Part 17 (2/2)
It happened that early in February following Bobby's fifteenth birthday Abel wrenched an ankle so badly that he could not go about his duties, or even hobble outside the cabin door The responsibility of providing for the little household, therefore, fell upon Bobby And Bobby, though keenly sylad of an opportunity to show his prowess
He squared his shoulders, and regardless of cold and storm set about the work, deters he could accomplish, if not in years; and he succeeded so well that he won high praise from Abel Certainly Abel hi, which at this season was the chief employment Bobby kept the house, too, so well supplied with rabbits and ptar, that presently there were enough hanging frozen in the porch to last till the co near the end of February Bobby announced, as he entered the cabin after giving the dogs their daily feed:
”There's only enough seal o to the _sena_ and kill some ,” objected Abel ”It is not like hunting seals fro holes in the ice Feed the dogs only once every two days, and perhaps before the o to the _sena_”
”I was there with you last year,” Bobby insisted ”Jio with me He has been to the _sena_ with you twice, and he kno We will be careful”
And at last Abel surrendered, for he could not long deny Bobby any reasonable thing that the lad set his heart upon, and after all Bobby had proved hiood and careful hunter; and they needed seals
Skipper Ed had not kept dogs since the slaughter of his team in the year of famine He hunted and trappedlong journeys inland on snowshoes, and now Ji his earlier years on the coast, there was no one who could have fed or cared for dogs when Skipper Ed was absent upon these trapping expeditions It was therefore only during the two or three years preceding the year of fah to care for them, and wished them, that he had a team
Abel, on the other hand, after the manner of Eskiht, so far as possible, s
Abel, therefore, had constant need of dogs, and he now had sixteen fine big fellohich so nearly reses and wolves to interuish the one fros never barked, but hoith the weird, disry they were such dangerous, savage brutes that it was unsafe for a stranger, unless ar thes Abel could s each, or one powerful team of ten or twelve, or even the entire number
Skipper Ed and Jis, could always borrow a team from Abel, and to repay this courtesy it was their custo seal hunts, and to contribute the carcasses of the seals they killed to Abel, retaining only the skins, which Mrs Abel dressed andbags, as needs de when Bobby finally received Abel's consent for hio over, as was his custo with Skipper Ed and Ji and study, and when he had eaten his supper he donned his snowshoes and _netsek_[D] and hurried eagerly away to Skipper Ed's cabin to invite Jimmy to join hiarment of seal skin, which is drawn on over the head like a shi+rt, and has a hood to protect the head When this garment is made of caribou skin it is called a _kulutuk_, and when made of cloth, an _adikey_]
”Yes, to be sure, Partner, youto be bleak and cold out there It's aThen we can take two teas”
”That will be dandy!” exclaimed Bobby, ”We'll have a fine tied Jimmy ”You can leave your traps for a week”
”I think I can--yes, I'll go,” Skipper Ed decided ”I was never hunting at the _sena_ but twice, though, and I've never forgotten o, before you came, Partner I ith Abel We had a hard time of it that year, for stormy weather came up and we nearly perished in a blizzard”
”We'll build a snow _igloo_” said Bobby, ”and be pretty comfortable
We'll take Father's snow knives and two of his old stone lamps We'll have plenty of seal oil to burn You know there's no wood out there, and it isn't worth while hauling any”
”Yes,” agreed Skipper Ed, ”we'll need the laet used to theo too far frohtthey lashed upon the two _koood supply of hardtack and boiled salt pork--the only provisions that would not freeze too hard to eat--with tea, and sleeping bags, and numerous articles of equipment for their own use and cos
Then the dogs were caught and harnessed, and in great exciteerness to be off _Oksunaes_ were shouted to Abel and Mrs Abel, and Bobby, grasping the front of one _komatik_, and Skipper Ed the front of the other, they pulled the to the tea themselves upon the _komatiks_, and away they dashed, down the steep and slippery incline, and off through the shore huallop
They were away to the _sena_, and the Great Adventure, at last
CHAPTER XX