Tatkret, was male, and the sun, Sikrinaktok, was female. Brother Moon was now providing bright light, and Alika thanked him for it.
Alika and Sulu and Jamka, half buried in snow, had emerged from behind the sledge to dust themselves off and start building a small, domed
iglu
for temporary shelter. It would be about five feet high. First, the boys looked back at the glassy, shining berg that had launched them. Alika guessed it was fifty feet high.
He said, "We'll go back there in the morning. We have work to do now."
The Little One nodded. Jamka sat down to carry out his role as bear guardian. The
nanuks
were around day and night, fair weather or foul.
Sulu said, looking over toward the shore, "Brother, how close will we come to home?"
"I don't know," Alika answered. "The gale blew us out. I don't know how fast we're traveling." They might have already passed their home, he thought.
Alika and Sulu were fortunate that Kussu always made certain the hunting sledge, with its wooden runners and caribou-antler braces, was fully equipped for any emergency. In addition to the
Reliance
rifle and ammunition reserved for bears and inland hunting, there were
Reliance
steel knives strapped to the frame, each for a special purpose. There was a bow and arrow, which made it possible to save bullets for the bears and an extra harpoon. There was also a
Reliance
stove vessel used to burn seal oil for drying wet clothing, heating, and cooking.
Kussu had also stocked the sledge with fifteen pounds of frozen seal meat and ten pounds of dried char, sealskins, an extra parka, caribou mattresses and sleeping bags, a sealskin rope, and a half dozen other survival items. He had selected carefully, well aware that in addition to his own life, the lives of Maja and their sons might depend on what was carried on the sledge.
As Alika unstrapped the knives, Sulu said, "We should have brought a kayak so we could just paddle ashore."
"We should have stayed ashore." Alika sighed, a touch of annoyance in his voice.
"Look, we'll get out of this, believe me. It may not be tomorrow or even next week, but we'll find a way, I promise," Alika said.
"How?" Sulu asked.
Alika sighed again. "At this moment, I don't know, but we'll find a way."
Sulu was quiet for a moment, then asked, "Could the sledge float?"
Alika sighed yet again. "Not with us on it. Let's go to work."
He pulled out a square of sealskin to use as a broom to sweep away the new snow and expose the hardpack beneath. For years while on hunts, Alika had been helping his father build temporary houses. He'd also built a number by himself. It was simple: Cut the building blocks out of hard-packed snow and place them. But finding good packed snow was not all that easy. If his harpoon shaft went down into it smoothly, the snow was apt to be usable. And Sulu was strong enough to help carry the cut blocks.
In less than three hours, they completed the small
iglu.
Then Alika laid down insulating floor skins while Sulu brought the caribou mattresses and sleeping bags in. Jamka was already inside and would share his body heat when the brothers stretched out on either side of him.
Sulu said, "I wish I hadn't come with you yesterday."
"I wish the same thing," Alika replied truthfully.
"I didn't tell Mama I was coming."
"You told me you did."
"I didn't know this would happen."
"Neither did I," Alika said sharply.
Sulu tried very hard to keep tears from rolling down his cheeks, and Alika saw his chin quiver. Alika stepped over and hugged his little brother. "I didn't mean to make you cry," he said. What else could he do but hug him and listen to what he said? Make them a team.
***
Alika started a fire by lighting the seal oil Kussu had stored on the sledge in a walrus intestine. He used a bow drill held between his teeth, and rotated the rod by swirling it with sealskin rope to make a spark in a small notched piece of board from the
Reliance.
The wick was dried moss. At home he used an iron pyrite
Alika and Sulu and Jamka, half buried in snow, had emerged from behind the sledge to dust themselves off and start building a small, domed
iglu
for temporary shelter. It would be about five feet high. First, the boys looked back at the glassy, shining berg that had launched them. Alika guessed it was fifty feet high.
He said, "We'll go back there in the morning. We have work to do now."
The Little One nodded. Jamka sat down to carry out his role as bear guardian. The
nanuks
were around day and night, fair weather or foul.
Sulu said, looking over toward the shore, "Brother, how close will we come to home?"
"I don't know," Alika answered. "The gale blew us out. I don't know how fast we're traveling." They might have already passed their home, he thought.
Alika and Sulu were fortunate that Kussu always made certain the hunting sledge, with its wooden runners and caribou-antler braces, was fully equipped for any emergency. In addition to the
Reliance
rifle and ammunition reserved for bears and inland hunting, there were
Reliance
steel knives strapped to the frame, each for a special purpose. There was a bow and arrow, which made it possible to save bullets for the bears and an extra harpoon. There was also a
Reliance
stove vessel used to burn seal oil for drying wet clothing, heating, and cooking.
Kussu had also stocked the sledge with fifteen pounds of frozen seal meat and ten pounds of dried char, sealskins, an extra parka, caribou mattresses and sleeping bags, a sealskin rope, and a half dozen other survival items. He had selected carefully, well aware that in addition to his own life, the lives of Maja and their sons might depend on what was carried on the sledge.
As Alika unstrapped the knives, Sulu said, "We should have brought a kayak so we could just paddle ashore."
"We should have stayed ashore." Alika sighed, a touch of annoyance in his voice.
"Look, we'll get out of this, believe me. It may not be tomorrow or even next week, but we'll find a way, I promise," Alika said.
"How?" Sulu asked.
Alika sighed again. "At this moment, I don't know, but we'll find a way."
Sulu was quiet for a moment, then asked, "Could the sledge float?"
Alika sighed yet again. "Not with us on it. Let's go to work."
He pulled out a square of sealskin to use as a broom to sweep away the new snow and expose the hardpack beneath. For years while on hunts, Alika had been helping his father build temporary houses. He'd also built a number by himself. It was simple: Cut the building blocks out of hard-packed snow and place them. But finding good packed snow was not all that easy. If his harpoon shaft went down into it smoothly, the snow was apt to be usable. And Sulu was strong enough to help carry the cut blocks.
In less than three hours, they completed the small
iglu.
Then Alika laid down insulating floor skins while Sulu brought the caribou mattresses and sleeping bags in. Jamka was already inside and would share his body heat when the brothers stretched out on either side of him.
Sulu said, "I wish I hadn't come with you yesterday."
"I wish the same thing," Alika replied truthfully.
"I didn't tell Mama I was coming."
"You told me you did."
"I didn't know this would happen."
"Neither did I," Alika said sharply.
Sulu tried very hard to keep tears from rolling down his cheeks, and Alika saw his chin quiver. Alika stepped over and hugged his little brother. "I didn't mean to make you cry," he said. What else could he do but hug him and listen to what he said? Make them a team.
***
Alika started a fire by lighting the seal oil Kussu had stored on the sledge in a walrus intestine. He used a bow drill held between his teeth, and rotated the rod by swirling it with sealskin rope to make a spark in a small notched piece of board from the
Reliance.
The wick was dried moss. At home he used an iron pyrite
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