Adventure and adventurers -- Juvenile fiction; Arctic regions -- Juvenile fiction
"Hey, put she is chuicy," he muttered, as he munched away without paying
much heed to a bit or two of cinder adhering to the meat and sounding
unpleasant as he crunched them between his strong, white teeth.
"Peautiful!" he murmured again, as he got about half-way through.
"She's thenking it would pe petter to begin cooking mair so as to be
retty when they come pack."
So he placed another piece on the fire, and then went on eating his
second snack so slowly and deliberately, spending a certain amount of
time the while in watching and turning the cooking piece that it was
beautifully done by the time he had finished; and now came a terrible
test of his powers of endurance. He looked at the frizzled slice, then
away from it, then back at it; and it tempted him so sorely that he got
up and walked away.
"She's letting the fire oot," he cried, and ran back to stand looking
down at it. "Nay, put she'd spoil a gude cooking fire if she put on
anny coal. She'll cook ta rest."
No sooner said than done. A fresh piece was put on the glowing cinders,
and the newly cooked slice placed upon the bit of shale.
"She'll chust spoil if she gets caud," muttered Watty. "The teer-fat
goes hart and stickits to the roof of her mouth, an' it's a pity to
spoil such bonnie meat."
He gave his shock head a rub, and looked round again, wondering whether
there were any bears likely to come and disturb him; but, as far as he
could see, he was quite alone in the grand solitude, and he uttered a
deep sigh.
"She never said she was to cook anny meat," he said, "an' it such a pity
to let it spoil. She'll chust eat this wee pit, an' they'll pe pack py
the time the nex' pit is tone."
Watty took another look, then seasoned and saw to the fresh piece
frizzling; and the next minute the smell and sight of the slice upon the
stone were too tempting to be resisted longer, and he began upon it and
finished it as ravenously as if he had not had a morsel before.
"Hey, put she is fine," he murmured with a sigh of satisfaction; "she
never hat such a gran' treat pefore, an' it would pe wicket to let such
gude meat spoil by ketting caud. The captain an' the tocktor poth said
they wadna eat a pit, an' perhaps Meester Stevey's gone pack to ta ship
or the poat pecause she was tired. She hasna the hairt to see such gude
meat spoil."
Poor Watty had grown reckless now, and, casting conscience to the winds,
he went on with his banquet. His appetite seemed to increase as he went
on, and, forgetful of bears, captains, doctors, Norsemen, and Steves,
seeing, tasting, and enjoying the cooking and eating of these juicy,
well-seasoned, delicious pieces of venison, time seemed to be no more
for him, and he only awoke to his position as he shook out the contents
of his pepper and salt rags on the last piece of meat, a goodly slice,
the best of all, which he had avoided eating, always having selected the
smaller bits.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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