the canoes.

"My home," said Kalitan, pointing to the largest house, "my people."
There was a great deal of pride in his tone and look, and he received a
warm welcome as the canoes touched land and their occupants sprang on
shore. The boys crowded around the young Indian and chattered and
gesticulated toward Ted, while a bright-looking little Malamute sprang
upon Kalitan and nearly knocked him down, covering his face with eager
puppy kisses.

The girls were less boisterous, and regarded Teddy with shy curiosity.
Some of them were quite pretty, and the babies were as cunning as the
puppies. They barked every time the dogs did, in a funny, hoarse
little way, and, indeed, Alaskan babies learn to bark long before they
learn to talk.

The Tyee's wife received Teddy kindly, and he soon found himself quite
at home among these hospitable people, who seemed always friendly and
natural. Nearly all spoke some English, and he rapidly added to his store
of Chinook, so that he had no trouble in making himself understood or in
understanding. Of course he missed his father, but he had little time to
be lonely. Life in the village was anything but uneventful.

At first there was the whale to be attended to, and all the village
turned out for that. The huge creature had drifted ashore on the farther
side of the island, and Ted was much interested in seeing him gradually
disposed of. Great masses of blubber were stripped from the sides to be
used later both for food and fuel, the whalebone was carefully secured to
be sold to the traders, and it seemed to Ted that there was not one thing
in that vast carcass for which the Indians did not have some use.

Ted soon tired of watching the many things done with the whale, but there
was plenty to do and see in the village. The village houses were all
alike. There was one large room in which the people cooked, ate, and
slept. The girls had blankets strung across one corner, behind which were
their beds. Teddy was given one also for his corner of the great room in
the Tyee's house.

He learned to eat the food and to like it very much. There was dried
fish, herons' eggs, berries, or those put up in seal oil, which is
obtained by frying the fat out of the blubber of the seal. The Alaskans
use this oil in nearly all their cooking, and are very fond of it. Ted
ate also dried seaweed, chopped and boiled in seal oil, which tasted very
much like boiled and salted leather, but he liked it very well.