their knives cut from it three pieces each long enough to fit over the
eyes for a pair of goggles. These were rounded to fit the face and a
place whittled out for the nose to fit into. Then hollow places were
cut large enough to permit the eyelids to open and close in them, and
opposite each eye hollow a narrow slit for the wearer to look through.
Then the interior of the eye places were blackened with smoke from the
stone lamp, and a thong of sealskin was fastened to each end of the
goggles with which to tie them in place upon the head.

Thus a pair of goggles was ready for each when, after a three days'
rest Matuk's eyes were well enough for him to continue the journey,
and by constantly wearing them on days when the sun shone, further
danger of snow-blindness was averted.

Two days later, upon emerging from a mountain pass, they suddenly saw
stretching far away to the eastward the great ocean ice. The sight
sent the blood tingling through Bob's veins. Nearly half the journey
from Ungava to Eskimo Bay had been accomplished!

"Th' coast! Th' coast!" shouted Bob. "Now I'll be gettin' home inside
a month!"

He began at once to plan the surprise he had in store for the folk and
an early trip that he would make over to the Post, when he would tell
Bessie about his great "cruise" and hear her say that she was glad to
see him back again. But Fortune does not wait upon human plans and
Bob's fortitude was yet to be tried as it never had been tried before.

That afternoon an Eskimo village of snow igloos was reached. The
Eskimos swarmed out to meet the visitors and gave them a whole-souled
welcome, and in an hour they were quite settled for a brief stay in
the new quarters.

Akonuk told Bob that now after the dogs, which were very badly spent,
had a few days in which to rest, he and Matuk would turn back to
Ungava. They would try to arrange for two more Eskimos with a fresh
team to go on with him, but as for themselves, even were the dogs in
condition to travel, they did not know the trail beyond this point.

The Eskimos here, like those they had met on the island at Kangeva,
were engaged in seal hunting, and none of the men seemed to care to
leave their work for a long, hard journey south. They did not say,
however, that they would not go. When they were asked their answer
was:

"In a little while--perhaps."

This was very unsatisfactory to Bob in his anxious frame of mind. But
he had learned that Eskimos must be l