C Ihe Ladies c cu. V'VVAN - History and Classics, Department of

5300 Eskimosat AklavikAs we drew in to the Distributor's last port of call on her northwardjourney, most of our fellow-travellers were preoccupied with theforthcoming Eskimo murder trial to be held next day in the dining saloon of thesteamer.As for ourselves, even so strange a thing as murder or so strange a people as theEskimos could not, at that moment, claim our interest, since our minds hadbeen centred for five long days on the condition of Gwen's foot and its possibleeffect on our plans. The first thing we had to do was to get the doctor. He cameon board without delay, diagnosed a strained tendon and prescribed two weeks ofcomplete rest. He would put the foot in plaster, he said, and there was no doubtthat Gwen would be able to start up the Rat River in a fortnight. When he had leftus and closed the cabin door behind him, we drew a long breath and looked ateach other. Both of us felt, I think, as if we were suddenly ten years younger andas if the dread Rat River journey would, after all, turn out to be one long picnicin sunshine."Good job I brought Eddy's army boots," muttered Gwen, "they'll be somesupport for the old leg when we start.""Surely your brother's boots are too big for you," I suggested."Stuff 'em with grass in the toes," she said and immediately hopped out of ourcabin to watch the crowd of people milling about the steamer and the shore.Aklavik seemed to be a prosperous place, comparatively speaking, but ourstandards of prosperity had been lowered during the last few weeks of associationwith people living in wooden shacks on muddy river banks with only a dirt track