CHAPTER XVI
A SAMOYEDE ENCAMPMENT.
The action of the canoe was altogether changed as soon as it wasreleased from the strain of the boat behind. There was no more tuggingand jarring, but she rose and fell on the waves almost imperceptibly.
"Well, Jack, old fellow, what do you think of it?" Godfrey said to thedog as it nestled up close to him. "Here we are now, out in a regularstorm. It is lucky we have plenty of sea-room, Jack. I reckon it isseventy or eighty miles across to the other side of the gulf, and Idon't suppose she can drag those spars through the water much more thana mile an hour. So we have plenty of time before us. We must both putaway as much time in sleep as we can. We have lost almost all ourprovisions, old boy, and our water, which was of still more consequence.It is very lucky I always made a rule of having the kettle filled andput on board here after each meal and of keeping a dozen pounds of meathere. I thought we might be obliged to cast the boat adrift suddenly.Well, if we have luck, we may find it again. We shall both drift in thesame line, and there is no reason why she shouldn't live through it. Thestock of firewood has gone down, and she has not got above a couple ofhundred pounds' weight in her altogether. I am afraid she will takeenough salt water on board to spoil our supply of fresh, but I think weare drifting pretty straight for the Kara River. I calculated that itlay dead to leeward of us when the wind went to the north-west."
It was a considerable time before Godfrey went off to sleep owing to therapid changes of the angle at which he was lying. Sometimes his head wastwo or three feet higher than his feet, and directly afterwards theposition was exactly reversed. The rolling was but slight, and this hescarcely felt, being too tightly packed in along with the furs and thedog to move much. But at last the noise of the water and the roar of thewind lulled him to sleep. He woke once, and then went off again, and hiswatch told him that he had been altogether asleep twelve hours. When henext woke, he felt at once that the motion was slighter than it had beenand that the wind had greatly abated.
"Are you asleep, Luka?" he shouted.
"I am not asleep now," Luka replied drowsily.
"The storm is pretty nearly over; I will get the cover off and lookround, and then we will see if we can't boil some water and have sometea. We have never used any of those candles yet; this will be a goodopportunity to try them."
Unlashing and removing the cover, Godfrey sat up and looked round. Thegale had broken. Black clouds were hurrying past overhead, but therewere patches of blue sky. The sea was still very heavy, but it wasrarely that the canoe dipped her nose under a wave, so lightly did sherise and fall over them.
"In a few hours we shall have our sail up again, Luka," he said as theTartar thrust his head up through his opening. It was but for a moment.He instantly dived under again and replaced the cover, appalled at thesea, which was infinitely rougher than anything he had ever beforewitnessed.
"It looks pretty bad, doesn't it?" Godfrey said, laughing, as he, too,resumed his position of shelter.
"It is terrible," Luka said.
"I expect it has been worse. At any rate, as you can see we have gotthrough it without taking a drop of water on board, thanks to thefloating anchor. Now I will pass the kettle forward to you. Be verycareful with it, for it is all the water we have."
"All the water! Why, what has become of the boat?" Luka exclaimed.
"I had to cut her adrift half an hour after the squall struck us. Didnot you hear me look out when I took your paddle?"
"I felt you take the paddle, but there was too much noise to hearanything, and I was too frightened to listen. I thought that surely weshould go to the bottom. Why did you cut her loose?"
"Because she was tugging so hard. She would have pulled us to pieces,and it was better to let her go than to risk that. She will have driftedthe same way we have done, only she will have gone three times as fast,for she was a good deal higher out of water, and the paddles which Ifastened on to her head-rope won't have anything like the hold on thewater that our spars have. We will keep in the same direction when weget our sails up, and if she has lived through it we shall very likelyfind her ashore somewhere along the coast. Now be sure you lash thatkettle securely to the deck-beam, Luka. Put it as near one side as youcan get it, then there will be room for you to lie alongside and watchit. But stop! Before you fasten it pour out half a mugful of water forJack. He doesn't like tea, and there will be nothing but tea for himafter we have once made it."
The candle was lighted and fixed under the kettle, but the four wicksgave out such an odour that Godfrey was glad to sit up again and remainoutside, until a nudge from Luka told him that the tea was ready. Theyate with it some slices of raw bear's ham. Luka offered to cook it, butGodfrey had had the candle put out the moment he got under the cover andwould not hear of its being lighted again.
