Arctic angels

In Short

Set in the remote Kannequoq Inlet, this story depicts a high-stakes standoff between Sergeant Richard Cleaver, a principled but rigid Mountie, and Scarth, a cynical trader intent on undermining the law. When a sickness leaves the local Eskimo population unable to hunt, the trader attempts to sabotage the police, planning to "rescue" the community himself to secure his own status. The narrative captures the grim reality of Arctic life, where the survival of the hungry—both human and animal—becomes a pawn in a battle of wills.

The Story

The story opens with a visceral, haunting sound: the wails of starving huskies tied near the red boulders of Kannequoq Inlet. Sergeant Richard Cleaver, stationed at the detachment building, is filled with disgust at the sight. His subordinate, Constable Timothy Noonan, appears to be a lazy, unhelpful figure, sleeping through the sergeant’s outbursts. Cleaver, however, is consumed by the plight of the nearby Eskimo settlement, where the inhabitants are suffering from "coast sickness" and have long since eaten their own sled dogs.

Cleaver confronts the trader, Scarth, at his post, demanding he feed the yowling animals. Scarth, accompanied by a grinning halfbreed named Uluk, mockingly refuses, claiming he has no supplies and that he must maintain his "white man’s rep" by not performing manual labor. Cleaver, realizing the police detachment is the only source of authority and stability, decides he must hunt walrus himself to provide fresh meat for the ailing natives. He travels to the tupiks, holding a handkerchief to his face against the stench, and pledges in the name of the "great white king" that he and Noonan will return with meat.

Scarth immediately mocks this promise, predicting that the Mounties will fail and that the locals will turn against them. When a fight breaks out between the men, Cleaver drags the trader outside and threatens him, but remains troubled by the reality that the police skin boat—the only vessel capable of reaching the walrus—is vulnerable. That night, Noonan reveals his true colors. He has not been idle or indifferent; he has been observing the trader. He warns Cleaver that Scarth plans to use his own starving dogs to destroy the skin boat, thereby preventing the police from fulfilling their promise and cementing Scarth’s position as the true power in the region.

The two officers stake out the boat in the cold moonlight. They watch as Scarth and Uluk arrive with their dogs, intending to let the animals chew the hide of the boat to ribbons. However, the plan fails spectacularly. The dogs are too full to be interested in the boat, having been secretly fed by Noonan earlier that evening. The sergeant and the constable leap from their hiding spot, catching the conspirators in the act. The story concludes with a decisive reversal: Cleaver forces the trader and his accomplice to retrieve a walrus previously shot by the halfbreed and mandates that they serve the sick villagers as penance, effectively forcing the trader to perform the very work he previously despised.

How It Unfolds

The howling dogs Sergeant Cleaver watches the starving huskies from his detachment window and grows increasingly agitated by the trader Scarth’s apparent cruelty. He realizes that the nearby Eskimo camp is in a desperate state and that the local authority of the police is being tested.

A promise of meat Determined to save the sick villagers, Cleaver commits the police to a dangerous walrus hunt on the ice floes. He makes a solemn pledge to the Eskimos, unaware that Scarth is actively working to ensure that the police mission ends in failure.

The night watch Constable Noonan discards his mask of incompetence and leads the sergeant to a hidden spot to watch the trader’s next move. They discover Scarth and Uluk approaching the skin boat with their dogs, intending to destroy it and ruin the police's reputation.

The tables turn The sabotage attempt fails because Noonan has already secretly sated the dogs with stolen rations. Cleaver and Noonan confront the stunned trader, forcing him to do the labor required to feed and care for the community he sought to exploit.

The People

Sergeant Richard Cleaver is the moral center of the story, driven by an unwavering sense of duty to the "great white king" and the people in his jurisdiction. He is a man of action who finds it difficult to navigate the subtle, manipulative games played by his antagonist.

Constable Timothy Noonan initially appears to be a "fat lobster" and a sluggard, but he reveals himself to be the tactician of the pair. He is observant, cynical, and surprisingly effective, using his wits—and a bit of deception—to outmaneuver the trader without the need for a bloody confrontation.

Scarth is the primary antagonist, a small, weasel-like trader who views the Arctic as a chessboard where his influence is the only thing that matters. He is motivated by greed and vanity, desperate to maintain his status among the locals. He ends the story humbled and forced into subservience, stripped of his power by the very officers he tried to undermine.

Uluk, the halfbreed, serves as Scarth’s accomplice. He is a secondary figure whose laughter and grins mirror the trader’s arrogance, eventually falling alongside his master when their scheme is exposed by the Mounties.

In Its Own Voice

“Rotten! Rotten! Rotten!” Sergeant Richard Cleaver muttered to himself, striding up and down the narrow confines of the Mounted Police detachment building.

The sergeant’s internal frustration highlights the isolation and tension of his post before he decides to take action.

“You Arctic angels goin’ to tumble down a bunch of manna, eh?”

Scarth mocks the sergeant’s sense of duty, framing the Mountie’s moral commitment as a foolish or impossible task.

“I’m the detective sergeant of this man’s army, an’ that’s good enough for me.”

Following the successful outmaneuvering of the trader, Noonan reveals his true capability and rejects the sergeant’s offer of a promotion.

What It's Really About

At its heart, the book is a study of the performance of authority. Cleaver believes in the inherent dignity of his position as an agent of the law, while Scarth recognizes that power in the wilderness is merely a matter of who can best provide for those in need. The conflict asks whether the trappings of colonial authority—the "great white king" rhetoric—hold any weight if they are not backed by the practical ability to ensure survival. It is an argument about the necessity of pragmatism, suggesting that the "angelic" ideals of the law must be tempered by the cunning required to operate in a land where the only reality is the next meal.

Why Read It Today

Readers who enjoy classic tales of the North—reminiscent of the atmosphere found in Jack London’s work—will find this a compelling read. The pacing is swift, and the contrast between the brooding, serious sergeant and the sardonic, clever constable keeps the narrative engaging. It captures the visceral sensations of the Arctic: the "abominable odors" of the tupiks, the "tinkling" of ice pans in the bay, and the biting cold that frames every movement.

However, readers should be prepared for the period-specific attitudes typical of 1920s adventure fiction. The portrayals of the Eskimo population as helpless "children" of the crown reflect the paternalistic colonial mindset of the era, and the casual dismissiveness regarding the trader’s ethnicity is a product of its time. If you can navigate these dated viewpoints, you will find a tight, well-constructed story about the collision of moral duty and rugged survival. It leaves you with a lingering sense of the cold, vast indifference of the landscape and the small, human victories that keep the darkness at bay.