ater 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