h Leo and the Eskimos had found temporary refuge. Here, indeed, a
momentary gleam of hope revived, when Alf found the spent
cartridge-cases which his brother had thrown down on the occasion of his
shooting for the purpose of impressing his captors, and they searched
every yard of the island, high and low, for several days, before
suffering themselves to relapse into the old state of despair. No
evidence whatever remained to mark the visit of the Eskimos, for these
wily savages never left anything behind them on their war-expeditions,
and the storm had washed away any footprints that might have remained in
the hard rocky soil.

Amalatok--who, with his son and his men, sympathised with the Englishmen
in their loss, and lent able assistance in the prolonged search--gave
the final death-blow to their hopes by his remarks, when Captain Vane
suggested that perhaps the lost ones had been blown over the sea to
Flatland.

"That is not possible," said Amalatok promptly.

"Why not? The distance is not so very great."

"The distance is not very great, that is true," replied Amalatok. "If
Lo had sailed away to Flatland he might have got safely there, but
Blackbeard surely forgets that the storm did not last more than a few
hours. If Lo had remained even a short time on this island, would not
the calm weather which followed the storm have enabled him to paddle
back again to Poloe? No, he must have thought the storm was going to be
a long one, and thinking that, must have tried, again to face it and
paddle against it. In this attempt he has perished. Without doubt Lo
and Unders and Oblooria are in the land of spirits."

Eskimos of the far north, unlike the red men of the prairies, are prone
to give way to their feelings. At the mention of the timid one's name,
Oolichuk covered his face with his hands and wept aloud. Poor Alf and
Benjy felt an almost irresistible desire to join him. All the fun and
frolic had gone completely out of the latter, and as for Alf, he went
about like a man half asleep, with a strange absent look in his eyes and
a perfect blank on his expressionless face. No longer did he roam the
hills of Poloeland with geological hammer and box. He merely went
fishing when advised or asked to do so, or wandered aimlessly on the
sea-shore. The Captain and Benjy acted much in the same way. In the
extremity of their grief they courted solitude.

The warm hearts of Chingatok and the negro beat strong with s