my boy,
and off we go seaward. The truth is, I ought to feel more in my element
when we get out to sea."

Seeing that they were resolved, Angut made no further objection, but,
directing the dogs' heads away from the land, flourished his long whip
over them, and set off at as break-neck a pace as before over the
seaward ice-floes.

CHAPTER EIGHTEEN.

A TERRIBLE ENCOUNTER, DISASTROUS RESULTS, AND SINGULAR TERMINATION.

Let us return now to the wizard and his captives.

After travelling for several days at the utmost possible speed, the
guilty man began to feel at ease as regarded pursuit, and commenced to
advance at a more reasonable rate, giving the poor dogs time for
sufficient rest, and going out once or twice on the floes to procure
fresh supplies of seal-flesh for himself and his party.

The thaw which had by that time set steadily in had not broken up the
old ice to the southward, so that no more thin ice or open water was met
with. But although he had thus begun to take things more easily, Ujarak
did not by any means waste time. The wretched man was very morose, even
savage, insomuch that he would scarcely reply to the questions which
were timidly put to him at times by the women. It was evident that he
repented of his hasty flight, and no doubt was rendered desperate by the
reflection that the matter was by that time past remedy.

One morning, on rounding one of those bluff precipitous capes which jut
out from the western coast of Greenland into Baffin's Bay, they came
unexpectedly in sight of a band of Eskimos who were travelling
northwards.

Ujarak pulled up at once, and for some moments seemed uncertain what to
do. He had not yet been observed, so that there was a possibility of
turning aside, if he were so disposed, and hiding among the rugged
masses of ice which lined the bottom of the cliffs. Before he could
make up his mind, however, on the subject, a loud shout from the Eskimos
showed that he had been observed.

Turning sharply, and with a savage scowl, to the women, he said in a low
voice--

"If you say that I have run away with you, I will kill you and the
children."

A smile of contempt flickered on the face of Kabelaw at the moment.
Observing it, the wizard added--

"There will be no escape for _you_. Your death will be certain, for
even if these people were to kill me, and carry you back to the village,
my torngak would follow you and kill you."

He said no more, for he kn