is tea
+and salt which we got from them. That proves that they trade with the
+whites, which means that help may not be more than a hundred miles away
+at farthest. In the second place, these people think that we are here
+alone for only a short time and that our friends will soon be here. The
+thing for us to do is to keep them thinking that."
+
+"They'll be over before long," said John, "to see what has become of
+Jimmy, here, the man they were after."
+
+"I'm not so sure of that," rejoined Rob. "These natives forget any
+purpose very easily; and now, as we know, they are busy watching the
+whale. But suppose they do come. The barabbara is empty."
+
+"They have not seen Jimmy at all as yet," said John. "But suppose the
+bidarka is gone--he very probably took that with him."
+
+"Let's go see," suggested Jesse, and accordingly they hurried to the
+side of the lagoon. Sure enough, only the dory remained. The bidarka had
+disappeared from its resting-place.
+
+"Now," reasoned Rob, "he would be afraid to go out of the creek into the
+open bay, for then they would see him sure. There is every chance that
+he left the bidarka somewhere in the creek. We'll hunt for it, then.
+I'll go across in the shallow water, and we'll search both sides of the
+bank. One thing sure is that Jimmy went in a hurry, because he left his
+gun behind. He can't have had anything along more than his bow and
+arrows. We'll know when we find the bidarka."
+
+So saying, they separated, and began to scour both sides of the creek,
+without success, however, until they nearly reached the mouth. Here,
+hidden in the tall grass on the farther side of the creek and close to
+the high rock wall near the mouth of the stream, Rob stumbled across the
+missing boat. With a shout he called to the others to halt, and
+presently, pushing the bidarka out into the creek, he paddled across to
+them. They all joined now in examining the contents of the boat.
+
+"It's just as I said," commented Rob. "He left in a hurry, and badly
+scared. He could just as well have taken one of our guns as not, but we
+know he did not do that, and even left his own. Here's his spear and his
+paddles. His blankets are back at the hut. So far as I can see, he took
+only his fishing-line and his bow and arrows."
+
+"Yes, but he may come back again," suggested Jesse.
+
+"I hardly think so," reasoned Rob. "At any rate, he'll not come back so
+long as these people hang around, because he knows they're after him.
+Besides, the fact that he didn't steal anything from us shows that he is
+getting scared about stealing. I'm not so uneasy about him as I am about
+these other fellows over on the beach."
+
+None too happy, the boys now proceeded to paddle the bidarka up the
+creek to its old resting-place in the lagoon, after which they busied
+themselves rather half-heartedly about camp work, a part of which was
+further fleshing of the bear hides. As they were engaged at this they
+heard a faint rustling in the dry grass near at hand. Startled, they
+looked around, and saw something staring at them from the cover. John
+reached for his rifle.
+
+"Don't shoot!" called Rob. "It's a boy! I see his face plainly now."
+
+
+
+
+XVII
+
+THE ALEUT BOY
+
+
+They advanced toward the intruder, who stood up, grinning and showing a
+set of very white teeth. He was an Aleut boy about twelve years of age,
+short and squat, with stringy, dark hair. He was clad in a smock, or
+jacket, of sea-parrot feathers, which came down to his seal-skin boots.
+In one hand he held a short spear, in the other several thongs to which
+were attached bits of ivory. He seemed not in the least alarmed, but, on
+the contrary, much disposed to be friendly.
+
+"_Karosha!_" called out John to him. "All right, all right, all right!"
+
+John seemed to pick up easily the expressions which the Aleuts used and
+understood.
+
+Hesitatingly, but still smiling, the boy joined them, and walked with
+them over toward the bear hides, where he stood looking down. At last,
+as they resumed their work at the hides, he himself squatted down, and
+taking out his own knife--a mere bit of steel bound around at the end
+with rags and hide for a handle--he also began to scrape away. So much
+greater was his skill than theirs that at last he smiled at their
+awkwardness. For the time he made no attempt at any kind of speech, and
+answered no questions in regard to his people. At last, as Jesse
+departed to the top of the sea-wall to learn what was going on along the
+beach, he began to jabber and attempt to make some signs. John guessed
+that he meant to say that in a couple of days the whale would come
+ashore; that then his people would build fires and eat.
+
+"Maybe he'd like to eat a little himself," concluded John. "Suppose we
+try him on some bear meat."
+
+Their offer seemed very acceptable to the Aleut boy, who in a very
+matter-of-fact way began to hunt around in the grass for fuel and to
+prepare to make a fire, which latter he did with skilful use of one of
+the few matches which he kept dry in a membrane pouch in an inner
+pocket.
+
+"He's camped out before," said Rob. "It looks as though he had adopted
+us. Maybe he likes the look of our meat-rack better than he does the
+prospect of waiting over there for the whale to come ashore."
+
+The young Aleut put his pieces of bear meat on sticks, which he stuck up
+near the fire; and while they were broiling he himself ran over toward
+the beach, presently reappearing with some dark-looking stuff in his
+hands, which he offered his friends, making signs that it was good to
+eat.
+
+"Smoked breast of wild goose," commented John, smacking his lips. "It's
+good, too. I wouldn't mind having some more of that."
+
+Whether or not the boy understood it was impossible to say; but all at
+once he began to flop his arms up and down, quacking and honking in
+imitation of wild fowl. He pointed to a spot far up at the head of the
+lagoon, and then, picking up his bunch of thongs and ivory balls,
+whirled them around his head.
+
+Rob's eyes kindled.
+
+"We can't afford to use rifle ammunition to shoot birds, but if we can
+get this boy to go along on a goose-hunt we may have a new sort of fun,
+and maybe get some game."
+
+The young Aleut showed no disposition to return to his own people, and
+when at length, after they had all eaten heartily, the three friends
+turned toward the door of the barabbara, he followed them as though he
+had been invited.
+
+"What are we going to do with this boy?" asked Jesse. "He acts as if he
+belonged here."
+
+"Maybe he does," said John. "I saw him talking to the old chief, and
+maybe he's his son. I have more than half a guess that the old man does
+own this house, anyhow."
+
+As the sun began to sink toward the horizon a wind arose and dark clouds
+overspread the sky.
+
+"I don't blame the boy for wanting to stay here where he will be dry. If
+I'm not mistaken, we are going to have rain and plenty of it. Meantime,
+we might as well turn in and go to sleep," added Rob.
+
+He motioned the young Aleut to the blankets which Jimmy had abandoned,
+and the latter, without ado, curled himself up on them. The others,
+tired enough, followed his example, and for that night at least they did
+not trouble themselves to keep any watch. Perhaps they had never had
+greater cause for vigilance, but their anxiety was lost in the bodily
+weariness which came over them after so many stirring incidents.
+
+
+
+
+XVIII
+
+UNWELCOME VISITORS
+
+
+After the edge of their weariness had worn off with their first heavy
+slumbers, the mental anxiety of the young adventurers began to return,
+and they slept so uneasily that when morning came they all awoke with a
+start at the sounds they heard outside the barabbara.
+
+Rain and heavy wind had begun some time in the night; but now they heard
+something else--the swishing of feet in the wet grass and the sound of
+low voices.
+
+The young Aleut was awake also, but he smiled as he sat up on the
+blankets.
+
+"I don't think we need be alarmed," said Rob, in a low tone to his
+friends. "If these people had meant us any harm we'd have been foolish
+to go out in their boats with them and leave our guns. Now we're here
+safe with all our guns and other stuff, and here's this boy with us,
+too. If they had not felt friendly toward us they would never have let
+him stay here all night. Too bad we can't understand their talk, and
+just have to guess at things; but that's the way I guess it."
+
+A moment later there came the sound of a loud voice at the door. It
+opened, and the swarthy face of the Aleut chief peered in. He jabbered
+in his native language to the boy, who replied briefly and composedly.
+The chief now pushed his way into the hut, and, much to the annoyance of
+the white occupants, he was followed by a dozen other natives, who came
+crowding in and filling the place with the rank smell of wet fur and
+feathers. They seated themselves around the edge of the barabbara, and
+one of them presently began to make a fire.
+
+"Dis barabbara--_my_ peoples!" said the chief. "My families come here
+all light, all light, all light!"
+
+"Just as I thought," said Rob, aside, to the others. "It is we who are
+the visitors, not they. John, you act as interpreter. Ask him how far it
+is to Kadiak."
+
+The keen-witted chief caught the sound of the latter word.
+
+"You come Kadiak?" he said. "Come dory? You no got-um schooner?"
+
+"Schooner by-and-by," broke in Rob, hurriedly. "Our peoples come."
+
+The chief sat thoughtful for a time, his cunning eyes looking from one
+to the other.
+
+"What you give go Kadiak?" he asked, at length.
+
+"Schooner come by-and-by," retorted Rob, coldly.
+
+The chief chuckled to himself shrewdly.
+
+"Where bad mans go?" he asked, after awhile.
+
+Rob shrugged his shoulder and pointed toward the mountains, as though he
+did not know where the refugee might be.
+
+After awhile the old native produced from under his coat three
+handsomely made _kamelinkas_, or rain-proof coats, made of membranes. He
+pointed to the clothing of the boys and made signs of rain.
+
+"You like-um?" he asked. "Me like-um lifle."
+
+Rob shook his head, but the old man persisted. Finally Rob was seized of
+a happy idea.
+
+"S'pose you go Kadiak," he said. "You come back with schooner, maybe so
+we give one rifle, two rifle."
+
+This had precisely the opposite effect from that intended. The chief
+guessed that, after all, the boys did not know when any boat would come
+for them. The cunning eyes of the native grew ugly now.
+
+"_My_ barabbara!" he said. "You go. S'pose you no give lifle! Me take-um
+all light, all light, all light!"
+
+"Hold on to your guns, boys!" called Rob, quickly. "Don't let them get
+hold of one of them."
+
+Then he resumed with the chief. "Heap shoot!" said he, patting his
+rifle. "You no take-um. S'pose you get-um schooner, maybe so we give one
+rifle, two rifle; maybe so flour--sugar; maybe so hundred dollar. Our
+peoples plenty rich."
+
+The chief seemed sulky and not disposed to argue, but the young boy at
+his side spoke to him rapidly for a time, and for some reason he seemed
+mollified. Rob pressed the advantage. Drawing a piece of worn paper from
+his inner coat-pocket, he made signs of writing with a stub of pencil
+which he found in another pocket.
+
+"You see talk-talk paper?" he went on. "S'pose you take talk-talk paper
+by Kadiak, we give-um one rifle."
+
+The chief grinned broadly and reached out his hand to take Rob's rifle
+from him, but the latter drew it back.
+
+"No give-um rifle now," he insisted. "When bidarka go, you take-um
+talk-talk paper, we give-um rifle. No! No give-um rifle now. We keep-um
+boy here all right, all right, all right. No keep-um boy, no give-um
+rifle. No get-um schooner, no get-um boy."
+
+This was not very good talking, but it was not bad reasoning for a boy;
+and, moreover, it seemed to go home. The old Aleut sat and thought for a
+while. Evidently he either was willing to exchange his son for so good a
+rifle, or else he felt sure that no harm would come to the boy. Turning
+to the latter, he talked with him for some moments earnestly, the boy
+answering without hesitation. At last the young Aleut arose, edged
+through the crowd, and sat down beside John, putting his hand on the arm
+of the latter as though to call him his friend.
+
+Rob drew a sigh of relief. Although he no more than half understood what
+had gone on, he reasoned that the boy had agreed to remain with them
+until word was brought back from the settlement. How long that might be,
+or in what form help might come, he could only guess. Keeping his own
+counsel, and preserving as stern an expression as he could, Rob sat and
+looked at the Aleut chieftain steadily.
+
+The situation was suddenly changed by a shout from the direction of the
+beach. Led by the chief, the natives all now hurried out of the
+barabbara. The young boy remained. In a few moments he crawled out and
+presently dragged in after him the wet bear-skins, making signs that
+they would be spoiled if left in the rain. Having done this, he motioned
+to the boys to put on the _kamelinkas_ which had been left in the hut by
+the chief and then to follow him.
+
+Guessing that there might be events of interest on the beach, they
+adopted his suggestions and hastened out into the rain.
+
+When they reached the top of the sea-wall the cause of the excitement
+was apparent. The natives were hurrying as fast as they could go in a
+body up the beach. Perhaps a half-mile from where they stood they could
+see a vast dark shape half awash in the heavy surf. Around it bobbed a
+few dark spots which they saw to be bidarkas. From these, and from the
+natives gathered at the edge of the water, there came, as the boys could
+see, one harpoon after another. It was plain that the whale, sickened by
+its wound and buffeted by the heavy weather, had been driven close in
+shore, and here had been attacked and finished at short range by the
+natives who had been watching for its appearance.
+
+
+
+
+XIX
+
+HOPE DEFERRED
+
+
+Of course the boys could not help joining the hurrying throng which now
+was thickening about the stranded whale. John and Jesse were much
+excited, but Rob remained more sober and thoughtful, even as they
+finally stood on the beach where the Aleuts were working at the giant
+carcass of the whale, which, pierced by a half-dozen lances and
+bristling with short harpoons, was now quite dead, and fastened to the
+shore by a score of strong hide lines.
+
+"There's the whale all right," said he to his two friends. "It's a good
+thing for these people, I suppose; but it's a very bad thing for us."
+
+Jesse looked at him in inquiry, and Rob went on:
+
+"Don't you see that they'll camp here now for days, and maybe weeks?
+They'll eat this thing as long as it is fit to eat, and probably a good
+deal longer; and meantime they are not going to take out any word from
+us to the settlements, if they really intend to go there at all."
+
+"That's so," said John. But his hopeful temperament cast off troubles
+readily. "We can't do anything more than just wait, anyhow; and I
+suppose that our friend here"--he motioned to the Aleut boy--"will see
+that we get our share of the whale meat."
+
+The boys now saw that whale-hunting among the Aleuts is a partnership
+affair, a whole village sharing equally in the spoils. Every man of the
+party now went to work. Some of them mounted the slippery back of the
+dead whale and hacked away at the hide, laying bare strips of the thick
+white blubber. Skilfully enough, for those possessing no better tools,
+they got off long strips of the blubber, which they carried high up the
+beach above the tide. Some of them carefully worked at the side of the
+whale where the deadly harpoon had done its work. Cutting down, they
+disclosed the broken head of slate buried deep in the body of the whale,
+the wound now surrounded by a wide region of inflamed and bloodshot
+flesh. This they carefully cut out for a distance of two or three feet
+on each side of the wound, and this seemed to be all the attention they
+paid to the preparation of the flesh for food. As the rain was now
+falling steadily they did not pause to build fires, but here and there a
+man could be seen eating raw whale meat, cutting off the strip close to
+his lips with his knife, in the curious fashion which always seems to
+the white race so repulsive.
+
+The young Aleut looked among the pieces of flesh as they were carried
+high up the bank of sea-wall, and at last selected a few smaller
+portions which he carried with him when at last the boys turned back
+toward the barabbara. He also got a good-sized sack of salt and one or
+two battered cooking utensils. It was plain that whatever his relatives
+might wish to do, or whatever right they had to turn intruders out of
+their own barabbara, he himself intended to cast in his lot with the
+white boys.
+
+The latter knew no alternative but to allow matters to stand as they
+did. The gloomy weather, however, oppressed their spirits. They had now
+been gone from civilization for a considerable time, and if truth be
+told they were becoming not a little uneasy about their situation. They
+had no means of telling how far the settlement might be, and they were
+indeed as completely lost as though they were a thousand miles from any
+white man's home. As a matter of fact, the part of the great island
+where they now were cast away had scarcely been visited by a white man,
+on an average, once in twenty years since the days of the Russian
+occupancy.
+
+Most of that day they spent inside the barabbara waiting for the rain to
+cease; but as the clouds broke away in the afternoon they ventured out
+once more to see what was going on along the beach.
+
+"Why, look there!" said Rob, pointing toward the mouth of the bay.
+"They're leaving--half of them are gone already!"
+
+Rough as the sea now was, and heavily loaded as were all the boats with
+the flesh of the whale, it was none the less obvious that members of the
+party were starting out for home, perhaps disposed to this by the
+discomfort of life in rough weather with no better shelter than they
+could find on this somewhat barren coast. These natives nearly always
+hunt in districts where they know there can be found a barabbara or so,
+and such huts are used as common property by all who find them, although
+the loose title of ownership probably rests in the man or family who
+first erected them. When so large a party as that now present travelled
+together, it was certain that they could find no adequate shelter
+unless they constructed it for themselves; and the Aleut, after all, is
+not like the American Indian, who makes himself comfortable where night
+finds him, but is rather a village-dweller, who rarely wanders farther
+from home than a day's journey or so in his bidarka.
+
+All this, of course, was more or less Greek to the boys who stood
+watching the thinning party, as one bidarka after another was skilfully
+run out through the surf and as skilfully put under way in the long
+swell of the sea. At last a well-known figure detached itself from a
+group where he had been talking and approached them. The Aleut chief
+addressed himself once more to Rob.
+
+"My peoples go now," he said. "Me like-um lifle."
+
+"When you go Kadiak?" asked Rob.
+
+"Maybe seven week, four week, ten--nine week all light, all light, all
+light," said the chief, amiably. "You make-um talk-talk ting. Give me!
+You give-um lifle now."
+
+Rob turned to the other boys.
+
+"We'll hold a council," said he. "Now, what do you think is best to do?"
+
+The others remained silent for a time.
+
+"Well," said Jesse, at length, "I want to go home pretty bad. He can
+have my rifle if he wants it, if he'll take a letter out to John's
+Uncle Dick at Kadiak."
+
+"I think it's best," said John. "We'll have two rifles left, and that
+will be all we really need. Let's go and write the note and take the
+chance of its ever getting out. Anyway, it is the best we can do."
+
+They returned to the barabbara, where Rob wrote as plainly as he could,
+with deep marks of the pencil, as follows:
+
+     "_Mr. Richard Hazlett, Kadiak_.
+
+     "DEAR SIR,--We are all right, but don't know where we are, or what
+     date this is, or which way Kadiak is. We came down in the dory.
+     Travelled all night. Are safe and have plenty to eat, but want to
+     go home. Please send for us, and oblige
+
+                                    "Yours truly, ----."
+
+"Do you think that'll do all right, boys?" he asked.
+
+The others nodded assent, and so each signed his name. Folding up the
+paper and tying it in a piece of the membrane which he cut off a corner
+of his _kamelinka_, Rob finally gave the packet to the old chief.
+
+"Plenty talk-talk thing," he said. "You bring peoples--get-um
+schooner--my peoples give-um flour, sugar, two rifle, hundred dollars."
+
+Without further comment than a grunt the old chief stowed the packet in
+an inside pocket of his feather jacket, and swung Jesse's rifle under
+his arm, not neglecting the ammunition. He had eaten heavily of whale
+meat and seemed to be pretty well beyond emotion of any sort. Certainly
+he turned and did not even say good-bye to his son as he swung into the
+front hatch of his bidarka, followed by another paddler, and headed
+toward the mouth of the bay, almost the last of the little craft to
+leave the coast.
+
+The boys stood looking after him carefully. The presence of these
+natives had, it is true, offered a certain danger, or at least a certain
+problem, but now that they were gone the place seemed strangely
+lonesome, after all. Rob heard a little sound and turned.
+
+Jesse was not exactly crying, but was struggling with himself.
+
+"Well," he admitted, "I don't care! I _do_ want to go home!"
+
+
+
+
+XX
+
+THE SILVER-GRAY FOX
+
+
+After the natives had departed, the young castaways, quite alone on
+their wild island, felt more lonesome and more uneasy than they had been
+before. The wilderness seemed to close in about them. None of them had
+any definite hope or plan for an early rescue or departure from the
+island, so for some two or three weeks they passed the time in a
+restless and discontented way, doing little to rival the exciting events
+which had taken place during the visit of the natives. It was now
+approaching the end of spring, and Rob, more thoughtful perhaps than any
+of the others, could not conceal from himself the anxiety which began to
+settle upon him.
+
+In these circumstances Rob and his friends found the young Aleut, with
+his cheerful and care-free disposition and his apparent unconcern about
+the future, of much comfort as well as of great assistance in a
+practical way. They nicknamed the Aleut boy Skookie--a shortening of
+the Chinook word _skookum_, which means _strong_, or _good_, or _all
+right_. Their young companion, used as he was to life in the open,
+solved simply and easily all their little problems of camp-keeping.
+Under his guidance, they finished the work on the bear-skins, scraping
+them and rubbing them day after day, until at last they turned them into
+valuable rugs.
+
+It was Skookie, also, who showed them where to get their salmon and
+codfish most easily. In short, he naturally dropped into the place of
+local guide. The native is from his youth trained to observation of
+natural objects, because his life depends upon such things. With the
+white man or white boy this is not the case. No matter how much instinct
+he may have for the life of the wilderness, with him adjustment to that
+life is a matter of study and effort, whereas with the native all these
+things are a matter of course. It may be supposed, therefore, that this
+young Aleut made the best of instructors for the young companions who
+found themselves castaway in this remote region.
