dure them for but a short time, and had little 

 relish for her supper after a visit to one of them. 



It was not until the first of November, when 

 the days had grown very short, that we felt sure 

 we knew words enough to open school and begin 

 teaching. I told Koogak that we would •' make 

 books talk " the next day at the schoolhouse, and 

 that all the children must come when I rang the 

 bell. He at once went as my messenger to all 

 the houses in the neighborhood and spread the 

 news. 



My wife was so much excited the next morning 

 that she could hardly prepare our breakfast. At 

 ten I began ringing the bell, and with the first 

 stroke we heard a mighty confused shouting. 

 All were coming on the run — not only the chil- 

 dren, but their parents, men and women, old and 

 young, the women bringing their babies in their 

 lioods, and all hurrying, as if to secure choice 

 seats! Every one was shouting with laughter. 

 Never before did teachers see such a race to 

 reach the schoolhouse. At least twenty dogs, 

 each one barking madly, were coming, too. 



Mrs. Ganibell turned pale. " What do they 

 mean?" she exclaimed. "What are the old 

 ones coming for 1 Are they going to kill us ? " 



' ' Don't you hear them laugh ? " I said. 



"They would laugh at anything," she replied. 



I opened the outside door of the schoolroom, 

 and in they all came, over two hundred of them, 

 pell-mell, and six or seven dogs besides. 



As the schoolroom was only twenty-five feet 



long by twenty feet wide, they packed it as full 

 as a sardine-box. We could hardly stir inside. 

 For a while I did not know what to do. The 

 noise and the odors were unspeakable ; and worst 

 of all, men, women and boys were repeating all 

 their store of shocking English words, by way of 

 showing their knowledge. Imagine, if you can, 

 the scene inside that room ! I do not believe 

 that any two teachers ever before had sucli a 

 gathering of pupils. 



" Oh, what shall we do ? " my wife said to me, 

 almost crying. " What shall we do with them ? " 



"Oh, we shall manage all right," I replied. 

 " But we must get rid of the dogs." For these 

 curs were barking and snapping at each other. 



I then spoke to Koogak, and told him that it 

 was necessary that the room should be quiet, 

 that the dogs must be put out, and that the peo- 

 ple must all sit down. Koogak instantly bawled 

 out the orders ; and the next moment those dogs 

 went out, heels over head. Some were kicked 

 out, some were flung out bodily over the heads 

 of the throng. 



Then the people, still laughing, began to sit 

 down. Some sat on the school seats, some on 

 the top of the desks, some on the floor and some 

 on each other. Mrs. Gambell and myself were 

 crowded close against the blackboard and re- 

 mained standing. One old shaman was almost 

 touching me with his greasy head ; and a woman 

 with a fat baby peeping over her shoulders was 

 so nearly under my feet that I dared not step. 



