e
discovered that his belongings had been tampered with.

"The Russian," he decided, "evidently hasn't forgotten his diamonds."

CHAPTER VIII

WHEN AN ESKIMO BECOMES A JAP

Johnny Thompson smiled as he drew on a pair of rabbit skin trousers,
then a parka made of striped ground squirrel skin, finished with a hood
of wolf skin. It was not his own suit; it had been borrowed from his
host, a husky young hunter of East Cape. But that was not his reason for
smiling. He was amused at the thought of the preposterous
misunderstanding which his traveling companions had concerning him.

Only the day before he had exclaimed:

"Iyok-ok, I believe I have guessed why the Russian wants to kill me."

"Why?"

"He thinks I am a member of the United States Secret Service."

"Well? Canak-ti-ma-na" (I don't know).

The boy had looked him squarely in the eye as much as to say, "Who could
doubt that?"

At first Johnny had been inclined to assure Iyok-ok that there was no
truth in the assumption, but the more he thought of it, the better he
was satisfied with things as they were. His companions carried with them
a great air of mystery; why should he not share this a little with them?
He had let the matter drop.

But now, since he was considered to be a member of a secret service
organization, he prepared to act the part for one night at least. With
the wolf skin parka hood drawn well around his face, he would hardly be
recognized, garbed as he was in borrowed clothes.

The mysterious Russian had adopted a plan of sending his dogs to some
outpost to be cared for by natives. This made the locating of the igloo
he occupied extremely difficult. It had been by the merest chance that
Johnny had caught a glimpse of him as he disappeared through the flaps
of a dwelling near the center of the village. The American had resolved
to watch that place and discover, if possible, some additional clues to
the purpose of the Russian.

Skulking from igloo to igloo, Johnny came at last to the one he sought.
Making his way to the back of it, he studied it carefully. There were
no windows and but one entrance. There was an opening at the top but to
climb up there was to be detected. He crept round to the other corner.
There a glad sigh escaped his lips. A spot of light shone through the
semi-transparent outer covering of walrus skin. That meant that there
was a hole in the inner lining of deer skin. He had only to cut a hole
through the wal