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diff --git a/old/53176-0.txt b/old/53176-0.txt deleted file mode 100644 index 435b5ef..0000000 --- a/old/53176-0.txt +++ /dev/null @@ -1,7252 +0,0 @@ -The Project Gutenberg eBook, Kasba (White Partridge), by George R. Ray - - -This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere in the United States and most -other parts of the world at no cost and with almost no restrictions -whatsoever. You may copy it, give it away or re-use it under the terms of -the Project Gutenberg License included with this eBook or online at -www.gutenberg.org. If you are not located in the United States, you'll have -to check the laws of the country where you are located before using this ebook. - - - - -Title: Kasba (White Partridge) - A Story of Hudson Bay - - -Author: George R. Ray - - - -Release Date: September 30, 2016 [eBook #53176] - -Language: English - -Character set encoding: UTF-8 - - -***START OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK KASBA (WHITE PARTRIDGE)*** - - -E-text prepared by Mardi Desjardins and the online Distributed -Proofreaders Canada team (http://www.pgdpcanada.net) - - - -KASBA - -(White Partridge) - -A Story of Hudson Bay - -by - -GEORGE R. RAY, M.P.P. - - - - - - - -Author’s Edition - -Printed by -William Briggs -Toronto, 1915 - -Copyright, Canada, 1915 -By George R. Ray. - - - - - AUTHOR’S NOTE - - -I have always regarded the writing of prefaces to be, for the most part, -work thrown away; nevertheless, I am tempted to prefix a few words to -this novel, in the form of a note, in order to defend myself against -charges which may possibly be made against me by the critics, and to -which I may be unable to revert after they shall have been preferred. It -may be said, in the first place, that all the characters in this story -speak ordinary English, which I admit. The natural language of the -natives is, of course, the tongue of their race, Chipewyan or Eskimo, as -the case may be, but in order that the reader might understand it, a -translation was necessary. Since this was the case, why not have the -translation in good English, instead of in pigeon-English, which no one -properly understands and which is misleading and equally untrue to life? -Then, again, my description of Chesterfield Inlet may be found fault -with, and with good reason, for I have written of trees where no trees -exist. Chesterfield Inlet is in the barren lands, as most people know. -But a wooded district was necessary to my plot, and in describing the -country I have changed the topography to suit the requirements of my -story. And now, as a last word, I would assure my readers that the -incidents in this novel, though they may appear untrue to life and -far-fetched, are nevertheless mostly made up of my own personal -experiences and properly authenticated stories of curious happenings to -other people in these northern regions. - - —G. R. R. - - - - - “Here feel we but the penalty of Adam, - The seasons’ difference, as the icy fang - And churlish chiding of the winter’s wind, - Which, when it bites and blows upon my body - Even till I shrink with cold, I smile and say - This is no flattery: these are counsellors - That feelingly persuade me what I am.” - —“_As You Like It,” Act II., Sc. I._ - - - - - CONTENTS - - - CHAPTER. PAGE. - - I. AN UNPLEASANT INCIDENT 11 - - II. FORT FUTURE 25 - - III. KASBA FIGHTS A BITTER FIGHT 46 - - IV. THE MAN OF THE SHADOWS 57 - - V. AN ESKIMO CONJURER AND A PUGILISTIC 77 - ENCOUNTER - - VI. LOST IN THE DRIFTING SNOW 92 - - VII. “THE PACKET” AT LAST 101 - - VIII. DELGEZIE’S DESPAIR 113 - - IX. ENTERTAINING THE “PACKET” MEN 127 - - X. A TRIP TO AN ESKIMO ENCAMPMENT 134 - - XI. BROOM HAS CONSCIENTIOUS SCRUPLES 142 - AND A SORE TEMPTATION - - XII. AN ESKIMO ENCAMPMENT 157 - - XIII. A DASTARDLY DEED 168 - - XIV. GRUESOME DISCOVERIES 184 - - XV. A BITTER SORROW 195 - - XVI. RETRIBUTION 205 - - XVII. A NARROW ESCAPE 223 - - XVIII. AN INGENIOUS EXPEDIENT 238 - - XIX. KASBA’S SACRIFICE 251 - - - - - KASBA - - - - - CHAPTER I. - _AN UNPLEASANT INCIDENT._ - - -It was a bright, bitter-cold day in the short days of winter. The sun -shone forlornly upon the bleak, ice-bound shores of Hudson Bay, as if in -despair at its utter inability to warm the intensely cold atmosphere, or -change in the slightest degree the frozen face of nature. Limitless -fields of dazzling Whiteness stretched to the horizon on either hand; a -tremendous expanse of turbulent ice-fields, of hills and ridges, of -plains and dells; a great white world, apparently empty. - -Over all was the silence of death; a silence of awful profundity, yet at -the same time an indescribably beautiful revelation. - -Near at hand a trapped Arctic fox lay dishevelled and bleeding, its -little green eyes glittering evilly and watching with some apprehension -the movements of an object which had sprung up, apparently from nowhere, -to advance upon it with startling directness. - -The object was Roy Thursby, an intrepid young officer of the Hudson’s -Bay Company, visiting his “line” of traps; a big fellow of -five-and-twenty, with muscles of iron; a clean-shaven face—a noble face -that betrayed a high-minded nature; eyes that as a rule were hard, but -could soften; and a heart that never quailed. He was dressed in moleskin -trousers, a pair of long blue stroud leggings, a coat made of -hairy-deerskin (that is to say, deerskin dressed on the one side only), -with a hood edged with fur, a l’Assumption belt that encircled his -waist, and large deerskin moccasins, under which he undoubtedly wore at -least two pairs of hairy-deerskin socks. Mittens of dressed deerskin -were suspended from his shoulders by a worsted cord, and a fur cap with -earpieces completed his costume. He wore snowshoes and carried a -hunting-bag across his back and a rifle over his shoulder. - -Over the undulating plain he came, pausing occasionally, diverging -rarely, and ever nearer. - -At length there was the sound of crunching snow, the swish of snowshoes; -a short, stifled bark, and a white, furry, inanimate thing lay on the -snow. - -Without doffing his mitts Roy reset the trap. It was a steel trap, -destitute of teeth, with two springs. The jaws when spread out flat were -exactly on a level with the snow. He hid the chain and brushed a thin -layer of snow on top of the trap. A few scraps of fish were scattered -about for bait and the whole carefully smoothed over, so that it was -almost impossible to tell that anything was there. - -Then he straightened himself. The air had needles in it, and he -readjusted the hood of his hairy coat and tightened the wide ribbed belt -around his waist. - -Slipping the fox into his bag, he reached for his axe and gun, and with -the long, even strides of one who could never tire, continued his -“rounds,” pausing now and then to “trim” a trap when nothing was in it, -or killing an animal when caught and dropping it into his trapping-bag. - -As he pressed on, his keen eyes, ever alert, caught a glimpse of a small -dark blot moving along the face of a ridge of rocks in the foreground. -He paused in his stride to scrutinize the moving object; then, -apparently satisfied, he resumed his tramp. - -Yowl, yowl; kum-pack, kum-pack—ptarmigan ran uneasily together in an -adjacent clump of willows. Whir-r-r, and a flock flew up at his very -feet. Other flocks followed on the right and left of him, but he heeded -them not, for his thoughts were on the “packet.” Somewhere in the -wilderness of snow and ice to the south, two men and a train of dogs -were laboring and straining every nerve to reach Fort Future. Of this -the Company’s hard and fast regulations made him cognizant: but where -were they? Already they were several days overdue. What could have -happened to detain them? Would they reach the Fort that day? These and -like questions occupied his mind. - -Soon he was winding his way up a gully in the ridge of rocks, and right -before him was the object he had previously descried. As he drew near, -it took on the form of an Indian girl, a young and beautiful Chipewyan -of about eighteen summers. She wore a blanket-skirt, very short as to -length; a pair of red stroud leggings, beadwork moccasins and a thick -woollen shawl, which ordinarily muffled the head and face but had now -slipped back, leaving them exposed to view. She was a Chipewyan, but had -scarcely a feature like them. - -Her face was exquisitely moulded, and of a rich golden brown; her cheeks -of coral red; her eyes large, dark and liquid, very strongly marked -brows and long, thick lashes; her mouth was small and expressive, with -very beautiful teeth. Her hair was neatly braided, crossed at the back -of the head and tied on either side with a piece of narrow ribbon. She -turned as he approached, and, dropping a bundle of short sticks and an -axe, stood with heightened color and a pretty, embarrassed look on her -finely cut features, waiting for him to come up. - -With eyes intent upon the trader, the girl was quite oblivious of the -presence of the middle-aged man of