He grabbed it from behind the stove, pulled 

 the big hammer back, and felt with his fin- 

 gers to be sure that the cap was ready on 

 the nipple. He stole to the door and opened 

 it cautiously, pushing the gun -barrel out 

 ahead of him. A huge white beast turned 

 swiftly as the door squeaked. Tomah, mak- 

 ing out what seemed to him a great head in 

 the darkness, poked the muzzle of the gun 

 into it and pulled the trigger. There was a 

 deafening roar; the door was slammed back 

 in the face of the old Indian with a force 

 that sent him sprawling on his back. Daddy 

 with a last terrible groan lay still, as if it 

 were all over. 



When Tomah scrambled to his feet, his 

 ears ringing, his nose filled with pungent 

 powder smoke, there lay Matwock at the 

 end of his long trail. He was lying as if 

 asleep, his great paws outspread across the 

 threshold, his head resting heavily between 

 them. The tail of the last codfish stuck out 

 of a corner of his mouth, and his lips were 

 parted in a ferocious grin, as if to the end 

 it were all a huge joke. 



313 



Mafwoc/c of 

 If? e icebergs 



