AND KAYAK 81 



a laugh, and said, " You should have followed 

 me : snow much firmer the way I came." We 

 sat in a row upon the sled and ate more of 

 our frozen bread and meat : then Hero trotted 

 away again. 



When we reached our resting place, a tiny 

 hut half buried in the snow, he was waiting 

 for us. He had the snow cleared away from 

 the door and the fire burning ; and he was 

 busy breaking branches to make a bed for the 

 night. 



He slept on his share of the bed of branches, 

 slept like a top ; he was up to boil the kettle 

 in the morning ; he packed away the break- 

 fast things while the drivers put the dogs into 

 harness, and away he went again. And so we 

 came home again to Okak ; Hero first, trotting, 

 trotting, trotting. 



And as the sled went grinding up the beach 

 to the houses, Hero came shyly to me, with a 

 frank and pleasant smile upon his ruddy, 

 boyish face to thank me for the lift ! 