+
+Thus, none of the three white boys had noted more than carelessly the
+paths of wild animals which came down from the surrounding hills to the
+shores of the lagoon near which they were camped, although these paths
+could be seen with ease by any one whose attention was attracted to
+them. One day they were wandering along the upper end of the lagoon
+where the grass, matted with several seasons' growth and standing as
+tall as their shoulders, stood especially dense. They noticed that
+Skookie stooped now and then and parted the tangled grass with his
+hands. At last, like a young hound, he left their course and began to
+circle around, crossing farther on what they now discovered to be an
+easily distinguishable trail made by some sort of small animal.
+
+"What is it? What's up, Skookie?" asked John, whose curiosity always was
+in evidence.
+
+The Aleut boy did not at first reply, because he did not know how to do
+so. He made a sort of sign, by putting his two bent fingers, pricked up,
+along the side of his head like ears.
+
+"Wolf!" said John.
+
+"No," commented Rob. "I don't think there are any wolves on this island;
+at least, I never heard of any so far to the West. What is it, Skookie?"
+
+The boy made the same sign, and then spread his hands apart as if to
+measure the length of some animal.
+
+"Fox!" cried Jesse, with conviction; and Skookie, who understood English
+better than he spoke it, laughed in assent.
+
+"Fokus," he said, repeating the word as nearly as he could. Now he
+traced out the path in the grass for them, and, beckoning them to
+follow, showed where it crossed the tundra and ran along the stream,
+headed back to the higher hills which seemed to be the resort of the
+wild animals, from which they came down to feed along the beach.
+
+"It's as plain as the nose on a fellow's face," said John. "And some of
+these paths look as if they were a good many years old."
+
+Indeed, they could trace them out, many of them, worn deep into the moss
+by the dainty feet of foxes which had travelled the same lines for many
+years. It was a curious thing, but all these wild animals, even the
+bears, seemed not to like the work of walking where the footing was
+soft, so they made paths of their own which they followed from one part
+of the country to another. On this great Alaskan island nearly every
+mountain pass had bear trails and fox paths leading down to the valleys
+along the streams or from one valley over into another. The foxes as
+well as the bears seemed to find a great deal of their food along the
+beaches.
+
+As the young native ran along the fox trail the others had difficulty in
+keeping up with him.
+
+"What's the matter with him? What's up, Rob?" panted John, who was a
+trifle fat for his years. "Why doesn't he keep in the plain trails?"
+
+"Let him alone," said Rob. "He may have some idea of his own. See there,
+he is heading over toward the beach."
+
+They followed him along the faint trail, dimly outlined at places in the
+moss, and soon they caught the idea which was in his mind. The path
+headed toward the beach and then zig-zagged, paralleling it as though
+some fox had come down and caught sight or scent of something
+interesting and then had investigated it cautiously. Others had trodden
+in his foot-prints, and so made this path, which at length straightened
+out and ran directly to the beach just opposite the place where the dead
+whale lay.
+
+"Plenty--plenty!" said Skookie, pointing his short finger to the trail
+and then down to the beach where the carcass of the whale lay. Whether
+he meant plenty of fox or plenty of food for the foxes made little
+difference.
+
+"They're feeding on the whale, now that the boats have gone," explained
+Rob. "That is plain. Skookie is just showing us the new trail they have
+made the last few nights."
+
+Skookie turned back and began to follow the trail toward the mountain.
+Without comment the others followed him, and so they ran the faint path
+back until it climbed directly up the steep bluff, fifty feet in height,
+and struck a long, flat, higher level, where the foxes all seemed to
+have established an ancient highway. Several trails here crossed,
+although each held its own way and did not merge with the others; as
+though there were bands of foxes which came from one locality and did
+not mingle with the others.
+
+"Now, what made him come up here?" asked John, whose shorter legs were
+beginning to tire of this long walk. "We're getting a good way from
+home."
+
+"Just wait," advised Jesse. "We'll learn something yet, I shouldn't
+wonder. Skookie's after something; that's plain."
+
+Indeed, the young Aleut, not much farther on, began now to stoop and
+examine the trail closely. At length he pointed his brown finger at a
+certain spot near the trail. The others bent over the place.
+
+"Something's been here," said Jesse. The moss had been dug out and put
+back again.
+
+Skookie smiled and walked on a little farther and showed them several
+other such places a few yards apart. He held up the fingers of one hand.
+
+"Five _klipsie_," he said, and then swept an arm around toward the face
+of the mountains, remarking: "My peoples come here."
+
+"Oh," said Rob; "he means that here is where his family come to set
+their _klipsie_ traps for foxes. I suppose these places are where the
+same _klipsies_ were set five different times. I have heard that when
+they catch a fox in one place they always take up their trap and move it
+on a little way so that the other foxes may not be frightened away by
+the smell of the dead fox or the trap."
+
+"I wonder," said Jesse, "if any fox would have good fur this late in the
+spring."
+
+"He might," said Rob, "if he had been living all the time up in the
+mountains near the snow; but as the natives trap a good deal along the
+beach, I suppose they took up their traps some time ago. They never like
+to take fur unless it is good, of course."
+
+"Anyhow," said Jesse, "I shouldn't mind trying once for a fox. We might
+get a good one. I've heard they catch foxes sometimes--silver-grays or
+blacks, you know--that are worth three or four hundred dollars."
+
+"Or even more," added Rob; "but that is when they're very prime, and
+when they bring the top of the market."
+
+Skookie looked from one to the other, but finally made up his own mind.
+He led out on the way toward the barabbara, where very methodically he
+set to work carrying out his purpose. He rummaged among the _klipsie_
+butts in the back part of the hut until he got one to suit him, and then
+without any hesitation led the way a few hundred yards distant from the
+hut where, parting the grass, he disclosed the cache or hiding-place
+where the owners of the _klipsies_ had secreted the traps; they, in
+their cunning, not wishing to leave the entire trap in the possession of
+any stranger who might come to the house.
+
+Fumbling in this heap of narrow sticks, each of which was about as long
+as a boy's arm, Skookie at last picked out one which suited him. They
+discovered that the end of it was armed with four or five spikes
+apparently made of old nails hammered to a point and filed into a barb.
+
+Skookie now took this arm of his _klipsie_ to where he had left the butt
+or hub of the trap, and he loosened up the heavy, braided cord of sinew
+which passed from end to end through the butt. He pushed the butt end of
+the arm in between these sinews so that pulling it sidewise twisted the
+sinews. Then he drove tight the wedges at each end of the hub, so
+straining the sinews tightly about the arm of the trap. Thus, as the
+boys readily saw, a great force was exerted when the arm of the trap was
+pulled back.
+
+"That is what they call 'torsion,' I think," said Rob. "It is like a
+gate-spring which pushes hard when you twist it. Look at those
+sinews--thick as your thumb--and even one little sinew is strong enough
+to hang an ox!"
+
+Skookie went on with his work until he thought the strain on the arm was
+sufficient. Then he pulled the arm back and caught it under a slight
+notch which was cut in the side of the hub, which itself was open on one
+side to allow the passage of the arm. When the trap was thus set it lay
+flat on the ground, and Skookie motioned the boys to keep away from
+it--something which all were willing to do, for the barbed arm of the
+_klipsie_ resembled nothing so much as a fanged serpent with its head
+back ready to strike a terrible blow.
+
+"Natives get caught in these traps sometimes," said Rob; "so the old
+trappers tell me. Sometimes they get crippled for life. You see, these
+iron points here strike a man just about at the knee joint, and that's
+pretty bad when there is no doctor around."
+
+Skookie, going ahead with his work, fumbled in his pocket and fished out
+a piece of hide cord, which he measured off to a certain length between
+his arms; then, picking up a bit of stick, he whittled out a pointed peg
+and attached one end of his cord to this, while he arranged the other so
+that it would control the trigger which held the arm in place on the
+farther side of the _klipsie_ bow. Now he stretched out his cord and
+pushed the peg into the earth as though it crossed a fox path, and made
+a motion of a fox walking along and touching his leg against the cord.
+To do this he took a long stick instead of using his own limb.
+
+Whang! went the _klipsie_, the fanged arm whirling over so fast that the
+eye could hardly follow it, and burying its points in the ground.
+Skookie laughed and danced up and down, showing how it certainly would
+have killed a fox had the latter been there.
+
+"Come on," said John; "let's go set it somewhere."
+
+"All light!" said Skookie, who understood a great many words from their
+apparent connection. He took up his trap, with the hub under his arm,
+and headed off up the beach toward the spot where they had first seen
+the fox trail two or three hours before.
+
+Following along the faint trail for some distance, but taking care not
+to step in it, he at length struck it where it passed through the tall
+grass. Here he squatted down and made some sort of strange passes over
+his trap, mumbling certain words in a strange tongue. Like all of his
+people, Skookie was superstitious. What he wanted to do now was to wish
+his trap good-luck. Having attended to this part of his ceremony, he
+drew his knife and began to detach a square of the thick, matted moss,
+making a cavity about arm's distance at one side of the path. In this
+hole he buried the hub of the _klipsie_ and covered it carefully with
+moss, so that nothing was left to show. The arm, which lay back still
+farther in the grass, he covered up lightly so that it also would be
+concealed from view. Then, carefully, he stretched his trigger string
+across the path, mixing it up with some of the dried spears of grass so
+that it lay a foot or less above the level of the path, or at just about
+the height at which the fore-legs or breast of the fox would strike it
+as the animal came walking down the trail. Having bent the grass above
+his _klipsie_, and arranged everything so that the place showed no
+signs of what had been going on, Skookie at last smiled, stood back, and
+looked cheerfully at his work; then he cast a glance toward the skies,
+and made a sign with his fingers held downward as though to indicate
+falling rain.
+
+"Bime-by water!" he said.
+
+"He means that he wants it to rain," said Rob, "so that the scent will
+all be washed off from the trap and from the ground around it."
+
+"Well," said John, "if the water is about the way it averages, he won't
+have to wait longer than to-night for his rain." Which, indeed, was the
+case, for in the night, while they were all safely in the barabbara
+around the fire, the rain came as usual, sufficient to blot out all
+trace of their late work on the fox trails.
+
+The following morning the boys at once began to wonder what luck had met
+their trapping operations. It did not appear to them likely that they
+would catch anything the first night; but Skookie, it seemed, was of a
+different opinion. After breakfast he led the way to the place where the
+trap lay, and without hesitation walked into the tall grass, stooped
+down, and at once held up to view a long, dark animal at sight of which
+the boys uttered a joint whoop of joy!
+
+"We got him!" said John. "We certainly did get a fox, and the very first
+night, too."
+
+"Yes," agreed Rob, "we did more than that: we got a silver-gray fox, and
+a mighty good one at that. Was there ever such luck, I do wonder!"
+
+Skookie took it all as a matter of course, but the others were much
+excited over this discovery. They put the silky, handsome animal upon
+the ground and began to smooth out its fur. The fangs of the _klipsie_
+had struck it in the back of the neck and killed it instantly, so that
+the coat remained quite smooth and undisturbed by any struggles. It was
+long and silky--dark, with white-tipped tail, and gray extremities on
+all the hairs of the back.
+
+"This skin ought to be worth anyhow one hundred dollars," said Rob,
+critically. "At least that would be my guess at it. The natives don't
+often get that much, but sometimes a trader will buy a skin for fifty
+dollars and sell it for five or six hundred. That all depends on the
+sort of market he finds."
+
+"Anyhow," said Jesse, "it proves that Skookie can trap foxes all right."
+
+The young Aleut was not disturbed by this praise, and proceeded to
+further prove his ability as a trapper. Having again set his _klipsie_
+at a point a few yards farther down the trail, he took up the dead fox
+and led the way back to the barabbara, where he undertook to carry the
+carcass in for his skinning operations.
+
+At this Rob demurred, for he had already seen proof of the custom of the
+native trappers, who nearly always skin out their game at the fireside
+of the barabbara, and who are very careless where they leave the
+carcasses.
+
+"No, you don't!" said Rob. "We've just cleaned out that house, and we
+don't want it mussed up again so soon. Let's go over to the beach and
+skin our fox."
+
+Skookie, always docile and willing to obey, once more led the way,
+carrying the fox under his arm. At last he seated himself on the ground,
+sharpened his knife-blade on a stone, and began to skin out the fox,
+much as an old trapper would. He made a cut from one hind leg to the
+other, cut off the tail bone, pulled the tail off clean by the use of
+two sticks clamped against the bone, and proceeded to remove the skin
+from the body without splitting it along the belly--"casing" it, as
+trappers call it. So carefully did he do his work that he did not make
+the slightest cut around the eyes or ears or nostrils, and even brought
+off the whiskers of the muzzle without disfiguring the skin in the
+least.
+
+Next he found a spreader, or tapering board, under the eaves of the
+barabbara, and over this he stretched his fox-skin, inside out, setting
+it away in the back part of the barabbara, where it would slowly dry
+without being exposed to the fire.
+
+"Well, he certainly is a trapper, all right," said John, admiringly.
+"Now I believe we could do that sort of thing ourselves. I don't see any
+reason why we shouldn't get a lot of foxes here, and maybe make some
+money out of the skins some day."
+
+Rob shook his head. "I don't think so," said he. "Even this skin,
+although it is not yet rusty from the sunlight, is not perfectly prime,
+as you can see by looking at the inside of the skin. A really prime skin
+is white and clear, and you can see that this one is just a little blue
+along the back. That isn't a good sign to me."
+
+Rob's guess as to the fur soon proved to be correct. For four more
+nights they watched their _klipsie_ trap without success. On the fifth
+morning they found another dead fox in the trap, with the barbs through
+his back. This, however, was only a "cross" fox, and his fur proved so
+worn and rusty that Skookie scornfully refused to take off the hide.
+That ended their fox-trapping, for Rob refused to allow any more foxes
+to be killed. Skookie, apparently willing to go on with his work, or to
+stop as they preferred, smilingly took up his _klipsie_, after he had
+sprung the trap, detached the arm, and restored the separated parts to
+their original hiding-places.
+
+"Plenty times my peoples come here," he said, smiling.
+
+"That means," said Jesse, "that some time or other, if we have luck, we
+may be discovered here by his people, even if our own people never find
+us."
+
+"Yes," Rob added, "but I only hope that may be before winter comes and
+leaves us unable to get out."
+
+
+
+
+XXI
+
+AN ALEUT GOOSE-HUNT
+
+
+Although utterly remote from the ordinary haunts of man, our young
+hunters found their new environment one free from monotony, after all.
+The sea was never twice the same, and even the weather was capricious
+enough to afford variety. As spring wore on the region seemed to teem
+with wild life, whether on the earth, in the water, or the air. The
+gulls, crows, ravens, and eagles were continually passing, with clouds
+of shags or cormorants, which nested on the rocks a mile or so down the
+bay, together with numbers of oyster-birds, whale-birds, and other
+strange fowl of the outlying coast.
+
+Each night and morning also there passed up the lagoon a stream of
+honking and chattering wild-fowl, the largest of which and most
+valuable, though least attainable, were the great Canada geese, which
+frequented this part of the island in large numbers.
+
+"If only we could get hold of some of those fellows," said John,
+longingly, one morning, as they saw an especially fine flock pass slowly
+up toward the head of the lagoon. "I'll warrant they'd be good to eat.
+See, some of them can hardly fly yet, they're so young."
+
+"Yes," said Jesse, "if we had only thought of it last week, they
+probably would not have been able to fly at all--flappers, they call
+those young birds. Then we might possibly have killed some of them in
+the grass at the head of the lagoon."
+
+"We could kill all we wanted now with the rifles," commented Rob; "but,
+as I said awhile ago, I don't think we ought to use rifle ammunition for
+killing birds. No one can tell how much we may need our cartridges later
+on. No, I don't think we will get any geese unless we can catch them
+with our hands. I haven't much faith in those throwing-cords that
+Skookie was showing us."
+
+John turned to his friend Skookie. "S'pose you catch-um geese, Skookie?"
+he asked.
+
+The Aleut boy surprised them very much by his sudden use of English.
+
+"Sure!" he said. He had perhaps learned this word from associating with
+whites somewhere down the coast.
+
+His prompt reply made them all laugh, but none the less it was of yet
+greater interest than this.
+
+"How do you mean, Skookie?" asked Rob. "How can you catch a goose when
+you have no gun? You can't get close enough."
+
+It was always a problem how much English the Aleut understood or did not
+understand. Now he made his answer by diving into the back of the
+barabbara and coming out with the curious bunch of thongs which the boys
+had noticed him carrying when they first encountered him on the beach--a
+dozen thongs attached to a common centre, each being a couple of yards
+in length, and each bearing at its extremity a perforated ivory ball
+perhaps of an ounce or so in weight.
+
+"Well, that don't look very much like a goose-hunt to me," said John;
+"but it seems to me I've read about the Eskimos using something of this
+sort. Maybe it'll work on geese, though it looks like a mighty funny
+kind of shot-gun to me."
+
+"It's an old weapon of wild people," said Rob. "I've read about that
+sort of thing. They use it in South America for catching animals, and
+there they call it the _bolas_, or balls. I think they use stones down
+there, and of course they are a great deal heavier than these little
+ivory weights."
+
+He motioned to Skookie to show how he proposed to use this curious
+device. The Aleut, understanding perfectly what was required, again
+caught the thongs by their central ring and deftly began to whirl them
+about his head. Aiming at a post which stood up in the grass near the
+barabbara, he finally cast loose his whirling thongs, which promptly
+wrapped tightly around the post as they flew. The young brown hunter
+grinned at this, and all the boys were surprised at the force with which
+the thongs clung about the object of the aim.
+
+"Jinks!" said John. "I shouldn't wonder if they'd kill a bird, if they
+hit it, or anyhow tie it up. The question is, how can you get close
+enough to the geese to catch them with this sort of arrangement. A goose
+is about the wildest thing in the world. I don't suppose Skookie could
+hit anything very far."
+
+"I don't know," mused Rob. "But why not let him try? If the birds are
+done nesting, and the young ones are flying, they would make a mighty
+good addition to our table if we could get some of them."
+
+Another flock of geese passed by. Rob pointed from the thong-cords
+toward the geese.
+
+"S'pose you catch-um?" he asked of Skookie.
+
+The boy smiled, and without a word picked up his thongs and led the way
+along the shore of the lagoon. The others followed, seeing that he
+proposed to capture some wild-fowl in the native way, as he had once
+before intimated might be done.
+
+He was no bad hunter, this young savage. After locating a big flock of
+geese which were sunning themselves on the mud flats close to the grass,
+he led his companions far back from the water, making a wide detour. At
+length he began to approach the fowl from a point where they would be
+concealed by the heavy grass. It seemed an age to the white boys, but
+Skookie was in no hurry. Like a cat he crawled and crawled, a few inches
+at a time, until finally he reached a point where they could hear the
+contented croaking and jabbering of the geese as they rested, entirely
+unsuspicious of any danger. It must be remembered that in this part of
+the world the wild-fowl are seldom if ever disturbed, and hence are far
+less suspicious than when they are near to civilization. If these
+honkers suspected anything at all now, they did no more than
+occasionally lift their heads and crane their long necks around. They
+could see nothing, because their pursuers were all crouched low beneath
+the tops of the grasses.
+
+The Aleut boy kept on his stealthy approach--little by little--until
+finally he was within thirty or forty yards of the edge of the water,
+along which the great wild-fowl were scattered. Rob nudged him to get up
+and throw, but Skookie knew his own business better. Without uttering a
+sound he crawled forward rapidly a few paces, on his hands and knees,
+then sprang to his feet and ran rapidly through the grass toward the
+edge of the water, uttering the while wild whoops as he began to swing
+the thongs about his head.
+
+"Look out!" cried John. "They'll all get away! Why don't he throw?"
+
+But Skookie did not undertake to throw so long as the geese were on the
+ground. He knew that the young geese were weak and not used to flight,
+and that even at its best a wild goose is slow and heavy to take wing.
+
+[Illustration: THE ALEUT BOY LAUNCHED HIS MISSILE INTO THE MASS OF
+FLYING FOWL]
+
+All these geese, some scores of young and old, intermingled, now began
+to scream, squawk, and honk, and clumsily to take wing as best they
+could. Thus they rose in a confused brown mass, almost in the face of
+the young hunter, who advanced rapidly, whirling the weighted cords
+about his head. At precisely the right instant, and not upset by the
+sudden clamor of the rising fowl, the Aleut boy straightened his arm in
+front of him and launched his missile with precision into the very
+middle of the flapping mass of flying fowl.
