tok, starting another objection. "We must have the same laws."

"My brother chief is wise," said Grabantak. "Let us have new laws, and
let that wise young Kablunet, Alf, make them."

"Both my brother chiefs are wise," said Makitok. "Let it be done, and
let him take the laws out of the little thing that speaks to him."
(Thus they referred to the Bible, having no word in their language by
which to name it.)

Great was the surprise of Alf at the honour and labour thus thrust upon
him, but he did not shrink from it. On the contrary, he set to work at
once with notebook and pencil, and set down the two "Great
Commandments:" "Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and
with all thy soul, and with all thy mind;" and, "Thou shalt love thy
neighbour as thyself," as the first law in the new code. He set down as
the second the golden rule, "Whatsoever ye would that men should do unto
you, do ye even so to them."

Proceeding from these as a basis, he worked his way gradually down the
code till he had embraced nearly all the possibilities of Eskimo life--a
work which kept him busy all the winter, and was not quite finished when
"time and tide" obliged him and his companions to quit the land.

Now, not long after this eventful council, Benjy Vane burst rather
irreverently into his father's hut with excited looks, holding what
looked like an old book in his hand.

"What have you got there, lad?"

"I've got it at last, father! You know I've been trying to wheedle old
Makitok into letting me open his mysterious bundle. Well, I prevailed
on him to let me do it this afternoon. After unrolling bundle after
bundle, I came at last to the centre, and found that it contained
nothing whatever but this book, wrapped up in an old cotton
pocket-handkerchief. The book is _very_ old, father. See, 1611 on the
first page. I did not take time to glance at more than that, but
brought it straight away to you."

"Hand it over, Benjy," said the Captain eagerly. "This accounts for the
mysterious `buk' that we've heard so much about."

He received the little book with a look of tender curiosity and opened
it carefully, while Leo, Alf, and his son looked on over his shoulder.

"1611, sure enough," he said, "though not very legible. The characters
are queer, too. Try, Alf, what you can make of it."

Alf took the book. As he did so old Makitok entered, somewhat anxious
as to what they were doing with his treasure. Being