unprepossessing appearance, who had -been skulking behind her for some time. Perceiving her preoccupation, he -now approached her with a stealthy tread. In a flash he leaped from the -background and caught her in his arms, drew her to him with a force she -could not resist, and kissed her. - -He was about to repeat this, when she gaspingly cried out. - -There was an answering shout, the sound of someone running, a voice that -imparted courage, crying, “I am here, Kasba!” and suddenly she was -wrested from the man’s clutches and he was sent violently to the snow. - -Palpitating with fear, the girl crouched down, hiding her face in her -hands. - -Roy stood breathing sharply, waiting for the man to rise. “By heaven, -Broom,” he thundered, in a wrath that was terrible, “this is too much! I -will not stand this!” - -Broom picked himself up. Instinctively his hand felt for his revolver; -he evidently had no scruples against attacking an unarmed man (when Roy -rushed to Kasba’s assistance he had dropped his gun and it lay some few -yards away), and inwardly he cursed himself for not having the weapon -upon his person. “Curse you,” he cried hoarsely, a paroxysm of rage -almost preventing the utterance. “I’ll kill you for that!” and, roaring -like a wild beast, he hurled himself upon his opponent. - -The other’s blazing eyes narrowed ominously. He met Broom’s mad rush -with a swing of his heavy arm. The impact resounded sharply, and there -was considerable force behind the blow, for the brute staggered and -again fell. - -Recovering himself, he stood sucking his bleeding lips, and glaring -venomously at his antagonist. “_You_ won’t stand this!” he shouted with -a blast of profanity; “and who are _you_?” Then with an insolent laugh: -“Oh, I see now how ’tis, I was poaching on your preserves.” - -The trader made a quick step toward him. - -But defiantly the fellow went on: “Of course if I’d known how matters -stood between you and this little——” - -“Silence!” roared Roy, rushing upon him. “Silence! Speak another word -and I will kill you! By heaven, I will! I will kill you where you -stand!” His eyes fixed upon the other’s blazing orbs and held them. - -Broom was no coward, but there was such fierce wrath in the trader’s -look that it caused him to hesitate, and in that moment of hesitation he -remembered what he had lost all thought of in his baffled -fury—remembered that Roy was all-powerful in those parts, where he held -the food supply and controlled the natives; that the trader could turn -him adrift in the trackless wilderness to meet a certain death. And in -another moment he had recovered himself. - -He laughed awkwardly. “I beg pardon,” he said with a sneer; “I will -leave you with the—lady.” Then, bowing mockingly to Kasba, who was now -on her feet, he left them. - -When the fellow had gone, Roy went up to the girl, and taking one of her -hands softly in both his, began to comfort her. She was breathing -heavily and her face was pale. “Oh, I am so terrified!” she said; “I -know he will do you harm. He will kill you! Heaven! It would be -terrible!” - -“It wouldn’t be the first time it was tried,” Roy answered with an easy -laugh. “Don’t worry, little friend,” he added, patting her hand -tenderly. - -A wave of color flooded the girl’s face. “Oh, you are so strong, and so -brave,” she cried, then stopped, lost in admiration. She stood looking -at him now out of half-closed eyes. Her lashes were long, and shadowed -the orbs so that he could not see the expression in them. Then she -smiled dazzlingly and turned her face aside, but one full blushing cheek -was kept towards him and one shell-like little ear—I am afraid this -heroine of ours was a natural little coquette. - -Roy started a little and tried to scrutinize the girl’s face more -closely. - -Kasba’s breath came quickly, her heart palpitated wildly, the crimson -deepened in her cheeks and brow. Her secret was there—plain for him to -read, and he would have been blind, indeed, had he not read it. - -Surprised, and somewhat startled, he dropped her hand and stepped back, -looking at her uncertainly for a moment. Then Kasba laughed, a nervous -little laugh, and tossing her head back, and opening her eyes wide, -looked at him roguishly,—brown as a berry but a veritable little -beauty. - -For a few moments there was silence, then Roy turned and walked away. A -profound pity was in his eyes. - -But the girl’s flashed and she stamped her little foot furiously. Her -teeth set tightly, her breath coming and going swiftly. Then tears -trembled in her eyes, and in an irresistible impulse of yearning she -threw out her arms and softly called his name. But he did not pause or -look back, and she dropped her arms and bent her head with a sigh of -pain. She was a little bundle of opposites, this dusky maiden. - -Hitherto she had roamed the country unattended and unmolested, pure, -happy, serene. Now at one blow all this was changed. Broom’s assault on -her had opened her eyes to the danger of wandering alone. Her violent -struggles to free herself from his tight embrace had bruised her arms -and bosom, and she ached in every limb. But her agony of body was as -nothing compared with her agony of mind. Ignorant of the world, she knew -nothing of the prejudices of rank or race, but Roy’s walking away had -somehow revealed their relative positions; and Kasba considered it folly -to think anything good could possibly come from her unwise affection. - -After a time she stooped down, and, lifting up the bundle of sticks, -threw it across her back, then moved away. Erect and supple, gently -swaying under her burden, she glided along. - -Crossing a small pond in a deep hollow in the summit of the rocks, she -came in sight of her father’s hut, which stood quite alone, at some -little distance from the Fort, in the sheltering angle of a ridge of -rocks. - -Delgezie, her father, was a widower, and as Kasba was his only child he -showered all the love of his poor old heart upon her. Nothing was too -good for her, no sacrifice too great. She had been brought up at -Churchill, and though he still clung to many of the superstitions of his -race, he had allowed her to attend the day school conducted by the -missionary, and in the end to spend most of her childhood at the -Mission, for the missionary’s wife had soon become fond of the bright -little motherless girl, and had easily persuaded the doting old man that -it was to the girl’s advantage. So it had come about that it was to this -good lady Kasba owed her superior manners and refinement. - -Kasba had been exceedingly happy in those days. But since she had come -with her father to Fort Future a deep shadow had come into her young -life. She had offered Roy Thursby all the love of her warm little heart -and he had turned from it. She was intensely miserable. In her present -misery she thought of those cloudless days, and a sigh escaped her. - -“You are sad, Kasba,” said a voice in Chipewyan at her side. - -The girl stopped and looked up. It was Sahanderry, a tall, -active-looking native. - -Kasba turned to him with a wan smile. She was fond of Sahanderry, for -she had known him all her life; besides, he wished to marry her. -Remembering how quickly Roy had turned away on discovering her secret -love for him, a feeling of tenderness came over her for this Indian. -“Should she spoil his life?” she asked herself. “What had she to do with -love? The girls of her race,” she argued, “had no voice in the choosing -of their husbands.” For the first time in her life she felt discontented -with her lot. - -“Leave it, Sahanderry,” she said, a trifle bitterly, as he reached up to -take the bundle from her back. “It’s contrary to the customs of our race -for men to carry wood; that’s woman’s work.” - -Sahanderry looked at her a moment in surprise. - -“But you are not like the other women of our race,” he urged, quietly. - -“Still I am a Chipewyan,” she burst forth. Then seeing the pained, -puzzled expression on his face, she put out her hand tenderly and -touched him on the arm. “Forgive me,” she said, “I am sorry. I did not -mean to be unkind. What I meant to say was that I’m a Chipewyan and must -follow the customs of my people.” With this she walked on. - -The man stood bewildered. He could not understand Kasba in her present -mood. He had often met her in this way and she had never before objected -to his taking her burden. He felt she was behaving unfairly. He watched -her for a moment, then, like a faithful dog, slowly followed after. He -had not gone far, however, before he saw her stop and look round. At -this, he quickened his footsteps, caught up with her and walked close -behind her, for the rest of the way in silence. - -Arriving at the hut, the girl dropped her load and entered, and -instantly attended to the fire. - -The hut was built of logs, caulked with moss, and had a flat roof. It -comprised only one room. In the centre of this was a large Carron stove, -the pipes from which completely encircled the room before bolting out of -a hole in the roof to carry off the smoke. The