The Eskimo grunted and nodded his head. He was feeling too comfortable and full of stew to be loquacious.
“I know heem,” he said. “Heem good feller.”
Bobby felt like clapping the stolid native joyfully on the back at this unexpected good fortune. But with a great effort he stifled his enthusiasm, seeing that Billy and Fred and Mouser were also trying to conceal their eagerness.
During the course of the conversation, carried on very brokenly by the Eskimos, the boys found out that they had learned English at a trading station many miles away—a station at which ships occasionally stopped for furs and for live specimens of seals and polar bears.
It would never do to let the natives guess at the boys’ real reason for wanting to find Mooloo. They might be thoroughly good fellows, but it was very doubtful whether they could be trusted with news of the treasure.
At thought of it Bobby felt still more exhilarated, triumphant. They had successfully accomplished the first and, probably, the most difficult stage of their adventure.
Their escape from the ship had succeeded beyond their wildest dreams. Now, if they proceeded carefully there was no reason why they should not succeed in the second phase of the adventure—the finding of Chief Takyak’s treasure.
He wanted to question the Eskimo and try to find out, if he could, if he, as well as the guide Mooloo, knew the location of the wrecked treasure ship.
But caution made him hold his tongue, merely getting from the Eskimo his promise to lead him to Mooloo on the following day.
“If the storm do not keep us here,” the native had added, with a sage wag of his head. “Blizzard maybe. No can leave igloo four, five days—maybe longer.”