"It is not at all bad raw," he said. "They eat raw ham in Germany, andthat last smoking it got was almost as good as cooking it. I expect thesea will have gone down in a few hours, and then we can have a regularmeal; but if you were to light that smelly thing again now it would makeme ill. Now, Jack, I will light my pipe and look out again, and youshall come out too for a breath of fresh air. I will hold you tight andsee that you don't go over."
In twelve hours the sea had almost gone down. The floating anchor washauled up and unlashed, the masts were stepped, the large sail hoisted,and, free from the dead weight that had hitherto checked her speed, thelittle craft sped along gaily before the gentle wind, Godfrey keepingher as near as possible dead before it, on the chance that they mightcatch sight of the boat.
"If we drifted a mile an hour and she drifted three," he said, "shewould have gained four-and-twenty miles while we were asleep, andperhaps since then she has been gaining a mile an hour; so she is fromthirty-five to forty miles ahead of us, and must be quite half-wayacross the gulf. Anyhow, we need not begin to look out yet; we are goingabout four knots an hour, I should think, and I don't suppose she isgoing more than one. In about ten hours we must begin to look about forher."
Before the end of that time the sea had gone quite down, and the windhad fallen so light that Godfrey thought they were scarce making threeknots an hour. "I hope it won't fall altogether," he said, "for as wehave no paddles it would be awkward for us."
"Two of the bottom boards will do for paddles."
"Yes, I know that, Luka, I am steering with one of them; but they woulddo very little good, for they are so thin that they would break offdirectly we put any strength on to them."
Godfrey occasionally stood up and looked round, but could see no signsof the boat, and indeed could hardly have done so unless he had passedwithin a couple of miles at most of her.
"The wind may have changed a little," he said, "though I don't think ithas done so. Anyhow, I will head a little more to the south, so as to besure that we shall strike the shore to the east both of the Kara Riverand the point she is likely to drift to."
Four hours later they made out land ahead of them, some six miles awayas they guessed, and holding on reached it in two hours and a half'stime. They stepped out as soon as they got into shallow water, carriedthe canoe ashore, drank a mug of cold tea and ate some raw meat, andthen lay down for a long sleep. When they woke they collected somedrift-wood and lighting a fire, cooked some meat.
"What are you going to do, Godfrey?" Luka asked. "Are you going to setout at once to look for the boat?"
"No, we had better wait for a few hours. She may not have drifted to theshore yet, though I do not think she can be far off; still it is as wellto give her plenty of time. At any rate we can shoot some birds, so thetime won't be lost."
Having made a fair bag and been absent from the canoe for five hoursthey returned, and after cutting up a capercailzie and grilling it overthe fire, they got the boat into the water and started.
They had sailed about eight miles to the west when Luka exclaimed,"There is something there by the shore close to that point. It may bethe boat; it may be a rock."
&nbs
p; It was another quarter of an hour before Godfrey was able to assurehimself that it was really the boat. "Thank God for that, Luka!" heexclaimed. "We have reason to thank Him for a great many things. I do soevery hour, and I hope you do so too. But finding the boat again safeseems to me the greatest blessing we have had yet; I don't know what weshould have done without it."
Another quarter of an hour brought them to the point. The boat lay justafloat, bumping on the sand as each little wave lifted and left her.They sprang out of the canoe into shallow water and threw out theanchor, and then waded to the boat. She had about four inches of waterin her, but was entirely uninjured.
"Hurrah!" Godfrey shouted, "she is as good as ever. Now, Luka, geteverything out of her as soon as you can, then we can turn her over andempty her, put the things in again, and be off at once. We have got notime to lose, for you must remember there is not much more than a quartof cold tea left in the kettle. I am sure the Kara River can't be veryfar off, but I can't say whether it is three miles or thirty."
In half an hour they were again afloat and working their paddles toassist the sail. Two hours later Luka said, "Huts on that point ahead ofus."
"So there are," Godfrey said. "Six or eight of them and a lot ofcattle."
"Reindeer!" Luka corrected. "Samoyede village."
"Why, there must be hundreds of them," Godfrey said in surprise.