walls were bare of paint -and ornamented with snowshoes, dog-whips, shotbags and such other -paraphernalia of the chase. A few rude shelves held such articles as a -clock and a lamp, while the table was of rough plank, and a few empty -cases did duty for chairs. Pushed against the rear wall and opposite the -door were two narrow beds, neatly covered with deerskin robes. High -overhead several long sticks or poles had been suspended horizontally to -form a rack or shelf, on the theory that heat rises, and half-a-dozen -fish lay there slowly thawing out, while several pairs of moccasins, in -various stages of dryness, dangled from it by their strings. The place, -though primitive, was clean and tidy, and bore unmistakable signs of a -woman’s careful attention. - -Sahanderry brought in an armful of wood, which he dropped beside the -stove. Kasba reached out her hand blindly, placed a few of the pieces -gingerly upon the embers and blew the whole into a blaze; then, -satisfied that the fire was well under way, she rose from her knees, and -putting off her outdoor clothing, selected half-a-dozen ptarmigan from a -number on the table, and, seating herself on an empty sugar-case, -commenced to pluck the birds into a large tin bowl at her feet. She -worked the faster because a dull pain was making itself felt in her -heart. - -There was silence. Presently the man fumbled in his pocket and brought -forth a knife and a plug of nigger-head, which he proceeded to cut up on -a corner of the table. He glanced at the girl slyly. - -The noise of the tobacco-cutting and the crackling of the fire were the -only sounds to break the stillness. - -Having duly and solemnly finished the operation, Sahanderry took out his -pipe, which he leisurely filled. Presently there was a grunt of -satisfaction, and a cloud of smoke issued from his mouth. - -The girl threw him a furtive glance. He happened to be looking at her at -that instant and caught her in the act. Kasba dropped her head. A -wistful expression came into the man’s face, and laying aside his pipe, -he leaned forward, as if to get a closer look at her countenance, but -she dropped her head still lower. - -“Kasba,” he said earnestly, then stooped over her, gently tilting her -chin upwards so that he could see her face more closely, “why won’t you -promise to marry me when we get back to Churchill?” - -“Because I am a bad, wicked Indian,” she said presently with a show of -impulse, and tearing herself free. - -The man stood staring at her, thunderstruck. “_You_ bad! _You_ wicked!” -he ejaculated, greatly amazed. Then, suddenly his look of amazement -changed to one of outrage. His brow darkened and his eyes struck fire. -“If _Bekothrie_ (master) has——” he began, shaking his fist in the air. - -But the girl sprang to her feet and stopped him with some little -excitement. The bird she was plucking fell from her lap to the feathers -in the bowl and sank out of sight. “Hush, Sahanderry!” she cried, -severely. “Remember, it is of the master you are speaking.” - -The man fairly hung his head. - -Now Kasba with all her impetuosity possessed considerable sense of -justice and grasping his arm tightly, she went on resolutely. “You must -not speak against Mr. Thursby. This trouble is all of my own making. I -alone am to blame. I have been very silly, and—if you will forgive me -and be patient with me, I—I—” she dropped her head. - -“You will love me?” he suggested, eagerly, his face betraying the -liveliest emotions. - -She was silent several moments, then raised her face, a little paler -than it had been, but with a passionless resolve set on it. “If I can,” -she responded bravely, giving him her hands. “I will _try_ to love you, -I—” she stopped and his arms went about her. - -“You make me very happy!” he said. Then he kissed her. - -She closed her eyes to shut out the look on his face, and pushed him -gently from her. “No, no; not now!” she said, all in a tremble. “Give me -time. Give this evil spell time to pass away, and be good and patient -with me.” - -“I will be patient, Kasba,” he said, pressing her hand. - -The man’s actions reminded her sharply of how soothingly another had -patted her hand shortly before, how the other’s touch had caused the -blood to dance in her veins and to rush to her face and her heart to -beat so wildly with joy that it had shown itself in her eyes; and she -withdrew her hand quickly. - -“What is the matter?” enquired Sahanderry, feeling the rebuke. - -“Nothing,” replied the girl a trifle coldly and drawing back a little. -“You had better go now, the master will be wanting you.” - -The man bowed his head mutely, and turned slowly on his heel. At the -door he looked back. She smiled at him, but there was a great deal of -sadness in the look. He returned the smile and went out. - -The girl stood still and watched him go. Then with her handkerchief she -rubbed vigorously at her cheek—the place where Sahanderry had kissed -her. - - - - - CHAPTER II. - _FORT FUTURE._ - - -Fort Future consisted of a solitary group of small buildings situated -near the mouth of Chesterfield Inlet, which is in the Barren Lands. It -seemed as if the buildings must have sprung up there of themselves, like -so many mushrooms; or must have been dropped from the heavens, or else -carried there by one of those raging, tearing windstorms that sweep over -that part of the country, so incongruous did they appear in that vast -northern wilderness. - -Nevertheless, Fort Future was a comfortable place in its way—at least -so said Roy Thursby; for he, like most of the Company’s officers, was -acquainted with starvation, solitude and desolation, and knew there were -posts compared with which Fort Future, with its unfailing supply of -country provisions, was a veritable paradise. Broom called it “a rotten -hole,” “the last place that God Almighty made,” and by much worse names; -all of which Roy would laughingly refute by telling him that he was a -sailor, and therefore never satisfied; that for himself he had no -objections to banishment; and Broom would retaliate by asserting that -Roy was a Hudson’s Bay man, that the Company owned him body and soul, -and that he was there because he had been sent—which was true as to the -last part. The Hudson’s Bay Company had required a fearless and staunch -man to establish a post at Chesterfield Inlet, and after some -correspondence with his chief—Roy was then second in charge at York -Factory—Thursby had been chosen. His willingness to go, if ever thought -of at all, had been looked upon as a mere matter of course. The -Company’s interests had to be attended to, therefore go he must, willing -or unwilling. Luckily for him, and perhaps for the Company too, the -enterprise had appealed to the strong spirit of adventure in the young -officer, and he had entered into the scheme with eagerness and made his -arrangements with all enthusiasm, treating the prospective dangers with -total indifference. The wonderful Far North breeds men of this stamp: -men of courage, resourcefulness and self-reliance; men who fear nothing -and live hard. - -That was more than a year ago, and in the interval he had established -the post and enthroned himself, so to speak, monarch of all he surveyed. -He held his kingdom and ruled his subjects—wandering bands of Eskimo, -who displayed a curious mixture of simplicity and fear and a disposition -to high-handed robbery with an indomitable will and daring courage. The -works of some Arctic voyagers describe the Eskimos as inveterate thieves -and of murderous dispositions, while others speak of them as honest, -good-natured fellows, which is perplexing. But the fact is, both -descriptions are true, even of people of the same tribe, which proves -the Eskimo character is a difficult problem to solve. At one time he may -be good and amiable, and at another all that is bad and treacherous. -Much depends upon conditions. - -Besides himself, the resident population of Fort Future consisted of -five other human beings, to wit: the man Broom, Kasba, Delgezie, -Sahanderry, and a boy named David. The last four were Chipewyan Indians -from Churchill. In fact, save these and a few wandering bands of Eskimo, -there was not another human being to be found within a hundred miles of -this desolate spot in any direction, and then only a few transient -visitors such as came with American and other whalers. - -Roy Thursby was a bachelor, though not indisposed to change his estate -under favorable conditions, as we shall see; Sahanderry cooked for him -and did the general housework, while Kasba washed and mended his -clothes. - -The Fort stood on an old gravel beach about five miles from the coast. -The inlet or river widened immediately before it, and miles of ice -hummocks extended where once the restless wave had raised its angry -crest; countless masses thrown up into weird, fantastic shapes by the -peculiar workings of some mysterious submarine power, their formation -was constantly changing in these strange upheavals. The establishment -consisted of a few one-storey log buildings. The