molasses in the storehouse. " Do you think that 

 Hoonakia and those who like gun-water will tiy 

 to get it ? " I asked him. 



Kannakut nodded. "It is all there is," he 

 said. "By and by, when they want drink, they 

 will come to get it and make fight." 



"You think that it would be better if they 

 did not find it ? " I asked. 



The boy's eyes searched my face. He nodded, 

 and an odd smile flitted across his sedate coun- 

 tenance. 



"Kannakut," I said, "Mrs. Gambell and I will 

 be in the schoolroom this evening, setting copies. 

 But the outer door of the house and the door 

 leading into the storeroom will not be bolted to- 

 night. I should be glad if the molasses and 

 wheat flour were not to be found there to-morrow 

 morning." 



Again the boy's eyes met mine for an instant 

 with a gleam of intelligence. I saw that he 

 fully understood the situation. 



Twice, about eight that evening, I fancied that 

 I lieard a slight noise in our kitchen, adjoining 

 the schoolroom. It was so slight, however, that 

 neither Mrs. Gambell nor the penitent Hoonakia 

 noticed it. On glancing into the storeroom the 

 next morning, I found that the flour and molasses 

 had disappeared. 



Kannakut, his face as sedate as ever, was at 

 school as usual the next day. He burdened me 

 with no confidences concerning what had oc- 

 curred. Kannakut is a wise boy in his way. 



What followed may be of interest to those who 

 study social evils. In the small hours of the suc- 

 ceeding night I was awakened by hearing Hoo- 

 nakia astir in our kitchen. She covertly entered 

 the storeroom in search of her materials for dis- 

 tillation. Not finding them there she retui-ned 

 to her bed, but I heard her moving about several 

 times &,fterward. The thirst for gun-water had 

 returned, and her repentance had vanished. 



The next day at about noon, without warning, 

 she flew into a violent rage, assaulted my wife, 

 and cursing frightfully in both Eskimo and Eng- 

 lish, finally left the house. Late that night she 

 returned with three or four of the men who had 

 shown a fondness for gun-water, and demanded 

 the flour and molasses. I admitted them into 

 the storeroom to see for themselves that it was 

 not there ; then I turned them out and bade them 

 begone. 



They were searching for a week, afterward, 

 for the missing staples, and a tremendous un- 

 easiness manifested itself throughout the village. 

 But Kannakut had performed Jiis part of tlie 

 task so well that the quest proved a bootless one. 

 When at last they had all satisfied themselves 

 that no more gun-water was possible that year, 

 quiet was restored. The men resumed hunting, 

 and the village settled to its former peaceable 

 and good-humored life. 



Mrs. Gambell believes that she has reclaimed 

 Hoonakia — for the fifth time. But when the Bear 

 returns to us in July, I shall do what I can to 



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