"Yes, the Ostjaks told me in our old camp that many of the Samoyedes hadfive hundred, and some of them a thousand reindeer. They keep them justas we do cattle. Their wealth is counted by their reindeer. They maketheir clothes of its skin; its milk and flesh are their chief food. Itdraws their sledges, and when they want money they can sell some ofthem."
"Did you ask how much they can be sold for?"
"Yes, the Ostjaks said that they were worth here two or three roubleseach."
"Then if there are many of these encampments along the shore, Luka, weneed not trouble about food; and if anything happens to our boat we canmake a couple of sledges, buy four reindeer, and start by land."
"Then we should have to wait until winter," Luka said.
"Yes, that would be a nuisance; but it would not be so very long towait. I had no idea reindeer were so cheap. If I had I think instead ofspending the winter hunting I would have bought some reindeer andstarted to drive. Still it would have been a terrible journey, andperhaps we have done better as it is. Well, shall we land? What do youthink?"
"We don't want anything," Luka said. "The Samoyedes are generallyfriendly. They are not like the Tunguses and Yuraks. But you see thereare but two of us, and we have hatchets and knives and other things theyvalue. If we wanted anything I should say let us land, but as we don'tit would be better to go on."
"You are right, Luka. I don't suppose there would be any risk of beingrobbed; still it is just as well not to run even the smallest chance oftrouble when everything is going on so well."
On passing the point on which the encampment was situated they saw awide opening. "The Kara!" Godfrey exclaimed joyously. "We will cross tothe other side, and coast up on that shore till the water becomesfresh."
It required four hours' sailing and paddling before they got beyond theinfluence of the sea, then they landed, shot and hunted for a couple ofdays, took in a fresh supply of water, and started again.
"We have passed the line of the Ural Mountains now," Godfrey said. "TheKara rises in that range. We may almost consider ourselves in Russia."
One morning Luka woke Godfrey soon after he had lain down for his turnof sleep.
"Fog coming," he said.
Godfrey sat up and looked round. "That it is, Luka. We must head forshore directly." He seized his paddle, but the fog cloud had driftedrapidly down upon them, and before they were half-way to shore drifts ofwhite cloud floated past them on the water, and five minutes later theywere surrounded by a dense white wall, so thick that even the canoetowing behind was invisible. They ceased paddling.
"There is nothing to do but to wait," Godfrey said. "Get your fur coaton; it is bitterly cold. There is one comfort, what wind there is istowards the shore, and we shall drift that way."
"I can't feel any wind at all," Luka said.
"No, it is very slight; but there must have been some to bring this fogdown from the north. We were not more than half a mile from the shorewhen it closed in upon us. If we only drift fifty yards an hour we shallbe there in time. Let us have a cup of tea and then we will rig up thecover and turn in. We have a lot of sleep to make up for. There is onecomfort, there is no chance of our being run down."
Godfrey saw by his watch when he woke that he had been asleep for fourhours, and he sat up and looked round. The fog was as thick as before.The movement woke Luka, and he too sat up.
"Listen, Luka!" Godfrey exclaimed as he was about to speak. "I heard abird chirp." The sound was repeated. "It is over there," Godfrey said."Hurrah! we shall soon be ashore," and they seized their paddles.
After rowing for a minute or two they stopped and again listened. "Thereit is again," Godfrey said; "right ahead. Paddle gently, Luka; wesha'n't see the shore until we are on it, and we must not risk runninghead on to a rock." Presently something dark appeared just in front ofthe canoe.
"Hold water!" Godfrey exclaimed, and as they stopped her way the boatdrifted quietly against a rock. They brought her broadside to it andstepped out.
"That is a comfort. The fog can last for a week now. Let us get thecanoe ashore. We can moor the boat; the water is as smooth as glass, andthere is no risk whatever of her damaging herself. Bring an armful offirewood ashore," he went on as they laid the canoe down gently on aflat rock. "I will look about for a place for the tent."
"Do not go far or you will lose yourself."
"I will take care of that. I won't go beyond speaking distance."
Godfrey soon found a patch of sand large enough for the tent, and thiswas soon erected and a fire lit. Jack as usual indulged in a wildscamper, but returned to Godfrey's whistle. "Don't go too far, Jack, oryou will be losing your way too."