trading-store, -warehouse, and one or two minor stores were grouped together, while the -“master’s” house stood apart in the background. A small coast-boat, -hauled well above high-water mark, lay propped up in its winter -quarters; a flagstaff reared its head skywards; and a number of Eskimo -dogs ran about among the buildings or lay curled up in the snow, their -long hairy coats covered with rime. - -Roy Thursby was worried. Broom’s assault on Kasba foreshadowed trouble, -and much of it, in the future. Also, Roy was greatly annoyed. At first -he was determined to make Broom “hit the track.” His presence at the -Fort would now be a constant menace to his peace of mind. Therefore the -fellow must go. - -But as he became calmer, Roy’s better nature asserted itself. He -remembered that terms of familiarity prevailed among Broom’s late -associates, and he decided, after severely cautioning him, to let the -unpleasant incident drop. - -Broom had lived two years among the Eskimos. A man of a different nature -and a higher moral tone might have improved the natives during this two -years. But the fellow had drifted with the current of popular custom and -had adopted tribal manners and usages. I do not think he would have -ill-treated a woman; but he looked upon them as being created solely for -the use and pleasure of man. - -Then, too, Roy was distressed at discovering Kasba’s secret. The -knowledge that Kasba loved him surprised and pained him beyond measure. -For he was not a vain man. He had always admired the girl, she was so -quiet, and had such pretty, shy little ways and gestures; but beyond -thinking of her as a pleasant little thing to have about him, he had -never given her a thought. Under the new conditions he hardly knew what -to do. There was a deep tinge of pity for her in his thoughts. The -matter was still puzzling him when he arrived at the door of his -dwelling. - -The dogs greeted him with suppressed growls of welcome. Jumping up, they -sniffed enquiringly at the bag on his back. With a “Down, Flyer, Mush, -Klondike!” he slipped his feet out of his snowshoe lines and crossed the -threshold. - -The two-roomed house contained a kitchen and what served as a bed-room -and living-room; had only one door, and very few windows. There was -little of luxury. In the kitchen a large cookstove, on which several -kettles stood simmering and emitting little clouds of steam, was the -chief ornament. A very serviceable water-barrel stood in one corner, -while a large wood-box occupied another. Pots and pans hung from nails -in the walls and a heavy table of rough plank occupied a position near -the stove. The floor was of plank and well swept, for Roy was -fastidious. The walls of the other room were white-washed, the chairs -and table all country-made and unpainted. A large wooden clock ticked -solemnly on the wall, and there were pictures and photographs tacked up -or standing on shelves, with a conglomeration of other small articles -more or less useful. - -Roy dropped the bag from his shoulders and emptied its contents on the -kitchen floor. There were three white foxes and a blue one. These he -hung up to thaw. Then he stepped into the inner room and there pulled -off his outdoor clothing. - -Seated in a chair, with his feet resting on the lower of two bunks which -were fitted on one side of the room, was Broom. He was reading a book -with a paper cover brilliantly illuminated—one of those “Three-Fingered -Jack” series of stories so eagerly devoured by uncultured minds. - -Broom shut the book as Roy entered the room. He nodded familiarly, -distorted his swollen lips into a smile and dropped his feet to the -floor. “Well, what luck?” he inquired with feigned interest. - -“Three whites and a blue,” replied the trader. He tried to put some -heartiness into his words, but the irritation he still felt at the man -held him back. He went back to the kitchen to wash his hands, and Broom -returned to his book. - -Pausing in his ablutions, Roy threw the man a searching glance. He now -had a great mistrust of him. And here I may perhaps best explain who -Broom was, as he is a gentleman with whom we shall have much concern in -these pages. - -Broom was a runaway sailor. Deserting his ship at Cape Fullerton, he had -one day turned up at Fort Future. He might be one of those worthless -characters found in all occupations, but he was a white man, and that -had been enough for Roy Thursby. Besides he had shown considerable -courage in attempting a solitary journey down the coast to the Fort. -This appealed to Roy and he had allowed him to stay on, intending to -give him a passage in the coast-boat that went south in the spring. At -first the runaway had been very energetic. He had made himself useful -about the place and regularly attended the few traps he had put down, as -he laughingly remarked, to keep himself in tobacco, but latterly he had -slackened off and appeared discontented. He displayed fits of -irritability and moodiness. Roy had noticed this, and after Broom’s late -outbreak he seriously doubted his wisdom in having harbored him. -Debating the question, he went back to the inner room and sat down; then -in very plain language told the sailor what he thought of his conduct. -Broom looked at him through half-closed lids; his lips were still -parted, but the smile was gone. Then he exploded. “Hang it all!” he said -sulkily; “you needn’t be hard on a fellow.” - -“Well, behave yourself, then,” said Roy, firmly, and having spoken his -mind he would have dropped the subject. - -But the other did not seem disposed to allow him. “She’s a pretty little -baggage for an Indian,” he asserted, “and what’s more, she knows it.” - -Roy directed a searching glance at the sneering face of the speaker, but -paid no attention to the remark except, perhaps, that he raised his -eyebrows a little. He naturally possessed more self-control than most -young men of five and twenty. He was high-spirited, and could not brook -an insult; but he was inclined to consider the source of a remark before -he retaliated. Besides, he wished to avoid another quarrel, for he knew -it would serve to widen the breach already broad enough between them. - -“Wonder some Indian brave hasn’t snapped her up and carried her off to -his happy wigwam,” Broom went on. “But there!” he added, “I suppose -she’d turn up her pretty little nose at a native. She wants a white -man.” Then, with emphasis there was no misunderstanding, “and no -understrapper at that.” - -Jumping to his feet, Roy stood before the fellow. A flush of manifest -vexation burned upon his cheek. His hands clenched involuntarily. His -eyes flashed, but restraining himself, he said: “Look here, Broom, -that’s enough! I’ll have no more of your veiled insinuations, or hear -any more disrespectful remarks about that girl.” - -The sailor laughed quietly for a moment as if he had some mighty good -joke in his mind, then with a half-deprecative, half-protesting movement -of the hand, “All right,” he said, “don’t get on your ear. There’s no -need for us to quarrel over a native.” - -“But I strongly object to the tone you adopt when speaking of the girl,” -persisted Roy, indignantly, “and while we are on the subject I may as -well tell you that I will not tolerate any more of it. You are my guest, -so to speak, but my patience has an end, and my hospitality its limits.” - -Broom’s jaw dropped; he was evidently nonplussed. - -There was a silence. Broom’s eyes were fixed upon the floor. He seemed -to be considering. Roy turned away to walk up and down. - -“Oh, stow it!” exclaimed Broom at last, without raising his eyes. “You -Hudson’s Bay men are not so dashed good yourselves that you can afford -to lecture others.” - -“That is as may be,” returned the trader sharply, “but you see, I’m -master here and——” - -“The king can do no wrong,” finished the other sententiously. Then he -laughed and suddenly extended his hand. “Come, shake hands,” he cried. -“You’re not a bad chap in spite of your sanctimonious airs.” - -This remark was evidently intended as an overture of reconciliation. Roy -stared hard at him for a moment, then glanced at the outstretched hand. -He hated quarrelling, but he was feeling too angry at the man to forgive -him thus easily. The other noticed Roy’s hesitation and look, and -quickly dropped his hand. Somewhat staggered, the fellow sat twisting -his moustache, pulling at his shaggy beard and scowling at the trader, -who had resumed his pacing. After spending a portion of his discomfiture -in this manner, Broom again essayed a remark. - -“Guess I was in the wrong,” he said, as if by way of general retraction. -“You’ve been a good friend to me, in fact you saved my life. For when I -drifted in here, after deserting that blighted whaler, I was all in; the -winter was upon me, and, why! I hadn’t enough clothes to flag a train.” -At this he laughed heartily. “You took me in, clothed me, and killed the -fatted caribou. Hang it, shake!” and he thrust forth his hand again. - -Roy stopped perambulating. “Perhaps I’ve been a little hasty,” he