d shot. He depressed it three degrees this time. The
ball hit the water about half way to the shore, and, skipping on,
struck under the stem of a _kayak_, throwing it into the air, and,
glancing against the side of the skin-clad _oomiak_, dashed it over
and over. The crew were pitched headlong into the water. Pieces of the
bone framework flew up. The skin itself seemed to have been turned
wrong side out.

"Knocked it into a cocked hat!" exclaimed Kit.

"I hope none of them were killed," said Raed.

"I can't see that any of them were," remarked the captain. "They've
all scrambled out, I believe. But it has scared them properly. Lord!
just see them _hake_ it, as Palmleaf says, up those rocks! Give 'em
another before they get over this scare. Knock their old _kayaks_ to
pieces: that frightens them worst of any thing. Let me have a shot."

Reloading, the captain fired, smashing one end of another _oomiak_.
Men, women, and dogs had taken to their heels, and were scampering off
among the hillocks. Kit then fired a ball at an elevation of twenty
degrees, which went roaring over their heads: we saw them all looking
up, then _haking_ it for dear life.

"Routed!" exclaimed Raed. "No blood shed either, except that dog's."

"Poor puppy!" said Wade. "I can see him lying there. Wonder it hadn't
hit some of them."

"Well, it's the best thing we could do," said Kit. "Even if some of
them had been hit, it would be better than fighting them out here."

"Still, I am very glad not to have slaughtered any of the poor
creatures," remarked Raed.

"Don't say too much; they may come back," Capt. Mazard observed.

But, though there was not sufficient wind to enable us to get away
till three o'clock the next day, we saw nothing more of them.

CHAPTER X.

The Dip of the Needle.--The North Magnetic Pole.--A _Kayak_
Bottom up, with its Owner Head down.--Ice-Patches.--Anchoring
to an Ice-floe.--A Bear-hunt in the Fog.--Bruin charges his
Enemies.--Soundings.--The Depth of the Straits.

Before we were up next morning "The Curlew" was on her way.

A great number of small islands, not even indicated on our chart,
compelled us to veer to the southward during the forenoon.

For several days the needle of our compass had been giving us some
trouble by its strong inclination to _dip_. Three times, since
starting, we had been obliged to move the sliding weight out a little
on the bar. The farther north we got, the str