ake."

"I not take no book, massa, only take my flute. Music is wot's de
matter wid me. Dat is de ting what hab charms to soove de savage
beast."

"I wouldn't advise you try to soothe a Polar bear with it," said Leo,
"unless you have a rifle handy."

"Yes--and especially an unloaded one, which is very effective against
Polar bears," put in the Captain, with a sly look. "Ah, Leo, I could
hardly have believed it of you--and you the sportsman of our party, too;
our chief huntsman. Oh, fie!"

"Come, uncle, don't be too hard on that little mistake," said Leo, with
a slight blush, for he was really annoyed by the unsportsmanlike
oversight hinted at; "but pray, may I ask," he added, turning sharply on
the Captain, "what is inside of these three enormous boxes of yours
which take up so much space on the sledges?"

"You may ask, Leo, but you may not expect an answer. That is my secret,
and I mean to keep it as a sort of stimulus to your spirits when the
hardships of the way begin to tell on you. Ask Chingatok, Anders,"
continued the Captain, turning to the interpreter, "if he thinks we have
enough provisions collected for the journey. I wish to start
immediately."

"We have enough," answered Chingatok, who had been sitting a silent, but
deeply interested observer--so to speak--of the foregoing conversation.

"Tell him, then, to arrange with his party, and be prepared to set out
by noon to-morrow."

That night, by the light of the midnight sun, the Eskimos sat round
their kettles of bear-chops, and went into the _pros_ and _cons_ of the
proposed expedition. Some were enthusiastically in favour of casting in
their lot with the white men, others were decidedly against it, and a
few were undecided. Among the latter was Akeetolik.

"These ignorant men," said that bold savage, "are foolish and useless.
They cannot kill bears. The one named Lo, (thus was Leonard's name
reduced to its lowest denomination), is big enough, and looks very fine,
but when he sees bear he only stares, makes a little click with his
thunder-weapon, and looks stupid."

"Blackbeard explained that," said Oolichuk; "Lo made some mistake."

"That may be so," retorted Akeetolik, "but if you and me had not been
there, the _bear_ would not make a mistake."

"I will not go with these Kablunets," said Eemerk with a frown, "they
are only savages. They are not taught. No doubt they had a wonderful
boat, but they have not been able to keep their b