The Land of the Musk-Ox 



But the white monotony of the rolling land and 

 level lake remained unbroken. The reindeer did 

 not come. The days became shorter, dimmer, darker. 

 The mercury kept on the slide. 



Forty degrees below zero did not trouble the 

 Indians. They stamped till they dropped, and sang 

 till their voices vanished, and beat the tomtoms ever 

 lastingly. Jones fed the children once each day, 

 against the trapper s advice. 



One day, while Rea was absent, a dozen braves 

 succeeded in forcing an entrance, and clamored so 

 fiercely, and threatened so desperately, that Jones 

 was on the point of giving them food when the door 

 opened to admit Rea. 



With a glance he saw the situation. He dropped 

 the bucket he carried, threw the door wide open and 

 commenced action. Because of his great bulk he 

 seemed slow, but every blow of his sledge-hammer 

 fist knocked a brave against the wall, or through the 

 door into the snow. When he could reach two 

 savages at once, by way of diversion, he swung their 

 heads together with a crack. They dropped like 

 dead things. Then he handled them as if they were 

 sacks of corn, pitching them out into the snow. In 

 two minutes the cabin was clear. He banged the 

 door and slipped the bar in place. 



&quot; Buff, I m goin to get mad at these thievin red- 



159 



