o
shorten it as it was." They never tired of laughing at John for his
clumsiness in Aleut table manners.

"Now, see here, Jess," said John, "if you keep on making fun of my nose
I won't give you any more mud for your old foot. I'm the only one that
is not taking the mud cure excepting Skookie. I might just advise you
two that about all our salt whale meat is gone, and it is too late now
to get any more. It is about time we did some fishing, it seems to me."

"Well, I don't want to sit around this way all the time," said Jesse. "I
am for going out in the dory and trying for some fresh codfish. I'm
rather tired of salmon again."

"That's right," said Rob. "I was just going to say the same thing. Back
home we used to like salmon better than codfish, because the codfish was
always salt. Salmon used to be forty cents a pound back in the States,
but out here, where we can catch forty pounds in an hour, we don't like
it as well as codfish. All right, Jess, I'm game to go down to the mouth
of the creek where we left the dory, and go out in the bay for a try
after cod. But how will you get down there with your foot all tied up?"

Jesse put his hand on Skookie's shoulder. "Oh, that will be easy," said
he. "Skookie and I will go down the creek in the bidarka."

They agreed to this plan, and Jesse, hobbling out to the edge of the
lagoon, picked up one of the bidarka's paddles--a narrow-bladed, pointed
implement such as the Aleuts always use--rested the end of the paddle on
the bottom on the other side of the bidarka, and, steadying himself by
this means, slipped into place in the front hatch of the boat, just as
one would step into a tottery birch-bark, although not even the latter
can be more ticklish than one of these skin-covered native boats.
Skookie was less particular, but, with the confidence born of long
experience, took a running jump as he pushed off the bidarka and
scrambled into the rear hatch. An instant later his own paddle was in
motion, and Jesse and he made good speed down the creek. All the boys
had by this time learned something about the use of the bidarka, and
could handle themselves fairly well without swinging the craft from side
to side as they paddled. Jesse always thought that the paddles were too
small, but the only answer Skookie made to this criticism was, "My
peoples long time make paddles dis way."

The four met at the mouth of the creek, and soon they launched the
faithful dory, in which they a