said Jesse, dubiously, "it looks to me like there was going to
be a celebration of some sort. All the white men have gone up to the
trader's house, and they don't come out. I could hear some sort of
singing and going-on in there when I came by."

Rob smiled, not altogether approvingly. "It's easy to understand,"
said he. "All these people at the trading-posts wait for the boat to
come. It's their big annual jamboree, I suppose. There's many a bottle
of alcohol that's gone up the hill since this boat landed, I can
promise you that; and it's alcohol they drink up here. Some one gets
most of the Scotch whisky before it gets this far north."

"They won't let them trade whisky to the natives, though; that's
against the law of Canada," said John. "The first thing this old Simon
man down the beach asked for was whisky. As for the Loucheux, I don't
suppose they ever see any--and a good thing they don't."

"Did you see the dishpan that old girl with the blue lip had in front
of her place?" inquired Jesse, after a time. "She had taken a rock and
pounded a hole down in the hard ground. Then she poured water in
that. That's their dishpan--and I don't think they have changed the
water for a week!"

"I should say not!" said Rob. "I wouldn't want to live in that camp,
if I could help it. Did you see how they eat? They don't cook their
fish at all, but keep it raw and let it almost spoil. Then you can see
them--if you can stand it--sitting around a bowl in a circle, all of
them dipping their hands into the mess. Ugh! I couldn't stand to watch
them, even.

"There's a good-looking wall tent down the beach, though," continued
Rob, "and I don't know whether you've been there or not. There's a
white man by the name of Storkenberg there--a Scandinavian sailor that
has drifted down here from some of the boats for reasons best known to
himself. He tells me he's been among the Eskimos for quite a while.
He's married to a sort of half-breed Eskimo woman--she's almost
white--and they've got one little baby, a girl. Rather cute she was,
too."

"It's funny how people live away up here," mused Jesse. "I didn't know
so many queer things could happen this far north. Why, there seems to
be a sort of settlement here, after all, doesn't there?"

"They have to live through the winter," smiled John, "if they don't
go back on that boat. It will be here for a few days, and when she
turns back it's all off for a full year."

"There's an independent