SYNOPSIS: Heading across the frozen sea to as Santa to help talk the Ice King into ending the continuous winter, Oonik and Keotuk are caught in a fierce storm. The storm collapsed the snow cave where Oonik was sleeping and he awoke to find himself sliding down a piece of ice.

CHAPTER FOUR
KEOTUK HURTS HIS PAW

Down, down, down Oonik slid on the huge slab of ice upended by the storm. Ahead of him was the black churning sea. Oonik threw himself back and dug in his heels but he could not stop sliding.

Just as he was about to zoom into the water there was a terrible screech and the ice slab suddenly reversed itself like a see saw and Oonik began rocketing back in the other direction.

With a whoosh he shot off the far end and landed head first in a snow drift. There he rolled himself up into a tight little ball and lay trembling with teeth chattering and hands over his ears.

But even the Ice King seemed to have enough. The wind died down and the ice no longer groaned and creaked.

Oonik crawled out of the snowdrift. Blinking, he stared at the world. It was peaceful and quiet. Great piles of ice blocks lay about like forgotten toys. Where there had been open water there was now a solid ridge of ice.

There was no sign of Keotuk or the sled.

"Keotuk!" called oonik. "Keotuk, come!"

He ran from ridge to ridge, calling and clapping his hands. Suddenly he saw a snowdrift rise up from the ice. The drift heaved and shook itself and there was Keotuk stepping sleepily out. Covered by the drift he had been safe and warm as the storm died out.

"Oh, Keotuk!" cried Oonik embracing the dog. " I knew you would be all right! But where is the sled?"

Alas it was gone. Together with Oonik's spear and the remainder of his food, the sled was buried beneath the ice or, perhaps, at the bottom of the sea.

Oonik stared at the mountains on the distant shore. There, nestled in those mountains, was Santa Land.

“We can make it,” Oonik told himself bravely. “Come, Keotuk, it isn’t too far. We’re almost there.”

Together they started off. Trudging slowly, Oonik often slopped and fell. Keotuk stayed at his side and when they came to an ice hill Keotuk caught Oonik's parka in his teeth and helped drag him up and over.

On and on they went in the never ending daylight and little by little the snow covered mountains grew closer. Then, when it seemed they were almost there Keotuk suddenly lay down.

"Come on," begged Oonik. "We can't rest now. We'll freeze or starve if we don't get there soon."

But Keotuk only whimpered softly. Oonik kneeled down and rubbed his hands through Keotuk's fur. "What is it?" he murmured gently.

Keotuk whimpered again and held up one of his front paws. Oonik gasped with dismay. The paw was cut and torn by ice splinters.

Oonik picked out the splinters, "Oh, Keotuk, if only you had shoes!" he moaned. Then he had an idea. "I will make you some shoes!"

With his knife he cut four strips of seal skin from his own coat. He wrapped the pieces of skin around Keotuk's paws and tied them with lacing from his own hood.

"there," he said. "Ice splinters can't hurt you now."

Keotuk rose uncertainly to his feet. At first he limpoed but the soft skin shoes actually made his bruised paw feel better and after a while he was able to walk quite well.

On they trudged until at last they came to the shore and Oonik saw smoke curling up from behind the hills.

Everything will be all right now," cried oonik starting to run, "For that is surely smoke from Santa's very own chimney!"

Next: Oonik in Santa Land