hand.

"Beats all get-out what women will get a man into."

A quizzical smile crinkled the corners of his eyes as he "hefted" his
burdens. "Here's an old sourdough like me hittin' the trail with a
broom in one fist and--by he--hen, a dicky-bird in the other!"
Occasionally it appeared to dawn on Kayak that his expletives were not
exactly suited to the ears of women and children and he seemed to be
doing his best to modify them.

Boreland, whistling, led the way. Despite the discouraging events of
the night and morning it was a cheerful little party that started out
for the cabin. It is only in civilization that trouble and calamity
eat into the heart. The wonder of the wilderness lies in that sense of
adventure just ahead, which brings forgetfulness of the hardships left
behind.

Shane and Kayak tramped down a trail across the sand-dunes, through
patches of purple wild peas, and tall rice-grass whose silver-green
heads nodded heavily against the travelers as they passed. Wind,
spiced with sea-weed and flowers blew across their faces. They came
out on the west side of Kon Klayu in a field of blossoming lupine that
sloped gently downward to the sands, and beyond, the sea dashed in
foam-shot emerald against a ragged reef.

Loll's flower-loving soul looked out of his eyes an instant; then with
a shout he abandoned Kobuk and the bean-pot for the moment, and
scattering the red-vested bumble-bees that were avidly working for
honey in the lupine flowers he began gathering a bouquet for his mother.

The warm August sun coaxed tiny whiffs of vapor from the long grey
beach that curved southward toward a distant bluff. Sky and water met
far out on the rim of the world.

Scampering ahead along the wave-washed margin, Loll excited Kobuk to
laughter-provoking antics, as the dog, trying to play with him, swung
along with his ungainly pack. The boy made frequent dashes up to the
high-tide line, where Indian celery lifted creamy, umbrella-like
blooms. From the beach-line the vivid green of the tundra, patterned
with daisies, stretched away to meet the alder trees growing thickly
where the land gradually rose toward the center of the island. A small
lake here and there reflected the sky.

It was in one of these lakes close to the beach that a flock of
mallards alighted, passing so near that the travelers could see the
iridescent green of the drakes' heads catching the sun. Boreland
slipped off his pack and creeping to