"The wretches saw my head appear above the back of the sledge, and they
uttered a loud shout of rage, shaking their spears and urging on their
dogs to still greater exertions. An extra heavy lurch of the sledge
almost threw me overboard, but I braced myself and raised my rifle to my
shoulder.

"As soon as they saw my weapon the two men in the foremost sledge
burrowed like rats among the robes. Those in the rear were hidden
from me.

"I had but an instant to reflect. We were rapidly approaching a terribly
rough piece of ice, and I should be thrown out did I not sink down into
the sledge again.

"The dogs were between me and the crouching occupants of the pursuing
sledge, and kept me from getting a correct aim at the men.

"Quick as a flash I fired right into the pack, and then dropped into the
bottom of my own sledge. The next instant we struck the rough stretch of
ice, and I had all I could do to cling on until we had passed it. Then I
looked back.

"Judge of my surprise when I saw that, by a fortunate accident, my
pursuers had been stopped.

"My bullet had taken effect on one of the dogs, which had immediately
tangled up the rest of the team and brought the sledge to a standstill.

"The sledge behind seemed to be completely mixed up in the disaster, and
the two sets of dogs were fighting furiously, while the Esquimaux were
running about trying to separate them.

"I was safe! Another two miles and the Henry Clay would be in sight,
and, unless some accident happened to my own team, my pursuers would not
be able to gain the vantage they had lost.

"When I reached the ship, the moon was high and all hands had turned in
long before, but they roused out, as did the Esquimaux from their huts,
at my halloo.

"Poor old Kalutunah was carried into the cabin, and the captain and mate
worked over him a long time before they brought him to. He had been
almost frozen in addition to his wound, so that he had a hard fight for
life. But when he was finally on his pins again, how thankful he was to
me! And the whole tribe was the same way.

"One bad result of my adventure, however, was that Captain Lewis would
allow no more extended trips away from the vessel, and although we never
saw anymore See-ne-mee-utes, every party that went out for even a short
tramp was fully armed and under the command of an officer.

"Now you can't tell me anything about rapid sledding," concluded Randy.
"I've had my day at it, and I must sa