And as Bobby grew and developed, Abel, on his part, taught him to be
keenly alert, patient, self-reliant and resourceful--qualities that
every successful hunter and wilderness dweller must possess.
He learned first with the miniature whip that Abel made him, and later
with Abel's own long dog whip, to wield the long lash with precision. He
and Jimmy would practice for hours at a time clipping a small bit of ice
no larger than an egg from a hummock thirty feet away.
He played with the young puppies and trained them to haul him on his
small sledge, and he would shout to them proudly, as large as life--and
just as Abel did when he drove the big team--"_Hu-it!"_ when he wanted
them to start; "_Ah!"_ when he wanted them to stop; "_Ouk! Ouk! Ouk_!"
when he wanted them to turn to the right; "_Ra! Ra! Ra!"_ for a turn to
the left; "_Ok-su-it!"_ when he wished them to hurry; and with his whip
he enforced his commands.
He learned to shoot his bow and arrow, and to wield the harpoon and
spear. Abel once fashioned for him, from a block of wood, a very good
imitation of a small seal, and Bobby and Jimmy had unending sport
casting their harpoons at it, and presently they became so expert that
seldom did they fail to make a "killing" strike.
When he was old enough Bobby learned to make his hunting implements
himself. Here, indeed, was required patience, perseverance, and
resourcefulness, for his only tools were his knife and his ax, and his
only material such as the wilderness produced; and to gain Abel's
praise, which was his high ambition, he must needs do his work with care
and niceness.
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