position _in toto_.

"Once on the mainland," said Kit, "and our control over them will
cease. They would either desert us, or else be joined by numbers whom
we should find it impossible to govern. Not an inch shall they budge
from here while I stay."

And in this view he was supported by Wade and the sailors. Indeed, I
voted to keep them with us myself. To let them go seemed suicidal.

"But they may all starve here before spring," Raed urged. "That would
be terrible!"

"Well, we must take measures to see that they don't starve," replied
Kit. "Now's our chance to show them the advantages of our
administration. To-morrow we must begin a regular autumnal hunt. Every
seal and every bear, and such of the sea-fowl as have not already
flown, we must capture for winter-store. We must keep them at it
sharp. There's no need of starving, if we manage rightly. To-morrow we
will begin a regular hunt,--send out hunting-parties every day.
Whatever is brought in we will take charge of, and deal out as they
need."

"In case they were like to starve, a lot of these worthless dogs could
be killed for them to eat," said Donovan. "It wouldn't hurt my
feelings to slaughter the whole pack of them."

"It no need to come to that, if we manage rightly," replied Kit.

Thus it was left. The only cause for immediate alarm was the ghastly
fact, that we had only eleven cartridges remaining.

Toward evening it came on to snow. A dreary night settled down upon
the island. But we lighted our Husky lamp [it would appear that they
had procured a stone lamp from the Esquimaux], and made things as
cheery as we could. For the past week we had given up sentinel-duty,
save what Guard could do. There seemed no call for it. About ten we
all lay down on our bear-skins, and, covering them over us, were soon
comfortable. But, somehow, that night my head was full of dreams. I
dreamed everything a fellow could well imagine, and a good many things
no one ever could imagine awake. I went all over the stern experiences
of the past two months. Again we were hunting bears in "Mazard's Bay."
Again we were tossing amid the ice. At that stage of my fancies, the
dogs probably got to fighting; for suddenly I was back on our desolate
isle. It was mid-winter; cold! oh, how cold! The island was a mass of
ice. _Wutchee_ and _Wunchee_ had frozen: we were all freezing.
Suddenly one of the Company's ships hove in sight, sailing over the
ice-fields, and began a bombardment o