And he had been afraid of himself! Apprehension
gave way to confidence. He was beginning to experience the exquisite
thrill of fighting against odds.
He made no objection this time when Father Roland made a place for him
on the sledge.
"We'll have four miles of this lake," the Missioner explained to him,
"and the dogs will make it in an hour. Mukoki and I will both break
trail."
As they set off David found his first opportunity to see the real
Northland in action--the clean, sinuous movement of the men ahead of
him, the splendid eagerness with which the long, wolfish line of beasts
stretched forth in their traces and followed in the snow-shoe trail.
There was something imposing about it all, something that struck deep
within him and roused strange thoughts. This that he saw was not the
mere labour of man and beast; it was not the humdrum toil of life, not
the daily slaving of living creatures for existence--for food, and
drink, and a sleeping place. It had risen above that. He had seen ships
and castles rise up from heaps of steel and stone; achievements of
science and the handiwork of genius had interested and sometimes amazed
him, but never had he looked upon physical effort that thrilled him as
did this that he was looking upon now.
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