It was at this time that the skipper suggested to the mate one
evening,
"Jack, les go caribou huntin' t'-morrer. I'm gettin' stiff hangin'
'round here."
"All right, sir," acquiesced the mate, "but," he asked, "th' crew's
all away exceptin' th' cook, an' who'll look after things here if we
both goes t' once?"
"We kin leave the cook alone fer one day I guess. If any o' th'
livyeres come he kin keep 'em till we comes back in th' evenin'."
The arrangements were therefore made for the hunt, and the following
morning bright and early they were off.
At sunrise there was a slight westerly breeze blowing, and the skipper
suggested,
"Th' wind might stiffen up a bit an' we better keep an eye to it."
They were well back in the hills before the predicted stiffening came
to such an extent that they decided it was wise to return to the
shack.
Skipper Sam and his mate were not accustomed to land travelling and
the hurried retreat soon winded them and they were held down to so
slow a walk that the afternoon was half spent and the wind had grown
to a gale when they finally came in view of the harbour. Skipper Sam
was ahead, and when he looked towards the place where the _Maid of the
North_ had been snugly held in the ice in the morning he rubbed his
eyes.
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