"Ay, most certainly. He took two guns with him, saying that his wife
was as good a shot as himself."

"The men wish to know where the heavy goods are to be put," said Massan,
as he opened the door, and stood, cap in hand, awaiting orders.

Stanley rose to leave the room.

"I'll be with you in a minute, Massan.--Then, Frank, we'll expect an
account of your journey to-night. Eda is very anxious that we should be
told all about your wonderful adventures in the mountains. Meanwhile I
shall be off to look after the men."

When the sun had set that night, and the song of the sailors had ceased,
and most of the wearied inhabitants of Fort Chimo were enjoying a
fragrant pipe after the labours of the day, Frank and Stanley seated
themselves, one on either side of the fire-place, with Mrs Stanley and
Edith in front of the hearth between them. An extra pine-knot was
thrown on the fire, which, in a few minutes, rendered the candle on the
table unnecessary. Stanley lit his pipe, and after drawing one or two
whiffs to make sure that it would keep alight, said,--"Now, Frank, my
boy, we're ready for you; fire away."

Frank fired away, literally, for he applied a piece of glowing charcoal
to his pipe, and fired off half a dozen rapid puffs in reply, as it
were, to his friend opposite. Then he began.

CHAPTER THIRTY FOUR.

ROUGH AND TUMBLE--A POLAR BEAR MADE USEFUL--FISHING AND FLOUNDERING, AND
NARROW ESCAPES--AN UNEXPECTED DISCOVERY, PRODUCTIVE OF MINGLED
PERPLEXITY AND JOY.

"You remember, I daresay, that the day on which I left Ungava, last
spring, was an unusually fine one--just such a day, Eda, as those on
which you and I and Chimo were wont to clamber up the berry-glen. But
the clambering that we went through there was nothing to the work we
went through on our third day from the fort. Maximus and Oolibuck were
first-rate climbers, and we would have got over the ground much faster
than we did but for the dogs, which could not travel easily over the
rough ground with their loaded sled. Chimo, indeed, hauled like a hero,
and if the other dogs had been equal to him we would have been here
before to-day. Well, as I said, our third day was one of considerable
toil. Leaving the river we struck into the mountains, but after nearly
breaking our sled to pieces, and endangering our necks more than once,
we found it necessary to return to the river and follow its windings
into the interior.

"After many days of a