said, -and took the man’s hand, though he was still only half mollified, for -this sudden warmth of gratitude struck him as feigned. “She is a demure, -soft-hearted little thing, and I do not like to hear her spoken of in -that way,” he explained, dropping into a chair. - -“Oh, of course not!” observed Broom with a suggestion of sarcasm in his -tone. - -“Her father, Delgezie, works for me; he has worked for the Company all -his life,” continued Roy severely, his eyes beginning to flash again. -“He is a pure-blooded Indian, a faithful servant, a gentle, God-fearing -old man, and his daughter, who was orphaned at a very early age, is a -very remarkable girl. She was practically brought up by the missionary’s -wife at Churchill, you know, and her polite, civilized manner and -extraordinary intelligence have attracted great attention and remark -from people travelling through the country; and I now warn you: The man -who fools with that girl will have _me_ to reckon with.” - -The sailor started and glanced at him for an instant under his brows; -the veins swelled at his temples, and a dull, angry light came into his -eyes. “Oh, he will, will he?” he sneered. - -Almost as these words were uttered a dark face was thrust into the room -and a voice cried out in Chipewyan. Roy answered in the same language -and the face disappeared. - -Broom looked enquiringly at the trader, who was pulling on a coat. The -angry light was still in Broom’s eyes, but his tone changed very much -when he spoke again. “What’s that he says?” he asked, suavely. “I don’t -understand that lingo.” - -“He says there are Eskimo arriving,” replied Roy shortly; and he went -out to watch the approach of the natives. - -Then Broom half closed his eyes and an expression of malignant and -devilish hatred came over his face. “So you threaten me, my Hudson’s Bay -rooster,” he murmured. “Well, you may crow in your own yard, curse you, -but don’t crow too loudly, for you don’t own the earth.” Then, gently -rubbing his wounded lips, he added, almost in a whisper, and there was a -low hiss in the words: “And you shall pay dearly for that blow.” - -The wind was fair and the Eskimos came racing before it at a great -speed. Relieved of any effort by the wind and sails, the dogs ran beside -the flying _com-it-uks_ (Eskimo sleds) in apparent jubilation, while the -natives—with the exception of the two required to steer each of these -unwieldy, improvised ice-boats—were sitting on the loads with smiles of -satisfaction, feeling that all was as it should be. As they neared the -Fort the big parchment sails were dropped and the dogs brought into -action. The number of dogs attached to each _com-it-uk_ varied, not -according to the weight of the load, as one would imagine, but according -to the total number possessed by the Eskimos travelling with it. Where -dogs were lacking natives dropped into the vacant places and hauled on -the “bridles” (traces) as substitutes. The heavily-laden sleds[1] were -with difficulty dragged to the warehouse where Roy stood, with door wide -open, ready to receive them. - -The odd commingling of tongues was confusing. Roy was giving occasional -sharp orders in Eskimo, and holding scraps of conversation in his own -tongue with Broom, whom he had suddenly found standing beside him, while -the voluble Sahanderry ran about loudly vociferating in Chipewyan. Added -to this was the hum occasioned by the Eskimos speaking among themselves -and the chorus of a few dozen dogs. - -The new arrivals were all dressed alike in hairy deerskin clothing, and -scarcely anyone but a native could have distinguished male from female, -except for a band of brass which some of the women wore around their -foreheads. Yet the trader was able to greet each of the natives by name -without making a mistake, even when two brothers appeared. - -“Well, Oulybuck,” he cried, shaking hands with a young Eskimo. “Where’s -Piglinick? Isn’t he here?” - -“No. He’s dead,” returned the native. - -“Dead!” echoed Roy, with a look of profound astonishment. - -“Yes,” continued the native, dryly, “we hung him last moon.” - -“Hung him last moon!” repeated the horrified trader, staring blankly at -the broad-smiling Eskimo for a few seconds, then bursting into a roar of -laughter. - -“Beats cock-fighting,” observed Broom, sententiously. - -“Yes,” said Roy, recovering himself somewhat. Then turning to Oulybuck, -“Why did you hang him?” he asked. - -But Oulybuck ignored the question. “Hung Kinnicky, too,” he said, -smiling as if proud of this double achievement. - -“Goodness me; why, he’s hung his father also!” cried the astonished Roy. -His face now changed its expression to one of consternation. - -“A regular Jack Ketch,” asserted Broom. - -“Tell us about it, Oulybuck. Why did you do it?” asked Roy, who had -become grave. He scarcely knew what to make of such summary proceedings. - -The native, nothing loth, told his story in a few words, interspersed -with long pauses. - -It appeared that his father, Kinnicky, and his brother, Piglinick, who -had accompanied him the last time he had come to the Fort, had been -taken ill shortly after starting on their return journey. As days passed -by and he got no better, Kinnicky decided to end his sufferings. He bade -Oulybuck build him an _iglo_ without the complete dome. This Oulybuck -dutifully did, and with the aid of a sled runner, which was placed -across the top of the structure reaching from wall to wall, and a piece -of clapmatch line, which hung from the runner and terminated in a noose, -Kinnicky was left dancing in the air. This somewhat unique cure seems to -have recommended itself to Piglinick also, for soon he was hanging -beside his father. - -Oulybuck finished his story with a look of conscious pride at the part -he had played in the matter. - -“I wonder where they got the idea of hanging,” said Broom, breaking the -silence that followed. - -Roy shook his head. He was puzzled by the strange yarn of the Eskimo; -such proceedings appeared so very barbarous, even in that remote -country, far from all law and order. Yet he thoroughly understood, from -his knowledge of the Eskimo character, that the whole astounding -performance had been carried out by Oulybuck in perfect good faith. The -Eskimo had merely obeyed his father and elder brother’s commands in -assisting them to commit suicide, the same as he would have implicitly -obeyed any other order they might have given him. - -While Oulybuck was engaged with his story the other Eskimos had chosen a -suitable spot on which to erect their _iglos_ (snow-houses) and had -started to make them. Working in three gangs, they labored on as many -_iglos_. Cutting large blocks of snow from an adjacent drift they -carried them to other Eskimos, who built them into walls around -themselves. Dexterously they trimmed the blocks with the _pin-uks_ -(snow-knives), fitting them into place with great exactness. Speedily -the walls went up, and as they grew in height so they decreased in -circumference, till at last only the heads of the builders could be -seen. Snow blocks were then neatly fitted to the remaining spaces, and -the men were immured in prisons of their own construction; but they were -quickly released by their friends on the outside, who cut holes through -the walls near the base of the _iglos_ to serve as entrances. In front -of these holes blocks of snow were placed to act as doors; and the -cracks in the walls were sealed with loose snow. This completed these -primitive but serviceable snow houses and they were quickly tenanted. In -fact the whole performance was marked by the expeditious way in which it -was accomplished. - -Meanwhile the trader and his companion had returned to the house and -were now blowing clouds of blue smoke. Broom sat in his favorite -position with feet resting on the bottom bunk, while Roy lounged -comfortably back with one leg dangling over the arm of his chair. - -Jumping up suddenly, Roy put a box of cigars and two enamelled mugs upon -the table, then produced a bottle of whiskey from a locked box. He had -resolved to spend the evening as pleasantly as possible. Pushing the -cigars toward the sailor, he said, “Have a cigar? Help yourself.” - -Broom grinned appreciatively and complied with ready acquiescence. - -“Don’t care if I do,” he answered, taking one and brightening. - -The trader drew the cork and passed the bottle to his companion, who -took it with sundry little chuckles of satisfaction, and after several -long approving sniffs, poured out a goodly potation, which he tossed off -with a whimsical wink and a curt nod. Then his hand went quickly to his -mouth, and for a fleeting second his face assumed a most unpleasant -expression, for the raw spirits stung his lips, which were cut and -bruised by contact with the trader’s fist. - -The look, however, passed unobserved by Roy, who had taken the bottle -and was helping himself moderately. - -“Good stuff,” sighed Broom, presently, gazing affectionately into his -empty mug. - -“Yes, and very precious in these parts,” said Roy. “I got only one case -last fall; but I’ve managed to make it hold out pretty well.” - -“You certainly have,” returned Broom, putting up his mug with apparent -reluctance. - -Then the two men settled themselves in their chairs and blew more clouds -of smoke. Broom made free with the box of cigars and sprawled himself -out comfortably, his face wearing an expression which indicated that he -was highly satisfied with himself. - -Suddenly he started chuckling to himself. - -“What’s the joke,” inquired Roy. - -“Oh, I was thinking of a fellow on the whaler,” replied Broom, removing -the cigar from his mouth and gazing meditatively at the burning tip. “He -was hammering a dog one day when the skipper interposed. ‘You seem to -have a spite against that dog,’ said the skipper. ‘No, I ain’t got no -grudge against the dog,’ said the fellow, ‘I’m just showing my -author-_i_-ity.’” - -After this the sailor fairly surpassed himself in wit and good humor, -and Roy was in constant bursts of laughter at his stories and metaphors. -Curious to know the cause of this unusual mirth, Sahanderry hastily -finished his work in the kitchen, and stood in the doorway listening to -the conversation. The Indian’s presence seemed to irritate Broom, who -frequently threw him a contemptuous glance and seemed impatient to order -him away. - -“Come, Sahanderry,” said the trader, at length; “you’re a hunter; give -us a yarn.” - -The moment the Indian’s name was mentioned Broom’s face assumed a sneer -and his eyes flashed spitefully, for even in the short time he had been -at the Fort he and the Indian had for some reason become bitter enemies. -He shifted uncomfortably in his chair, and appeared about to make some -scornful remark, but changed his mind and sat twisting his moustache -instead. Sahanderry’s face was immediately suffused with smiles. He -wiped his mouth and cleared his throat. Then the smiles vanished and his -countenance took a solemn, mournful expression. - -“I’ll tell you about a _na-ra-yah_ (wolverine),” he said, moistening his -lips with a thick tongue. - -“Fire away, then!” cried Roy. - -The Indian stood and preened himself a moment, then started off in a -stentorian voice, moving his arms in unison. He told how a wolverine had -been caught in a trap that he had set for a fox, and how in its -struggles to get free it had broken the chain and gone off with the trap -attached to its foot. Gesticulating wildly, the man got more and more -excited as he progressed with his story. A graphic description of a -_na-ra-yah_ in _rigor mortis_ was given. The Indian’s uncouth antics and -profound gravity in the portrayal created great amusement. - -“Upon my word, Sahanderry,” said Broom, when the Indian had finished, -“you are a most delightful liar.” - -Sahanderry’s eyes flashed at this doubtful comment. He appeared about to -spring at his tormentor, who was still twisting the ends of his -moustache. There was a moment of silence. The sailor sat looking at the -Indian with exasperating calmness. The Indian breathed heavily, glaring -at the sailor. - -“What right has Broom to call me a liar?” he demanded, turning to Roy. - -“Broom! you black scoundrel, Broom!” cried the man of the sea, “I’ll -have you remember that I’ve a handle to my name.” - -“Well, Broom-handle, then,” retorted Sahanderry sharply. - -The sailor half rose from his chair in a gust of passion as if he would -make for Sahanderry, but evidently changed his mind, for he dropped -slowly back to his seat. At a wave of the hand from the trader, -Sahanderry retired in a sulky mood to the kitchen. - -After a time Broom forced a smile to his face. - -“Not bad for an Indian!” he admitted with dubious praise, and with an -attempt at a laugh. - -“No,” returned Roy shortly. Then he spoke of the destructive habits of -the wolverine. - -At this juncture there was a slight shuffling noise in the kitchen, -accompanied by a sound of heavy breathing. The noise drew nearer, and -presently with a long “Phew!” an Eskimo ushered himself into the room. -He paused for a moment as if to make sure of his welcome, then at a nod -from the _A-hoo-mit-uk_ (master) he squatted down where he stood. It was -Ocpic the Murderer, a sobriquet he had earned, it was said by killing -seven other Eskimos. - -Seating himself on his haunches in the doorway, he divested himself of -his _tko-ti-tok_ (coat) by pulling it over his head, and sat in his -_at-ti-yi_ (shirt), smiling blandly, his little black, oblique eyes -alertly watching. - -While the two white men were engaged in conversation, the Eskimo’s eyes -wandered about the room and eventually fixed themselves on a large key -which hung on a nail at the head of one of the bunks. - -The little black eyes flashed and twinkled, for their owner was aware -that this key opened the trading store—that little paradise which -contained everything dear to the Eskimo heart. Ocpic knew where a new -net hung, a fine new salmon net, made and just ready to drop in the -water; and he would be badly in need of a net in the spring. There was -nothing to prevent his obtaining the net, nothing but that key. He gave -it a long earnest look, then suddenly dropped his gaze and a crafty -expression came on his face. - -Neither Roy nor Broom noticed Ocpic’s prolonged gaze at the key, nor -observed the stealthy gleam which came to Ocpic’s eye. They were -speaking of the manners and mode of life of these strange, littoral -people, who inhabit nearly five thousand miles of seaboard from East -Greenland to the Peninsula of Alaska, and who throughout all that vast -range speak essentially the same language. - -“They certainly are a peculiar race,” remarked Roy in conclusion. “I -have read somewhere that they are an intermediate species between man -and the sea-cow.” - -Both men looked across at the Eskimo. He was sitting in the same -position and smiled it them as they looked his way. - -Then there was a voice at the door crying, “_Delgezie yu-cuzz-ie, -Bekothrie_” (Delgezie is coming, master). - -Roy jumped excitedly to his feet. He had heard the voice, but had not -distinguished the words, and thought for a moment that the anxiously -awaited “packet” had been sighted. - -“Delgezie,” said Sahanderry, shortly, putting his head into the room. - -“Oh,” and the trader’s face lengthened visibly. He paused irresolutely, -then reached down his “hairy-coat” and fur cap and strode out of the -house. - -Yawning prodigiously, Broom slowly rose to his feet. Then he -deliberately filled and lit his pipe, pulled on a coat and stuck a cap -on his head and leisurely followed Roy, leaving Ocpic alone with the -key. - ------ - -[1] These sleds, generally known as Eskimo sleds, are made of two -runners some thirty feet long, four inches deep and two inches thick, -and are mostly shod with whalebone, but in its absence mud is used. This -latter is put on hot and allowed to freeze, then planed smooth and -“iced” by quickly drawing a streaming-wet piece of white bearskin or -blanket over it. This process of icing takes place every night. -Whalebone does not require icing, so has this advantage over mud and is -used altogether by the most Northern Eskimo. Wooden bars are fastened -across these long runners at intervals of six inches, and a -ground-lashing of clapmatch line, or rope, run fore and aft on either -side. The load is lashed down to this. Very heavy loads can be hauled on -this kind of sled; in fact, ten hundred pounds’ weight on an Eskimo sled -is merely equivalent to four hundred on a flat sled (toboggan). The -serious disadvantage of mud is felt in the spring, when the mud thaws -out and drops off in chunks. - - - - - CHAPTER III. - _KASBA FIGHTS A BITTER FIGHT._ - - -Kasba sat on her narrow bed in a thoughtful and melancholy posture. Her -pretty oval chin rested in the palm of her hand, and she leaned forward -so that her elbow rested on her knee and upheld the forearm. She was -gazing at her reflection in a small hand-mirror, but without interest. -In fact her gaze was one of disparagement rather than of admiration, and -with a heavy sigh she let the glass fall into her lap and sat lost in -thought. The master was not in love with her and she knew, as if by -direct intuition, that he had no intention of becoming so. There was not -the least chance for her any longer, and she threw the glass behind her, -somewhat petulantly it must be admitted, and dropped her face into her -hands; for of what use was beauty if it did not win her the man she -loved? She had known him a long time, many years it seemed to her, and -had grown to love him. Love him! oh, how she loved him! Yet in all that -time he had not spoken one word of love to her. And now that she had -showed him her heart perhaps he despised her, or pitied her, which was -worse. At that she sprang to her feet. She was no longer the calm, -gentle-natured Kasba, but Kasba the Indian in whose veins ran the blood -of a great race. She was a strange mixture of humility and pride, this -Indian maid. As she stood there, her head raised proudly, her nostrils -quivering, her eyes flashing, her form rounded yet slight, her