"

"Did I not say that they were fools?" said Amalatok, indignantly.

"But the strangest thing of all," continued Chingatok, lowering his
voice, and looking at his sire in a species of wonder, "is that they
fill their mouths with smoke!"

"What? Eat smoke?" said Amalatok in amazement.

"No, they spit it out."

"Did Blackbeard tell you that?"

"Yes."

"Then Blackbeard is a liar!"

Chingatok did not appear to be shocked by the old man's plain speaking,
but he did not agree with him.

"No, father," said he, after a pause. "Blackbeard is not a liar. He is
good and wise, and speaks the truth. I have seen the Kablunets do it
myself. In the big oomiak that they lost, some of the men did it, so--
puff, pull, puff, puff--is it not funny?"

Both father and son burst into laughter at this, and then, becoming
suddenly grave, remained staring at the smoke of their cooking-lamp,
silently meditating on these things.

While thus engaged, a man entered the low doorway in the only possible
manner, on hands and knees, and, rising, displayed the face of Anders.

"Blackbeard sends a message to the great old chief," said the
interpreter. "He wishes him to pay the Kablunets a visit. He has
something to show to the great old chief."

"Tell him I come," said the chief, with a toss of the head which meant,
"be off!"

"I wonder," said Amalatok slowly, as Anders crept out, "whether
Blackbeard means to show us some of his wisdom or some of his
foolishness. The white men appear to have much of both."

"Let us go see," said Chingatok.

They went, and found the Captain seated in front of the door of his hut
with his friends round him--all except Benjy, who was absent. They were
very grave, as usual, desiring to be impressive.

"Chief," began the Captain, in that solemn tone in which ghosts are
supposed to address mankind, "I wish to show you that I can make the
stoutest and most obstinate warrior of Poloeland tremble and jump
without touching him."

"That is not very difficult," said the old man, who had still a lurking
dislike to acknowledge the Englishmen his superiors. "I can make any
one of them tremble and jump by throwing a spear at him."

A slight titter from the assembly testified to the success of this
reply.

"But," rejoined the Captain, with deepening solemnity, "I will do it
without throwing a spear."

"So will I, by suddenly howling at him in the dark," said Amalatok.

At this his men laughed outrig