The fog did not clear off for another forty-eight hours, but when at theend of that time they looked out of their tent the sky was clear and thebirds were singing gaily. The ground rose almost perpendicularly behindthem to a height of from twenty to thirty feet. It was rocky, with somedeep indentations.
"We will do some shooting, Luka; but as there may be some natives nearwe will hide the canoe. It is no use running any risks. We will stow thetent and get everything packed before we start, and then we shall beable to set out when we return."
The canoe was packed and carried some fifty yards along the shore, andthen laid behind a great boulder that had fallen at the mouth of a cleftin the rock.
"Shall we pull up the boat?" Luka asked.
"No, I don't think that is worth while. There is nothing there worthstealing. The natives have got plenty of fish of their own, no doubt,and drift-wood too. Now let us be off."
The birds were scarcer than usual, and they wandered a long distancebefore they had made up anything like their usual bag.
"We have been eight hours out," Godfrey said, looking at his watch. "Wemay as well have a meal before we start back. It will take us two orthree hours to get to the boat again. There will be no loss of time. Ittakes no longer cooking here than it would there, and we may as wellcarry the birds inside as out."
They were engaged in eating their meal when Jack suddenly gave an angrygrowl, and looking up they saw a party of a dozen Samoyedes with bowsand arrows at a distance of fifty yards behind them. They sprang totheir feet.
"Shall I shoot?" Luka asked.
"No, no, Luka, their intentions may be friendly. Besides, though wemight kill three or four of them they would riddle us with arrows. Wehad best meet them as friends."
When the Samoyedes came up Luka gave them the ordinary salutation offriendship.
"Where come from?" the man who seemed to be the leader of the nativesasked suspiciously.
"A long way from the
east," Luka said, pointing in that direction.
"Who are you?"
"Ostjak," Luka said, knowing that the Samoyedes would have heard of thattribe, but would know nothing of his own.
"Who this?" the native asked, pointing to Godfrey.
"A friend of Ostjaks," Luka said, "come to hunt and shoot. I come withhim."
"This Samoyede country," the native said; "not want Ostjaks here."
"We do no harm," Luka said. "We go west, far along, not want Samoyedecountry. Buy milk of Samoyedes. Good friends."
The Samoyedes talked together, and then the leader said "Come!" Withoutany appearance of hesitation Godfrey and Luka set off with the natives.Their language, though differing from that of the northern Ostjaks, wassufficiently alike for them to be able to understand each other.
"Do you think they mean to be friendly?" Godfrey asked in Russian.
"I don't know," Luka replied. "Perhaps not made up their minds yet."
"They are going down to the coast, that is a comfort, Luka; they aregoing to the west of our boats. I suppose they have an encampment there.I expect they heard my gun and have been following us at a distanceuntil they saw us sit down."
"Must have seen them," Luka said.
"Only one may have been following us, and may have sent the others backto fetch up the rest from their tents. Well, it does not matter now theyhave got us. If they ask where we came from, as I expect they will, youhad better tell them, Luka, we came in a boat. They will guess itwithout our telling, and will very likely look for it. It is better tomake no concealment."
Two hours' walking brought them to a little valley, in the middle ofwhich ran a small stream. They followed it down for half a mile, andthen at a sudden turn they saw the sea in front of them, a cluster often Samoyede yourts and a herd of reindeer feeding on the slope behindthem. A number of women and children and five or six old men came out tolook at them as they approached.
"Sit down and let us talk," the leader said as they reached the village,and set the example by seating himself by a large fire. Godfrey and Lukaat once did the same.
"The Ostjak and his friend have come very far," he said.
"A long distance," Luka replied. "We have travelled many days and aregoing to the Petchora."
"Have you reindeer? Did you walk all the way?"
"No, we have no reindeer; we came in a boat. You will find it along theshore."
"How far?"
"About an hour's walk I should say."
The Samoyede gave an order, and two of the men at once left the circle,got into a canoe, and paddled away.
"The strangers will stay here for a day or two. We have plenty of milkand fish."
Luka nodded. "We are in no hurry to go on. We have plenty of time toreach the Petchora before the winter sets in."