+
+The execution done was perhaps no more than he expected, but as the
+white boys saw his success they broke into a cheer. As the startled
+flock screamed and honked away, down came two of the fowl, one with
+broken wing and another laid fair about the neck by the gripping cords
+which had encircled it. Before they could escape, all the boys were
+after them, plunging into the mud and water, careless of anything but
+their game. They found that one of their geese was an old gander, but
+the other was a fat young bird, which John fondled with the utmost
+interest.
+
+"I'll bet you this one'll be good to eat!" said he. "Let's go back and
+see how it goes."
+
+"I wonder if you ever will get enough to eat, John!" said Rob,
+reprovingly. "We have only had breakfast an hour or so. But I'm agreed
+that young wild goose will make a good change of diet for luncheon."
+
+He patted Skookie on the shoulder to compliment him on his skill.
+
+"Plenty times me catch-um," said Skookie, proudly, as he untangled his
+cords. "Plenty times my peoples come dis place."
+
+Whether he meant that his people had been hunting here very often, or
+intended to hunt here often, they could not understand. Happier than
+they had been for some days, they went back to the hut, picked the old
+goose, skinned out the breast of the young one, and began, somewhat
+unskilfully, to prepare for the cookery of their new game. The best they
+could do was to cut the breast of the fowl into strips and fry it with
+some of the bear fat in the broken skillet. Even so, they found it
+delicious eating.
+
+Skookie, after the fashion of his people, sat on the ground
+cross-legged, and when it came his turn to help himself from the common
+dish he plunged his fingers into the hot contents, and fishing out a
+long piece introduced it into his mouth. When his mouth was full as it
+would hold he took his knife-blade, and after his fashion cut off a
+piece close to his lips, on the outside--the way in which most of these
+Northwestern natives eat their meat. The other boys, who had been reared
+with different ideas of table manners, looked at him with surprise.
+Skookie did not seem to notice, but munched away contentedly, repeating
+the performance now and then.
+
+"If that's the way they eat up here," said John, at last, "I suppose we
+ought to learn how to do it." So saying, soberly he began to sharpen
+his knife on a near-by stone, as he had seen Skookie do, and, taking a
+piece of goose breast in one hand, he partly filled his mouth and
+undertook to cut it off at the proper length. At once he uttered a wild
+cry, and dropped both knife and morsel to the ground. Blood flowed from
+his face, and he clapped his hand to the end of his nose, which he had
+nearly severed with the stroke of his knife, as it had slipped
+unexpectedly through the piece of meat.
+
+"Now look at you!" said Jesse. "You've pretty near cut off your nose;
+that's what you've done. That comes of forgetting the way you were
+brought up. Come here--let me see how badly you're hurt."
+
+Skookie broke out into wild peals of laughter at this mishap, which left
+John none too well pleased. Rob and Jesse, however, bent over him as he
+whimpered with the pain, and did what they could to make amends for the
+disaster.
+
+"Hot water is best for a cut," said Rob, taking their tea-vessel from
+the fire and looking about for a piece of rag. Thus, in short, by the
+free use of hot water, he did at length stop the flow of blood in part,
+at least.
+
+"John," said he, at last, "you came mighty near spoiling your beauty.
+Your nose is turned up, anyhow, and now you have nearly cut off a half
+inch more of it. Lucky for you the cartilage was tough, or you would
+have looked more like an Ethiopian than an American. I guess it will
+grow fast again, although you will have to wear a handkerchief tied
+around your face and head for some time."
+
+"I don't care," mumbled John. "I wanted to see how they did it."
+
+"Well, you know now," Rob assured him, in a matter-of-fact way. "But I
+would suggest that you eat in the ordinary civilized fashion after this,
+because you haven't any more nose than you need, and your mother might
+not like you to come home with a part of it missing."
+
+It was some days before the smart of this wound was entirely gone, but
+it may be said that in time it healed and left but a slight scar at the
+lower end of the nose, although John for some days went about with a
+handkerchief tied about his face. This did not prevent his taking part
+in future goose-hunts, which came to be a regular part of their
+programme.
+
+Before the geese had become too wise they succeeded in killing several
+dozen with the thongs, each of them taking his turn and throwing them,
+which they found not so difficult an art to master, after all. Skookie
+showed them how to smoke the breasts of these wild-fowl so that they
+would keep, and thus they made a valuable addition to their stores.
+
+
+
+
+XXII
+
+SPORT WITH THE SALMON
+
+
+"_Natu_ salmon," said Skookie one morning, poking his head in at the
+door of the barabbara, where the others still sat, washing up the
+breakfast dishes.
+
+"What's that he says, John?" asked Rob, who seemed less ready than the
+younger boy to pick up the native speech.
+
+"_Natu_ means _nothing_ or _no_ or _not_," interpreted John. "What's the
+matter with the salmon, Skookie?"
+
+They all crawled out of the low-hung door and followed the Aleut to the
+spot where they had left their fish concealed. They found nothing but
+stripped bones. Around the spot hung a crowd of great ravens and crows,
+protesting at being disturbed at this easy meal.
+
+"We had six fine salmon there last night," grieved Jesse. "They're
+awfully hard to catch now, too, because they've got shy in the shallow
+water. They're all down in the big hole at the mouth of the creek, and
+it's going to be harder and harder to get any. As for the whale meat
+that the old chief left, I don't suppose it was salted enough, and it
+probably won't keep."
+
+"We'll have to build some sort of shelter for our fish and game," said
+Rob, looking at the havoc which had been wrought by the birds. "It isn't
+right to waste even salmon, abundant as they are--although they may not
+be so abundant after this, as you say, Jesse."
+
+"I'll tell you what," said John, after a moment's thought, "I've got an
+idea!"
+
+"Well, what is it?"
+
+"You know, there was Uncle Dick's fishing-rod we brought with us in the
+dory. I took it out and pushed it under a log at the top of the beach
+wall. Now, I put that rod in the boat carefully myself, because I knew
+how much Uncle Dick thought of it. I don't suppose he'll thank us for
+bringing it away, because it's his best trout rod."
+
+"I don't see what use it would be to us," said Jesse. "It's too light to
+tie a grab hook to, and even if you hooked it into a salmon the rod
+would break."
+
+"Yes," said Rob, "a trout rod isn't meant in any case for fish as heavy
+as this. Besides, you see, these salmon never take a fly; even if we had
+any flies to go with the rod, or any line, or any reel, for that
+matter."
+
+"The reel is on the butt joint of the rod; I'm pretty sure I saw it
+there. Come, let's find out! I tell you, I've got an idea," insisted
+John.
+
+They all repaired to the beach where, as promised, John produced the rod
+from its hiding-place under the drift-wood log. True, the reel was there
+in place. Without delay he put the joints of the rod together, finding
+some difficulty in this, for the rain and salt air had not improved it
+in the least. None the less they threaded the line through the guides
+and found that everything was serviceable.
+
+"Uncle Dick would not care," said John, "if he knew just how we are
+situated."
+
+"Still, I don't get your idea," began Rob.
+
+"Well, I don't know whether or not it's a very good one," answered John;
+"but who's got a few little hooks to lend me now?"
+
+"Here are two or three," said Jesse, fishing in his pockets. "They're
+about big enough for bait hooks for trout, but salmon won't take any
+bait. I don't see what you mean."
+
+John made no comment, but cut off two or three short pieces of the line
+about a foot in length. To each of these he attached one of the
+sharp-pointed little hooks and fastened them at intervals a couple of
+feet apart on the line. One hook he tied at the end of the line itself.
+
+"Oh, I see!" said Rob. "You mean to throw that outfit as though it were
+a fly."
+
+John nodded. "If you can cast as light a thing as a little trout fly
+with this rod," he said, "you ought to be able to cast these
+hooks--larger, not much heavier, and just about right to go straight.
+Anyhow, let's go down and try."
+
+"Good idea!" agreed Rob. And they all departed, the Aleut boy with them,
+to the lower reaches of the stream, where, as has been said, the salmon
+now more frequently resorted.
+
+As they stood on the bank above the big pool they looked down into it,
+and saw that the sea-tide run of the salmon had brought in the average
+number of fish. The whole interior of the pool, which otherwise would
+have had a dark-green appearance, seemed to be made up of melted silver
+layers, all in motion. There were hundreds of fish moving about, up and
+down, and round and round, hesitating about following up the thread of
+the fresh water, and not wanting to go back to the salt water, which lay
+behind them.
+
+"My gracious, there's about a million in there!" exclaimed John, peering
+over the edge.
+
+"Yes, but Skookie couldn't get any with the snag-pole now," said Rob.
+"They're getting wise and stay too far out. I shouldn't wonder if your
+idea was a good one, if only that rod were stronger."
+
+Rob rubbed his chin meditatively. "You are welcome to try first. I don't
+want to break that rod, and I know what will happen if you hook on to a
+big fish with it."
+
+John set his lips in determination, none the less, and stepped down to
+the edge of the pool. Slowly the interior mass of silver seemed to grow
+fainter. The fish saw him, and moved gently away to the opposite side of
+the pool. Presently, however, they could see the shining mass edge back
+again to the centre of the pool, where the deeper water was over the
+gravel.
+
+John began to cast the hooks back and forward above his head, as every
+fisherman does in casting a fly. Little by little he lengthened the
+line, still keeping it in the air, until he saw he had out enough to
+reach well across the pool. Then, gently as he could, he dropped the
+line and its gang of hooks on the surface of the water. The hooks, being
+small, were not heavy enough to sink the line directly. John waited and
+allowed it to settle until the hooks were flat on the bottom on the
+farther side of the pool. He looked down on the water and saw the
+silvery mass divided in two sections, as though the line had cut it. The
+keen eyes of the fish, heedless as they usually are in the spring run,
+had now grown more suspicious, and they settled apart as the line came
+across them, visible against the sky as they looked up from below.
+
+John made no motion for a time; but at last, as the fish began to settle
+back, he gently raised the tip of the rod, and began to work the hooks
+toward him across the pool in short, steady jerks. At first the line was
+too low to pass near the main body of the fish, but as it shortened the
+hooks began to travel up through the depth of the pool. Then, all at
+once--he never knew how, exactly--something startling happened. There
+was a sudden breaking of the surface of the pool into a shower of spray,
+and with a mad rush a big salmon twelve or fifteen pounds in weight
+nearly jumped into his face as he stood at the edge of the water.
+
+Frightened, he dropped the tip of the rod, and every boy present gave an
+exclamation of surprise. The words were not out of their mouths before,
+suddenly, the water on the far side of the pool was broken and the spot
+at John's feet was vacant. The fish, swift as lightning, had tumbled
+back after its leap across the pool and gone up on the other side in an
+attempt to escape the hooks, one of which, by chance, had fastened in
+the lower jaw. Therefore, as the fish could keep its mouth closed, it
+was ready for as fair a fight as though it had taken the fly, although
+little can be said in praise of foul-hooking a fish under any
+circumstances save those such as now existed, for these boys were in
+need of food.
+
+John had caught trout before, and had seen many a good fish handled on a
+fly-rod. After the first rush or two of the fish he gathered in the line
+rapidly with his left hand and put a strain on the rod. The salmon at
+first did not attempt to repeat its earlier mad rushes, but in fright
+began to circle the pool, scattering all the other fish into a series of
+silver splashes as they spread this way and that.
+
+Having got in touch with the fish, and finding that the hook still held,
+John now reeled in all the slack and settled down to a workman-like
+fighting of the fish, the others standing near him and volunteering
+suggestions now and then, of course.
+
+"The tide's coming in all the time," said John. "If this fish ever
+leaves the pool and starts across on the flats, I don't see what I'm
+going to do, because the creek's too deep to wade now."
+
+The salmon, however, obligingly kept to the pool, once in a while making
+a mad leap into the air and shaking himself. Skookie, without advice
+from any one, stationed himself at the foot of the pool, and whenever
+the fish headed that way, he tossed a stone in front, heading it back
+and keeping it from running out toward the sea. Finally he motioned
+Jesse to take up this work, and without removing any of his scanty
+clothing, or asking advice from any one, walked up above the place where
+John was standing and deliberately plunged into the creek and swam
+across, taking up a position on the opposite side of the pool, where the
+tide-water was beginning to spread out into the flats. Thus the boys had
+the pool surrounded, and whenever the fish started one way in dangerous
+fashion, a stone thrown in front of him would usually turn him. All John
+had to do was to keep the strain of the rod on his fish and to see that
+he had plenty of line on the reel.
+
+They fought the old fellow in this way for more than half an hour, until
+John's arms fairly ached from the strain of the rod--a sturdy split
+bamboo of the best American make, which well withstood the skilful use
+it now was receiving. There is no need to break a fly-rod when the reel
+is full of line, and the strain can be eased to suit the rushes of the
+fish.
+
+"Well, I don't see that we are much closer to our salmon than we were
+when we began," said Rob, at last. "It's good fun, but a slow way of
+getting salmon. Can't you pull him in on the line?"
+
+John shook his head. "I'm afraid it would break," said he. "Never you
+mind. We'll get Mr. Salmon before we're through. I can handle him all
+right, I'm pretty sure."
+
+He came near speaking too early, however, for now, with some impulse of
+its own nature, the salmon concluded it had had enough of this sort of
+thing and decided to go back to sea. With a long, straight rush it
+headed for the bottom of the pool. Rob and Jesse began to cast in rocks,
+but in spite of all their splashing the fish kept on taking out yard
+after yard of John's line. At last John, still using all the strain the
+rod would stand, was obliged to follow on shore. The fish turned the
+corner of the pool and entered the narrow gut in the rocks which led out
+to the sea, where the creek entered it over a wide flat of shingle. John
+was able to keep his feet in the hurried rush along shore, and he kept
+touch with the fish all through the narrows and until it had reached the
+shallows, where the flats were now covered two or three feet deep with
+the advancing tide. Here the last inch of his line was exhausted, and he
+himself, desperate in his anxiety to keep his fish and to save his rod,
+followed until he was waist deep in the sea. The salmon did not swerve,
+but headed straight for some distant haunt which perhaps it remembered
+as existing out there in the ocean.
+
+At length John could go no farther with safety, and in desperation gave
+the fish the butt, as an angler says. The rod bent up into a splendid
+arch, all its strength being now pitted against the power of the
+swimming fish.
+
+The latter, somewhat tired by its long flight, felt this added
+resistance of the rod, and unable to gain any more line, since there was
+no more to gain, and to ease itself of the strain, flung itself high
+into the air just as the last limit of the rod was reached. Down it came
+with a splash, but this time apparently confused; for as it fell on the
+water and chanced to head up-stream, it started directly back over the
+course it had come. The long slack of the line could not be recovered
+fast enough to follow it, but the hook held. A moment later the fish
+was back in the pool, the line back on the reel, and John, perspiring
+and flushed, was still master of the situation.
+
+After that matters were simpler. The fish was more tired, and its leaps
+into the air were shorter and more feeble.
+
+Without advice from any one, Skookie now ran out into the grass and
+found his long salmon gaff. Wading at the edge of the pool, he made one
+or two ineffectual attempts to gaff the salmon; then flinging the pole
+across the creek to the others, again he plunged in, swam across, and
+took up his stand near John, who by this time had shortened the line and
+was fighting the fish close in.
+
+"Now we'll get him!" cried Rob. "Go slow there, John. Don't let him
+break away. He's headed in now. Just lead him in. There!"
+
+With a swift, sure movement the Aleut boy had gaffed the salmon, and an
+instant later it was flapping high and dry at the top of the bank. It
+seemed to them this was a better fish than any they had taken directly
+with the snagging-pole, although, as a matter of fact, it was the latter
+implement, after all, which had landed the fish.
+
+John sat down on the shingle, tired after the long fight. He patted the
+rod affectionately.
+
+"Talk about fun!" said he; "this is the _only_ way to catch fish."
+
+Indeed, this proved much to be the truth within the next few days, for
+the salmon became so wary as to make it hard to reach them by anything
+but a long line. Sometimes it would be an hour before they could
+foul-hook a fish, but in this way they got a number of salmon--some of
+them fastened around the head, one or two, strangely enough, directly in
+the mouth, and several directly under the back fin. Again a fish might
+be hooked close to the end of the tail, and in such cases it was almost
+impossible to land it for a long time. But with skill and care the
+fly-rod, devoted to this somewhat crude form of sport, held its own, and
+much more than paid for itself in actual food, not to mention the added
+sport.
+
+
+
+
+XXIII
+
+AMONG THE EAGLES
+
+
+The routine of camp life, where one is obliged to do all the cooking and
+other work, besides providing food, is ordinarily enough to keep the
+camper pretty busy. The boys usually found enough to do with their
+hunting, fishing, cooking, and other work, but sometimes in these long
+Alaska days, where for almost twenty-four hours the sun shone and the
+darkest night was scarcely more than an hour or so of twilight, they
+found time to wander around their island in exploring expeditions.
+
+At times they climbed one peak or another almost to the top, but from
+the loftiest eminences they attained they could see nothing of the
+interior of the island except more and more sharp and rugged peaks
+thrusting themselves up--a mountain region which, indeed, is little
+known by any white man, or even by the natives, who rarely go far
+inland.
+
+A customary journey for them was along one or the other of the river
+valleys which came down to their bay, the mouths of which they could
+reach in calm weather easily by a short journey in the dory. Their
+favorite valley was that running back from what they called "Gull
+Rocks." It was traversed by a good salmon river and was much frequented
+by wild animals. As it chanced, they did not run across any more bear,
+although continually here and elsewhere they saw signs where these great
+animals had done their work in salmon-fishing--heaps of bones where
+scores of fish had been partially stripped of their flesh.
+
+On one particular day, as the young adventurers passed up this valley on
+an all-day tramp, they found the salmon heaps especially abundant, and
+observed that the numbers of crows and eagles were more than usually
+great.
+
+"I think it's a new run of fish coming in," said Rob. "Probably the
+'humpies' are beginning to run. They're bigger than the red salmon,
+which we've been having so far. They're better to eat, too; even the
+bears know that. We'd better look out or we may run across more bear in
+here than we want. See here where this big fellow was eating last night.
+I suppose he has gone back into the mountains somewhere by now. And
+here is where some foxes have come down and eaten what the bears left;
+and the crows are waiting to eat what the foxes left. And look there, at
+that fish-eagle! Old Mr. Osprey is working for his breakfast now."
+
+He pointed to a large, grayish bird which was circling above them, its
+neck bent down as it peered intently at the surface of the stream below.
+
+"Watch him!" said Jesse. "There!"
+
+All at once the osprey, which had been uttering a low sort of whistle,
+folded its wings and darted down, swift as a flash, at an angle of about
+forty-five degrees. With a resounding smack, and in a cloud of white
+spray, it disappeared from view beneath the surface of the water; but
+instantly, with a vast flapping, it rose and fought to get wing-hold on
+the air. Taking flight only with the utmost effort, the boys saw that it
+held in its talons a big salmon whose weight was all it could manage to
+bear away.
+
+"Well, what do you think of that?" said Jesse. "Didn't he do it easy? I
+should think he would break his back, hitting the water that hard."
+
+"Yes," commented John; "if a fellow dives from a place ten feet high
+it's fall enough for him; but this fish-hawk came from two or three
+hundred feet up in the air. They must be put together pretty strong or
+they'd smash themselves. Look at him go!"
+
+Uttering now its shrill whistle, the osprey rose higher and higher in a
+wide circle, endeavoring to carry off its prize. Something seemed to
+agitate the bird, and a moment later the boys saw what this was. High up
+above, in still larger circles, was a larger bird--a male bald eagle,
+which now drew into position directly above the osprey.
+
+"Now watch, and you will see some fun," said Rob. "No wonder Mr. Osprey
+is mad; he's going to lose his fish--that's what's going to happen to
+him. Watch that eagle!"
+
+The two birds kept their relative positions--the osprey, either angry or
+frightened, still struggling to get away with its prey; the eagle,
+easily circling above it, itself now and then uttering a shrill cry--a
+scream-like whistle that could be heard at a great distance.
+
+At last the osprey gave up the struggle and attempted to escape. With
+difficulty it detached one foot from the fish, which now fell down at
+full length and disarranged the osprey's flight. Finally it succeeded in
+shaking the talons of the other foot free. The osprey made a swift side
+dash and left the salmon to fall, at a height of, perhaps, one hundred
+and fifty feet or so.
+
+The eagle, which seemed to be twice that high above the ground, now
+performed a feat which the boys could never understand. They did not see
+how he could fall much faster than the fish; yet before their eyes they
+saw the great bird half fold its wings and dart down swift as a flash.
+Before the salmon had struck the ground the eagle struck it, fair, with
+both feet, and, never touching the earth itself, swung in a wide, low
+circle, itself master by robbery of the prize which the labor of the
+fish-hawk had won.
