s wounds had healed with the
remarkable rapidity that nature effects in people who lead a primitive
life; only the hurt in his heart remained. Annadoah had often visited
him, and while he lay on his bed of furs she had boiled _ahmingmah_
meat and made hot water over the lamp very solicitously. Once,
half-hesitating, she looked into his eyes, and as though she had a
confession to make, said quietly:

"Thou art very brave, Ootah."

This pleased him--once she had said he had the heart of a woman.

He had thrilled when she soothed him, and now he was half sorry that
the injuries no longer needed attention. He loved Annadoah more deeply
than ever, and his greatest concern was for her. He might win
her--yes, perhaps some day, but he could not forget that, whenever she
had touched him with tenderness, she thought of Olafaksoah.

Standing before his igloo, musing upon these things, Ootah espied in
the semi-light a dark speck moving on the ice.

"_Nannook_! (_Bear_)" he called, and the men rushed from their houses.
Without pausing to get his gun Ootah ran down to the ice-sheeted shore.
Nature, as if repenting of her bitterness, had sent milder weather, and
the bear, emerging from its winter retreat, made its way over the ice
in search of seal. Lifting his harpoon, Ootah attacked the bear. It
rose on its haunches and parried the thrusts. A half-dozen lean dogs
came dashing from the shelters and jumped about the creature. The bear
grunted viciously--the dogs howled. The bear was lean and faint from
hunger, and its fight was brief--the lances of four natives pierced the
gaunt body. The bear meat was divided after the communal custom of the
tribe, and the gnawing of their stomachs was again somewhat appeased.
Some days later three bears were killed near the village. The hearts
of the tribe arose, for spring was surely dawning.

Early in March Arnaluk, skirmishing along the shore, saw a bear
disappearing in the distance. The animal was making its direction
seaward, and this indicated to the astute native that its quick senses
had detected the presence of seal.

"Ootah! Ootah!" he called. "Attalaq! Attalaq!" The two tribesmen
responded. With harpoons and lances they followed the trail of the
bear. Less than a mile from shore they found it sitting near a seal
blow hole in the ice. At the sight of the men it fled. A close
inspection resulted in the discovery of a half dozen blow holes--or
open places to which