When the twins awoke, the sun was shining as brightly as ever, and Nip
and Tup were barking at them through the hole in the roof.
Kesshoo and Koolee were gone!
Menie and Monnie were frightened. They were afraid they were left
behind. They sat up in bed and howled!
In a moment Koolee's face looked down at them through the roof.
"What's the matter?" she said.
"We thought we were left," wailed Monnie!
"As if I could leave you behind!" cried Koolee.
She laughed at them. "Hand up the skins to me," she said. She reached
her arm down the hole and pulled out all the skins from the bed as fast
as the twins gave them to her.
Then she put her head down into the opening and looked all around. "We
haven't left a thing," she said; "come along."
The twins couldn't climb out through the roof, though they wanted to,
so they went out by the tunnel, and helped their mother carry the skins
to the beach.
All the people in the village and all the dogs were there before them.
The great woman-boats were packed, the kyaks of the men waited beside
them in a row on the beach, with their noses in the water.
The dogs barked and raced up and down the beach, the babies crowed, and
the children shouted for joy. Even the grown people were gay. They
talked in loud tones and laughed and made jokes.