+
+"Look at that old thief!" said Rob. "It's a funny thing to me that an
+eagle can't very often catch fish for himself, plentiful as they are
+here. Yet you'll notice that if an eagle is on a tree directly over the
+salmon he can't start quick enough to catch a fish--it'll always swim
+away from him. They catch some in shallow water, but they don't seem to
+be very good fishermen after all. A bald-headed eagle would rather steal
+a fish from an osprey than to catch one for himself, and we've just seen
+how it's done. Watch the old thief!"
+
+The eagle, apparently contented with his morning's work, leisurely rose
+and flapped on his way toward a clump of small cotton-woods. At the
+summit of a small tree he perched, holding the fish under his feet and
+uttering now some short, shrill cries, which the boys could hear
+answered from the heap of brush which they saw was the nest prepared by
+these birds. There were scores of these rude nests scattered along the
+timber flats.
+
+"Let's go and see what they do now," suggested Rob.
+
+As they approached they saw the male bird clumsily flap down to the
+nest, where it dropped the fish. The hen eagle fell upon it with short,
+savage screams and began to tear it apart. They also saw, now and again
+bobbing above the rim of the nest, the heads of two young eagles.
+
+Rob cast a critical look at the trunk of the tree. "I can climb that
+tree," said he, at last, "and I have a mind to turn the tables on that
+old thief up there."
+
+He pointed to the male eagle, which was now flapping in short circles
+above the top of the tree, uttering hoarse cries of anger.
+
+"You'd better look out," said John; "old Mother Eagle will pick your
+eyes out if you're not careful."
+
+"I'm not so sure about that," said Rob; "but I'll take care. Anyhow,
+here goes!" So saying, he threw off his coat and began to ascend the
+tree, a feat which grew easier as he reached the wide-spreading limbs.
+In a few minutes he stood almost under the nest. Here he kept his left
+arm in front of his face and made feints with a piece of branch at the
+mother eagle, which indeed came dangerously close to him. The boys below
+began to flop their arms and throw up their coats. At length both of the
+parent birds, contrary to what might be believed or may have been
+written regarding them, turned tail like cowards and abandoned their
+young to their fate. They perched on trees a hundred yards or so
+distant, and watched to see what would go forward. Rob worked his way on
+up the tree and peered curiously over the edge of the wretched
+brush-heap which served as the nest. Here he saw two large, ungainly
+young birds, not yet able to fly, but able to spit, scratch, and flap
+their wings. Getting a good foothold on a supporting branch, Rob made
+several attempts to get hold of the young birds. Finally he succeeded in
+getting one by the neck, and with a jerk threw it out so that it fell
+flapping to the ground. Skookie would have killed it at once, but the
+others stopped him. A few moments later they were owners of both these
+birds, and Rob had rejoined his companions at the foot of the tree.
+
+"I'll tell you what," said he, as he wiped the perspiration from his
+face; "let's see if we can't make pets of these eagles. We nearly always
+have more than we can eat, and it's the same sort of food these birds
+are used to; so why shouldn't we tie them up and keep them around the
+hut? Maybe they'll scare the crows and ravens away from our fish."
+
+"That's a fine idea," said John. "We'll just try that. I had a couple of
+hawks once for pets. They ate a great lot, and they fought you, too, for
+a long while. My hawks used to lie on their backs and grab me by the
+hand every time I tried to feed them. I suppose these eagles will be
+worse yet."
+
+"Anyhow, we'll try them," said Rob. "Let's wrap them up in our coats and
+take them down to the boat."
+
+This they did, and although the old eagles followed them for two or
+three miles, sometimes coming rather close, and frequently uttering
+their wild calls of anger, the boys had no trouble in making away with
+their young captives. The birds seemed rather stupid than otherwise, and
+were as ready to eat food from human hands as from the talons of their
+parents. They did not really become tame, but, having learned their
+source of food, in a few days became so indifferent to human presence
+that they would only ruffle up their scanty crests and beat their wings
+a little when approached. They never allowed one to put a hand on their
+heads, and, indeed, were very far from being friendly. Their presence
+about the camp, however, did serve in part to mitigate the nuisance of
+crows and ravens, which continually hovered about, trying to steal from
+the scaffold where the boys kept their supplies of meat and fish. All
+boys like pets, and these found their strange captives interesting
+enough at least to help pass the time.
+
+
+
+
+XXIV
+
+AN ADVENTURE ON THE GULL ROCKS
+
+
+"I'll tell you, fellows," began Rob, a day or so after they had brought
+home the young eagles--"I'll tell you what we ought to do to-day after
+we have got the breakfast dishes done. Let's make a trip over to the big
+rocks beyond, where we went with Jimmy that time. If the eggs are not
+all hatched, and if these birds keep on laying, as maybe they do, we
+might still get some fresh eggs."
+
+"That would be fine," said John, "because I for one am getting just a
+little tired of salmon all the while. I'd give anything for a good piece
+of bread and butter."
+
+"Or pie," said Jesse, his mouth almost watering.
+
+"Now, there you go," said Rob, "talking about things we can't have. Why,
+I wouldn't give a cent for a piece of pie myself--that is, not unless it
+was a piece of real cherry pie, with fresh cherries, the kind we used
+to get--" All three boys looked at one another and broke out laughing.
+
+"Anyhow," said John, "maybe we can make a sort of pie after the
+salmon-berries get ripe. At least we could if we had a little flour and
+lard and baking-powder and things--"
+
+"And if we knew how," added Jesse. "It seems to me the best thing we can
+do, the way things are, is to go egg-hunting as Rob suggests."
+
+There was perhaps more wisdom in Rob's plan than any one of the boys
+knew at first. He was old and wise enough to know that the best way to
+keep them all from homesickness was to be busy all the time. This
+discovery is not new among military men, or those who lead exploring
+parties, although it was one which Rob thought out for himself; so now
+he went on:
+
+"We'll just take the dory," he said, "and slip down the coast beyond the
+mouth of the creek, and so on beyond the rocks where Jimmy and we all
+went when we got the sea-parrot hides. There are rocks over there, tall
+needles with straight sides, that have got thousands of birds of all
+sorts on them."
+
+"What will we do with our eagles?" asked Jesse, hesitating.
+
+"We can leave them plenty of food, and put a few boards together so
+that they can get under in case the crows or ravens should attack them.
+They will get along all right, I am sure."
+
+"I'd like to go with Skookie in the bidarka," said John, but Rob shook
+his head.
+
+"No, you don't," he said, "you go in the dory with the rest of us. That
+boy is all right, but he might not be strong enough to handle a bidarka
+in a high sea; and up here we never can tell when the wind is going to
+come up."
+
+"Suppose it did upset," said John, sturdily. "I have been out of it,
+here in the lagoon."
+
+"Yes, but that is different from getting upset out there in the middle
+of the bay. You know perfectly well that you could not get back in
+again; and swimming out there is something different from the lagoon,
+where the bank is right at hand all the time. I don't even like to go
+very far out in the dory; but see, it is fair and calm just now. So
+hurry up and let's get away. Get all the rope you can, too, fellows,
+because we may have to go down the face of the rock to get at the
+nests."
+
+"I have seen pictures of that," said Jesse--"how the egg-gatherers go
+down in a rope handled by other men up above them on the rocks. Do you
+suppose that three of us could pull the other fellow up and down?
+Skookie here looks pretty strong."
+
+"I don't know," said Rob, "but we'll take the rope along and see how it
+works out."
+
+Not long after they were safely off in the big dory, which, under two
+pairs of oars and with the wind favorable, astern, made very good time
+down the long spit at the mouth of the creek. Beyond that point they
+were obliged to take to the open bay, quite out of touch of land, for a
+distance of a mile and a half. This brought them to the foot of a small,
+rocky island, out of which arose two or three sharp, column-like groups
+of rocks which, as Rob had said, were literally covered with nesting
+birds.
+
+"We'll have to get around behind," said Rob; "nobody could climb up on
+this side, that's sure."
+
+Scrambling over the loose rocks, left wet and slippery by the tide, they
+passed to the rear of these pillars, first having made fast the dory so
+that it could not be carried away. In the pools of sea-water they found
+many strange shells and several specimens of the squid, or cuttle-fish,
+upon which Skookie fell gleefully. He and his people are fond of this
+creature as an article of food; but its loathsome look turned the others
+against it, so that with reluctance he was forced to throw them away
+again.
+
+At the back of the largest of these rock pinnacles they stood in
+hesitation for a moment, for the ascent seemed hard enough. At last,
+however, Rob found a sort of cleft or large crack, which seemed to lead
+up toward the top, and whose rough sides seemed to give foothold
+sufficient for a bold climber. "Here we go, fellows!" he said, and so
+started on up, hand over hand, the best he could. To their satisfaction,
+however, they found the going not so hard as it had looked from below.
+At the top, the sides of the cleft seemed to pinch together, so that in
+some places they were obliged to climb as a chimney-sweep does, their
+legs pressed across the open space; but as they were all out-of-door
+boys and well used to Alaska mountain work, they went ahead fearlessly
+and soon found themselves at the summit of the tower-like rock, whence
+they had a splendid view of the bay and the surrounding country.
+Startled by their presence, the sea-birds took wing in hundreds and
+thousands, soaring around them, flapping almost in their faces, and
+uttering wild, discordant cries. The boys fought these off as they began
+to explore the top of the rock.
+
+"Mostly little gulls here," said John, "and I never heard they were good
+to eat. I don't like the look of these eggs, either. Looks as if we were
+too late for a real good egg season."
+
+"Well," said Rob, "anyhow, we have had a good climb and a good look over
+the country. Now, what I propose to do is to see what there is lower
+down on the face of the cliff. I'm sure there's a lot of sea-parrots
+there, because I can see them flying in and out down below."
+
+"Let me go down, Rob," said John. "I'm lighter than you are."
+
+"No," said Jesse, "I think I ought to go down, because I am even lighter
+than you, John, and Rob is stronger than either of us."
+
+"I'll tell you how we'll fix that," said Rob. "We'll tie the end of the
+rope around this big rock here; and I'll pass the other end through my
+belt and pay it out as I climb down. I won't need to put all my weight
+on the rope, but will just use it to steady me as I climb. If I have any
+trouble getting up, why, then you three fellows can see what you can do
+toward pulling. Don't you let it slip, now. And if I shake the rope
+three times, then you begin to pull. You can signal me the same way if I
+get where you can't see me, or where you can't hear me call for the
+noise the birds are making."
+
+It was really a dangerous thing which Rob proposed to do, but boys do
+not always stop to figure about danger when there is something
+interesting ahead. Passing the rope through his belt as he had said, he
+kept hold of the free end with one hand, and so, picking his way from
+one projecting point to another, he began slowly to pass down the
+seaward face of the rock, which proved to be not so steep as it had
+seemed from below, although ridged here and there with sharp walls or
+cut banks, which crossed from almost one face of the pinnacle to the
+other.
+
+Rob's daring was rewarded by the finding of countless numbers of nests
+of the sea-parrots, which were bored back straight into the face of the
+cleft. "Here they are, boys!" he called back, his voice being even by
+this time barely distinguishable amid the clamor of the gulls and other
+wild birds which continuously circled about.
+
+Rob thrust his arm into one of these holes in the cleft, and was lucky
+enough to catch a female parrot by the neck and to pull her out without
+any injury to himself. For a time he examined the bird, laughing at its
+awkward movements when he flung it on the rocks at last, uninjured.
+Then he edged on along the rock face, his foot on a sort of narrow
+shelf and his body guided by the supporting rope. "I can get a lot of
+them here!" he called up to his friends.
+
+A moment later he pushed his arm again into an aperture among these
+nests. At once he uttered a sudden, sharp cry and pulled out his arm.
+His finger had been bitten almost to the bone by the hornlike beak of
+one of the birds. The pain of this alone would have been bad enough, but
+now it caused a still more serious accident.
+
+As Rob shook his bleeding finger at his side, and half raised his left
+arm to fend off the rush of two or three angry wild birds, he suddenly
+slipped with one foot at the edge of the narrow shelf on which he stood,
+and before he could catch his balance or do more than tightly grasp the
+free end of the rope which passed under his belt, over and down he went.
+
+For one swift instant he saw the long, white, curling breakers on the
+beach below him, for he fell face downward, his body or feet scarcely
+touching the rocky wall. He never knew quite how it happened, but in
+some way the rope jammed at his belt, and before he had fallen more than
+fifteen or twenty feet he found himself fast, but swinging like a
+plummet at the end of the line, entirely out of touch, with either
+hands or feet, with the face of the rocky wall. Below him he could
+faintly hear the murmur of the sea on the rocks a hundred and fifty feet
+below. Above him he could see nothing but the edge of the shelf over
+which he had fallen. As soon as he could control himself, he called
+aloud again and again, but he got no answer. If his friends above heard
+him, their answer was drowned by the clamor of the wild birds. Here,
+then, was the most serious situation in which he had ever found himself
+in all his life.
+
+Up above, on the summit of the rock, the boys had seen the sudden jerk
+on the rope and noticed that now it was motionless, whereas before it
+had trembled and shifted as Rob moved along the shelf. Skookie was the
+first to divine what had happened. He pointed to the cord, now tense and
+stiff, and leaned out over the rim, peering down at the shelf where Rob
+had stood.
+
+"Him gone!" said he, turning back a sober face. "Pretty soon him die
+now, I guess."
+
+Jesse and John looked at each other with white faces. They sprang to the
+rope, but hesitated, fearing lest touching it might prove dangerous.
+
+"Wait," said Jesse. "Let's look around first and get our wits together.
+One thing is certain, he is down there at the end of this. If the rope
+was not fast to him it would be loose and we could pull it up. That
+means that he is alive yet, anyhow, I am sure." He leaned far out over
+the rim of the summit, and between his hollowed hands called down:
+"Don't be afraid, Rob! We'll pull you up pretty soon!"
+
+Dangling far down at the end of the rope, Rob at first grew faint and
+dizzy. He dared not look below him, but had presence of mind enough to
+keep his eyes fixed on the nearest part of the cap of the rocky wall, so
+that he was less dizzy, although he whirled round and about at the
+extremity of the rope, which it seemed to him would almost cut him in
+two. None the less he made the end all the more secure about his waist;
+then once in a while he would ease the strain by lifting a little with a
+hand above his head. He shifted the rope until the noose came closer
+under his arms, realizing that he must not exhaust his strength in
+trying to raise his weight hand over hand. Thus, after the first few
+minutes of fright and after he had dared to open his eyes and take stock
+of the dangerous plight in which he found himself, he began calmly to
+reason, as very often one will who finds himself in imminent peril, the
+situation being too serious to allow him time for fright.
+
+Skookie sat down apathetically on the rocks and made no move. "Get up
+there, Skookie!" said Jesse. "Why do you act like a dummy? Nobody is
+dead yet. We're going to haul him up; don't you see? Now get hold of the
+rope--all of us; now, all together!"
+
+They lifted as hard as they could, but, do their best, they could gain
+almost nothing on the rope. Little as that was, Rob felt it down below
+and knew that they were trying to save him.
+
+"Now what shall we do?" John asked Jesse, in distress. "If we can't pull
+him up--and maybe we'd cut the rope on the rocks trying to do that--why,
+then, how is he going to get out of that?"
+
+Skookie, seeing that they had but little success in lifting the heavy
+weight at the other end of the rope, now, without any orders, tried a
+plan of his own. Passing along the edge of the rim of rock off to the
+right, he found a place where he could descend for at least a short
+distance. He disappeared below, but presently came back, his face
+lighted up with the first sign of hope it had shown.
+
+"Dis way!" he said; "dis way!" and made motions that they should pull
+on the rope and shift it to the right as far as they were able. The
+young native's sharp eyes had seen that if Rob could get to a place a
+little farther at one side than where he hung, he could get his feet
+against the rock, and so, perhaps, help himself more than otherwise
+would be possible.
+
+A little consultation followed at the top of the rock, then inch by inch
+the boys edged the rope along. Rob found himself, without any effort of
+his own, gradually approaching the face of the rock. At last he could
+kick it; and so he helped himself, pendulum fashion, until finally he
+got a hand on a rocky point, and so could rest his weight on the rough
+surface. To him even this vantage-ground seemed as if it were actual
+safety, so much better was it than swinging helpless like a fly on a
+cord. When his weight was taken from the rope those above at first
+thought that he had fallen to the foot of the cliff; but now he gave the
+signal of three short jerks, and they saw that he must have reached some
+place where he could support his weight. At this they broke out into a
+shout of joy.
+
+"Now, what will we do?" asked Jesse, thoughtfully. "We won't pull up
+until he signals us again, I guess. Maybe he will try to come up
+himself, steadying himself by the rope, the way he went down. I wish we
+could see where he is."
+
+This chance counsel of Jesse's was precisely the best thing that could
+have happened, for Rob had now determined to help himself by climbing up
+the rope hand over hand in the attempt to reach the ledge from which he
+had fallen. How he was going to get over the edge he could not clearly
+see, but he was now convinced that the friction on the rope was such
+that his friends could not haul him up, and that if he were saved he
+must save himself by getting above that projecting edge.
+
+Slowly he began to feel his way up the rock, supporting his weight as
+much as possible without the use of the rope, until, half leaning
+against the rock and half pulling on the rope, which was now shifted to
+a point directly above his head, he reached a place where he could no
+longer keep in touch with the rocky face. Then bravely, as should any
+one who finds himself in such straits, he swung out and rapidly began to
+climb up the rope, hand over hand, sailor fashion.
+
+He reached the edge of the rock, and perhaps might have been able in
+some way to get above it without injury, although, on the other hand, he
+might never have been able to get across unaided. What happened was
+that the boys up above, seeing the rope again agitated and not certain
+what their best course now might be, laid hold of it and began to pull
+as hard as they could. The result was that Rob's left hand, just as he
+reached the rim of rock, was caught under the rope. He flung his other
+hand around the corner, caught the rope, and scrambled up on one knee
+just as the strong heave from above tore the rope almost through his
+fingers, cutting them open as they lay against the rocks.
+
+The pain was intense, but he hardly minded that, for he saw now that he
+was again in safety. From there on up the face of the rock he scrambled
+on hands and knees, slipping and falling, but still going up, assisted
+by the steady pull, hand over hand, of his friends, who now saw what had
+happened, and who encouraged him with their shouts. So, none of them
+knew just how, presently he found himself at the summit once more, the
+others about him, all talking at once.
+
+Rob held up his mangled hand, from which the blood was now flowing
+freely. The wounds to his fingers were really serious, but he bore the
+pain as bravely as he could, although his face was white.
+
+"Anyhow, I got back," said he, shaking the blood from his hand. "I
+think the best thing we can do now is to start on home. I ought to do
+something for this hand as soon as possible."
+
+They were all pale and very much frightened. All at once Rob began to
+tremble, his hands and legs shaking uncontrollably. The nervous strain
+having now relaxed, the full shock of terror and pain set in, as often
+is seen in the cases of grown men similarly situated. It was some time
+before he recovered sufficiently to be able to risk the dangerous climb
+down the cliff on the inner side of the pinnacle. At last, however, they
+found themselves again safely in the dory, where, of course, his
+companions would not allow him to think of rowing. Progress against the
+wind and sea they found now much slower, and it was almost an hour
+before they reached the mouth of the creek, where Rob could land on the
+beach and so walk up toward the hut. By that time his hand was badly
+swollen and giving him intense pain.
+
+The boys did not attempt to take the dory around to the landing opposite
+to the hut, but left it moored at the creek mouth. They did not talk a
+great deal as they returned to the barabbara at the close of their
+disastrous day. The pain which Rob suffered gave them all concern. It
+was Skookie once more who proved himself resourceful. Without asking
+leave of any one, he crossed the lagoon on the stepping-stones and
+disappeared in the thicket beyond. A few minutes later he appeared with
+his hands full of coarse green leaves with slender, lance-shaped tips,
+the name of which none of the boys ever knew.
+
+"_Karosha_," he said--"all right, all right," and so proceeded to bind
+these on Rob's wounded fingers. Having wrapped them in a number of the
+leaves, he led Rob to the edge of the creek, and here made up a big ball
+of mud, which he plastered over the entire hand.
+
+"Now I am a pretty sight," said Rob. "I was going to wash my hands, but
+maybe this will do. I have heard that natives sometimes know a thing or
+two about taking care of such things."
+
+The native lad's knowledge of simples proved more efficient than any of
+them had dreamed. In the course of half an hour Rob's face brightened.
+"Why," said he, "I don't believe it hurts so badly now. Skookie, you are
+a great little doctor." And, indeed, that night he slept as soundly as
+any, although they all spent less time than usual that evening in talk
+about the doings of the day.
+
+
+
+
+XXV
+
+CRIPPLES' CASTLE
+
+
+"Well," said Jesse, just before noon of the following day, as he stooped
+to enter the door of the barabbara, "accidents never come singly." His
+face was drawn with pain, as Rob, to whom he spoke, noticed.
