Thinking very hard, it seemed that Tuktus voice was
rounderand fuller than before. He sawthat the old woman was right and chewed the
faster. I went out to find if I could perhapssee, but everything is
black.
The blind man stumbled to the mouth of the tunnel
and stretched himselfacross it.
To-morrow we shall try to kill something, but
hemust not know if we have meat.
At all this, Pituluk, a lean Husky, had gazed
calmly far years.
Then,mounting a thousand feet, he flew round and
round in swift and anxiouscircles.
Pituluk woke with a start, for the soundof
scratching of mighty claws came through the igloo wall. A strong man was Pituluk,
even in his blindness. Pituluk tried to think of the words he once heard a whaling
captain usewhen he was very angry.
Pituluk closed his burning lids, then opened them
because they smartedthe more.
His face was stillplastered with the discharge from
closed and swollen lids.
I am not sorry that he is blind, said the latter,
and perhaps he willnever see again.
Pituluk said nothing, but he was aware of a
difference he did notunderstand. There were so manyother men abroad in the
North.
See, we will nottake it into the igloo, but keep it
here under the stones.
She reached ahead of him, and handed it quickly to
Tuktu.
He was a big bear, said Tuktu regretfully, and
without doubt there wasmuch meat on him.
As one they answered and swung royally to their
appointed places in theascending slant. As to the blind one he felt evenmore
sorry.
The blind man pushed on with dwindling
force.
The man in front wascarrying both pack-sacks, which
loomed up mountainously in the palewhite light. Two hundred yards away a man was
floundering in the snow, his arms wavingdespairingly. With an exclamation he
twistedhis feet free and began to dig. The first man stood, till suddenly the truth
was clear and he steppedswiftly forward. She was staring at a dog that lurched
towardthem, his belly bulging.
The blind man heard, andhalted at once, his ears
accomplishing a double duty.
He didnot think much of his own distress, but of
the one in front. He was a big bear, said Tuktu regretfully, and without doubt there
wasmuch meat on him. Ah-hoo-nah, ah-hoo-nah, the greatfish seemed to sigh, and saw
them not. Why then should you care if Istop hunting? Pituluk closed his burning
lids, then opened them because they smartedthe more.
See, we will nottake it into the igloo, but keep it
here under the stones. She could justsee it in the faint flicker of the
lamp.
Presently theblind man sighed deeply and a quiver
ran through his frame.
Followed a staccato of barking, the gasps of a
scufflingfight, and a long howl of pain. His face expressed no fear, but justa dumb
wonder that this thing should have come to him. Pituluk said nothing, but he was
aware of a difference he did notunderstand. The rescuer peeredat the river, where it
seemed something was moving, mysteriously uncouth. Tuktu, to make sure, paused till
the hooded head pushed through.