Page:St. Nicholas (serial) (IA stnicholasserial321dodg).pdf/226

152 and plenty to eat, had kept steadily on without stopping. At first I thought of sending all the Eskimos out with some provisions, with orders not to come back without the calves. Then I remembered how far it was to the ship and how rough the road, and how very barren the rocks were everywhere about the ship, with no willow for the calves to eat, and I decided to let them go.



I have often thought of them since, marching off up the broad valley together, like Arctic babes in the wood, and have wondered what befell them on their lonely journey—whether they soon found a herd of musk-oxen to join, or whether, perhaps, for days and weeks they cropped the willows and grass, and slept in the shelter of same big rock before they found companions.

If you or I should go to that same valley now, we should not know them even if we saw them, for that was over four years ago, and Yankee Doodle, if alive to-day, is doubtless a great big musk-ox, with huge, strong horns that nearly cover his head, and is, perhaps, the king af a herd. Miss Columbia. quite likely, has a funny little jet black calf of her own, with soft bright eyes, a gray forehead, thick, clumsy legs, who follows her closely with nose pressed into her warm fur, nibbles the willow leaves, and drinks from the sparkling brooks when the sun shines, and, when the cold winds blow and the snow falls, curls up close against her and, covered by her long fur, sleeps warm and very soundly.