Part 38 (1/2)

One morning the Colonel announced that now the days had grown so short, and the Trio were so late coming to breakfast, and n.o.body did any work to speak of, it would be a good plan to have only two meals a day.

The motion was excessively unpopular, but it was carried by a plain, and somewhat alarming, exposition of the state of supplies.

”We oughtn't to need as much food when we lazy round the fire all day,”

said the Colonel. But Potts retorted that they'd need a lot more if they went on adoptin' the aborigines.

They knocked off supper, and all but the aborigine knew what it meant sometimes to go hungry to bed.

Towards the end of dinner one day late in December, when everybody else had finished except for coffee and pipe, the aborigine held up his empty plate.

”Haven't you had enough?” asked the Colonel mildly, surprised at Kaviak's bottomless capacity.

”Maw.” Still the plate was extended.

”There isn't a drop of syrup left,” said Potts, who had drained the can, and even wiped it out carefully with halves of hot biscuit.

”He don't really want it.”

”Mustn't open a fresh can till to-morrow.”

”No, sir_ee_. We've only got--”

”Besides, he'll bust.”

Kaviak meanwhile, during this paltry discussion, had stood up on the high stool ”Farva” had made for him, and personally inspected the big mush-pot. Then he turned to Mac, and, pointing a finger like a straw (nothing could fatten those infinitesimal hands), he said gravely and fluently:

”Maw in de plenty-bowl.”

”Yes, maw mush, but no maw syrup.”

The round eyes travelled to the store corner.

”We'll have to open a fresh can some time--what's the odds?”

Mac got up, and not only Kaviak watched him--for syrup was a luxury not expected every day--every neck had craned, every pair of eyes had followed anxiously to that row of rapidly diminis.h.i.+ng tins, all that was left of the things they all liked best, and they still this side of Christmas!

”What you rubber-neckin' about?” Mac snapped at the Boy as he came back with the fresh supply. This unprovoked attack was ample evidence that Mac was uneasy under the eyes of the camp, angry at his own weakness, and therefore the readier to dare anybody to find fault with him.

”How can I help watchin' you?” said the Boy. Mac lifted his eyes fiercely. ”I'm fascinated by your winnin' ways; we're all like that.”

Kaviak had meanwhile made a prosperous voyage to the plenty-bowl, and returned to Mac's side--an absurd little figure in a strange priest-like ca.s.sock b.u.t.toned from top to bottom (a waistcoat of Mac's), and a jacket of the Boy's, which was usually falling off (and trailed on the ground when it wasn't), and whose sleeves were rolled up in inconvenient m.u.f.fs. Still, with a gravity that did not seem impaired by these details, he stood clutching his plate anxiously with both hands, while down upon the corn-mush descended a slender golden thread, manipulated with a fine skill to make the most of its sweetness. It curled and spiralled, and described the kind of involved and long-looped flourishes which the grave and reverend of a hundred years ago wrote jauntily underneath the most sober names.

Lovingly the dark eyes watched the engrossing process. Even when the attenuated thread was broken, and the golden rain descended in slow, infrequent drops, Kaviak stood waiting, always for just one drop more.

”That's enough, greedy.”

”Now go away and gobble.”

But Kaviak daintily skimmed off the syrupy top, and left his mush almost as high a hill as before.