The Internet Detective Library — page 219: what you’re looking at

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

KOTUK’S PERIL. 207 be speed slackened, for they hud come upon a level and presently ne they halted. Sliding along thus they had piled up snow in front et. of them, and they came to rest gently at last without so much as a bruise to tell of their strange experience. Stokes and Kotuk got up and for the next few minutes devoted . their efforts to helping the dogs out of the tangle they had got into with their harness, ‘‘What next, Kotuk?’’ asked Stokes. ‘‘Ugh!’’ he answered. ‘‘Make house.”’ This they did as well as they could. In the darkness it was impossible to find the best kind of snow, but some sort of shelter they did manage to erect, under which they drove the dogs and afterward crawled themselves. In spite of the perils which surrounded them and the unknown dangers which might come, Stokes slept like a top. i When he awoke the storm had ceased. The sky was clear, and q by the light of the stars he saw that they were encamped upon 3 a perfectly level plain. A The level was broken a short distance away bya steep hill A down which they had slid the evening before. te Kotuk had not the slightest idea where they were, though he led judged from the looks of things that this level plain upon which iit. they were encamped was a frozen lake or arm of the shore. The poor fellow, accustomed though lhe was to the dangers of a | to northern winter, was bewildered by the situation and knew not } ing what to advise. “It strikes me,’’ said Stokes, ‘‘that the first thing we had bet- fell ter do is to hunt for fresh meat. Bt ‘*We’re in luck that some of our provisions managed to ‘stick . to the sled. We've got enough here to last three days, anyhow. sd. Meantime——’’ **No game here,’’ interrupted Kotuk, gloornily. ne ‘‘T don’t know about that,’’ Stokes answered. ‘I’m going to he sée what can be found.”’ Kotuk, utterly discouraged, refused to leave the camp. _ Stokes, therefore, gave him a revolver to use for signaling if there o = eee py ~ * nen oe ava wn! " Pde? ate wt fe Tr RS a em ae » should be occasion for it and started on alone in the direction < away from the hill. =, ot. _ There seemed to be no end of the plain in that direction. 1 Jd Toward midday it grew lighter, as usual. - Stokes could distin- iD. guish the heap of snow which he and Kotuk had made for a shel- ay ter at a great distance. He occasionally looked in that direction while he was tramp- ‘ing over the ice field. if eir | .., Hunger at last compelled Stokes to turn back? ue had howd bi No -game’nor any’ sign of any. ’ re ibooks:-com e¢om ()