+
+"What's up, Jess?" asked Rob. "Has anything happened?"
+
+"I struck my foot against an old nail or something of the sort,"
+answered Jesse. "A piece of an old _klipsie_ was lying out in the grass,
+and it has cut through my shoe and gone into my foot."
+
+Rob sat up on the blanket where he had been nursing his own crippled
+hand. "An old nail!" he said. "Lucky if it wasn't worse! No telling what
+the point of it might do toward poisoning the wound. I'll tell you right
+now that I don't want even any rusty nails around my feet, let alone the
+irons of an old fox trap."
+
+"I've heard of such things as lockjaw," said Jesse. "There was a boy in
+our town had it, and he was just walking along and struck his foot
+against an old nail in a shingle." His face seemed grave.
+
+"Now, don't go to talking about that," said Rob. "When a fellow gets
+scared of anything is when he catches it. They say that if a man goes to
+Africa and expects to come down with a fever he always does, and if he
+doesn't think anything about it he probably gets along all right. Now,
+let's have a look at your foot. Take off your shoe; and put the kettle
+on the fire, so that we can get some warm water. The first thing always
+is to keep a cut clean; and I have read, too, that where there is any
+rusty nail or toy pistol around the best thing is to keep a wound open."
+
+"That doesn't seem to be the way you are treating your fingers," said
+Jesse, looking at the cloth in which Rob still kept a big poultice of
+black mud.
+
+"Well, a poultice draws poison out of a wound, you see," said Rob, "and
+mud is good for that. We had a pointer dog once, and he came home with
+his face all swelled up, and my father said he had been bitten by a
+snake. We didn't know what to do, but the dog did; he wouldn't let any
+one touch him, but went off to a slough back of the house and lay down
+in the mud, and he kept his head in the mud for two or three days. He
+got well all right. Your foot cannot be any worse than if you had been
+snake-bitten, surely, and you and I ought to have as much sense as the
+dog. My hand does not hurt now, and I'll warrant Skookie and I will fix
+up your foot in a jiffy."
+
+He put his head out of the door and called for John and Skookie, both of
+whom presently came, the latter soon returning with a double handful of
+mud, for which Rob had asked. Meantime they had taken off Jesse's shoe
+and stocking, cleaned the wound, and Rob had cut it open even a little
+wider with his knife--at which Jesse made a wry face.
+
+"I hate to do it, Jess," said Rob, "but that is what I read doctors do
+in a case like this. Now for a good poultice. You will be all right in a
+day or so."
+
+In truth, they very probably did the very best that could be done in
+such circumstances. There might have been serious trouble from a wound
+from an old _klipsie_ barb. Surgeons have died from poison received from
+knives used in post-mortem work. Lockjaw might very well follow upon a
+wound from a piece of dirty iron of this kind; but, luckily, the germ of
+that disease seemed not to exist in this case; at least the treatment
+which Rob applied proved quite effective and no evil results followed.
+Although Jesse limped for a time, in a few days he became quite well,
+and the swelling in the foot amounted to very little.
+
+"But now," said John one morning, as the three of them sat by the
+fireside in the barabbara, "we are a fine-looking lot, aren't we? Just
+look at us--every one of us has got something the matter with him!" They
+all took a glance and broke out in a loud laugh together, in which
+Skookie joined uproariously. As a matter of fact, each one of them was
+wearing a bandage. Rob had his hand done up, Jesse's foot was encased in
+a mud plaster, and John still wore his handkerchief tied over his nose,
+whose tip he had nearly severed in his attempt at eating after the Aleut
+fashion.
+
+"Well," said Rob, "it's lucky that none of us is hurt bad enough to
+cripple him seriously, anyway; although I guess Skookie will have to do
+most of the work of getting wood and water for a day or so yet."
+
+"There's no reason why I could not carry wood and water," said John. "My
+nose is not in the road."
+
+"I shouldn't say it was," said Jesse. "It never was long enough to get
+in the road, John, and it seems as though you had tried your best to
+shorten it as it was." They never tired of laughing at John for his
+clumsiness in Aleut table manners.
+
+"Now, see here, Jess," said John, "if you keep on making fun of my nose
+I won't give you any more mud for your old foot. I'm the only one that
+is not taking the mud cure excepting Skookie. I might just advise you
+two that about all our salt whale meat is gone, and it is too late now
+to get any more. It is about time we did some fishing, it seems to me."
+
+"Well, I don't want to sit around this way all the time," said Jesse. "I
+am for going out in the dory and trying for some fresh codfish. I'm
+rather tired of salmon again."
+
+"That's right," said Rob. "I was just going to say the same thing. Back
+home we used to like salmon better than codfish, because the codfish was
+always salt. Salmon used to be forty cents a pound back in the States,
+but out here, where we can catch forty pounds in an hour, we don't like
+it as well as codfish. All right, Jess, I'm game to go down to the mouth
+of the creek where we left the dory, and go out in the bay for a try
+after cod. But how will you get down there with your foot all tied up?"
+
+Jesse put his hand on Skookie's shoulder. "Oh, that will be easy," said
+he. "Skookie and I will go down the creek in the bidarka."
+
+They agreed to this plan, and Jesse, hobbling out to the edge of the
+lagoon, picked up one of the bidarka's paddles--a narrow-bladed, pointed
+implement such as the Aleuts always use--rested the end of the paddle on
+the bottom on the other side of the bidarka, and, steadying himself by
+this means, slipped into place in the front hatch of the boat, just as
+one would step into a tottery birch-bark, although not even the latter
+can be more ticklish than one of these skin-covered native boats.
+Skookie was less particular, but, with the confidence born of long
+experience, took a running jump as he pushed off the bidarka and
+scrambled into the rear hatch. An instant later his own paddle was in
+motion, and Jesse and he made good speed down the creek. All the boys
+had by this time learned something about the use of the bidarka, and
+could handle themselves fairly well without swinging the craft from side
+to side as they paddled. Jesse always thought that the paddles were too
+small, but the only answer Skookie made to this criticism was, "My
+peoples long time make paddles dis way."
+
+The four met at the mouth of the creek, and soon they launched the
+faithful dory, in which they always kept their cod-lines on the
+hand-reels under the stern seat. Skookie took command of the expedition,
+for he seemed to know instinctively where the best fish could be found.
+Under his instruction he and John paddled the boat out fifty fathoms or
+so from the extreme beach point, where he motioned John to take up his
+hand-line while he held the boat in place. "Plenty deep waters here," he
+said; "plenty dose codfish."
+
+"Sure!" said John. "Here's right where Jimmy took us the first time."
+
+The boys threw over their lines, letting the heavy leads of the big
+hooks sink into more than one hundred feet of water. They had not long
+to wait, for the codfish seemed to be extremely numerous hereabout. John
+gave a sudden jerk and began to pull in rapidly, hand over hand. After a
+time they could see the gleam of a ten-pound codfish coming up to the
+surface on the line, rolling and twisting lazily and making no great
+fight. With a whoop John threw him into the boat, where the fish seemed
+even too lazy to flap about very much. It was a fine, dark fish, and
+Skookie gave it his professional approval as he rapped it over the head.
+Hardly had John gotten his fish into the boat before Jesse also began to
+pull in and added a second prize. Rob was fishing on the opposite side
+of the boat, and using a sort of squid with lead run around the hook,
+much like a bluefish squid. He was pulling the bait up and down with
+long jerks, as the native codfishers do, when all at once he felt
+something strike. "This fish seems mighty heavy," said he, "and it runs
+around different from a cod." None the less, he kept on pulling in line,
+and at length saw the gleam of a fish. "Humph!" said he, "no wonder it
+pulls hard! I've hooked it right square in the side. It pulls harder
+than a foul-hooked salmon, down that deep in the water. I wonder what it
+is?"
+
+It was a flat, shiny fish, handsome enough to look at, but Skookie shook
+his head. "Him no good," said he, and at once threw it overboard.
+
+"I think that is what the sailormen call a silver hake," said Rob; "but
+if Skookie doesn't approve of it, I guess we won't take any chances."
+
+The fish kept on biting at Rob's peculiar lure and at the pieces of
+salmon which the other boys used as bait. In the course of an hour they
+had the bow end of the dory well piled up with codfish, and Rob
+declared that they had enough. They also had nearly a dozen gnarled,
+knobby-looking fish, mostly all head, which Skookie insisted were better
+than codfish, to which they later all agreed. Sailors call these fish
+"sea-lawyers," because of their wide mouths, as they explain it. They
+rowed in to the beach near the mouth of the creek and dressed their fish
+on the shore not far from the salmon pool. After this they lay about in
+the sunshine of a beautiful day and idled away an hour or two more.
+
+"I'll tell you what, fellows," said John, after a time, as he stopped
+throwing pebbles into the pool, "we ought to have some sort of a camp
+down here at the mouth of the creek, too. Look over there at that rock
+face on the other side of the creek; that would be a fine place to build
+another house. I think it would be fun."
+
+"But look at us, all crippled up as we are," said Rob. "We never were in
+as bad shape to go to work."
+
+"Oh, well," demurred Jesse, "we wouldn't have to do it all in one day. I
+think, too, it would be some fun to build a barabbara all of our own."
+
+"I suppose we could float some logs down the creek," said Rob, "and
+maybe pick up some drift-wood on the beach and tow it around with the
+dory. And there's some drift right here at the mouth of our creek. We
+could build it over there just back of those scrubby trees, and with the
+cover of those and the tall grass no one could see it from the water
+unless he looked mighty close. And, as John says, it might save us a
+walk once in a while."
+
+"If that wasn't a rock wall over there," said Jesse, "we could make a
+dugout; but there isn't any cave or opening in the rock there."
+
+"No," said Rob, "and we can't build a bark house like a Chippewa, nor a
+mat house like a Siwash, nor a tepee like a Sioux. On the whole, I have
+noticed that every country knows how to build its own houses best. The
+natives here make barabbaras because they have material for that sort of
+house, and they seem to do pretty well, if they do smoke a little."
+
+"Suppose we build a barabbara, then," suggested Jesse.
+
+"Ask Skookie," suggested Rob.
+
+But Skookie, although he knew perfectly well what they were talking
+about, did not grow very enthusiastic over the idea. He could see no use
+in doing any work which was not absolutely necessary. "S'pose got plenty
+barabbara now, all light," he said, pointing up the creek at their
+camp. The others, however, overruled him, and when he saw his companions
+at work he fell to as enthusiastically as any, and they found his
+suggestions of the greatest value.
+
+At first they marked out a place about twelve feet square or so on the
+ground, and cleared it of grass, rocks, and pebbles. To this they
+dragged some of the drift logs which they found near by, and so began a
+rough sort of foundation. They had no nails which they could spare and
+not even a hammer, but the axe they found very useful in shaping the
+ends of the logs so that they would stay in place. They drove stakes to
+hold the corners together better and to keep the walls from falling
+down; and between the logs they put in chinking of moss, grass, and mud.
+Even before the end of their first day they had quite a start on their
+new house, and were eager for the next day's work, sore and crippled as
+they were.
+
+On the following day they made house-building their first order. By noon
+they had their side walls fairly well laid up with logs, which now gave
+them some trouble to hoist and to keep in place. They towed drift-wood
+now into the creek, having used up most of the material which lay close
+at hand.
+
+The roof gave them the most trouble. They built their side walls about
+four feet high, but they did not know how to keep the roof from falling
+in. They did not wish to plant any poles in the centre of the barabbara,
+as that would take up too much room and would interfere with the
+fireplace. They had no means of joining or framing any timbers for the
+roof, and they did not know how to make an arch. At last Jesse hit upon
+an idea.
+
+"I'll tell you," said he; "we'll get some long poles and rest them on
+the top of the walls and plant the ends in the dirt and weight them down
+with rocks there. Then the other ends will stick in over the walls
+toward the centre, and will do for rafters for us to put our roof on.
+We'll leave a hole in the centre where the rafters don't meet. In that
+way we can have a roof without any posts in the middle of our house, so
+that the inside will all be clear room."
+
+This crude idea of architecture appealed to the others and, indeed,
+proved rather effective, although it was different from the plan on
+which their old barabbara was built. They had some trouble in getting
+poles sufficiently long, but at last succeeded. On these they laid such
+flatter pieces as they could find in the drift-wood wreckage, piecing
+out the roof with poles and covering it all with grass and moss. Over
+this they put yet other timbers, and stones, and finished all with a
+heavy cover of dirt. This labor occupied them all that day and nearly
+three days more, as neither Rob nor Jesse was in very good condition to
+do much work. At last, however, they saw their new barabbara completed.
+It could hardly be seen from the opposite side of the creek, and any one
+passing the mouth of the creek on the bay would never have detected it
+at all.
+
+Tired by their labors, they lay down on the grass in front and looked at
+their structure. "I'll tell you," said John, rubbing his dirty hands
+over his face to wipe the perspiration from his eyes; "we'll call this
+'Cripples' Castle.' I don't think it's bad for the time we have put in,
+when there wasn't one of us feeling very well. But Rob's hand is pretty
+near well now, and Jesse's foot is getting better, and my nose is not
+going to come off, after all. We'll call it 'Cripples' Castle,' but hope
+that our luck will be better in it."
+
+"Come on, let's go inside," said Jesse. So they crawled into the ragged
+hole in the wall which they had left for a door. They found the interior
+spacious enough for their needs, and the roof in the centre was
+stronger than that of their old barabbara. They got some firewood
+together, and with Skookie's help piled the floor under the eaves thick
+with sweet-smelling grasses from the flats near by. That night, when the
+Alaska sun gradually retired for its short rest, they sat around a
+brightly burning fire in the interior of their castle and ate the
+heartiest meal they had known for some time. It was then that Rob
+produced a surprise for the others.
+
+"Now we have got some of our old dried bear meat," said he. "I suppose
+it's good, but it doesn't look it now--and a little salt whale and
+plenty of fresh codfish and salmon; and Skookie has got some of those
+white mock radishes of his, of which we don't know the name. But it
+seems to me that everything runs to meat. How would you like to have
+some onions?"
+
+"Onions!" exclaimed Jesse; and "Onions!" repeated John after him.
+"Nothing would be better, but we haven't got any."
+
+Rob produced from behind his back a small sack which they found
+contained a few of these precious bulbs, most valued of almost any
+vegetable in the far north.
+
+"Where did you get those?" asked John. "They certainly didn't grow
+here."
+
+"No," said Rob; "I found this little sack hidden back under the
+_klipsies_ in the far end of the old barabbara up there. I suppose some
+native hid it there when they came down in the bay after their whale.
+Anyhow, we have been on meat diet so long that I will take the liberty
+of using these, no matter whom they belong to. Of course we're not
+living much on salt meat, but even if we don't get scurvy we ought to
+have all the vegetables and green things we can get hold of. Now, onions
+mayn't smell as nice as some things, but there's no better medicine in
+this sort of life."
+
+"Leave them to me," said John, who had grown to be quite a good cook,
+perhaps by reason of his natural inclination for good things to eat.
+"I'll make a stew of them with some of that bear meat and some of
+Skookie's bulbs here. I'll bet we'll have the finest meal to-night we
+have ever had on the island." And so they all agreed. Late that night
+they rolled up in their bedding on the grass beds of their new house,
+and soon slept soundly within close reach of the waves of the sea, whose
+steady sound along the beach came to them far more plainly here than had
+been the case at the older barabbara.
+
+After this the boys used this new house more than the older house, and
+little by little moved most of their belongings down there, although
+they still kept their flag-staff up on the upper beach in the hope that
+some passing vessel might come into their bay and see their signal.
+
+
+
+
+XXVI
+
+THE JOURNEY AND THE STORM
+
+
+"Now I've got a notion," said Rob, one morning not long after they had
+finished their new barabbara, "that if we were asked about this big
+island where we are living we couldn't tell very much regarding it.
+We've only been over a little strip of country around here. I don't
+suppose we've ever been more than five or six miles from camp yet, even
+when we climbed highest in the mountains beyond the creek. Yet we can
+see over thirty miles of country from here. I'd sort of like to have a
+trip up one of those other valleys." He pointed a hand to the farther
+shore of the bay which lay before their gaze, level and calm as a
+mirror.
+
+"That's what I've thought more than once, too," said Jesse. "Why not
+make an exploring expedition over there?"
+
+"We couldn't do it and get back in time for supper," demurred John.
+
+"No," smiled Rob, "but we could have several suppers over there. Why not
+go across and camp out a night or two, and just rough it a little bit?
+You can see that there are pine woods on the mountains over there, and
+wherever there is pine it is always comfortable camping. We could take
+some grub along, of course, and our rifles."
+
+"How'd we sleep?" asked Jesse. "It has a way of raining in this country
+every once in awhile."
+
+"Well," said Rob, "we could sit under a tree if we had to. I don't
+suppose we could make a bark shelter, and we have nothing that would do
+for a tent; but we have our _kamelinkas_, and the blanket we made out of
+the sea-parrot breasts. We'd get along somehow. What do you say,
+Skookie?"
+
+Skookie grinned, understanding what was on foot. "All light--all light!"
+he said.
+
+"Agreed then, fellows," said Rob. "And we'll start this very morning,
+because the bay is perfectly calm and there seems no danger of rough
+weather. It'll be cold up in the mountains, so we'll take one blanket
+for each two of us, and those that don't carry blankets will carry grub.
+We two will take our rifles, John, and Skookie the axe. We'll get on
+famously, I am sure."
+
+The boys began to put out the different articles on the ground for
+packing. "Now we don't want to make our packs too heavy," said Rob. "The
+best way to pack is with a pair of overalls."
+
+"How do you mean?" asked John.
+
+"Well, you put all your things down on a piece of canvas or something,
+and you lash it tight with a rope, making a bundle about twice as long
+as it is wide, so that it will lie lengthwise on your back. You put your
+cord around each end, and then around it all lengthwise. Now you take
+your pair of overalls and straddle the legs across the lengthwise rope
+until it comes to the cross rope around the lower end. Then you take the
+ends of the legs and spread them apart at the other cross rope, wide
+enough for your shoulders to go in, leaving enough of the legs for
+shoulder-straps. Then you tie the ends of the legs fast to the cross
+ropes with small cords. There you are with the best kind of pack straps,
+which don't weigh anything and don't cut your shoulders. The legs of the
+overalls are soft, you see. Big Mike showed me how to do this, back
+home. He used to pack two sacks of flour up the Chilkoot Pass on the
+snow."
+
+"Yes," said Jesse, "I've heard about that way, and seen men pack that
+way, too. There's only one thing that makes me against it now."
+
+"What's that?" asked Rob, thoughtlessly.
+
+"We haven't got the overalls!"
+
+Rob's face fell as he rubbed his chin. "That's so," he admitted, "we
+haven't! And our trousers are getting pretty badly worn and wouldn't do
+for pack straps. I suppose we'll have to cut strips of seal leather or
+take a piece off our bear hides. Well, we won't make the packs heavy,
+anyhow, and we'll take it slow and easy."
+
+Within an hour they had stowed their equipment in the dory and pushed
+off, all of them rowing and paddling. They thought they would soon be
+across the bay, whose opposite shore looked quite close; but they were
+somewhat startled to see how long it took them actually to make the
+distance, which must have been some six or eight miles. The bay,
+however, remained quiet and their progress was steady, although they
+were all very tired by the time they landed on the opposite beach, at
+the mouth of the valley which they purposed to explore.
+
+"It seems wilder over here," said John. "Look how rough the mountains
+seem and how thick the timber is on above there. And I don't see any
+barabbara over here."
+
+"There's something that looks like one, back from the beach a little
+way," said Jesse, pointing out what seemed like a low heap of earth.
+They went over and found it to be, indeed, the ruins of an old
+barabbara, which looked as though it had not been occupied for a
+lifetime. The roof had fallen in and the walls were full of holes, so
+that it was quite unfit for occupancy. They left it and passed up the
+beach, where they saw the ruins of several other houses, no doubt
+occupied by natives very long ago. Beyond this a short distance, not far
+from a deep path which was worn in the tundra by the wild game, they saw
+a number of rude posts standing at different angles, loosely embedded in
+the soil, and in some instances fallen and rotting in the grass. Some of
+these had rude cross-arms at their tops, others two cross-arms, the
+lower one nailed up at a slant. The boys regarded these curiously, but
+Skookie seemed anxious to move on.
+
+"Why, what's up, Skookie? What's the matter?" asked Rob. "What do these
+posts mean, that look like crosses?"
+
+"Dead mans here--plenty, plenty dead mans, long time," said Skookie. "No
+mans live here now. I'm not like dis place."
+
+"Why," said Rob, "they're graves, and these are crosses--I think that
+one with the double arms must be one of the old Russian crosses. Was
+there ever a village here, Skookie?"
+
+The Aleut lad nodded his head. "Long times, my peoples live here some
+day. Russian mans come here, plenty big boats; plenty shoot my peoples.
