The Giant of the North | Page 7

here!" whimpered poor little Oblooria,
nestling closer to Tekkona and grasping her tail, "he fears nothing and
nobody."
"Ay," assented Tekkona with a peculiar smile, "and is brave enough to
fight everything and everybody."
"Does Oblooria think that no one can fight but the giant?" whispered
Oolichuk, who stood nearest to the little maid.
He drew a knife made of bone from his boot, where it usually lay
concealed, and flourished it, with a broad grin. The girl laughed,

blushed slightly, and, looking down, toyed with the sleeve of Tekkona's
fur coat.
Meanwhile the yacht drew near to the floe on which our Eskimos were
grouped. The ice was cracked right across, leaving a lane of open water
about ten feet wide between its inner edge and the shore ice. The
Eskimos stood on the land side of this crack, a hundred yards or so
from it. On nearing the floe the strange vessel checked her speed.
"It moves its wings!" exclaimed Eemerk.
"And turns its side to us," said Akeetolik.
"And wags its tail no more," cried Oolichuk.
"Oh! do, do let us run away," gasped Oblooria.
"No, no, we will not run," said Tekkona.
At that moment a white cloud burst from the side of the yacht.
"Hi! hee! huk!" shouted the whole tribe in amazement.
A crash followed which not only rattled like thunder among the
surrounding cliffs, but went like electric fire to the central marrow of
each Eskimo. With a united yell of terror, they leaped three feet into the
air--more or less--turned about, and fled. Tekkona, who was active as a
young deer, herself took the lead; and Oblooria, whose limbs trembled
so that she could hardly run, held on to Oolichuk, who gallantly
dragged her along. The terror was increased by a prolonged screech
from the steam-whistle. It was a wild scramble in sudden panic. The
Eskimos reached their sledges, harnessed their teams, left their spears
on the ice, cracked their whips, which caused the dogs to join in the
yelling chorus, and made for the land at a furious gallop.
But their fear began to evaporate in a few minutes, and Oolichuk was
the first to check his pace.
"Ho! stop," he cried.

Eemerk looked back, saw that they were not pursued, and pulled up.
The others followed suit, and soon the fugitives were seen by those on
board the yacht grouped together and gazing intently at them from the
top of another ice-hummock.
The effect of the cannon-shot on board the yacht itself was somewhat
startling. The gun had been loaded on the other side of the promontory
for the purpose of being fired if Eskimos were not visible on the coast
beyond, in order to attract them from the interior, if they should chance
to be there. When, however, the natives were discovered on the ice, the
gun was, of course, unnecessary, and had been forgotten. It therefore
burst upon the crew with a shock of surprise, and caused the Captain,
who was in the cabin at the moment, to shoot up from the hatchway
like a Jack-in-the-box.
"Who did that?" he demanded, looking round sternly.
The crew, who had been gazing intently at the natives, did not know.
"I really cannot tell, sir," said the chief mate, touching his cap.
Two strapping youths--one about sixteen, the other eighteen--leaned
over the side and paid no regard to the question; but it was obvious,
from the heaving motion of their shoulders, that they were not so much
absorbed in contemplation as they pretended to be.
"Come, Leo, Alf, you know something about this."
The Captain was a large powerful man of about forty, with bushy
iron-grey curls, a huge beard, and an aquiline nose. The two youths
turned to him at once, and Leo, the eldest, said respectfully, "We did
not see it done, uncle, but--but we think--"
"Well, what do you think?"
At that moment a delicate-looking, slender lad, about twelve years of
age, with fair curly hair, and flashing blue eyes, stepped out from
behind the funnel, which had hitherto concealed him, and said boldly,

though blushingly--
"I did it, father."
"Ha! just like you; why did you do it? eh!"
"I can hardly tell, father," said the boy, endeavouring to choke a laugh,
"but the Eskimos looked so funny, and I--I had a box of matches in my
pocket, and--and--I thought a shot would make them look so very much
funnier, and--and--I was right!"
"Well, Benjamin, you may go below, and remain there till further
orders."
When Captain Vane called his son "Benjamin," he was seriously
displeased. At other times he called him Benjy.
"Yes, father," replied the boy, with a very bad grace, and down he went
in a state of rebellious despair, for he was wildly anxious to witness