imes 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