1 66 MY ARCTIC JOURNAL 



hear what they were saying; from their tone I judged it 

 was something serious. Finally I called to the doctor and 

 asked him what the trouble was. He told me that Matt 

 had overheard Kyo and Kulutingwah planning to make away 

 with one of us. I could not help laughing at this recital, 

 which provoked the doctor a little ; we had laughed at similar 

 stories related by Arctic explorers, and had agreed that these 

 natives were not at all inclined to be warlike or vindicti\'e. I 

 tried to reason with the boys. In the first place, if the natives 

 had any such design, would they not have kept the three men 

 here who left for Karnah yesterday ? Secondly, would they 

 be likely to come over to our house and discuss their plans? 

 And thirdly, do any of us know enough of their language to 

 understand a conversation in which the participants are not 

 even to be seen? The whole thing seemed very amusing to 

 me, but both boys were evidently frightened, and wanted to 

 be armed and ready for any emergency ; consequently, I gave 

 the doctor Mr. Peary's pistol to carry and Matt my large one, 

 and they have worn them all day. Matt imagined he knew 

 the cause of the whole thing, namely, Kyo was mad because 

 I had stopped his cofTee and bread in the morning; he had 

 blamed Matt for it, and so Matt felt certain he was to be 

 the victim. The fact is, however, that Kyo got his cofifee as 

 usual this morning. I had intended to stop it, but as Mane 

 was sick and did not care for her share, there was enough to 

 go round. The doctor, more than any one else, has reason 

 to fear Kyo, as Kyo makes no secret of his dislike for him. 



