at maliciously.

Gartok, who was destitute neither of intelligence nor of humour,
laughed, but the laugh slid into a most emphatic "hoi!" as his mother
gave the leg a wrench.

"Softly, mother, softly! Treat me as you did when I was so big," he
exclaimed, indicating about one foot six between his hands.

The old woman chuckled, or rather "hee! hee'd!" a little and continued:

"Yes, Cheenbuk fought like a bear. We could not see him, for they were
all on top of him at once, but hi! how he made them heave! I wonder
they did not use their knives."

"They felt sure they had him," said her son, "they wanted to drive him
to their huts and kill him slowly to amuse their women."

This was such a horrible idea that the old woman became unusually grave.

"These Fire-spouters are worse than white bears," she said, "for these
never torture other beasts, though they often kill them."

"True, mother. Now I wish you would go away and leave my leg alone.
Ondikik there needs your help. Go to him and hurt him as much as you
please. I won't grumble."

"You were always a thankless boy--ever since you could speak," replied
the dame, reproachfully.

"Did you ever hear of any one being thankless before he could speak?--
hoi! mother, you've tied it too tight. Slack it a little."

After complying with her son's request, old Uleeta went to Ondikik, to
whom, however, she could render but little service, owing to the nature
of his wound. Then she paid a visit to Rinka, whose injuries, however,
proved to be more alarming than severe; after which she joined the rest
of the tribe at supper.

While the Eskimos were thus proceeding to their home among the islands
of the Arctic sea, the captors of Cheenbuk were paddling up-stream to
the lands of the Dogrib Indians.

At first the stout Eskimo meditated an attempt to escape. Indeed he
made one vigorous effort when they were leading him through the bush
with his hands tied behind him. Just as they came to the place where
the canoes were lying, the thought of home, and of his probable fate as
a prisoner, pressed so heavily on him that he suddenly became furious,
tripped up the man beside him with his foot, kicked over the one behind
him with his heel, ran his head like a battering-ram into the back of
the man in front of him, and then strove to burst his bonds with a
succession of mighty wriggles, but, not being quite equal to Samson, he
failed, and on seeing that two savages stood ov