The Eskimo Twins | Page 5

her fur suit, with fur hood and mittens, and it was hard
to tell which was Monnie and which was Tup as they tumbled in the
snow together.
Pretty soon Monnie picked herself up and shook off the snow. Then
Tup shook himself, too. Menie was rolling over and over down the

slope in front of the little stone house. His head was between his knees
and his hands held his ankles, so he rolled just like a ball.
Nip was running round and round him and barking with all his might.
They made strange shadows on the snow in the moonlight.
Monnie called to Menie. Menie straightened himself out at the bottom
of the slope, picked himself up and ran back to her.
"What shall we play?" said Monnie.
"Let's get Koko, and go to the Big Rock and slide downhill," said
Menie.
"All right," said Monnie. "You run and get your sled."
Menie had a little sled which his father had made for him out of
driftwood. No other boy in the village had one. Menie's father had
searched the beach for many miles to find driftwood to make this sled.
The Eskimos have no wood but driftwood, and it is so precious that it is
hardly ever used for anything but big dog sledges or spears, or other
things which the men must have.
Most of the boys had sleds cut from blocks of ice. Menie's sled was
behind the igloo. He ran to get it, and then the twins and the pups -all
four- started for Koko's house.
Koko's house was clear at the other end of the village. But that was not
far away, for there were only five igloos in the whole town.
First there was the igloo where the twins lived. Next was the home of
Akla, the Angakok, and his two wives. Then there were two igloos
where several families lived together. Last of all was the one where
Koko and his father and mother and baby brother lived.
Koko was six. He was the twins' best friend.
II.

The air was very still. There was not a sound anywhere except the
barking of the pups, the voices of Menie and Monnie, and the creaking
sound of the snow under their feet as they ran.
The round moon was sailing through the deep blue sky and shining so
bright it seemed almost as light as day.
There was one window in each igloo right over the tunnel entrance, and
these windows shone with a dull yellow light.
In front of the village lay the sea. It was covered with ice far out from
shore. Beyond the ice was the dark water out of which the sun would
rise by and by.
There was nothing else to be seen in all the twins' world. There were no
trees, no bushes even; nothing but the white earth, the shadows of the
rocks and the snow-covered igloos, the bright windows, and the moon
shining over all.
III.
Menie and Monnie soon reached Koko's igloo. Menie and Nip got there
first. Monnie came puffing along with Tup just a moment after.
Then the twins dropped on their hands and knees in front of Koko's hut,
and stuck their heads into the tunnel. Nip and Tup stuck their heads in,
too.
They all four listened. There was not a sound to be heard except loud
snores! The snores came rattling through the tunnel with such a
frightful noise that the twins were almost scared.
"They sleep out loud, don't they?" whispered Monnie.
"Let's wake them up," Menie whispered back.
Then the twins began to bark. "Ki-yi, ki-yi, ki-yi, ki-yi," just like little
dogs!

Nip and Tup began to yelp, too. The snores and the yelps met in the
middle of the tunnel and the two together made such a dreadful sound
that Koko woke up at once. When he heard four barks he knew right
away that it must be the twins and the little dogs.
So he stuck his head into the other end of the tunnel and called, "Keep
still. You'll wake the baby! I'll be there in a minute."
Very soon Koko popped out of the black hole. He was dressed in a fur
suit and mittens just like the twins.
IV.
The three children went along together toward the Big Rock. Monnie
rode on the sled, and Menie and Koko pulled it. The Big Rock was very
straight up and down on one side, and long and slanting on the other.
The twins were going to coast down the slanting side.
They climbed to the top, and Menie had the first ride. He coasted down
on his stomach with his little reindeer-skin kamiks (shoes) waving in
the air.
Next Koko had a turn. What do you