couple of miles. "How long will they be in patching up
their canoes, Luka?"

"They will do it in an hour," Luka said. "The women will sew the slits
together, and the men melt fat and smear over."

"Very well. Then we had better turn now and make for the place where the
canoe is hid. They won't expect us to land so soon, and most of the men
will be waiting to follow with the canoes. If only four or five follow
us along the bank we can manage them easily enough. Fortunately, the
canoe is light enough for one of us to carry it down to the water. While
you are doing that I can keep them off. This boat paddles a lot heavier
than the other, Luka."

Luka grunted in assent.

"Do you think you will know the place where you hid the canoe?" Godfrey
asked presently.

"Let us go close in to see," Luka said. "We went ashore in fog. I don't
know how it looks from the sea. The coast is all alike here. We must
keep very close."

"How far along do you think it is, Luka?"

"It can't be much more than an hour to paddle," Luka replied. "The
Samoyedes were away three hours to fetch the boat, and they were in no
hurry and had to tow her back with their canoe."

For half an hour they kept the boat parallel with the land, and then
inclined towards the shore. Presently Luka said, "There are six men
walking 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 we
turned; we will go in within a hundred yards of the shore. Those bows of
theirs are not like yours, they won't carry more than forty or fifty
yards. Now, I will just give those gentlemen a hint that they had better
keep away from the edge of the cliff;" and so saying he laid down his
paddle, and took up his gun and fired. He aimed high, as he wished to
frighten 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 we
have any idea of landing, and will probably keep a bit back. All we want
is time to land and climb the bank. Keep inshore now, so that next time
I fire I may be able to send the bullet pretty close. This gun is not
much use at more than fifty yards' distance."

Only once did Godfrey see a head above the bank, and the instant he did
so he fired.

"That will show them we are keeping a sharp look-out; I don't think they
wi