A rattling volley followed, and at the same moment one of the dogs fell with a death-yell on the ice and dyed it with its blood.
“Forward!” shouted the captain.
The men advanced in a body at a smart run, but the terrified Esquimaux, who had never heard the report of firearms before, did not wait for them; they turned and fled precipitately, but not before Grim captured Oosuck and dragged him forcibly to the rear, where he was pinioned and placed on the sledge with the others.
“Now then, lads, that will do; get upon the sledge again. Away with you, Meetuck. Look after Awatok, Grim; O’Riley will see that Aninga does not jump off.”
“That he will, darlint,” said the Irishman, patting the woman on the back.
“And I shall look after the baby,” said Fred, chucking that series of dumplings under the chin—an act of familiarity that seemed to afford it immense satisfaction, for, notwithstanding the melancholy position of its father and mother as prisoners, it smiled on Fred benignly.
In five minutes the party were far on their way back to the ship; and in less than five hours after the Esquimaux had closed their barter, and left for their village, four of their number, including the baby, were close prisoners in the Dolphin’s hold. It was not Captain Guy’s intention, however, to use unnecessarily harsh means for the recovery of the missing articles. His object was to impress the Esquimaux with a salutary sense of the power, promptitude, and courage of Europeans, and to check at the outset their propensity for thieving. Having succeeded in making two of their chief men prisoners, he felt assured that the lost telescope and hatchet would soon make their appearance; and in this he was not mistaken. Going to the hold, where the prisoners sat with downcast looks, he addressed to them a lengthened speech as to the sin and meanness of stealing in general, and of stealing from those who had been kind to them in particular. He explained to them the utter hopelessness of their attempting to deceive or impose upon the white men in any way whatever, and assured them that if they tried that sort of thing again he would punish them severely; but that if they behaved well, and brought plenty of walrus flesh to the ship, he would give them hoop-iron, beads, looking-glasses, etcetera. These remarks seemed to make a considerable impression on his uncouth hearers.
“And now,” said the captain in conclusion, “I shall keep Awatok and his wife and child prisoners here until my telescope and hatchet are returned (Awatok’s visage fell, and his wife looked stolid), and I shall send Oosuck to his tribe (Oosuck’s face lit up amazingly) to tell them what I have said.”
In accordance with this resolve Oosuck was set free, and, making use of his opportunity, with prompt alacrity he sped away on foot over the ice to the southward, and was quickly lost to view.