t lazily by.
It had broken away from a glacier, farther north, and was drifting
slowly toward the Southern Sea. It gleamed in the sun like a great ice
palace.
One morning the air was thick with fog. When Kesshoo saw the fog he
said, "This would be a great day to hunt reindeer."
"Oh, let me go with you!" cried Menie.
Monnie knew better than to ask. She knew very well she would never be
allowed to go.
Kesshoo thought a little before he answered. Then he said, "If Koko's
father will go, too, you and Koko may both go with us. You are pretty
small to go hunting, but boys cannot begin too early to learn."
Menie was wild with joy. He rushed to Koko's house and told him and his
father what Kesshoo had said.
When he had finished, Koko's father said at once, "Tell Kesshoo we will
go."
It was not long before they were ready to start. Kesshoo had his great
bow, and arrows, and a spear. He also had his bird dart. Koko's father
had his bow and spear and dart, too. Menie had his little bow and
arrows.
Kesshoo put a harness on Tooky and tied the end of Tooky's harness
trace around Menie's waist. Koko's father had brought his best dog,
too, and Koko was fastened to the end of that dog's harness in the same
way.
Then the four hunters started on their journey--Menie and Koko driving
the dogs in front of them.
Monnie stood on the Big Rock and watched them until they were out of
sight in the fog. Nip and Tup were with her. They wanted to go as much
as Monnie did and she had hard work to keep them from following after
the hunters.
II.
Kesshoo knew very well where to look for the reindeer. He led the way
up a steep gorge where the first green moss appeared in the spring.
They all four walked quietly along for several miles.
When they got nearly to the head of the gorge, Kesshoo stopped. He said
to the boys, "You must not make any noise yourselves, and you must not
let the dogs bark. If you do there will be no reindeer today."
The boys kept very still, indeed. The dogs were good hunting dogs. They
knew better than to bark.
They walked on a little farther. Then Kesshoo came very near the others
and spoke in a low voice. He said, "We are coming to a spot where there
are likely to be reindeer. The wind is from the south. If we keep on in
this direction, the reindeer will smell us. We must go round in such a
way that the wind will carry the scent from them to us, not from us to
them."
They turned to the
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