on
south to the open water."

"It'll be a longish trip, father."

"Not so long as you expect, my boy, for I mean to go by express."

Benjy's eyes twinkled, for he knew that some new device was working in
his father's brain, which brain never failed to bring its plans to
maturity.

"What is it to be, father?"

"You go and fetch two of the kites, Benjy, and you'll soon find out.
Overhaul them well and see that everything is taut and shipshape. Let
Butterface help you, and send Alf and Chingatok to me. I suppose Leo is
off after musk-oxen, as usual."

"Yes; he pretends that the camp wants a supply of fresh meat. He'd
pretend that as an excuse for hunting even if we were all dying of
surfeit."

Soon afterwards the Captain was seen, followed by his usual companions
and a company of Eskimos, dragging two sledges to the upper ridge of Cup
Valley. One sledge was lightly, the other heavily, laden.

"You've brought plenty of supplies, I hope, Alf?" asked the leader.

"Yes, enough for three weeks. Will that do?"

"Quite enough, lad; but it may not be wanted, as I'm going south in a
direction we've not yet tried, where I expect to find the open water
close to us. It's well, however, to have enough of meat at all times."

"No fear of its being too much, father," said Benjy. "When Butterface
goes with us, a three weeks' allowance usually disappears in a
fortnight."

"Nebber mind, Massa," said the negro seriously. "You've plenty for tree
weeks dis time, 'cause I's off my feed. Got Polar dimspepsy, or suffin'
o' dat sort, I tink."

"You've brought the electrical machine, of course, and the dynamite,
Alf?" asked the Captain.

"Of course. I never prepare for a trip without these. There's no
saying, you see, when we may require them--either to blow up
obstructions or astonish the natives."

"The natives are past astonishing now," remarked Benjy; "nothing short
of a ten thousand jar battery would astonish Chingatok, and I'm quite
sure that you couldn't rouse a sentiment of surprise in Oolichuk, unless
you made him swallow a dynamite cartridge, and blew him inside out.
But, I say, daddy, how long are you going to keep us in the dark about
your plans? Don't you see that we are in agonies of suspense?"

"Only till we gain the ridge, Benjy. It will be down-hill after that,
and the snow-crust comparatively smooth as well as hard."

Arrived at the ridge, one of the kites was unfolded and sent up. The
breeze w