The Samoyede spoke to one of the women, and she set to work to clear outone of the tents. The chief got up and walked away, and the conferencewas evidently over. Three hours later they saw the canoe reappear at themouth of the river with the boat towing behind it. The Samoyedesgathered on the shore to examine it, evidently surprised at its form andsize, which differed entirely from their own, which were little craftcapable of holding two at most. They tasted the water at the bottom ofthe boat and found it to be fresh. The stove for cooking spoke foritself, and as there was firewood, meat, flour, and some rough furs,there seemed all that was necessary for a journey. When they returnedthe chief asked Luka:
"Is that Ostjak canoe?"
"Yes; but it is built much larger than our canoes generally are, as itwas for long journey."
Presently the women brought a large bowl of reindeer milk and some friedfish. As they were eating, four of the men who were standing behindsuddenly threw themselves upon Godfrey and Luka, while the others closedin, and in a minute they were securely bound hand and foot. Godfrey madeno struggle, for he felt that it would be useless and might result inhis being shot or stabbed. The hatchets and knives were taken from theirbelts, and they were then carried to the tent and thrown down. Jack hadfought fiercely, biting several of the natives, until he was struckwith a spear in the shoulder by the chief, when he limped off utteringpiercing yells.
"What do you think they mean to do with us, Luka?" Godfrey asked. "Willthey hand us over to the Russians, do you think? Cowardly blackguards. Iwish now we had fought at first."
"No, won't hand us to Russians; too far off. They don't think of that;they have taken us for the sake of our hatchets and knives and of yourgun. Perhaps they will keep us to work for them. Perhaps they will cutour throats."
"It is not a pleasant look-out either way. Still, if they keep us, weare safe to get away before long; we must hope for the best. I wonderthey haven't taken my ammunition and the other things."
"Not know about pockets," Luka said. "They would have taken them if theyhad."
Two or three hours later the Samoyedes came in and carefully examinedthe captives' lashings. Their hands were tied behind them with reindeerthongs, which were so tightly bound that they almost cut into the skin,and their feet were equally firmly lashed. In a few minutes the sound oftalk ceased and the camp became quiet.
"I suppose it is their bedtime," Godfrey said. "If the fools do not seta guard over us we shall soon be free."
"How is that?" Luka asked.
"We will gnaw through one of the thongs, of course, there can be nodifficulty about that; we will give them an hour to get to sleep andthen we will set to work. What is that? Ah, Jack, is it you?" as the dogcrept in between them with low whines. "Poor old chap, you did yourbest. I can't pat you now. Roll yourself to the door and look out,Luka."
"There are three of them sitting by a fire, but it will be darkerpresently and they will not see us"--for although it could scarcely becalled night the sun now dipped for an hour or two below the horizon atmidnight.
"Well, see or not see, we will go, Luka. If we are to be killed it shallbe making a fight for it, and not having our throats cut like sheep.Now, I think you are more accustomed to chewing tough food than I am, soI will roll over on my face, and do you set to work and bite through thethong."
Luka's sharp teeth cut through the twisted hide in five minutes. It wasa quarter of an hour more before Godfrey's hands recovered their usualfeeling. As soon as they were efficient he unfastened the thongs roundhis companion's wrists and those round their feet.
"Now then, Luka, put your head out and see if you can see my gun."
"Gun sure to be in chief's tent," Luka said. He looked out. "Can't seegun. My bow and arrows are lying on ground by chief's tent."
"Very well, then, you had better crawl round and fetch them first, thatwill be something to begin a fight with anyhow. Here, I will slit openthe tent behind with my knife, then you can crawl along past the otherstill you get to the chief's tent without those fellows at the firesseeing you. I am more afraid of those beastly dogs giving the alarm thanof the men."
Godfrey cut a slit with his pocket-knife in the reindeer-skin covering,and then Luka crawled out. He lay flat on his stomach and draggedhimself along, looking, as Godfrey thought, in the twilight, just likethe seals he had seen crawling over the rocks. He passed three of theyourts and then turned off. In four or five minutes he reappeared withhis bow and quiver of arrows and two native spears. He crawled back ascarefully as he had gone.
"Give me the knife, Godfrey."
Godfrey handed it to him. "You are not going to kill anyone, Luka? Ifthey attack us, of course we shall shoot them down in self-defence, butI would not have anyone killed in cold blood on any account."
