The Internet Detective Library — page 216: what you’re looking at

Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.

204 KOTUK’S PERIL. For fully fifteen minutes after the party halted the men went about prodding the snow here and there until they found exactly the kind they wanted. Then while some built a fire and prepared supper, the others cut the blocks of snow and stacked them up. until a shelter had been made where the night could be passed in safety. _ A quantity of whale blubber had been brought on the sleds, and some of this was set burning within the hut itself. It made the air stifling and almost unbearable to Stokes, but without it every man in the party would have frozen before morning, _ Dogs and all slept in the hut, and the next morning the jour- ney was resumed. The detective from the south could not get over a continual feeling of surprise at the endless night. During about one hour in the day the stars paled, but there was never anything like the bright light of a southern day. At the end of the second day Stokes asked his friends how much longer it would take to get to Zeglit. One of them responded, with an amused smile, that at this rate they might get there in a week. ‘We shall leave you to-morrow,’’ he added. ‘‘Well,’’ thought Stokes, “‘I may get used to this everlasting night time, and I reckon if these Esquimaux can stand it I can; at the same time I shall give three cheers the next time TI see the sun. I wonder if I ever shall?” When the party crawled out of the second snow hut to begin the third day’s journey the Esquimaux looked at the sky with alarm. ‘‘Storm coming,’ they said. ‘‘Ts that going to prevent your getting’on?’’ asked Stokes, anxiously. ‘*No can tell,’’ they answered. ‘‘We get better pad than this if we have time.’’ They hurried their departure and cheered the dogs on to. their greatest speed in order to reach what they said: would be: a -safe place to remain in if they had-to while the storm lasted#-.« - The wind rose steadily all through the forenoon, and the stare disappeared behind banks of heavy clouds. Early in the afternoon it began to. snow.. It came aves” so hard and fast that.the dogs found difficulty in dragging the, sleds, At last the Esquimaux halted, convinced that they could not reach the place they wished to,. and set. about. making prepara- ations for some kind of a.camp where they. were... It would have been better if they had stayed at. their second camp. It seemed as if after they decided to halt the ve blew in greater fury and.the snow fell faster than ever... ‘ a oO ‘boo <S-GO