no marks of any kind about it to
afford a clue to its use.

Probably it had been made by the ship's carpenter for some unfortunate
member of the crew who had come by an accident, and died before he could
avail himself of it.

Suddenly the magician exclaimed--

"I know! I always knew that I would know, if I only thought hard
enough. It is a club for fighting with. When the white men go to war
they always use these things."

Grasping it in both hands, he swung it round his head, and made as
though he would knock Oolalik down with it, causing that young Eskimo to
shrink back in feigned alarm.

"That may be so," said Cheenbuk, with serious gravity. "I wonder we did
not think of it before."

"But if so," objected Nazinred, who always took things seriously, "what
is the use of the hollow in its head, and for what are these lines and
ties fixed about it?"

"Don't you see?" said Cheenbuk, with increased seriousness, "after
knocking your enemy down with it you pour his blood into the hollow till
it is full, let it freeze, and then tie it up to keep it safe, so that
you can carry it home to let your wife see what you have done."

The usual quiet glance at Anteek had such an effect on that youth that
he would have certainly exploded had he not been struck by an idea which
displaced all tendency to laugh.

"_I_ know," he cried eagerly. "You're all wrong; it is a _hat_!"

So saying, he seized the leg out of the magician's hand and thrust it on
his head with the toe pointing upwards.

There was a tendency to approve of this solution, and the boy, tying two
of the straps under his chin, sprang up, in the pride of his discovery.
But his pride had a fall, for the leap thrust the leg through the snow
roof of the hut, and the novel head-dress was wrenched off as he
staggered back into Cheenbuk's arms.

Despite this mishap, it was received by most of those present as a
probable explanation of the difficulty, and afterwards Anteek went
proudly about wearing the wooden leg on his head. The style of cap
proved rather troublesome, however, when he was engaged in his
researches between decks, for more than once, forgetting to stoop low,
he was brought up with an unpleasant jerk.

In a forest, as Nazinred suggested, the high crest might have been
inconvenient, but out on the floes the unencumbered immensity of the
Arctic sky afforded the boy room to swagger to his heart's content.

Another discovery of great interest was