Part 4 (1/2)

Indeed, Bobby was in a fair way of being spoiled His indulgent foster parents could deny hiratified his every wish and whi froreat distress of the du it into the house for hi his spare moments to the task, had carved froe, and a little ivory Eskimotea the two days' enforced leisure from out-of-door activities afforded hi touches upon his work With infinite patience he fashi+onedthee, with due ceremony presented the to prattle Eskiht Then he ht him to pronounce with proper accent and intonation: _inuit_--e

This was the first of many toys that Abelwhip, a fatho whip, which was a full five fathoe, on which he could coast, and on which pups could haul hi, indeed, that Abel believed his childish desires could crave

When the storm had passed Skipper Ed and Jimmy came over on snowshoes, and Jimmy stopped for a week in Abel's cabin, with Mrs Abel and Bobby, while Abel and Skipper Ed went away to hunt for seals This was a glorious week for both lads, and with it began a cohout their life and carry theh many adventures

The seal hunt was a success, and Abel and Skipper Ed returned with the big boat loaded with seals Then followed a season of activity The seals were skinned and dressed, the blubber placed in barrels in the porch, and the e outside where it ell out of reach of the dogs, and was at hand to be used as dog food--and hu the winter

The seal skins were turned over to Mrs Abel, to soak and scrape and prepare for boots and other garments, which Abel and Skipper Ed and Jimmy, as well as she herself, and Bobby, would require

Bobby developed a vast liking for the choice morsels of the seal flippers andbefore he demanded his due share of the fresh blubber, too

He loved, when Mrs Abel was at work sewing the boots with sinew, to help her by chewing the edges of the oily leather, to soften and render it pliable for the needle Indeed, Bobby quickly developed into an Eskimo child in all save the color of his skin, and texture and color of his hair, which persisted in re silky and yellow

And thus the weeks passed With the rapidly shortening days of Noveri depth in the forest, and on the open spaces it lay frozen and hard, and the sun now had no strength to soften it A coating of ice crusted the beach where the tide rose and fell, and this crackled and snapped as the waves broke upon it A strange, s in the east wind The sea was ”s now, Abel said, for a calreat uncanny silence fell upon the world, and in the ray level plain reached ahere the day before had been the heaving billows of the bay The sea was frozen at last, and forof waves upon the rocks or lapping of tides upon the sandy beach The Frost King, grim and inexorable, had ascended his throne, and the world, subdued into utter silence, lay prostrate and submissive at his feet

Toward noon Ji behind hi of caribou skin, to say that Skipper Ed had gone thatevening, and Jiht This was the custom when Skipper Ed ay, and of course Jimmy was more than welcohted

When dinner was over Abel, with a long stick, went down to inspect the ice He prodded it with the stick, and finding it to his satisfaction stepped out upon it, and still prodding ahead of him made a wide circuit The ice bent as he walked, but sea ice is tough, and h it bends And so Abel found it, for when he caood)

Bobby rapped well, and out he ith Jimmy for his first winter frolic A wonderful ti far out upon the ice, or running over the ice, with Bobby on the sled and Ji him, until at last, quite weary with the fun, they returned to the cabin to play with the ivory dogs and sledge until supper time

After this Jimmy came often with his sled, and he and Bobby coasted the steep bank or rolled and tuloos_, while Bobby grew as tough and hardy as any little Eskimo boy could have been, which was very much to the satisfaction, not only of Mr and Mrs Abel, but of Skipper Ed, as well

It was not long after the ice came that the missionary from Nain visited them, and met Bobby for the first ti

”It is very strange,” said he ”Shall I not take him, Abel, to the Mission, and care for him there? You do not want a white child”

But there was such a protest from both Abel and his wife, who insisted that Bobby was their own child, sent the him fro suland a full description of the occurrence, and the fact of Bobby's rescue and whereabouts was published far and wide in British papers, but no inquiries ever came of it, and no one caer over this period of Bobby's life When he was five years of age Skipper Ed began his lessons, co over to Abel Zachariah's cabin as often as possible, for the purpose, and now and again he would take Bobby to his own cabin to stop a day or tith him and Jimmy

He supplied Bobby with the books he needed, and Bobby studied hard and learned quickly, and was fascinated with the work, for Skipper Ed had the rare faculty of ame which Bobby loved to play

There was little else, indeed, to occupy his attention during long winter evenings--no streets to play in, no parties, no theaters--and he ress than he probably would have made had he attended school in civilization, for Skipper Ed was a good tutor and Jireat help to Bobby in preparing lessons

And as Bobby grew and developed, Abel, on his part, taught him to be keenly alert, patient, self-reliant and resourceful--qualities that every successful hunter and wilderness dweller must possess

He learned first with the miniature whip that Abelwhip, to wield the long lash with precision He and Ji a s fro puppies and trained thee, and he would shout to thee as life--and just as Abel did when he drove the big team--”_Hu-it!”_ when he wanted them to start; ”_Ah!”_ when he wanted them to stop; ”_Ouk! Ouk! Ouk_!”

when he wanted theht; ”_Ra! Ra! Ra!”_ for a turn to the left; ”_Ok-su-it!”_ when he wished them to hurry; and with his whip he enforced his commands

He learned to shoot his bow and arrow, and to wield the harpoon and spear Abel once fashi+oned for hiood i sport casting their harpoons at it, and presently they beca” strike