The Tartar shook his head. "I am not going to kill anyone. I looked intothe tent; the gun is leaning by the side of the chief. Women andchildren are lying all round. Couldn't get in. I will cut a slit in skinand take gun."
"It will be first-rate if you can manage that, Luka. We can make a goodfight of it if you can manage to get the gun."
Godfrey was able to watch Luka's proceedings now. He stopped behind thefourth tent, plac
ed his ear against the skin and listened intently. Thenhe inserted the blade in the skin two feet above the ground and veryquietly, with a sawing motion, cut downwards. Then he began at the topagain and made a horizontal cut four or five inches long, and then cutagain down to the ground, removing the flap of skin. He peered into thetent, then he inserted his arm, a moment later he withdrew it with thegun, and then returned to Godfrey. The latter's first step was to chargethe gun, for he had fired two shots while Luka was cooking the mealbefore they were surprised.
"Now, Luka, which do you think we had better do, make for the canoes orgo off on foot?"
"We want big canoe," Luka said. "Can't well do without it. We had bettergo to that."
"I think so too," Godfrey said. "If we can once get on board we can beatthem off. Of course there is more risk of being discovered that way, butI think we had better chance it."
They kept along for some distance on the side of the hill, and then,when about a hundred yards from the huts, crawled down to the river,crept back along the bank until they reached the boat, which was hauledup with the native canoes on shore.
"How are we to get it down, Luka?" Godfrey whispered. "If we stand up tocarry it down those fellows by the fire, who are not twenty yards away,must see us. If we try to push it down we are safe to make a noise."
"Wait a moment, give me knife again," Luka said; and having obtained ithe went along the line of canoes, cutting and slicing the skins from endto end. Then he returned to Godfrey.
"They can't follow now," he said. "Once on board we are safe."
"I have been thinking, Luka, our best plan will be to lie down one oneach side, and to hoist her up as well as we can, and move her forwardinch by inch."
Luka nodded, and they separated to carry out their plan, when Jackdecided the matter by leaping on board, and sending the paddles with arattle to the bottom of the boat.
"Jump up, Luka, and in with her."
As they sprang up there was a shout from the three natives by the fire,which was answered by the fierce barking of two or three score of dogs.After a moment's hesitation two of the natives rushed back to theiryourts for their bows, while the third, who happened to have his closeat hand, fitted an arrow and discharged it hastily. As they were runningthe boat down it missed its mark, and before he could shoot again theboat was in the water, and they had sprang on board. The native ran downto the edge with his bow bent, but Luka's bow twanged and the man fellback with an arrow through his body. They seized the paddles and drovethe boat twenty yards into the stream, when the whole of the Samoyedesrushed down to the bank and began to discharge their arrows.
GODFREY AND LUKA ESCAPING FROM THE SAMOYEDES.]
"Lie flat down, Luka," Godfrey said, setting the example, "the streamwill take us."
There was a great jabber of voices on the bank.
"The chief is telling them to take to their canoes," Luka said laughing."You will hear some shouts directly. The water won't begin to come inthrough the slits till they put their weight in the canoes."
Godfrey lifted his head for a moment and saw five or six of the nativeson the bank abreast of him, standing in readiness to shoot. Quickly ashe withdrew it again two arrows struck the boat within a few inches ofthe point where he had looked over.
"Luka," he said, "we must get a little further out; I am afraid thestream might set us in towards the bank. I will put my cap upon a pieceof firewood and hoist it up. They will shoot at it, and the moment theydo we must both spring up and give two or three strong strokes to takeher further out."
Lying flat on his back at the bottom of the boat, Godfrey raised hiscap; almost instantaneously there were three or four sharp taps on theside of the boat, and one arrow passed through it but an inch above hischest. In a moment he sat upright with a paddle in his hand, and acouple of sharp strokes sent the boat out into the centre of thecurrent. At this moment they heard a series of yells and splashes."Lucky for them," Luka laughed, "I made the slits so big. If they hadgot out farther they would all have been drowned: these people are notable to swim."
"No, I should think not," Godfrey said. "They don't look as if water hadever touched them from the day they were born. We are safe now, in tenminutes we shall be clear of the river, and have only got to paddle backand fetch our canoe."
