hat
Tommy's father had ever told him men used when they went into the
woods. And on top of all, in cases, was the ammunition they would need.

"Now, if we had a tent," said Johnny. But Santa Claus said, "You don't
need tents up there."

"I know," said Tommy. "You sleep in bags made of skin or in houses
made of snow."

Santa Claus gave Johnny a wink. "That boy is improving," he said. "He
knows some things;" and with that he took out of the case and gave
both Tommy and Johnny big heavy coats of whitish fur and two bags made
of skin. "And now," he said, "you will have to be off if you want to
get back here before I leave, for though the night is very long, I
must be getting away soon," and all of a sudden the door opened and
there was the North Star straight ahead, and at a whistle from Santa
Claus away went the dogs, one sled right behind the other, and Sate,
galloping for life and barking with joy, alongside.

The last thing Tommy heard Santa Claus say was, "Load right, aim
right, and shoot right; and stand your ground."

In a short time they were out of the light of the buildings and on a
great treeless waste of snow and ice, much rougher than anything Tommy
had ever seen; where it was almost dark and the ice seemed to turn up
on edge. They had to work their way along slowly between jagged
ice-peaks, and sometimes they came to places which it seemed they
could never get over, but by dint of pushing and hauling and pulling,
they always got over in the end. The first meal they took was only a
bite, because they did not want to waste time, and they were soon on
their sleds again, dashing along, and Tommy was glad, when, after some
hours of hard work, Johnny said he thought they had better turn in, as
in a few hours they ought to be where Santa Claus had told them they
could find polar bears, and they ought to be fresh when they struck
their tracks. They set to work, unhitched the dogs, untied the packs
and got out their camp-outfit, and having dug a great hole in the snow
behind an ice-peak, where the wind did not blow so hard, and having
gathered some dry wood, which seemed to have been caught in the ice as
if on purpose for them, they lit a fire, and getting out their
frying-pan they stuck two chops on sticks and toasted them, and had
the best supper Tommy had ever eaten. The bones they gave to the dogs.
Johnny suggested tying up the dogs, but Tommy was so sleepy, he said:
"Oh, no, they won't go away. Besides, supp