Read Online Spell of the Crystal Chair by Gilbert L. Morris - Free Book Online

go hunting. I will show you your weapons.”
    “What are we going to hunt?” Dave asked as they walked to where the hunters were gathering.
    “Something to eat.”
    Wash laughed. “I guess that answers your question. Anything that we kill we eat.”
    “Why, of course,” Conmor said with surprise. “Why else would we kill something if not to eat it—except one of the Yanti, of course.”
    “You think we’ll run into any Yanti?” Jake asked.
    “I do not think so. We will not be going into their territory.”
    The chief was going on the hunt. So was his daughter. Everyone had donned white furs, which camouflaged them against the snow.
    “I guess those white furs make it easier for us to sneak up on seals or something.”
    “Yes, and sometimes we can harpoon a whale. They come in quite close. But I do not expect any today. We will try for a walrus. Have you ever eaten walrus?”
    “Nope,” Reb said. “I’ve eaten lizards, though.”
    “A walrus is not much like a lizard, but they are fat and give much strength.”
    The hunters started out, waving at the women as they left.
    Josh was pleased to find he could do much better on his snowshoes now. He was also surprised to see that the land was not as barren as they’d first thought. Although it was winter, small clumps of trees were still green. They passed herds of reindeer that were scraping the snow away, looking for food.
    “Why, there’s still green grass down there!” Reb exclaimed. “You wouldn’t think it would be green this time of the year under that snow.”
    “It is especially beautiful here in the summer. Then everything is green—the trees, the grass. I hope you will be here to see it,” Fairmina said.
    Secretly Josh was hoping that their quest would be over by then, but he had learned not to try to guess what would happen on any mission.
    The hunters did not find any walrus after all, but under the skillful direction of Fairmina they located another herd of reindeer. They were a strain not familiar to Josh, very large, and it took considerable skill to sneak up on them.
    But after a long stalk, the hunters rose up and let fly their arrows. Sarah’s arrow took down one large specimen.
    “Well shot, my daughter,” Denhelm said. “You use a bow well.”
    When they’d brought down the meat supply they needed, Denhelm said, “Now, the fun is over, and the work begins.”
    “What is that, Chief?” Josh asked.
    “We must get these animals back to camp. They will feed us for many days.”
    “Aren’t you going to dress them out and leave the hides here?”
    “Leave the hides here!” the chief cried. “That wouldbe waste indeed. We use all of the animals, even the antlers and bones. You will see.”
    Getting the large beasts back was hard work. The hunters first made three sleds of saplings and loaded the animals on them with great effort. Then, using leather thongs, they made themselves the beasts of burden to drag the heavy reindeer over the snow.
    “Now I know how those sled dogs feel,” Reb complained. He leaned forward against his harness and looked back to see the sled moving slowly after them. “This better be good to eat. They are sure hard to come by.”
    By the time they had traveled for two hours, Josh—and probably the rest of the Sleepers—was close to being exhausted. And then Volka, who was pulling one sled easily by himself, suddenly let out a yelp. Looking up, Josh saw an arrow in the giant’s shoulder.
    At that exact moment Fairmina cried, “The Yanti! The Yanti!”
    Instantly the hunters threw down their harness and scrambled for weapons. Suddenly the air was filled with arrows.
    The Yanti had taken refuge behind a slight hill, but Fairmina and her father proved to be excellent tacticians.
    “You take the right, daughter. I will take the left. The rest of you hold the center.”
    Fairmina called out several names, Josh’s among them, and these ran to the right.
    “We will come up beside them on the right, and