

JULIUS TO THE RESCUE 



looking a real snow man. " Here is the track," he 

 announced, and flung himself heavily on to the sledge 

 and began to charge his pipe. Now the dogs ran 

 yelping on, and the sledge raced after them down the 

 slope. The drags were on, but the way was safe, for 

 we had recognised the passage between two rocks 

 which marked the beginning of the descent to the sea- 

 ice, and we drove on with perfect confidence. We 

 reached the ice late in the afternoon, and found the 

 wind blowing straight from the north. This was a 

 help, for it gave us our course across the bay ; but 

 e dogs refused to face it, and kept edging away to 

 ne side or the other, so that once more we had to 

 ly on the willing Julius. On he trotted, right in 

 e teeth of the wind, with the dogs scampering 

 ose on his heels. When for a while we skirted the 

 nd he came back to the sledge for a rest and a 

 oke, but in the open he dived into the storm 

 ain, and led the dogs on with tales of seals and 

 xes and a house to rest in. At last his words came 

 ue. " Iglo, iglo " (a house, a house), he yelled, and 

 to let the dogs race by. As he jumped on to 

 e sledge he said " A house ; sleep here," and the 

 edge drew up with a bump and a rattle at the door 

 f one of the craziest shacks that it has been my lot to 

 e. The door was off its hinges, if it ever had any, 

 d the doorway was choked with snow; but we 

 ug our way in with hands and snow knives. There 

 as a rusty iron stove without a pipe, but we filled 

 with damp twigs and lit it with a stump of candle, 

 d sat in the horrible reek. We were warm, and we 

 uld dry our clothes, even if we were choked. At first 

 was too awful for me, and even the Eskimos grinned 

 at it ; but when we got the fire nice and hot, and 



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