+Dose Russian mans make church here, show my peoples about church.
+Bime-by Russian mans go way. Bime-by my peoples get sick, plenty sick;
+all die, all dead mans here. My peoples go way, never come back no more.
+I'm not like dis place." He shuddered as he looked at the grave posts,
+and was eager to go on.
+
+"That must have been seventy-five years ago," commented Rob. "Perhaps
+small-pox killed off the villagers who built this little town. See, the
+wind and the weather have polished these posts until they are white as
+silver. Well, I don't know but I'm ready to go on myself."
+
+Shouldering the packs which they had put down when they paused for their
+investigation, they took their way on up the ancient trail made by the
+bears and possibly once beaten by human feet. Once they came upon the
+fresh trail of a giant bear which had passed the night before, according
+to Skookie, but as the animal had swung off to the left and out of their
+course, they made no attempt to follow it; and if truth be told, they
+seemed now so far from home in this new part of the country, and were so
+depressed by the thought of the abandoned village, that something of
+their hunting ardor was cooled for the time. The walking across the mile
+of meadow-like tundra was hard enough, and they were glad when they
+reached the rockier bank of the stream which came down, broad and
+shallow in some places, narrow and tumbling in others. Here sometimes
+they waded in the water to escape the tangled thickets of alder
+interspersed with the prickly "devil's club," peculiar to all Alaska--a
+fiendish sort of plant covered with small spines, which grows in all
+fantastic shapes, but which manages to slap one somewhere, no matter
+where one steps upon it, and whose little prickly points detach
+themselves and remain in the flesh. Our young explorers, however, were
+used to Alaska wilderness travel, and they took all of this much as
+matter of course, pushing steadily on up the valley until they reached a
+fork, where to the right lay rather better going and larger trees.
+
+They concluded to bear up the right-hand canyon, and, pausing only for a
+bit to eat, about the middle of the afternoon, they had perhaps gone
+six or eight miles from the sea-shore when they concluded to camp for
+the night.
+
+They were now at the foot of a dense mountain forest, where the shadows
+lay thick and cold, and there seemed something sinister in the silence
+all about them. None the less, they soon had a good camp-fire going, and
+with the axe they proceeded to make a sort of lean-to shelter out of
+pine boughs. Rob picked out a place near a big fallen log, drove in two
+crotches a little higher than his head, and placed across them a long
+pole; then from the log to this ridge-pole they laid others, and
+thatched it all with pine boughs until they had quite a respectable
+house. On the floor they spread out a deep bed of pine boughs, and so
+sat back under their shelter, with their fire roaring and crackling in
+front of them; and all agreed that they had a very comfortable camp.
+Pretty well worn out by the hard work of the day, for their packs and
+rifles had grown unspeakably heavy, they ate their supper of dried meat
+and smoked salmon, and so curled up in their blankets, too tired to stay
+awake.
+
+The next morning they were up, feeling much more courageous after their
+good rest.
+
+"I think it might be a good plan," said Rob, "to leave one of the grub
+packs here; and if we camp farther on to-night, and decide to go yet
+deeper into the island, to leave a little grub at each camp, of course
+swung up so that nothing can get at it to eat it."
+
+"How far do you want to go?" asked John, whose legs were rather short,
+and who was feeling a little stiff after his first day's travel.
+
+"Well, I don't know," answered Rob, "but if you fellows agree, I'd be
+for going at least a day's march farther up this valley. It'll be
+colder, and it'll be harder climbing, but the footing will be better and
+we can take our time. I'd like to see if there isn't some sort of a pass
+up here, the other side of which leads down into the interior. I've
+always heard that the arms of the sea came pretty near cutting this
+island in two, along about the middle somewhere. We might have to take a
+look over on the other side of the island sometime, if we stayed here
+five or ten years, you know!"
+
+The other boys looked sober at this sort of a jest, but pluckily agreed
+to go on for at least one more day. This they did not regret, for they
+found themselves now in a country savoring more of the mountains than of
+the sea. Snow lay just above them, but the tops of the mountains seemed
+fairly open. Their little valley had a steady ascent, although by this
+time its watercourse had dwindled to a stream over which they could step
+as they pleased. Along the stream there showed the inevitable trail of
+the giant Kadiak bears which for hundreds of years had made these paths
+over all the passes down to the streams. Fresh bear signs the boys saw
+in abundance, but did not stop to hunt.
+
+Once, as they crossed their stream, they passed the mouth of a short,
+steep little ravine which opened down into the valley. Here Rob's eye
+detected something white. Stepping over in that direction, he called the
+others. "Look here, fellows, here's a great big bear skull all by
+itself!"
+
+They stood about this object, which certainly was enough to puzzle them.
+There it lay, entirely stripped of all flesh, and very white, although
+the bone was not badly bleached by the elements as yet. There was not
+the sign of any struggle anywhere about, nor was there the least
+particle of any other bones. They searched for the remainder of the
+skeleton of the animal, but found nothing of the sort anywhere about.
+There lay the grinning skull, far up here in the mountains, with nothing
+to tell whence it came or how it happened to be there.
+
+"My, wasn't it a _whale_!" exclaimed Jesse. "See, it's almost as long as
+my arm. I'll bet it's eighteen or twenty inches long, measured as it is.
+But what could have killed it? Nothing could kill a bear except another
+bear; but that wouldn't account for the head being here all alone.
+Skookie, what do you think about this?"
+
+"My peoples, maybe so," said Skookie.
+
+"Your peoples? Why, I thought you said no one lived over on this side.
+And we've seen no signs of hunting here anywhere."
+
+Skookie went on to explain. "S'pose my peoples hunt. Kill big bear. Some
+mans take hide, some mans take meat, some mans take head. Dis head not
+good for eat, but very much heavy. Some mans get tired, lay it down
+here; maybe so birds eat-um all up but bone."
+
+"But how long ago did all this happen, Skookie?" asked John.
+
+"I dinno."
+
+"And where did the hunters come from?" asked Rob.
+
+"I dinno. Maybe so Eagle Harbor, maybe so Old Harbor."
+
+"Which way is Old Harbor, Skookie?" asked Rob, suddenly.
+
+The lad pointed back across the mountains, beyond the bay, and beyond
+their camp on the farther side. "Plenty far," he said.
+
+"Then which way is Eagle Harbor--I suppose you mean a native village."
+
+"Eagle Harbor dis way." And Skookie pointed across the head of the pass
+toward which they were travelling up the valley.
+
+"How far?" demanded Rob.
+
+"I dinno," answered Skookie; "plenty miles, maybe so. My peoples live
+Old Harbor."
+
+Rob studied for a moment. "I'll bet that if we kept on," said he, "until
+we came to the top of this divide, we'd find the head of a river running
+down the other way. Like as not it would go to some bay where Eagle
+Harbor village is. Well, that makes the island seem not quite so big.
+Come on, let's go on up to the top of this pass, anyhow."
+
+So they plodded on, but did not reach the summit that night, nor did
+they find any further solution to the riddle of the lost bear skull,
+which latter Rob left in the trail, intending to pick it up on their
+return, although Skookie seemed to be averse to this performance; owing,
+no doubt, to some of his native superstitions. That night they camped
+high up in an air which was very cold, so that they shivered before
+morning, although their fire of little logs had not yet burned out.
+
+By noon of the next day, two camps out from the sea, and at a distance
+of perhaps twenty-five miles or more, they reached what was plainly the
+divide between this valley and another leading off to the northwestward.
+Here they paused. Before them stretched a wilderness of upstanding
+mountain peaks into which there wound the narrow end of a new valley,
+widening but slightly so far as their eyes could trace it.
+
+"Eagle Harbor that way, Skookie?" asked Rob, leaning on his rifle and
+looking out over the wild sea which lay before him.
+
+"I dinno," said Skookie.
+
+"How far do you think it is?"
+
+"I dinno."
+
+The Aleut lad was truthful, for neither he nor any of his family had
+ever crossed the island here, and he knew nothing of what lay ahead.
+Plainly uneasy now, Skookie had had enough of travel away from camp.
+"Maybe go back now?" he asked Rob, inquiringly.
+
+"I suppose so," replied the latter, "although I'd jolly well like to go
+over in here a little farther. I've a notion we'd come out somewhere
+closer to Kadiak town; and maybe we'd run across some native who would
+take us in. But there doesn't seem to be any game except once in a while
+a ptarmigan--those mountain grouse that strut and crow around here on
+the snow, and aren't big enough to waste rifle ammunition on. Maybe it's
+safer to go back to our camp and wait for a month or so more at least.
+What do you say, fellows?"
+
+The others, who were very tired and a little uneasy at being so far from
+what was their nearest approach to a home, voted for the return. So,
+after a rest at the summit, where cutting winds soon drove them back,
+they shouldered their lighter packs and began to retrace their way down
+the valley to the sea.
+
+Now they did not have to build any shelters for the night and could use
+their old camps. They found that their appetites were increased by their
+hard work, so that after the last camp they had little left to carry
+except their blankets and guns, although Rob manfully insisted on
+carrying out the great bear skull, which he found quite heavy enough
+before the end of the journey.
+
+When at last they left the mountains and crossed the tundra to the
+deserted village near which they had left their dory moored, they saw
+that a change had come over the weather. In the north a black cloud was
+rising, and the surface of the bay, although little broken by waves so
+far as they could see, had a steely and ominous look.
+
+"Maybe so rain bime-by," said Skookie.
+
+Rob studied the bay and the sky for some time. "What do you say, boys?"
+he asked. "Shall we try to make it across to-night? I don't like the
+look of things out there, and you know it's a long pull."
+
+"Well," said John, "I'm for starting across. There's no place to stop
+here, and I don't like this place any more than Skookie does, anyhow."
+
+Jesse agreed that they might probably better try to make their home
+camp, as their supplies were low, and since, if stormy weather came, it
+might be a long time before they could cross the bay.
+
+"All right, then," said Rob; "but we've got to hurry."
+
+Skookie also was plainly nervous. They rushed the dory from its
+moorings, and all taking oars and paddles, gave way strongly as they
+could. At that time there were no waves of consequence, only a long,
+slow motion like the pulse of the sea which came down from the outer
+mouth of great Kaludiak Bay. The wind had not yet risen, although
+steadily the twilight seemed to thicken.
+
+For three-quarters of an hour they made good progress. Then they noticed
+that their boat began to pitch a little, and small, choppy waves raced
+by. A strong slant of wind was coming down from another valley farther
+toward the mouth of the bay, opposite which they passed, when they left
+at one side the long spit of land which had served as shelter to their
+part of the inner bay.
+
+Evidently the wind was freshening. A fine spindrift settled on the
+farther side of the bay, so that at times their own shore was cut out
+from view for many moments. Night, too, was now coming. Without a word
+the boys bent to their oars, thoroughly alarmed. Rob and Skookie were
+perhaps the calmest of the four, and Rob undertook to do what he could
+to encourage his companions.
+
+"One thing you want to remember, boys," said he, "and that is that one
+of these dories will stand almost as much sea as a ship, if you handle
+her right. We'll keep her quartering into the waves, and will keep on
+rowing all night if we have to. Never mind where we strike the shore on
+the other side--we won't try to come out just at our camp. I only hope
+we can make it above the mouth of our creek, because if we go below
+that point we might drift twenty miles, clear to the far end of the
+bay. Don't pull too hard now and get fagged, but keep up a steady lick.
+Jesse, you'd better get in the stem and let John and Skookie each pull
+an oar. I'll take the other pair. Get your tin pail ready, Jesse, and if
+we take in any water, keep it bailed out the best you can."
+
+The others were plucky, although every one was anxious. The little crew
+kept sturdily at the oars, facing what was a situation serious enough to
+daunt even the strongest men. These Alaskan storms are dangerous even to
+the most powerful vessels, and no coast in the world has a longer record
+of shipwreck and lost vessels of which no trace ever is found.
+
+When once fairly out in the middle of the bay, the boys got a notion of
+the power of the sea such as they never before had known in their lives
+and thought never again to repeat. Clouds now obscured the sky. The wind
+increased steadily, coming in directly from the mouth of the great bay,
+and bringing with it all the power of the mighty Pacific Ocean. As these
+young adventurers looked over their shoulders it was a truly terrifying
+spectacle which met their gaze.
+
+In steady succession, a few moments apart, there came down into the
+bay, apparently reaching from side to side across it, long black hills
+of water, great, roller-like waves which did not break but came in black
+and oily. Each one, as it towered above the little boat, seemed about to
+engulf it, but in some way the splendid little dory found its way up the
+side and across the crest; and then they would see the great, silent
+black hill of water swing on into the bay and pass out of sight, only to
+be followed by another. The wind was not yet strong enough to break the
+tops of the waves, and fortunately the tide was coming in, so that there
+were no rips, which would surely have swamped their little craft.
+
+"Keep on pulling, boys!" cried Rob. "We're doing finely. She rides these
+big waves like a duck. She's a splendid boat!"
+
+Skookie did not say anything, but once in a while cast an anxious eye
+toward the head of the bay.
+
+"Is it all right, Skookie?" asked Rob.
+
+"I dinno," answered Skookie, and bent again to his oar.
+
+"So long as the sea doesn't break," said Rob, "we can ride these rollers
+all right. It's when she goes white that you want to look out."
+
+Perhaps this was precisely what Skookie had feared. Within three
+minutes after Rob had spoken what he had dreaded actually occurred. They
+were riding steadily up toward the top of a long, oily wave whose
+leeward side was quite unbroken, when, just as they reached the top, the
+wind seemed to tear the crest of the wave into shreds. Without warning,
+a great, boiling surge of white, hissing water came up all around them.
+It was as though some angry spirit of the deep had risen up from below
+and tried to pull them down.
+
+The white water poured in over the gunwale and half filled the dory,
+which seemed on the point of sinking before the long wave crept away,
+growling, as though disappointed at being baffled in its purpose.
+
+Jesse, who had left the stern seat and was crouched in the bottom of the
+dory, uttered a cry of affright.
+
+"Quiet, there!" called out Rob, sharply. "Bail, bail as fast as you can!
+Hurry up!"
+
+Thoroughly frightened, but rallying to his young commander's voice,
+Jesse obeyed, and bailed rapidly as he could, the sloshing water now
+leaving him for the bow, and now flooding him to the knees as it swept
+back to the stern when the bow arose. The dory yawed and veered
+unsteadily. Had they struck another piece of white water the end must
+have come for them, for their craft would have been beyond the control
+of their weary arms. Good-fortune was with them, however, and Jesse's
+efforts steadily lightened their little ship, while the others kept her
+headed up, quartering into the long waves.
+
+How long they rowed in this heart-breaking manner none of them ever
+knew, but it seemed many hours. No doubt it was two or three hours
+before they began to reach the shelter of the nearest projecting point
+on the farther side of the bay. By this time they were nearly worn out,
+their arms trembling, and their faces pale from over-exertion, but they
+dared not stop, and so pulled on as best they could. All at once Skookie
+spoke.
+
+"_Karosha_!" he exclaimed. "Pretty soon all light, all light! I hear-um
+water over dar."
+
+He meant that he now could hear the surf breaking along the beach on
+their side of the bay. The roar of the waves became plainer and plainer
+as they pulled in, and now the rollers became less gigantic, and their
+headway increased as the wind was shut off by the promontory at the head
+of their beach.
+
+The sound of the breaking surf was ominous enough of itself. In these
+wild seas it is not every one who can take in a boat safely through
+such waters. Rob was wise enough to ask counsel of Skookie in this
+matter, when at last they could see the rim of white water breaking
+madly along the shingle.
+
+The young Aleut did not seem much concerned. He told them to stop rowing
+when they approached the first long ridge of breaking water, and with
+his own oars he held the boat for a minute, looking astern and waiting
+for the right instant. A great wave came in toward them, but just before
+it broke Skookie gave a shout and they all fell to their oars, going in
+just with the crest of this wave and keeping just ahead of where it
+broke. Thus their boat was carried high up the beach.
+
+At the right instant overboard went Skookie waist deep in the surging
+white water. In an instant Rob was out on the other side. The receding
+wave almost swept the dory back, but they held her; and another, lifting
+her clear and carrying the boys off their feet for a moment, flung her
+yet farther up the beach and at the edge of the high-water mark. As she
+grounded this time they were all out and helped run her up high and dry.
+Here they made her fast by the painter to a jagged rock which projected
+from the wall at the edge of the beach. Then, too tired to do anything
+further, and trembling now in the reaction which followed the peril from
+which they had escaped, they flung themselves panting on the beach, with
+pale faces looking out into the stormy sea which thundered at their
+feet. They were all sobered thoroughly by their experience. At last Rob
+spoke, standing up preparatory to the walk down the beach toward their
+old barabbara.
+
+"I know what I thought out there when she broke under us," said he; "and
+I know what I _did_, too."
+
+"Yes, and," said Jesse, as he and the others rose to follow him, "I know
+what _I'm_ going to do before I go to sleep to-night, too. I'm going to
+remember my prayers."
+
+
+
+
+XXVII
+
+THE MAN-HUNT
+
+
+For several days after their fortunate escape from the storm at sea the
+boys were willing enough to lie around their camps, resting, undertaking
+no labor beyond that necessary in getting their daily food. About this
+latter there was rarely any difficulty at all.
+
+Of course, after a time all the birds in the lagoon were easily
+frightened away, but once in a while during the coming week the young
+hunters repeated their hunt with the thongs, and finally saw quite a
+heap of smoked goose-breasts accumulate on their drying-rack, where some
+of the bear meat still remained, as well as a goodly number of split
+salmon.
+
+The gulls' nests and the salmon stream afforded their best source of
+supply, each practically exhaustless at that season. The salmon came
+practically to their very door, and, provided as they were now with
+salt, there was small excuse for any of them going hungry. So easy,
+indeed, did life become, so far as food was concerned, that, as has been
+stated above, a certain monotony, not to say anxiety, settled upon them
+all. This, however, was one day broken by an event of most startling
+interest.
+
+They were following down the salmon creek, with the intention of taking
+a few fish at the pool near the mouth, when all at once the young Aleut,
+whose keen eyes were ever searching the country both far and near,
+paused and gave a low exclamation as he pointed to the mud near the
+banks.
+
+"Bad mans come!" he said.
+
+They peered where he pointed. Sure enough, there was the mark of a man's
+foot, evidently that of a man wearing _mukluks_, or seal boots. The boys
+looked at one another.
+
+"Him come," said Skookie, making signs of catching salmon. He made other
+signs of going to sleep, putting his hands against his cheek and closing
+his eyes, and then pointing up the hills. He pointed from the hills to
+the creek. Thus the boys knew what he meant, what they at once suspected
+to be the truth--that their late prisoner Jimmy was hiding out in the
+mountains, and coming down like a wild animal to make his living on the
+salmon run.
+
+This was a situation which at once seemed to them very grave.
+
+"He has not left, after all," said Rob, moodily. "I wish we had him
+under lock and key again. The question is, are we going to catch him
+again, or is he going to catch us first? That's what I want to know."
+
+"What do you mean?" asked John. "He's free, and we don't know where he
+is. Surely you don't mean that we ought to go and hunt him up?"
+
+"I feel just this way," answered Rob, "as I always have about anything
+of the sort--if there's going to be trouble, let us have it over and
+done with. For one, I don't relish lying awake night after night
+wondering if our camp is going to be surprised; and neither do I like to
+walk these shores wondering if this fellow is going to slip an arrow
+into one of us from the grass."
+
+"Wouldn't we be safe in the house?" asked Jesse.
+
+"We can't stay in the house all the time, and we would not be safe even
+there. No, it looks as though we ought to go out and hunt this fellow up
+and see what he is doing and intends to do."
+
+Without further words they turned back toward the house, followed by the
+Aleut boy, who looked from one to the other as if wondering what their
+words signified. This he discovered a few moments later, when Rob and
+John both emerged, each with a loaded rifle under his arm.
+
+"Come on," said Rob, and led the way, splashing through the shallow
+water at the foot of the lagoon which separated them from the
+mountain-side beyond.
+
+They climbed in silence for some time, steadily ascending the steep face
+of the snow-capped mountain which lay before them. Again they saw the
+wonderful pictures afforded by this region, where both ocean and
+mountains blend in the landscape. As now and then they paused for
+breath, they turned to look at the wonderful view of the great bay, the
+silver thread of the lagoon and creek, and the low, round dot made by
+their hut upon the flat. Above them circled many of the great bald
+eagles, which occasionally departed for their salmon-fishing in the
+stream. Once or twice they heard the sharp bark of a fox concealed in
+the alder thickets, and as they reached the upper slopes, where the snow
+still lay, frequently they saw the mountain ptarmigan, at this altitude
+still in its white winter plumage. These birds, when alarmed, would fly
+but a short way and then poise in the air, uttering a sharp, crowing
+cackle, soon to alight and stand motionless on the snow. All these
+scenes of wild nature were noted by the boys, though perhaps not so much
+as they might have been had they not been upon so serious an errand.
