Then they were out in the keen, brisk air, with the sun smiling down on them and Kapje and his son waiting for them to start.
“All right,” cried Bobby joyfully. “Let’s go.”
CHAPTER XXIV
A TERRIBLE ENEMY
Never as long as they lived would the boys forget that all-day trip. The intense cold nipped at their faces, trying to reach its icy fingers through the fur that covered them.
Their outfit consisted of two canoes, one of which was managed by Kapje and the other by his son. They were amply provided with spears in case they should meet with any seals or walrus on the journey. There were also a couple of old-fashioned rifles, which had roused intense interest in the boys.
In response to Bobby’s question as to why the firearms were necessary, Kapje had given his characteristic shrug.
“Meet bear, maybe,” he had said, as if such an event was of everyday occurrence and not necessary to worry about. “Gun healthy have along.”
“Whoopee!” Fred had shouted irrepressibly. “Had a notion all along we were going to have a polar bear fight. Here’s hoping we have another bear stew before long.”
At that, Kapje, the Eskimo, had looked at Fred with the nearest to a twinkle that the boys had seen in his eye and said, slowly: