the council of war was held and the strangers were
allowed to be present. There was a great deal of talk--probably some of
it was not much to the point, but there was no interruption or
undignified confusion. There was a peace-party, of course, and a
war-party, but the latter prevailed. It too often does so in human
affairs. Chingatok was understood to favour the peace-party, but as his
sire was on the other side, respect kept him tongue-tied.

"These Eskimos reverence age and are respectful to women," whispered Leo
to Alf, "so we may not call them savages."

The old chief spoke last, summing up the arguments, as it were, on both
sides, and giving his reasons for favouring war.

"The island is of no use," he said; "it is not worth a seal's nose, yet
Grabantak wishes to tear it from us--us who have possessed it since the
forgotten times. Why is this? because he wishes to insult us," ("huk!"
from the audience). "Shall we submit to insult? shall we sit down like
frightened birds and see the black-livered cormorant steal what is ours?
shall the courage of the Poloes be questioned by all the surrounding
tribes? Never! while we have knives in our boots and spears in our
hands. We will fight till we conquer or till we are all dead--till our
wives are husbandless and our children fatherless, and all our stores of
meat and oil are gone!" ("huk! huk!") "Then shall it be said by
surrounding tribes, `Behold! how brave were the Poloes! they died and
left their wives and little children to perish, or mourn in slavery,
rather than submit to insult!'"

The "huks" that greeted the conclusion of the speech were so loud and
numerous that the unfortunate peace-makers were forced to hide their
diminished heads.

Thus did Amalatok resolve to go to war for "worse than Nort Pole--for
nothing"--rather than submit to insult! (See Note 1.)

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Note 1. It may not be inappropriate here to point out that Eskimo
savages are sometimes equalled, if not surpassed, in this respect, by
civilised and even Christian nations.

CHAPTER SEVENTEEN.

THE EFFECT OF PERSUASION ON DIVERSE CHARACTERS.

The warlike tendencies of Grabantak, the northern savage, had the effect
of compelling Captain Vane and his party to delay for a considerable
time their efforts to reach the Pole. This was all the more distressing
that they had by that time approached so very near to it.