.

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