It was a Saturday evening when Bobby finally received Abel's consent for him to go to the sena seal hunting. He was preparing to go over, as was his custom on Saturdays, to spend the evening with Skipper Ed and Jimmy in reading and study, and when he had eaten his supper he donned his snowshoes and netsek[[D]] and hurried eagerly away to Skipper Ed's cabin to invite Jimmy to join him in the adventure.
"Yes, to be sure, Partner, you must go with Bobby," said Skipper Ed. "But it's going to be bleak and cold out there. It's a man's work at this season, hunting at the sena, and a strong man's work, too. Perhaps I had better go along. Then we can take two teams of dogs."
"That will be dandy!" exclaimed Bobby, "We'll have a fine time!"
"Yes, Partner, come!" urged Jimmy. "You can leave your traps for a week."
"I think I can—yes, I'll go," Skipper Ed decided. "I was never hunting at the sena but twice, though, and I've never forgotten my first experience. It was a good many years ago, before you came, Partner. I went with Abel. We had a hard time of it that year, for stormy weather came up and we nearly perished in a blizzard."
"We'll build a snow igloo" said Bobby, "and be pretty comfortable. We'll take Father's snow knives and two of his old stone lamps. We'll have plenty of seal oil to burn. You know there's no wood out there, and it isn't worth while hauling any."
"Yes," agreed Skipper Ed, "we'll need the lamps, though I don't like them. I never could get used to them, and I never liked to go too far from wood."
And so it came to pass that in the bright moonlight of Monday morning they lashed upon the two komatiks a good supply of hardtack and boiled salt pork—the only provisions that would not freeze too hard to eat—with tea, and sleeping bags, and numerous articles of equipment for their own use and comfort, and a day's supply of seal meat for the dogs.
Then the dogs were caught and harnessed, and in great excitement began to strain at the traces and howl their eagerness to be off. Oksunaes were shouted to Abel and Mrs. Abel, and Bobby, grasping the front of one komatik, and Skipper Ed the front of the other, they pulled them sharply to one side to break them loose, shouting to the teams as they did so: "Hu-it! Hu-it!" Then they flung themselves upon the komatiks, and away they dashed, down the steep and slippery incline, and off through the shore hummocks at a wild, mad gallop.
They were away to the sena, and the Great Adventure, at last.