“Ha, four months. Very good. It will be a good riddance; for, to say truth, I’m tired of you and your noisy relations.”
Leif said this more as a soliloquy than a remark, for he had no intention of hurting the feelings of the poor savage, who, he was aware, could not understand him. Turning again to him, he said— “You know the kitchen, Flatface?” Flatface said nothing, but rolled his eyes, nodded violently, and rubbed that region which is chiefly concerned with food.
“Go,” said Leif, “tell Anders to give you food — food—food!”
At each mention of the word Flatface retreated a step and nodded. When Leif stopped he turned about, and with an exclamation of delight, trundled off to the kitchen like a good-natured polar bear.
For full half an hour after that Leif walked up and down the wharf with his eyes cast down; evidently he was brooding over something. Presently Anders came towards him.
Anders was a burly middle-aged Norseman, with a happy-looking countenance; he was also cook, steward, valet, and general factotum to Leif.
“Well, Anders, hast had a visit from Flatface?” asked Leif.
“Ay—he is in the kitchen now.”
“Hast fed him?”
“Ay, gorged him,” replied Anders, with a grin.