<h2 id="c9"><br/>CHAPTER IX <br/>PATSY SOLVES A PROBLEM</h2>
<p>Turning from the group of strange natives,
Patsy lead Terogloona into the igloo and drawing
his grandfatherly head down close to hers,
she whispered:</p>
<p>“Terogloona, are reindeer much afraid of
native wolf dogs?”</p>
<p>“<i>Eh-eh!</i>” Terogloona nodded his head.</p>
<p>“Very, very, very much afraid of them?”
Patsy insisted.</p>
<p>Terogloona’s head nodded vigorously.</p>
<p>“Then,” said Patsy, with a twinkle in her
eye, “if we let one wolfdog loose, and he went
toward Bill Scarberry’s herd, would they run
away?”</p>
<p>“<i>Eh-eh.</i> Mebby. Want kill reindeer, that
dog. Mebby kill one, two, three—many.
Sometimes that way, wolfdogs.”</p>
<div class="pb" id="Page_82">[82]</div>
<p>Terogloona’s horror of the thing she had proposed,
shone in his eyes. Many years he had
been a herder of reindeer. Many a dog had
he killed to save a reindeer. His love for dogs
was strong. His love for reindeer was stronger.
To deliberately turn a wolfdog loose to prey
upon a herd of reindeer, even an enemy’s herd,
was unthinkable.</p>
<p>Patsy, having read his thoughts, threw back
her head and laughed.</p>
<p>“We won’t do that,” she said soberly, “but,
Terogloona, if each one of those strange Eskimo
people should take a dog by his draw rope, and
then they all should walk toward that old cheat’s
herd, what would happen?”</p>
<p>A sudden gleam stole into the aged herder’s
eyes. He was beginning to catch her meaning.
The deer were upon forbidden ground. She
was finding a way to drive them back to the
place where they belonged.</p>
<p>“They would go away very fast,” he said
quickly.</p>
<div class="pb" id="Page_83">[83]</div>
<p>“And would these Eskimos do that; would
they do it for two sacks of flour; two cans of
baking-powder; two slabs of bacon and some
sugar?” asked Patsy breathlessly.</p>
<p>“For all that,” said Terogloona, staring at
her, “they would do anything; anything you
say.”</p>
<p>“Go tell them they shall have it,” said Patsy.
“Tell them they must drive Scarberry’s herd
back to the Come-saw River valley where they
belong, and that they may take their flour, sugar
and other things along.”</p>
<p>The Eskimos crowded about Terogloona, listened
to him in silence until he had finished, then
burst into a chorus of “<i>Eh-eh! Ke! Ke Kullemuk,
Ke-Ke</i>,” which Patsy rightfully interpreted
as meaning that they were ready for the enterprise
and that Terogloona was to bring on
the reward.</p>
<p>It was a strange line of march that formed
soon after. Seven Eskimos, each holding to a
strap, at the other end of which a native dog
reared and ki-yi’ed, spread out in a broad line,
and followed by a sled drawn by the four remaining
dogs, they started toward Scarberry’s
herd.</p>
<div class="pb" id="Page_84">[84]</div>
<p>As they came closer to the herd, the leaders
of the antlered throng tossed their heads and
whistled. As they came still closer there sounded
the rattle of antler upon antler as the herd
backed in upon itself.</p>
<p>The solitary herder, who had been left to
watch the herd, looked at the on-coming members
of his own race and then shouted at them
angrily.</p>
<p>The Eskimos with the dogs marched straight
ahead, appearing not to hear the shouts of
the angry herder. In less time than it takes to
tell it the herd was in full stampede. In vain
were the shouts of Scarberry’s herders. In
vain their herd dogs sought to stem the flight.
The reindeer had scented their ancient foe; they
had heard his loud ki-yi. They were headed
for their home range, and would not pause
until they had reached it. Marian’s hills and
tundra were not for them.</p>
<div class="pb" id="Page_85">[85]</div>
<p>As for Scarberry’s herders, they might remain
where they were or follow. They chose
to follow. An hour later, with a sigh of satisfaction,
Patsy saw them driving their sled deer
over the broad trail of the herd that had vanished.</p>
<p>“Will they come back?” she asked Terogloona.</p>
<p>“Mebby yes; mebby no,” said Terogloona.
“Can’t tell.”</p>
<p>For a moment he was silent; then with a
queer look on his face he said:</p>
<p>“One thing I am much afraid of.”</p>
<p>“What is that?” asked Patsy.</p>
<p>“Mebby not come,” said Terogloona, looking
as if he was sorry he had spoken.</p>
<p>That was all he would say and Patsy felt a
bit uneasy over his remark. Nevertheless, she
could not help having a feeling of pride in her
first day’s work as manager of the herd. Two
serious problems had arisen and she had matched
them against each other with the result that
both had vanished. She had succeeded in getting
rid of the unwelcome visitors and Bill
Scarberry’s great herd. She had a right to feel
a bit proud.</p>
<div class="pb" id="Page_86">[86]</div>
<p>“10 - 10 = 0,” she marked on the floor with
a bit of charcoal. “We are minus a few eatables
but we can spare them all right. Besides,
it’s real satisfying to know that you’ve given
several hungry people an opportunity to earn
a week’s provisions.”</p>
<p>Had she known the full and final effect of
that week’s provisions, she might have experienced
some moments of uncomfortable thinking.
Lacking that knowledge, she smiled as
she busied herself with preparing a belated
breakfast for Terogloona and herself.</p>
<div class="pb" id="Page_87">[87]</div>
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