"We may have to fight yet," Luka said. "Sure to follow us. The meat andflour is all gone. I expect they gave it to their dogs. That is whatmade them sleep so sound. They will know that we shall have to landsomewhere to get food, and think they will have us then. They will mendcanoes very quick, and some of them will come after us."
"It will be worse for them if they do," Godfrey said. "With my gun andyour bow we could keep a score of canoes at a distance. Still, as yousay, we may have trouble in getting our canoe. However, we must havethat if we have to fight the whole tribe for it."
Godfrey looked up from time to time. He could do so safely now, for theywere fifty yards from the bank, and there was time for him to withdrawhis head before an arrow could reach him. The natives, however, hadceased to follow the boat, having doubtless run back when they heardtheir companions' cries. Godfrey thought it as well not to take to thepaddles until they were well out of the river, lest one might have runon and hidden himself in a clump of bushes. As soon as they were out ofthe river they took up the paddles, and rowed straight out for adistance of a couple of miles. "How long will they be in patching uptheir canoes, Luka?"
"They will do it in an hour," Luka said. "The women will sew the slitstogether, and the men melt fat and smear over."
"Very well. Then we had better turn now and make for the place where thecanoe is hid. They won't expect us to land so soon, and most of the menwill be waiting to follow with the canoes. If only four or five followus along the bank we can manage them easily enough. Fortunately, thecanoe is light enough for one of us to carry it down to the water. Whileyou are doing that I can keep them off. This boat paddles a lot heavierthan the other, Luka."
Luka grunted in assent.
"Do you think you will know the place where you hid the canoe?" Godfreyasked presently.
"Let us go close in to see," Luka said. "We went ashore in fog. I don'tknow how it looks from the sea. The coast is all alike here. We mustkeep very close."
"How far along do you think it is, Luka?"
"It can't be much more than an hour to paddle," Luka replied. "TheSamoyedes were away three hours to fetch the boat, and they were in nohurry and had to tow her back with their canoe."
For half an hour they kept the boat parallel with the land, and theninclined towards the shore. Presently Luka said, "There are six menwalking along on bank."
"Well, there won't be six left to walk back," Godfrey replied grimly,"if they interfere with us. Now, Luka, it is nearly an hour since weturned; we will go in within a hundred yards of the shore. Those bows oftheirs are not like yours, they won't carry more than forty or fiftyyards. Now, I will just give those gentlemen a hint that they had betterkeep away from the edge of the cliff;" and so saying he laid down hispaddle, and took up his gun and fired. He aimed high, as he wished tofrighten and not hurt. The natives instantly disappeared from the edge."Now, Luka, do you keep on paddling; I will watch the top of the bank,and if one of them shows his head I will fire. They won't suspect wehave any idea of landing, and will probably keep a bit back. All we wantis time to land and climb the bank. Keep inshore now, so that next timeI fire I may be able to send the bullet pretty close. This gun is notmuch use at more than fifty yards' distance."
Only once did Godfrey see a head above the bank, and the instant he didso he fired.
"That will show them we are keeping a sharp look-out; I don't think theywill come near for some little time now. I daresay they are puzzlingthemselves, first, why we are coming this way, and secondly, why we arekeeping so close."
"There is the place where we had tent," Luka exclaimed suddenly. "Do yousee the ashes of the fire?"
"That is it, sure enough. Now, run ashore and dash
up the bank."
As soon as the canoe touched the shore they leapt out and ran up thebank. Not twenty yards away were the Samoyedes. Godfrey uttered a shoutand raised his gun to his shoulder, and the natives with a yell ran offat full speed.
"Now, Luka, do you go and get the canoe in the water. Be careful; if youfind it heavy for you with the stores on board, take them out; there isno occasion for hurry. Those fellows won't venture within range of mygun again; they will keep at a distance, and send up word to the tentsthat we have landed. So take your time over it; if you were to make aslip and damage the canoe it would be fatal to us."
The natives stopped at a distance of a quarter of a mile, and then, asGodfrey expected, one of them started at a run back towards the village.In ten minutes Godfrey heard a shout from below, and looking round sawthe canoe safely by the side of the boat. He ran down and took his placein her, and they paddled out towing the boat behind them.