enough they were to be met at the door
by Skipper Blink, who greeted them most heartily, and helped them to
unharness their dogs and unpack their komatik, and when they had fed the
dogs ushered them into the warm cabin, where Mrs. Blink, who had seen
them coming, had a pot of hot tea ready to pour and a "snack" to eat to
"stay their stummiks" till supper would be ready.

Skipper Blink's store, or "shop" as he called it, was in a small room
adjoining the living-room. It was a most primitive emporium of a most
primitive frontier. Its stock of goods was limited to the necessities of
the people, and consisted chiefly of flour, pork, molasses, duffle,
practical clothing, arms and ammunition, with a pail of "sweets," or
hard candies that at some remote date might have laid claim to being
"fresh." It was a small branch shop of the Hudson's Bay Company's
establishment known as the "Post" at Snow Inlet, some twenty miles to
the northward, and Skipper Blink received from the Company a commission
upon the trade which he did.

Charley could scarcely restrain his eagerness to hold in his hands the
new rifle which he was to purchase, and when he and Toby had finished
their "snack," he asked:

"Have you any guns for sale?"

"Aye," said the Skipper, "I has three shotguns in the shop and three
rifles. What kind now would you be wantin'?"

"A rifle," said Charley. "Do you think I might see it now?"

"You can see un," answered the Skipper obligingly. "I'll fetch un right
in here where 'tis warm. I has a forty-four carbine, a forty-five rifle
and a thirty rifle. The forty-five would be a bit heavy for you. The
forty-four is fine and light, and so is the thirty, and that's a
wonderful far shootin' and strong shootin' gun, but the ca'tridges comes
high."

"Thank you," said Charley, "I'd like to look at the rifles."

Accordingly Skipper Cy lighted a candle, and passed through the door
leading to the shop, presently to return with the three rifles.

"Now here be the forty-four," said he, presenting the carbine for
inspection. "'Tis a wonderful light fine gun for a lad."

"It's just like yours, isn't it, Toby?" Charley asked.

"Aye," said Toby, "the one I has is a forty-four carbine, just like this
un."

"'Tis a fine rifle for any shootin'," explained Skipper Blink. "'Tis
strong enough for deer or bear, if you hits un right, and 'tis fine for
pa'tridges if you shoots un in the head. I finds un fine to hunt with,
and 'tis not so