She had often seen the antics of the Eskimo and Chukche hunters as they performed in the cosgy (common workroom) during the long Arctic nights.
She had seen them go through this gliding motion which Ad-loo-at practiced now. She had seen them turn, leap in the air and kick as high as their heads with both feet, landing again on their feet with a smile. She had admired these feats, which no white boy could do, but had thought them only a form of play. Now she was beginning to realize that they were part of the training for just such emergencies as this.
Now her eyes were on the wolf, and now on the boy. As the wolf approached she cringed back to the very end of her jerk-line. She saw his red tongue lolling, heard the chop-chop of his iron jaws and caught the wicked gleam of his eyes.
The boy appeared to time his pace, for he came on more slowly. The deer, still facing the wolf, gave forth a wild snort of rage. He appeared to be unconscious of the fact that he was as defenseless as his driver.
Now the wolf was but a few yards away. Suddenly, pausing, he sprang quickly to the right, to the left, then to the right again. Before the deer could recover his bewildered senses, the wolf leaped full for his side.
But someone else leaped too. With a marvelous spring, the Eskimo boy landed full upon the reindeer"s back. Coming face to face with the surprised and enraged wolf, he poised his lance for the fatal thrust.
But at that instant, with a bellow of fear, the deer bolted.
In wild consternation Marian tugged at the skin-rope. In another moment she had the deer under control and turned to witness a battle royal. The Eskimo had been thrown from the deer"s back, but, agile as a cat, he had landed upon his feet and had turned to face the enemy.
He was not a moment too soon, for with a snarl of fury the wolf was upon him.
For a fraction of a second the lance gleamed. Came a snarl, half of rage, half of fear, as the wolf fell backward. But he was on his feet again. It was to no purpose. All was over in an instant. Long practice with the lance had given the boy power to baffle his enemy and send the lance straight to the wild beast"s heart.
"Come," Marian was startled by the sound of his voice at her side. She had managed to retain her hold on the jerk-rein. She now felt it being taken from her, knew that she was being lifted onto the sled and, the next moment, sensed the cool breeze that fanned her cheek. They were racing away to join Lucile and to continue their journey.
As she looked back, she saw the cowardly pack snarling over the bones of their fallen leader, and realizing that all danger was past, settled down in her place with a sigh as she said:
"That--that was a very close one."
"Too much close," Ad-loo-at smiled back. "In north we must go--how you say it--pre--pre--"
"Prepared," supplemented Marian. "We"ll never travel again without rifles."
"Oh! yes. Mebby," the boy smiled back. "Mebby all right. Mebby rifle miss fire. Him never miss fire." He patted first his lance, then the muscles of his strong right arm. "Better prepared think mine."
Marian smiled as the brown boy ran ahead to free his own deer and prepare to continue the journey. "Surely," she thought, "physical fitness is a great thing. The boy has paid us well for fighting his battles for him on Puget Sound."
No further adventures befell them on their journey, but it was with thankful hearts that they saw the familiar outlines of the village at East Cape. As the reindeer came to a stop they sprang from their sled, but Ad-loo-at made no move to follow them. "Me--I go back," he said gravely. "You safe--I no stay."
"But you must rest--and eat," remonstrated Lucile. "And the reindeers, they need rest."
"Huh," came the answer, with a shrug. "Better time to rest when all work is done. Me young; reindeers young--we rest at camp."
"But you must wait till I--I--well, there is something that I--that you--" Lucile fumbled for the right words. She sensed that the boy, for all his youth, had a grown-up way of looking at things. There was that talisman she had carried ever since that night he had left them there on the island of Puget Sound--the three elk teeth set with jade and an uncut diamond. "Don"t let him go, Marian, till I come back."
She darted into their igloo, to return an instant later, the odd jewel gleaming in her hand. At sight of it a smile spread over Ad-loo-at"s face. "Ch--k!" he chuckled.
"You must take it back," Lucile demanded.
The boy threw back his head and laughed boisterously. "It is a charm,"
he said. "Can one Chukche take back a charm? It will keep you--what you say?--safe, yes. Me, I have this." He held up his lance.
"But you must," urged Marian in turn.
"Must--hear you that, reindeer. Heya! let us go!" He waved his lance aloft in farewell. "Heya--mush!" he commanded, and the three reindeer broke into the untiring stride that would soon carry them from sight.
The two girls stood watching him till, with a last wave of his hand, he disappeared around a hill. Then, alone again, they thought of Phi.
"I wonder if he has gone on without us," said Marian.
"I wonder. No, there he is!" exclaimed Lucile. "He"s coming down the hill to meet us."
"Are--are we too late?" Lucile faltered as he reached their side.
"About six hours, I should say," Phi grinned.
"Six hours?"
"His nibs, the old Chukche guide, left for Cape Prince of Wales and all suburban points some six hours ago. Some one offered him more money than I did. I have a fancy it was your friend, the bearded miner who wanted my mail."
"And--and you waited for us?"
"Naturally, since the guide left."
"But you could have gone sooner?"
"Some three days, I"m told."
"But you didn"t?"
He smiled and shrugged his shoulders.
Marian"s head whirled. She was torn between conflicting emotions.
Most of all, she felt terribly ashamed. Here was a boy she had not fully trusted, yet he had given up a chance to escape to freedom and had waited for them.
"I--I beg your pardon," she said weakly. She sat down rather unsteadily on the reindeer sled.
"We couldn"t help it," she said presently. "They just wouldn"t bring us back. Isn"t there some other way?"
"I"ve thought of a possible one. I"ll make a little try-out. Be back in an hour."
Phi was off like a flash. A few minutes later the girls thought they heard him calling old Rover, who had been left in his care.
"Wonder what he wants of him?" said Lucile.
"I don"t know," said Marian. "But I do know I"m powerful hungry.
Let"s go find something to eat."
CHAPTER X
FINDING THE TRAIL
"I think we can go." Phi smiled as he spoke. His hour for a try-out had expired. He was back.