varying -color, her tender youth and singular grace of attitude would have -inspired an artist with the ideal of Indian beauty. Then her eyes filled -and she gulped down a sob. She was feeling very bitter and rebellious. -She felt that she had a grudge against Fate. - -To every pure and innocent young girl, we are told, love is a condition -of mind, not a strain on the senses. But Kasba knew nothing of this. She -had not the conventional and sensitive delicacy of white girls. She was -well aware of life’s evil truths, and knew that Broom would have gone to -any lengths to have possessed her. Roy was not that kind of a man; -though in her secret heart she wished that he had been. Poor Kasba! She -was such a child. Physically she was quite grown up, but her mind was a -child’s mind. So confiding, so unprotected even by her own sense of -right, she would have gone to him and not been aware of the fall. Was he -not the _Master_? And was she not his, body and soul? Which goes to -prove that Kasba’s notions of love were very simple, rudimentary, and, -certes, in no way coy. How should they be? - -If the good lady at Churchill could have known the girl’s state of mind -at that moment she would have been greatly startled and appalled and had -serious doubts as to whether her instruction, instead of the service she -had intended, had not unsettled the girl and done her a deadly injury. -It cannot be denied that it was shocking, but all that the girl felt was -very natural. How should it be otherwise? Her people had never been -married, that is to say in the white man’s way, until after the -missionary had come amongst them; still they had been happy, while she -had seen properly married white people who had not lived happily -together. She, who had seen but few white people, had seen that, so what -did it matter, married or unmarried, as long as they were together? So -argued the girl, but deep down in her heart there was the Churchill -lady’s teaching, which was confused, dim, uncertain, but clamoring to be -heard, and a guilty blush rushed to her cheek as she sat and covered her -eyes with her hands in very shame; for she was conscious of the -wickedness of what she felt and longed for, though she could not -understand it. - -Suddenly she dropped her hands from her eyes and sat bolt upright, -staring at the wall opposite, and gave a little shuddering sigh. For all -at once she understood that Roy had turned away because he was -honorable, because he wished to be true to another, a girl of his own -race, whom he loved. The girl’s name was Lena. She knew that, for she -had once heard someone chaffing him about a girl of that name and he had -grown very red and confused. That was very long ago, but it all came -back to her now, and she hated the girl Lena with her whole heart and -soul. Why did he love that other girl? In striving to solve this riddle -she was struck by a new idea. “He cannot care for me,” she thought, -“because my skin is not white and I do not dress like the women of his -people,”—like the women did in the drawings she had seen in some papers -Roy had given her some time or other. Doubtless this other girl’s—this -Lena’s—dresses covered her whole body, as the women’s did in the -pictures. She looked down at her own scanty garment, which was -nevertheless very serviceable and becoming, though in sooth it might -have displayed the curves of her form to better perfection, which left a -considerable expanse of blue stroud legging exposed; the blood mounted -in a wave to her face and throat and she kicked out her legs -vexatiously, viewing them with offence; then drew them up beneath her as -if to hide them forever from sight. You could not see the women’s legs -in the drawings because their dresses covered them to the ankles. Also -they wore pretty hats instead of shawls, and boots instead of ugly -moccasins. Still they looked very uncomfortable. Then she remembered how -heartily she and the boy David had laughed over the pictures and -wondered how white women could run before dogs, or paddle a canoe, or -even make bannocks in such tight-fitting garments. As for herself, she -would be suffocated, she was sure she would. And David had declared that -he wouldn’t have one of them for his partner on a trip for anything, not -even if she promised him a new gun, which was saying much, and together -they had poked fun and laughed uproariously at the idea. - -Poor Kasba! Had she known how little Roy really troubled his head about -her dress she might have saved herself all this vexation of spirit. In -saying this I do not for one moment wish to make our hero appear -superior to other men. He was a man, with all a man’s appreciation of -what was beautiful in women; but if truth forbids me to depict Roy -Thursby as a highly virtuous young man, justice forces me to declare -that the sight of this young girl’s legs had never caused him an -untoward thought, though they were certainly not objects of offence. - -But Kasba did not know what was in Roy’s mind, and just then she would -have risked suffocation or any such horrible calamity to be able to -display herself before Roy for a few moments clothed after the fashion -of the women of his race. She snapped her pretty white teeth like a -little savage animal at the thought of the white girl, whom she envied -the possession of civilized garments. She sat for a long time cogitating -over the shocking immodesty of her costume. She could not have explained -her thoughts in these words, it is true; but this is really what vexed -her mind. Then her mood changed. A creature of many moods was this -Indian girl. Why should she be ashamed of wearing her clothing according -to the custom of her tribe? Then she was ashamed for ever having felt -ashamed. Suddenly she stopped this train of thought, also, and her face -clouded. Broom’s name had crossed her mind. Then she remembered -Sahanderry and her promise to him, and thoughts crowded in upon her till -her brain reeled. She was a wicked girl, a very wicked girl. How shocked -her dear father would be if he knew. And the man she loved who had -turned away that she might be an honest girl, what would he think? Yes, -she was very, very wicked. Filled with disgust and loathing of herself -she turned on her face and lay violently sobbing. - -Presently she got up and lit a lamp. The fight was over; she had -conquered the evil thoughts that had so cruelly beset her, which was due -to her own nature, in which there was much good and hardly any evil. She -had determined to face the situation bravely, and do what was right, -according to her ideas of right, without any regard for her own feelings -and inclination. - -Probably Kasba had never heard of Satan’s proclivity to provide -employment for idle hands, but she was seldom found idle, and chiding -herself now for the time she had wasted, in what she somewhat vaguely -called “her folly,” she began to make “cakes” (bannocks) against her -father’s return, for she was expecting him home hourly. - -So engrossed was she in her work that she did not hear the door open, -nor was she aware that David, an orphan Indian boy whom Delgezie had -adopted, was in the house till a pair of cold arms caught her round the -neck, and a still colder face was pressed against her own. Kasba drew -the boy towards her and stroked his cold face with her warm hands. - -“Well, dear,” she said with a welcoming smile, “you gave me quite a -start!” - -“What were you thinking about, Kasba?” he asked. Then, “Oh, I’ve shot -three deer!” he cried with boyish enthusiasm, without waiting for a -reply. Kasba was glad of the boy’s abstraction and bent a tell-tale face -over the half-cooked cakes. - -“But you must be hungry,” she said, handing the boy one newly-baked -which he took and began to devour ravenously. He threw himself on the -empty sugar case and the cake disappeared in big mouthfuls, while his -large dark eyes flashed about the room. - -He was a healthy-looking boy, with a bright, happy face. The blood in -his cheeks shone through the dark skin, giving him a ruddy color -pleasant to look upon. - -In a remarkably short space of time David finished his meal and his -wandering eyes came back to the girl by the stove. She was brewing a -kettle of tea. - -“We will go for the deer to-morrow,” she said. “Why, you are getting -quite a hunter! Is it far?” - -“Just this side of the ‘big hill.’” Then he paused and his brow grew -suddenly dark. “You’ve been crying!” he exclaimed, fiercely, springing -to his feet. Then catching Kasba by the arm, he gazed searchingly into -her face. “What is it?” he cried sharply. Dropping the girl’s arm he -stood with angry eyes and clenched fists. “Was it Ball-eye?” (white-man, -in this case meaning Broom) he asked. - -The girl hesitated and dropped her eyes. - -“It was Ball-eye,” he cried with conviction. “I can see by your face it -was.” Then waving his clenched hands in the air he danced about the room -in fiery anger. “Curse him!” he shouted. “If ever I catch him sneaking -round after you, I’ll—I’ll put a bullet in him, that’s