+
+From time to time they caught the trail of the fugitive across the
+snow-field, where it could be seen for half a mile at a stretch. Beyond
+such a snow-field they came across the ashes of a fire which had been
+built behind a clump of rocks out of sight from the beach below. There
+were some half-burned bones, which showed that some one had cooked fish
+here. Skookie, making the sign of sleep, or night, held up six fingers,
+to show that it had been that many days since the fugitive had been
+here.
+
+They managed to puzzle out the trail for some distance up the mountains
+from this point, but finally lost it on a bare rock ridge which thrust
+up well toward the peak of the mountain between two snow-fields.
+Skookie, stooping down and hunting like a dog among the half-bare rocks,
+slowly puzzled out the trail for a time. Evidently the man they wanted
+had made a practice of sleeping far back in the mountains. For a time
+they almost despaired of discovering him, until at last Jesse, whose
+eyes were always keen, pointed out what he thought were tracks leading
+across a snow-bank a quarter of a mile ahead. Hastening thither, they
+gained a half-mile more in their pursuit, but finally were obliged to
+halt puzzled at a bare rim of rock, beyond which and below them lay a
+wide expanse of rough country broken by canyons and covered by a dense
+alder growth, the only timber of that region.
+
+In that broken country hiding might have been offered for a regiment,
+almost, it seemed. Rob suggested that it was perhaps as well to return
+to camp and give up the search.
+
+"Hold on a minute," said Jesse. "Look over there! I think I see
+something."
+
+He pointed ahead and below at some object a half-mile farther on.
+Presently they all saw it--a figure visible against the snow which lay
+along the edge of a sharp canyon wall. A moment later it was lost as it
+moved into the cover of the alder thicket; but even as they hesitated
+they saw arising a thin wreath of blue smoke, which proved to them that
+the figure they had seen was a man, and no doubt the one for whom they
+were looking.
+
+Skookie looked serious, his brown face drawn into a frown of anxiety and
+fear.
+
+"Bad mans, bad mans!" he said, over and over again, shaking his head.
+
+"Come on, fellows!" was Rob's comment, and he plunged on down the rock
+face, hurrying to get his party out of sight as quickly as possible.
+Once lower down, and near the elevation of the smoke at the canyon side,
+concealment was much easier, and from this point they stalked the hidden
+fugitive much as they would have done with a big-game animal had they
+been pursuing it.
+
+They paused at last at the rim of a shelving rock which projected out at
+the top of the canyon wall. The smell of the smoke was strong in their
+nostrils, and they knew that they were near the end of their hunt.
+Somewhere below them, perhaps within a few yards or feet, the fugitive
+must be lying; but, although they peered over cautiously, they could see
+no one. As a matter of fact, a shallow cavern existed directly under
+them in the side of the canyon wall, and it was at the mouth of this that
+the Aleut had built his fire.
+
+Seeing no sign of life, Rob proceeded to dispose his forces with the
+purpose of surrounding his man. He motioned to Jesse and the Aleut boy
+to remain at the rim of the canyon, and, sending John to a point below,
+he himself climbed down on the upper side of the fire. When he reached a
+point where he could see into the mouth of the cave and realized that
+very probably this was the abode of the escaped Aleut, he waited until
+he saw John in position below, and then as they both covered the mouth
+of the cave with their guns he gave a loud call:
+
+"Here, you, Jimmy, come out of that!"
+
+They all heard a low exclamation, which assured them that their man was
+at home; but at first he refused to appear. Rob called out loudly again,
+half raising himself above a rock behind which he had taken shelter
+against any surprise.
+
+Presently they heard a voice raised, not in defiance, but in entreaty.
+They scarcely recognized the figure which limped to the mouth of the
+cave, so gaunt and haggard did it seem. It was, indeed, their late
+prisoner, but now bent and weak, as though ill and half starved. He held
+his bow and arrows in one hand over his head, but the bow was not
+strung. Evidently he intended to surrender without any resistance.
+
+"Good mans, good!" he repeated, beating on his breast.
+
+They closed in on him now and took away his weapons. The Aleut boy
+jabbered at him in excited tones, apparently accusing or reproaching
+him. Jimmy edged away from him and looked at the white faces of the
+others, which regarded him sternly but with no apparent anger. He sadly
+pointed to his leg, which had been injured by a fall on the rocks.
+Evidently he wanted to tell them that if they would take him back on the
+old footing he, for his part, would be glad enough to come, if only they
+would keep the savage brown boy away from him.
+
+"Now we've got him," said Rob, at last, "and what shall we do with him?"
+
+"We'll have to take him down," said John. "He'd just about die if we
+left him up here; and I don't believe he'll make us trouble any more.
+Besides, we've got Skookie here to watch him now."
+
+Rob debated the matter in his mind for some time, but finally agreed
+that Jimmy would probably make them no more trouble, since he very
+possibly was hiding out more in fear of them than in any wish to harm
+them. Reasoning that one or both of these natives might be useful in
+later plans, he at last held out his hand to Jimmy, and with some effort
+persuaded Skookie that it would be better for him to shake hands with
+Jimmy than to take a rifle and shoot him, as the boy seemed more
+disposed to do. He knew that these natives soon forget their
+animosities.
+
+Thus at length they started down the mountain along the trail, which
+Jimmy pointed out, hobbling along in advance. In a couple of hours they
+were at the top of the high rock face above the mouth of the creek. Here
+Jimmy paused and anxiously scanned the entire expanse of the adjacent
+cove and the long line of the beach beyond. He seemed overjoyed that
+there was no longer any sign of the hostile party which had come in
+pursuit of him. At least the boys guessed that was what he felt, and
+guessed also that he had been coming down to the stream at night and not
+in the daytime, perhaps thus sustaining the fall which had hurt his leg.
+
+They were hungry that night as they cooked their evening meal in the
+smoky barabbara.
+
+"No watch to-night, boys!" said Rob. "These two friends can watch each
+other, if they feel like it, but I think we may sleep without anxiety."
+
+"For a prisoner, it looks to me that Jimmy was very glad to be caught,"
+remarked John.
+
+
+
+
+XXVIII
+
+A HUNT FOR SEA-OTTER
+
+
+Two or three days more passed in this strange situation, but nothing
+took place which even to Rob's watchful eye seemed to indicate any
+danger from either of their Aleut companions. In the wilderness the most
+practical thing is accepted as it appears, without much argument, if
+only it seems necessary; so now this somewhat strangely assorted company
+settled down peaceably into the usual life of the place, until an event
+happened which brought them all still more closely together.
+
+They were going over to the beach to see that their flag-staff was still
+in proper position, when Jesse's keen eyes noted at the edge of the
+beach a small, dark object which had been cast up by the waves. A
+moment's examination proved to them that this was nothing less than a
+sea-otter cub, a small animal not much larger than a wood-chuck, but
+with a long, pointed tail, and covered with short, soft fur. All these
+boys had lived in Alaska long enough to know the great value of the fur
+of the sea-otter, which even at this time was worth more than a thousand
+dollars a skin. They reasoned that since this cub had come ashore there
+might be older otters about. The cause of the death of the cub they
+never knew; nor, indeed, do even the native hunters always know what
+kills the otters which they find sometimes cast up by the waves on the
+beaches. Some natives say that in very cold winter weather an otter may
+freeze its nose, so that it can no longer catch fish, and thus starves
+to death. Some, of course, are shot by hunters who never find them. It
+is customary for the profits of such a find to be divided among the
+tribe or family making the discovery, and even in case a hunter can
+prove that he has shot an otter at sea which has come ashore, the finder
+receives a certain proportion of the profits, most of the hunting done
+by these natives partaking of a communal nature.
+
+"This fur is still good," said Rob, pulling at it. "It hasn't been dead
+very long, so maybe its mother is still around, or its daddy. That would
+be something worth while, wouldn't it? Five hundred to fifteen hundred
+dollars, perhaps."
+
+The older Aleut was standing on the summit of the sea-wall, shading his
+eyes and looking steadily out over the waves. At last he gave a loud,
+sharp call, in which an instant later the Aleut boy joined. The two ran
+first toward the dory, which lay on the sea-beach, where it had been
+left after the last voyage for eggs, but an instant later they turned
+back to the lagoon where the bidarka lay, and made motions that this
+should be carried across and launched.
+
+Rob and John hurried for their rifles. Jimmy caught up his bow and
+arrows, and the Aleut boy his short spear. They hurried the bidarka
+across the sea-wall to the open water of the bay. Jimmy resumed his
+watch from the summit of the sea-wall. For what seemed a half-hour he
+stood motionless and staring out over the bay. Then again he called
+aloud and, hurriedly lifting his bow string into the notch, ran down to
+the bidarka, motioning to Rob to take his seat in the rear hatch.
+
+"You others get into the dory with Skookie," called out Rob, even as the
+strong sweep of Jimmy's paddle swept them free of the shingle.
+
+To launch the heavy dory was something of a task for the younger boys,
+but in their excitement they accomplished it, so that the two boats
+were soon out for yet another of the wild sea-hunts of this far-away
+coast.
+
+The method of the natives who hunt the sea-otter is to make a surround
+with a fleet of bidarkas, much as they hunt the whale; but this, of
+course, was impossible now. None the less, Jimmy, who assumed the
+position of master of the hunt, motioned to the Aleut boy in the dory to
+keep off to the left, while he and Rob circled far to the right in the
+bidarka.
+
+To the Aleut mind nothing approaches a sea-otter hunt, for it affords
+not only the keenest sport, but the greatest possible financial reward.
+The method of the hunt is somewhat complicated in some of its features.
+When the otter dives the boats gather in a circle, and as soon as it
+appears every bowman does his best to strike it with an arrow. The first
+arrow to strike the otter makes the latter the property of the lucky
+bowman, who, of course, knows his own arrow by his mark. As, however,
+the first arrow may not stop the otter, the "owner," as the boats close
+in upon the game, may very probably call out what he will pay for
+another arrow lodged in the body of the otter. Instances have been known
+where the first bowman has in his excitement pledged away more in
+arrow-interest than the total value of the skin amounts to, so that he
+is actually loser instead of gainer by the transaction. The arrow
+closest to the tail is the one which most prevents the otter from
+diving; hence the value of the arrows is measured by the distance from
+the tail, the arrow of each man being so marked that it cannot be
+mistaken.
+
+All of this etiquette of the otter-hunt was, of course, unknown to the
+white boys, whose main interest, indeed, was one of sport rather than of
+profit. They were keen as the natives, none the less, and eagerly
+watched every signal given by the leader of the hunt.
+
+At last Jimmy held a paddle up in the air, a signal for the other boat
+to slow down. A moment later Rob spied the otter lying stretched out
+motionless on the water as though asleep, as indeed likely was the case,
+since that is the method of sleep practised by this species. Now, a few
+fathoms at a time, the native edged the bidarka up toward his game,
+precisely as the Aleut chief had approached the whale. The dory, no
+longer rowed furiously, but now paddled silently by John and Skookie,
+approached on the other side. As they now were on a comparatively smooth
+sea, and not more than fifty yards from the animal, Rob motioned to his
+companion to allow him to fire with his rifle, but the latter
+emphatically refused. He knew that an arrow safely lodged is more sure
+to bring the sea-otter into possession than a rifle-ball, which might
+kill it, only to cause it to sink and be lost.
+
+Jimmy now laid down his paddle, took up his bow and arrows, and
+signalled to Rob to paddle ahead slowly. A few yards farther he motioned
+for the headway to be checked, and just as the bidarka stopped he
+launched his barbed arrow with a savage grunt.
+
+The weapon flew true! A wide rush of bubbles showed where an instant
+before the otter had lain.
+
+Both otter and arrow had disappeared, but the Aleut sat waiting grimly,
+although the boys in the other boat gave a yell of exultation. In a few
+moments the wounded animal showed a hundred fathoms ahead. Here, stung
+by the pain of the bone head, which had sunk deep into its back, it swam
+confusedly for a moment at the surface. The shaft of the arrow had now
+been detached from the loose head cunningly contrived by the native
+arrow-makers, and a long cord, which attached the arrow-head to the
+shaft, and which was wound around the latter, now unreeled and left the
+shaft floating, telltale evidence of the otter's whereabouts, even when
+it dived.
+
+[Illustration: BOTH OTTER AND ARROW HAD DISAPPEARED, BUT THE ALEUT SAT
+WAITING GRIMLY]
+
+Jimmy tried a long shot as the bidarka swept ahead under Rob's paddle,
+but this time he missed, and down went the otter again. It did not dive
+deep, however, and the shaft of the arrow told where it might be
+expected. As its round head, with bright, staring eyes, thrust up above
+the water, there came the twang of the young Aleut's bow, and the second
+arrow chugged into the body of the otter. Even the older hunter greeted
+this shot with applause.
+
+The otter, however, is hard to kill with an arrow of this sort, since
+its skin is loose and tough. The creature dived once more, but the
+second floating shaft now began to handicap its motions. Both boats
+followed it from place to place as it swam. At last, almost exhausted,
+it showed once more, and the older Aleut sent home an arrow at the back
+of its head which killed it at once. He hauled up across the bidarka
+deck the body of the otter, a dark-brown creature, even at that season
+fairly well furred, and in weight about that of a good-sized dog.
+
+Now and again calling out in sheer exultation at the success of this
+strange hunt, they all now turned ashore. That day they had plenty to do
+in skinning the otter and making a rude stretching-board for the great
+skin. The boys were all astonished to see how much larger it stretched
+than had seemed possible from the size of the body of the animal itself;
+but the hide of the sea-otter lies in loose wrinkles, so that it may
+bend and turn freely as a snake when making its way in the water. They
+found the skin to be more than six feet long from tip to tip.
+
+The young friends engaged in some speculation as to how much the skin
+might bring at the Seattle market. One thing of value it seemed to
+establish beyond doubt--Jimmy and Skookie, as they both worked at
+fleshing the hide, had dropped their mutual suspicions and become
+hunting companions.
+
+
+
+
+XXIX
+
+UNCERTAINTY
+
+
+Midsummer came and passed, and still no sign from the outer world came
+to relieve the growing anxiety of the boys so long marooned on these
+unfrequented shores. They had kept very small account of the passing of
+the days, and perhaps none of them could have told how many weeks had
+elapsed since the beginning of their unwilling journey from Kadiak. They
+no longer knew the days of the week; and, indeed, had any of their
+relatives seen them now, with their shoes worn to bits, their clothing
+ragged and soiled, and not a hat or cap remaining between them, they
+might have taken their sun-browned faces and long hair to be marks of
+natives rather than of white boys of good family.
+
+It is not to be supposed, however, that they had given up all hope, or
+that at any time they had allowed themselves to indulge in despondency.
+Rob especially, although serious and quiet, all the time was thinking
+over a plan. This, one day, he proposed to the others.
+
+"I have resolved," said he, "that if you other boys agree, we will start
+for home just one month from to-day."
+
+They sat looking at him in silence for some time.
+
+"How do you mean?" asked Jesse, his eyes lighting up, for he was the one
+who seemed most to feel homesickness.
+
+"I mean to start back to Kadiak, where we came from!"
+
+"Yes, and how can we tell which way Kadiak is?" inquired John.
+
+"I'll tell you how," said Rob. "We will travel, of course, in our dory,
+which will carry our camp outfit and food enough to last for a great
+many days, even if we should prove unable to take any codfish or salmon
+along the coast."
+
+"But which way would we go?" insisted John.
+
+"The opposite of the way we came," smiled Rob. "A tide brought us into
+this bay. The same tide on the turn would carry us out of the bay. To be
+sure, the wind may have had much to do with our direction, but it is
+only fair to suppose that if we came down the east coast of Kadiak on an
+ebb we would go up that same coast on the flood. At least, if we could
+do no better, we would be leaving a place where no word seems apt to get
+to us."
+
+"It would be a risky voyage," said Jesse. "I didn't like it out there on
+the open sea!"
+
+"There is some risk in staying here," was Rob's answer. "Whether or not
+those natives took our message to Kadiak, they certainly will tell all
+the other villagers that we are here. In time they will know we are
+helpless. It may be only a matter of days or weeks before they will come
+and do what they like with us--steal our guns and blankets, and either
+take us far away, or leave us to shift for ourselves as we can."
+
+"Could we send Jimmy out with another message?" suggested John.
+
+"I doubt it," answered Rob. "If he wanted to leave here he could take
+the bidarka almost any night and escape, but I believe he is afraid to
+leave the bay lest he may be found by some of these villagers whom he
+has offended. I don't think Skookie would go anywhere with him. As it
+is, one is a foil to the other here with us, but each is afraid of the
+other _away_ from us!"
+
+"But don't you suppose that Skookie's people will come back after him
+sometime?"
+
+"True enough, they may; but who can tell the Aleut mind? I don't
+pretend to. Of course, by the late fall, say November, when the snows
+come and the fur is good, I don't doubt these people will come back here
+to trap foxes, for that is evidently a regular business here; but that
+would mean that we would have to winter either with them or by
+ourselves; and I want to tell you that wintering here alone is an
+entirely different proposition from summering here, now when the salmon
+are running and we can go out almost any day and get codfish, not to
+mention ducks and geese. Besides, our people would be driven frantic by
+that time. On the other hand, if we were lucky enough to make it to
+Kadiak we would get there in time to find your uncle Dick, or at least
+to get a boat home to Valdez sometime within a month after we got to
+Kadiak. Of course, we don't know anything about the country between here
+and there. The whole coast may be a rock wall, for all we know."
+
+"The steamers have government charts to tell them where to go," mused
+John; "but we haven't any chart, and we don't even know in what
+direction of the compass we ought to sail, even if we had a compass."
+
+"Before ships could have charts," said Rob, "it was necessary for some
+one to discover things all over the world. I suppose that's the class
+we're in now--we're the first navigators, so far as help from any one
+else is concerned. In Alaska a fellow has to take care of himself, and
+he has to learn to take his medicine. Now none of us is a milksop or a
+mollycoddle."
+
+"That's the talk!" said John. "For my part, if Jesse agrees, we'll try
+the journey back in the dory. But if we're going to undertake it we
+ought to begin now to lay in plenty of supplies."
+
+"I have been thinking of that," said Rob, "and so I move we begin now to
+get together our provisions."
+
+From that time on they all worked soberly and intently, with minds bent
+upon a common purpose. They hunted ducks and geese regularly now, curing
+the breasts of the wild fowl on their smoke-rack. Codfish they did not
+trouble to take for curing in any great quantity, as they knew they
+could secure them fresh at almost any point along these shores. Salmon
+they smoked in numbers, for now the run of the humpback salmon was on,
+replacing the earlier one of the smaller red salmon. Part of their dried
+bear meat, now not very palatable, they still had left. They even tried
+to dry in the sun some of the bulbs which the natives occasionally
+brought in. Their greatest puzzle was how they could carry water, for,
+since they knew nothing of the coast ahead, they feared that they might
+be obliged to pass some time without meeting a fresh-water stream. At
+last John managed to make Jimmy understand what they required, and he,
+grinning at their ignorance, showed them how they could make a
+water-cask out of a fresh seal-skin, of which they now had several from
+their hunting along the coast.
+
+"Now," said John, when finally they had solved that problem, "we've got
+to have a sail of some sort."
+
+"And not a piece of canvas or cloth as big as your hand," said Rob,
+ruefully. "I admit that a sail would be a big help, for we could rig a
+lee-board for the dory. Then, if the wind was right, we could get back
+to Kadiak in a day, very likely; for we couldn't have been much more
+than that time in coming down here without a sail."
+
+It taxed John's ingenuity as interpreter for a long time to make the
+natives understand what he now required. At last, by means of his clumsy
+attempts to braid a sort of mat out of rushes and grass, they caught his
+idea and fell to helping him. That week they finished a large, square
+mat, fairly close in texture, which they felt sure could be used as a
+square-rigged sail. They prepared a short mast and spars for this, and
+as they reviewed the progress of their boat equipment they all felt a
+certain relief, since all of them were more or less familiar with
+boat-sailing.
+
+"I hate to go away and miss all the foxes we could get at the carcass of
+that whale this fall," said Rob one morning, as he stood at the sea-wall
+and watched three or four of these animals scamper off up the beach when
+disturbed at their feeding on the carcass. "In fact, I feel just the way
+we all do, pretty much attached to this place where we've had such a
+jolly good time, after all; but we've got to think of getting home some
+way. We've got our water-cask ready, and our sail is done, and we've got
+two or three hundred pounds of fairly good provisions. We'll pull the
+dory up to the beach here opposite our camp and get her loaded. What
+time do you say, John? And what do you think, Jesse? What time shall we
+set for the start?"
