The Boy believed it was at a certain steep incline that Nig did his best to rush down.

He unpacked their few possessions, and watched the Boy take the axe and go off for wood, stopping on his way, tired as he was, to pull Nig's pointed ears.

"Fish, Nig!" called out the Boy to his Leader.

"You hear me, you Nig? Fish, old fellow!

The Boy came tearing up with a look that lifted the Colonel off the sled, and there was Nig trying to get away from the axe-head, his tongue frozen fast to the steel, and pulled horribly long out of his mouth like a little pink rope.

Nig bent his proud head and licked the rescuing hand with his bleeding tongue.

As if he found the observation distinctly discouraging, Nig at this moment sat down in the melting snow, and no amount of "mushing" moved him.

"Oh, I should say our friend Nig here has had to stand more than his share of the racket.

" "Poor old Nig!" said the Colonel, with a somewhat guilty air.

Reaching after a bit of seasoned spruce, he stumbled, and unconsciously set his foot on Nig's bleeding paw.

" The stick would have fallen on the Boy; he dodged it, calling excitedly, "Come here, Nig!

Nig's tongue.

Do your level best, drag other fellas' packs hundreds o' miles over the ice with a hungry belly and bloody feet, and thenPoor old Nig!'cause you're lamepoor old Nig!"

The Boy lifted his head, and listened for Nig's note.

" Nig brisked in with the air of one having very little time to waste.

Give you some bully tabak if you'll do that for Nig.

Nig came walking after his friend straight over people's heads.

"Say, Colonel," he yawned luxuriously, "did you know thatato-nightwhen Nig flared up, did you know you'd trodden on his paw?" "Didn't know it till you told me," growled the Colonel.

Makes a difference, doesn't it?" "You needn't think," says the Colonel a little defiantly, "that I've weakened on the main point just because I choose to give Nig a few cracker crumbs.

But the next day a man, very splashed and muddy, and obviously just in from the gulches, stopped, in going by Keith's, and looked at Nig.

" "Thirty dollars for Nig!"

" So Nig was hired out, Spot was sold for twenty dollars, and Red later for fifteen.

"I'm goin' to take Nig's tip," he said"goin' to work.

[r] Brompton, p. 1071 Liber Nig.

ki yaun Waus sa wa kom eg Ain dah nuk ki yaun Ne dau nig ainse e Ne gwis is ainse e Ishe nau gun ug wau Waus sa