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"Attim, come," he said quietly, as if speaking to a human friend. Attim, without any remark save a wag of his tail, arose promptly, entered the hut, and lay down. You see, he was accustomed to little attentions of the sort.
While this irrepressible display of Dogrib affection was enacting, Attim was performing a special war-dance, or rather love-dance, of his own round the re-united pair.
In a few moments more they were alongside, and the dog started up with a snarl as if to defend its master, who was lying motionless on the ice; but the snarl was feeble, and the poor beast was obviously in a state of exhaustion. "He is not dead," said Cheenbuk, putting his hand over the Indian's heart, while Anteek caught poor Attim by the nose and held him gently back.
The dogs of the village showed not only surprise, but also their teeth, on observing Attim among the newcomers, and they made for him, but a well-directed and sweeping cut from the whip of the watchful Anteek scattered them right and left, and rebuked their inhospitality.
If the life of Nazinred had depended on the speed of the Eskimo dogs there would have been much hope of it, for Cheenbuk made them fly like the wind until he regained the three igloes. As for Attim, having, with prompt sagacity, perceived that the strangers were friendly, he resigned himself to his fate.
"Can it be," he thought, "that the Great Manitou knows my grief and does not care? Surely that cannot be. I love my child, though she has fled from me. I am a child of the Manitou. Does He not love me? I will trust Him!" A cold object touched his hand at the moment. It was the nose of the faithful Attim. Nazinred regarded the touch as a good omen.
It was difficult at first, for he had to strike out at random, sometimes hitting a lump of ice unexpectedly, sometimes just tipping it, and occasionally missing it altogether, when the axe would swing round behind him, to the great danger of Attim, who insisted on keeping close to his master's heels wherever he went.
He had loaded with shot, and when the explosion took place the piece of ice vanished, having been blown to atoms. Of course a yell of admiration greeted the result, and all the dogs of the tribe fled on the wings or paws of terror, while Attim sat quietly looking on with somewhat of his master's dignity. But the curiosity of the Eskimos was only whetted by this.
But ere he reached the land of forgetfulness an idea struck him, which, Indian though he was, caused him to smile even in the dark. "Attim," he murmured. "Here you are," replied Attim's tail with a flop that was quite as expressive as the tongue and softer.
There was only one course open to him now, and that was to cut his way out with his hatchet. Before beginning to act he unstrapped his bundle and sat down to eat, having previously relieved Attim of his load and given him some food. Everything he did had to be done by feeling, for he could not see his hand even when held only an inch from his face. Then he set to work.
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