+
+John and Jesse stood, each breaking a bit of dried grass between his
+fingers as he talked. At last John looked up.
+
+"Any time you say, Rob," he answered, firmly.
+
+"To-morrow, then!" said Rob.
+
+They stood for a moment, each looking at the other. For weeks they had
+been in anxiety, for many days extremely busy, most of the time too
+methodical or too intent to experience much enthusiasm. Now a sudden
+impulse caught all three--the spirit of resolution which accomplishes
+results for man or boy. Suddenly John waved his hand above his head.
+
+"Three cheers!" he exclaimed.
+
+They gave them all together.
+
+"Hip, hip, hurrah!"
+
+
+
+
+XXX
+
+"BLOWN OUT TO SEA!"
+
+
+Meantime, what had happened in the outer world during all these months?
+What had been the feelings of Mr. Hazlett on that day in early spring
+as, hour after hour, he walked Kadiak dock and peered into the fog in
+vain, waiting for the boat which did not appear? And what of his
+feelings as all that day and night passed, and yet another, with no
+answer to his half-frenzied search of the shores close to the town, of
+the decks of the still lingering steamer, and of the surroundings of the
+Mission School across the strait? None could answer his questions, and
+no guess could be formed as to the missing dory and its crew, until at
+last there were discovered the two natives who had rowed the dory away
+from the _Nora_.
+
+These told how the boat had disappeared while they were absent. They had
+thought that the boys had made their way back to town. Now, finding
+that such had not been the case, they expressed it as their belief that
+when the latter had pitted their weak strength against the Pacific Ocean
+they had failed and had been blown out to sea.
+
+"Blown out to sea!" How many a story has been written in that phrase!
+How could this anxious watcher face the parents of those boys and tell
+them news such as this? At least for a time he was spared this, for no
+boat would go back to Valdez within a month, and those who awaited news
+were Alaska mothers and knew the delays of the frontier. None the less,
+Mr. Hazlett had borne in upon him all the time the feeling that he
+himself had been responsible for this disaster. Even as he set to work
+to organize search-parties he felt despair.
+
+The natives, not clear as to the instructions given them, had supposed
+that they were to go in search of the revenue-cutter _Bennington_; yet
+as a matter of fact that vessel was moored on the western instead of the
+eastern side of the island at the time, whereas it seemed sure that the
+dory with the missing boys must have been carried along the east coast
+of the island, and not through the straits to the westward.
+
+Mr. Hazlett knew well enough the strength of the outgoing Japan Current
+here. A boat might be carried to Asia, for all one could tell to the
+contrary, although its occupants must long ere that have perished from
+hunger and thirst. And what chance had a small boat in waters so rough
+as those of this rock-bound coast, risky enough for the most skilled
+navigators and in the best of vessels? Was not all this coast-survey
+work intended to lessen the danger of navigation, even for the most
+skilled commanders? What chance had these, weak, young, and unprepared,
+who had thus been thrust into such perils? All that could be held sure
+was that the boys had disappeared as completely as though the sea had
+opened up and swallowed boat and all!
+
+Duty now required that Mr. Hazlett should report on board the
+_Bennington_; so, after a few days spent in fruitless searching within
+reach of Kadiak town, he took the pilot-boat and hastened over to the
+west side of the island where the _Bennington_ lay at anchor, with her
+boat crews engaged in the tedious work of making coast soundings.
+
+Mr. Hazlett laid before Captain Stephens the full story of the
+mysterious loss of his young charges. The face of the old naval officer
+grew grave, and for some moments he turned away and engaged in thought
+before he spoke. Then he turned sharply to his executive officer.
+
+"Call in the boat crews, sir!" he commanded. "We move station within the
+hour!"
+
+"Then you mean that you are going to help search for them?" asked Mr.
+Hazlett.
+
+"With all my heart, sir!" said the rough commander. "I have boys of my
+own back in New England. We'll comb this island rock by rock, and if we
+suspect foul play we'll blow every native village off the face of it!"
+
+The hoarse roar of the _Bennington's_ deep-throated signal-whistles
+echoed along the rock-bound shore. Within an hour her boats were all
+stowed, and with each man at his quarters the trim cutter passed slowly
+down the west coast of the island.
+
+"I'm not supposed to be a relief expedition," muttered Captain Stephens,
+"and I s'pose we'll all lose our jobs with Uncle Sam; but until we do, I
+figure that Uncle Sam can better afford to lose three months' time of
+this ship's crew than it can three bright boys who may grow up to be
+good sailors sometime.
+
+"We'll skirt the island in the opposite direction from that in which the
+youngsters probably went," said he, turning to Mr. Hazlett. "We'll have
+to stop at every cannery and settlement, and the boat crews will need to
+search every little bay and coast."
+
+"You talk as though you hoped to find them," said Mr. Hazlett, catching
+a gleam of courage from the other's resolute speech.
+
+"Find 'em?" said Captain Stephens. "Of course we'll find 'em; we've
+_got_ to find 'em!"
+
+
+
+
+XXXI
+
+THE SEARCH-PARTY
+
+
+It should be remembered that the coast of the great Kadiak Island is
+here and there indented with deep bays, which at one point nearly cut it
+in two. Had the boys known it, they were, in their camp near the head of
+Kaludiak Bay, not more than thirty miles distant across the mountain
+passes to the head of Uyak Bay, which makes in on the west side of the
+island, and which was the first great inlet to be searched by the boat
+crews of the _Bennington_. The total coast-line of so large a bay is
+hundreds of miles in extent, and broken with many little coves, each of
+which must be visited and inspected, for any projecting rock point might
+hide a boat or camp from view.
+
+On this great bay there were two or three salmon-fisheries in operation,
+and as these always employ numbers of natives who come from all parts of
+the island, Captain Stephens had close inquiries made at each; but more
+than two weeks passed and no word could be gained of any white persons
+at any other portion of the island.
+
+"Naturally we won't hear anything on this side," said Captain Stephens
+to Mr. Hazlett. "Not many natives from the east coast come over here to
+work, and from what I know of the prevailing tides and winds I am more
+disposed to believe that they have been carried off toward the southeast
+corner of the island. The land runs out there, and, granted any decent
+kind of luck, the boys probably made a landing--if they could keep
+afloat so far."
+
+"But what may have happened to them before this?" began Mr. Hazlett.
+
+"Tut, man! We've all got to take our chances," replied the old sea-dog.
+"They've done their best, and we must do our best, too."
+
+Week after week, hour after hour, and, as it seemed, almost inch by
+inch, the cutter crawled on around the wild coast of Kadiak, tapping
+each arm and inlet, literally combing out the full extent of the broken
+shore-line. So gradually they passed below the southern extremity of the
+island, worked up from the southeast, and one day came to anchor not far
+from the native settlement known as Old Harbor. Here a breakdown to
+their machinery kept them waiting for ten days. Meantime, the boat
+crews were out at their work. One day a young lieutenant came in and
+with some excitement asked to see the captain.
+
+"I have to report, sir, that I think we've got word of those boys!" he
+said, eagerly, as he saluted.
+
+"How's that? Where? Go on, sir!"
+
+"There's a big boat party back from Kaludiak Bay, sir. They were in
+there on a whale-hunt several weeks ago. They saw a camp with three
+white boys and one refugee Aleut."
+
+"Arrest every man Jack of them and bring them in!" roared Captain
+Stephens.
+
+"Already done that, sir!" reported the lieutenant. "They are in the
+long-boat alongside."
+
+"Then bring them here at once!"
+
+A few moments later he and Mr. Hazlett found the deck crowded with a
+score of much-frightened natives.
+
+"Who's the interpreter here?" commanded the captain.
+
+A squaw-man who for some years had lived with the natives was pushed
+forward. He was none too happy himself, for he expected nothing better
+than intimate questions regarding certain wrecking operations which for
+years past had gone on along this part of the coast.
+
+"Now tell me," began Captain Stephens, "what do you know about those
+boys over there? Why didn't these people bring out word to the
+settlement? What are you looking for here? Do you want me to blow your
+village off the rocks? Come, now, speak up, my good fellow, or you'll
+mighty well wish you had!"
+
+Suddenly Mr. Hazlett uttered an exclamation and sprang toward one of the
+natives who carried a rifle in his hand.
+
+"That gun belonged to Jesse, the son of my neighbor Wilcox at Valdez!"
+he exclaimed. "Tell me where you got it, and how!"
+
+As may be supposed, it was the Aleut chief whom he addressed, and the
+latter now engaged in a very anxious attempt at explanation. He declared
+at first that the boys had given him this rifle as a present; then he
+admitted that he had promised to take a message up to Kadiak, going on
+to say that he had intended to do this, but that his wife had been sick,
+that he had been kept at the village by many things, etc.
+
+"He's an old liar, without doubt," said Captain Stephens. "Half of this
+band of natives down here are afraid to come to Kadiak because of the
+debts they owe the company store. They are wreckers, renegades, and
+thieves down here, and you can't believe a word of them. I've half a
+mind to hang the lot of them at the yard-arm, and good riddance of them
+at that!"
+
+The old chief understood something of what was going on, and now began
+to beg and blubber.
+
+"Me good mans!" he repeated, beating on his chest.
+
+"He says that he's got a boy of his own over there with the others in
+Kaludiak Bay. He's got a message written out by the boys, but the truth
+is he was afraid to go to town with it. Says the renegade Aleut over
+there was a good hunter, but a dangerous man--he stole their sacred
+whale harpoon here and made away with it--"
+
+"But the message!" insisted Mr. Hazlett.
+
+So at last the old chief fumbled in his jacket, and pulled out a soiled
+and crumpled paper nearly worn in bits. Enough of it at least remained
+to show the searchers that when it was written the boys were all alive
+and well, and were expecting help.
+
+"The old fellow says he was expecting to take the paper up to town
+sometime this fall," went on the interpreter. "Says the boys had plenty
+to eat--fish and birds, and they had killed three bears--"
+
+"Nonsense!" exclaimed Captain Stephens.
+
+"Yes, says they had killed an old she bear and two cubs, and had the
+hides hung up--says the Aleut man had run away when they left--says they
+all killed a whale before they left, and left the boys as well fixed as
+they are here in this village. He can't understand why you should be
+anxious about them, when his own boy is over there, too. Says he can
+take you over there all right if you want to go."
+
+"The little beggars!" said Mr. Hazlett, smiling for the first time in
+weeks. "We may get them yet."
+
+"Get them? Of course we will!" growled Captain Stephens. "We'll have
+them aboard by this time to-morrow. Their camp isn't more than
+seventy-five miles from here at most."
+
+The whistle of the _Bennington_ once more roared out, and with the
+rattle of her anchor chains again the cutter pushed on up the coast,
+carrying with her, without asking their consent, the entire party of
+natives, who now fell flat on the deck in terror, supposing that they
+were being carried off to the white man's punishment for native
+misdeeds.
+
+
+
+
+XXXII
+
+THE DESERTED CAMP
+
+
+"So the plucky little dogs killed a bear, eh?" went on Captain Stephens,
+as he paced up and down the deck. "I'll warrant they've had a deuce of a
+good time in there all by themselves, and they'll be sorry to be
+disturbed. Find them! Of course we will--find them fat as seals and
+happier than we are!"
+
+In spite of all this both he and Mr. Hazlett were uneasy enough when
+finally the _Bennington_ steamed majestically through the narrow mouth
+of Kaludiak Bay--the first steamer ever to awaken the echoes there--and
+finally swung to her anchor at a point indicated by the Aleut chief.
+
+But to the whistle there came no answer of a rifle-shot, no signal
+fluttered, and no smoke was seen. The Aleut chief now became genuinely
+frightened as he pointed out the landing-place opposite to the
+barabbara, which, of course, could not be seen by reason of the low
+sea-wall.
+
+The rattle of the davit blocks followed that of the anchor chains as a
+bow boat was launched.
+
+"Go aboard, Mr. Cummings!" said Captain Stephens. "Take Mr. Hazlett and
+this old chief, and don't you come back without those boys! They're only
+out hunting somewhere, or else they'd have a fire going."
+
+As the bow of the boat grated on the shingle Mr. Hazlett sprang ashore,
+and, under guidance of the Aleut, hastened over the sea-wall and across
+the flat to the barabbara. All was deserted and silent! No smoke issued
+from the roof, and not the slightest sound was to be heard. No boat
+appeared at the shore of the lagoon. The Aleut chief threw himself on
+the ground and began to chant.
+
+Mr. Hazlett kicked open the door of the hut and pushed in, searching the
+half-dark interior. Only the whitened ashes showed a former human
+occupancy. It was not until, in his despair, he had turned to leave that
+he saw, fastened by a peg to the inside of the door, a brief note on a
+bit of paper.
+
+"Mr. Richard Hazlett," it read. "All well. We sailed about July 30th.
+Love to the folks." Signed to this were the names of the three boys.
+
+"God bless them!" he muttered. "They knew I'd come! Why did I not come
+soon enough! But where did they sail--which way--and what has become of
+them?"
+
+He turned to the grovelling native.
+
+"You lying coward!" said he. "Take me to them now, or by the Lord you'll
+swing for it! Do you hear?"
+
+The old man wept bitterly. "My boys go, too," he wailed. "Bad mans go,
+maybe so! Maybe so all dead now!"
+
+In answer he was caught by the arm and hastened back to the gravely
+waiting boat crew. It was a saddened party which reported the truth on
+board the _Bennington_.
+
+"Get under way, Mr. Cummings!" ordered Captain Stephens. "We've not lost
+them yet. The writing is pretty fresh on that note. We haven't passed
+them anywhere below, and they must be on their way back to Kadiak."
+
+Without delay the _Bennington_ once more took up her course and,
+emerging from the mouth of Kaludiak, headed northward up the east side
+of the island. Within ten miles the sharp-eyed Aleut detected a flat bit
+of beach, and the interpreter suggested that a boat be sent ashore to
+examine it, as it was sometimes used as a camping-place. When the
+lieutenant returned he reported that he had found poles cut not long
+before and used as a shelter support. A fire had been built not more
+than a week ago, in his belief. It might or might not be the
+camping-place of the missing boys.
+
+The face of Captain Stephens brightened. "Of course it's those boys!" he
+said. "I tell you, those youngsters are _sailors_. We'll find them all
+lined up on Kadiak dock waiting for us--and me obliged to report to
+Washington that I've spent two months with this vessel hunting for them!
+God bless my soul!" However, it was satisfaction and not anxiety which
+caused his eyes to glisten.
+
+Precautions were not ceased, and the boats continued to comb out every
+open bay which could not be searched with the ship's glasses. Finally
+they reached the mouth of Eagle Harbor, near the entrance to which the
+boats discovered yet another camp-fire, probably marking the limits of
+another day's journey of the young voyagers.
+
+"Plucky little dogs--plucky!" grumbled the captain. "They're not old
+women like you, Hazlett! They can take care of themselves all right!"
+
+The interpreter stepped up. "The old man says there's a village at the
+head of this harbor," he began. "Says there may be a few people living
+there, though most of them have likely gone to the fisheries. He thinks
+the village ought to be examined."
+
+"Go in with the boat, Mr. Cummings!" ordered Captain Stephens. "It'll
+keep you overnight. As for me, I don't dare risk the tide-rips between
+these rocks and that big island over there--which must be Ugak Island, I
+suspect. I'm going to drop back and go outside that island, and
+to-morrow I'll meet you thirty miles up the coast. Comb out the bay! If
+the boys have left the village they've very likely sailed for the
+opposite point of this bay, and maybe you'll get word of them at one
+place or the other."
+
+
+
+
+XXXIII
+
+SAVED!
+
+
+It was a night of anxiety and expectation on the _Bennington_, and, as
+the cutter swung at anchor north of the bold and dangerous point of Ugak
+Island, every one on board was astir at early dawn.
+
+"Boat on the larboard bow, sir!" reported an ensign, soon after Captain
+Stephens was known to be awake in his cabin.
+
+"What boat is it?" inquired the latter, eagerly, throwing open the
+dead-light of his room and gazing out along the shore.
+
+"It's our boat, sir, with Lieutenant Cummings."
+
+"Any passengers aboard?"
+
+"I'm afraid not, sir."
+
+The captain slammed shut the dead-light and turned moodily to his desk.
+He did not seem to enjoy the breakfast which one of the cook's men
+presently brought to him.
+
+"Tell Lieutenant Cummings to report as soon as he comes aboard," he
+commanded.
+
+Lieutenant Cummings, however, far from being discouraged, was much
+elated when he appeared, smiling, at the captain's door.
+
+"They slept at the village, sir," he said. "Five persons in all.
+Everybody's gone from the village but one or two old people, and these
+report that the boys came in there for water and to see what news they
+could get. They had a young native boy with them and a full-grown Aleut.
+They put him in irons--"
+
+"Put him in irons!" roared Captain Stephens. "God bless my soul! Those
+young rascals will be sending out to look after _us_ before long!
+Sailors!--and they've got a man in _irons_!"
+
+"They say the Aleut was afraid to go to town," resumed the lieutenant,
+"and tried to escape. They halted him and kept him under guard all
+night. The five of them left yesterday about noon, and as they were seen
+not far from the mouth of the bay toward evening, they're very likely
+camped not far around the point yonder, sir."
+
+"Get under way!" ordered Captain Stephens. "I've got a little
+professional pride about this thing, and I don't want those youngsters
+to beat the _Bennington_ into port! Full speed ahead!"
+
+Half an hour later the _Bennington_ poked her nose around the next bold
+promontory of the east coast of Kadiak. One more broad bay lay before
+them.
+
+Tossing up and down on the waves, half-way or more across, was a small,
+dark object!
+
+The eyes of the old Aleut were first to discover this, and he began to
+shout and gesticulate as several pairs of glasses were turned upon it.
+Old Captain Stephens broke out in a string of nautical ejaculations,
+which need not be printed in full. "Look at that!" he cried. "Talk about
+_sailors_! See 'em go! They wouldn't reef a point if they could--and I
+guess they can't, for they seem to have a board or something for a sail.
+And they've got leeboards down. They've got two oars out for
+steering-gear. By the great horn spoon! Cummings, crack on more steam or
+they'll beat us to New York! Why, dash my eyes, Hazlett, you old woman,
+didn't I _tell_ you you couldn't lose those boys?"
+
+The gentleman whom he addressed smiled rather crookedly but could find
+no speech.
+
+The whistle of the _Bennington_ roared out three times in salute. At
+once the distant dory came about and laid a long tack to intercept the
+course of the cutter. In a few minutes she was within hailing distance.
+The crew of the _Bennington_ were along the rail, and without orders
+they greeted the young sailors with a cheer.
+
+"By gad!" said Captain Stephens, turning away. "It's worth a couple of
+months of Uncle Sam's time to see a thing like that. There's where we
+get our _men_! Safe? Humph!"
+
+Rob, John, and Jesse, all ragged and bare-headed, stood up in the
+pitching dory, calling out and waving their hands. First they passed up
+their prisoner, and an instant later they were on board and in the
+middle of excited greetings. These over, they hurriedly explained the
+events covering the strange situations which have been recounted in our
+earlier pages. Meantime, Skookie was standing silently and stolidly at
+the side of his father, who made no such great excitement over him. The
+boys now introduced him, with the highest praise for his faithfulness
+and a plea that something be done for his reward.
+
+"So far as that is concerned," said Mr. Hazlett, "every decent native
+concerned in this shall have more than justice done to him. I'll put the
+boy into the Mission School at Wood Island, if he likes, and he shall
+have all the clothes he needs, and something besides. It's lucky for
+this bunch of natives that we don't put them all in jail. How about
+this man they tell me you've been keeping prisoner?" continued Uncle
+Dick.
+
+"Please, sir," said Rob, earnestly, "don't be hard with him. I'm not
+sure that we understand all about the way these natives think. He tried
+to get away from us, and we tied him up because we needed him as a
+pilot. We didn't know the way back to town, you see, because when we
+came down the coast it was all in a fog and we couldn't see anything."
+
+"Rather risky pilot, from what I hear," commented Uncle Dick.
+
+"I believe he was more scared than anything else," went on Rob. "He
+never really made us any trouble, and he did a lot of work for us for
+which we have promised him pay. We've got to keep our word to all these
+people, you know. But, if you please, we'd rather pay money to them than
+to give up our rifles; and we'd like Jesse's rifle back."
+
+"That will be easy," said Uncle Dick. "All these people will count
+themselves fortunate. But what a lot of them we'll have to ship back
+down the coast to Old Harbor--I suppose we'll have to charter a schooner
+for that!"
+
+"I say, Uncle Dick," broke in John, eagerly, "if you send a schooner
+down, _couldn't we boys go along with her_?"
+
+Uncle Dick looked at him quizzically for a moment.
+
+"You could not!" he answered, briefly.
+
+
+
+***END OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK THE YOUNG ALASKANS***
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