what I’ll do.” - -“David! David! Please don’t!” cried Kasba in great dismay, seizing him -round the neck. “You must not talk like that. You will get into -trouble.” With this she sank on the seat he had vacated and drew him -down beside her. - -David’s anger died suddenly. He was now struggling manfully to keep back -the big tears which threatened to overwhelm him. - -“Three deer! Why, David, you are getting quite a man!” said Kasba, with -a proud smile, changing the subject. - -“Yes, and I have something very funny to tell you,” he said quickly, -forgetting his previous agitation in his excitement. - -Kasba gave him a smile of encouragement, while he curled himself up -comfortably at her feet, gazing up into her face with bright, eager -eyes. - -“And what is this very funny thing you have to tell me?” she asked, with -lively interest, playfully pinching his ear. - -“Well,” he began seriously, “I was near the ‘big lake,’ you know.” - -The girl nodded. - -“I was watching a large buck deer. He was windward of me and came right -up close, quite unconscious of my presence.” He paused and the girl -nodded again comprehendingly. “Go on,” she said. - -“Well,” continued the boy, “I raised my rifle and was about to fire when -I heard a slight noise at my back. I looked, and there on the edge of -the lake I saw three large wolves.” - -The girl started and drew in her breath sharply. “Three?” she asked, -bending over and placing her hand on his. - -“Yes, three,” repeated the boy. “They were watching the deer, too, and -acting so strangely that I lowered my rifle and waited to see what they -would do. Presently two of them crouched down while the other made off. -Keeping out of sight it slunk along till it got behind the deer, then -the buck ‘winded’ it and sprang away straight to where the two other -wolves were crouching.” The boy paused for breath. - -“Yes, yes,” cried the girl, “go on, go on!” In her heated imagination -she saw it all: the majestic buck deer, the three fierce, gaunt wolves, -and the fearless boy. - -David smiled again, pleased at the girl’s excitement. “Just as the buck -came up with the wolf at his heels they sprang from their ambush and -pulled him down.” - -“And then—” prompted the girl, looking at him with her big, dark eyes. - -“Well, then I fired two bullets at them. I think I wounded one. They -stood and snarled.” - -The girl shuddered and pressed his hand tighter. - -“Then I fired again. This time I killed a big grey fellow, the one which -had run after the deer, and the others made off.” - -The girl drew a long, sharp breath, then, hugging him tightly around the -neck, kissed him. - -David laughed and fought for breath. “Don’t you think the wolves were -very cunning?” he asked. “Have you ever heard anything like that -before?” - -“They were very, very cunning,” declared the girl. “It was wonderful, I -have never heard the like.” Then, stroking his hair caressingly, she -added very seriously: “It was very brave of you to tackle three large -wolves, David, but it was dangerous, and I wish you would not go so far -from the Fort alone.” - -The boy smiled derisively at these girlish fears. - -“But I have my rifle!” he said bravely. Then with a swagger he added: -“But I must ‘ice’ my sled ready for the morning,” and filling a tin mug -with lukewarm water, and taking a piece of bearskin from off a shelf, he -went out. - -With a sigh Kasba took down a pair of birchwood snowshoe frames from the -rack overhead and sat down to net them. The frames were her own -handiwork and well made; the wood had been cleverly pared down, the -cross-pieces and toes and heels beautifully fitted and turned—all done, -too, with only a small knife, called a “crooked knife,” and an awl. - -But lest any of my readers should fall into the error committed by the -person who asked “whether snowshoes were warmer than shoes of ordinary -wear,” I will here more fully describe how these indispensable aids to -winter perambulations are made. - -First four pieces of birch or juniper, as the case may be, are carefully -selected and cut into lengths varying from three to five feet or longer, -according to the size of the snowshoes desired. These pieces are then -whittled down to an inch in thickness, and each two fastened together at -either end, bent to the shape of an oblong oval, some ten inches across -its widest part, and turned up at the toe. Then the slender frames thus -made are strengthened at the forepart by two crossbars, and at the heel -by one bar. This completes them and they are hung up to dry. Later on -they are netted in criss-cross fashion, somewhat after the manner of a -tennis racket, with _babiche_, that is to say, narrow strips of -undressed deerskin, which are well wetted before using. The foot -netting, or in other words the netting on which the foot rests, is much -coarser than that used for the heel and toe of the snowshoe. Of course I -am describing a Chipewyan snowshoe. Snowshoes differ a little in shape -among other tribes of Indians, but the principle is the same. - - - - - CHAPTER IV. - _THE MAN OF THE SHADOWS._ - - -Roy Thursby stood watching a small black speck which was moving slowly -over the white surface of the river and coming in the direction of the -Fort. Overhead was a magnificent Aurora Borealis extending high in bands -of flickering color; a luminous phenomenon of all the colors of the -rainbow, oscillating in electric waves. The gentle sighing of the wind, -and an occasional dull, muffled sound from among the ice hummocks broke -the silence. Near the trader were the dark figures of Kasba and David, -in fact it was they who had given the alarm, and presently there was a -slight crunching sound and Broom came striding up. - -Dogs appeared as if by magic, and stood erect with ears pricked up -expectantly, or darted forward with noses sniffing the air. - -The black speck grew rapidly larger and larger, until presently it -suddenly resolved itself into two portions, one of which, the smaller of -the two, quickly mended its pace and was soon distinguishable as a man. -The other travelled much slower, in a serpentine movement, swaying from -side to side as it dodged the huge masses of shattered ice. This was a -dog-train and driver returning from a trip to an Eskimo encampment. - -Before long the man in front was clambering over a prodigious snowdrift -which obstructed the approach to the trading-post. He was one Minnihak, -an Eskimo whom Thursby employed to run before the dogs when he sent out -a trading venture. - -The native lumbered forward with a broad grin. He was a droll figure -from the hood of his _tko-li-tok_ (coat) down to his _ka-miks_ (shoes) -covered with hoar-frost, and his “hairy” clothing gave him a shaggy -appearance greatly resembling a white bear walking on its hind legs. - -Thursby went forward to meet him. - -“_Timo_,” grunted the Eskimo; breathless from his late exertions. - -“_Timo_,” responded the other. He was too interested in the dog-train to -take further notice of the native just then. - -Minnihak took his welcome for granted. He turned to look for his -partner, who was now close at hand. - -The advancing train of dogs barked with sheer delight at being so near -home. Nothing could stop them now; even the biggest laggard of a dog was -in a perfect frenzy to proceed. The dogs at hand heard the song of those -approaching and joined in the melody. - -Ignoring the track left by the guide and despising every obstacle the -arriving train came helter-skelter over the bristling hummocks. The -heavily laden _com-it-uk_ (sled), swaying dangerously, crashed through -the ice at an alarming speed. Up one side of the snowdrift and down the -other it flew, threatening destruction to anything in its path, but a -pull here and a push there guided it safely past every obstruction. - -Then the home dogs vied with the newcomers in making so great an uproar -that no human voice could possibly have made itself heard above the -pandemonium. A free fight ensued, but a few sharp, stinging cuts from -the well-directed lash of a whip drew the dogs’ attention to other -things. Then the pain of their wounds broke in upon them and they slunk -off with whines and yells. - -By the aid of Minnihak and Sahanderry the dogs were unharnessed and the -heavily loaded sled taken away. Roy then turned to speak to Broom, but -that individual had suddenly disappeared; and Kasba, possessing herself -of her father’s bag containing a deerskin robe and a change of footwear, -also went silently away, while some distance ahead of her was David, -staggering under a load of venison that Delgezie had given him to carry -home. - -As the girl moved away from the fort a dim figure appeared in the deep -shadow at a corner of one of the buildings and stood looking after her. -When she had disappeared among the rocks the watcher chuckled and -followed after. - -The slight crunch, crunch, of some one walking stealthily over the crisp -snow soon attracted Kasba’s attention. Twice she stopped to listen, -throwing a scared glance behind. The third time a voice close at hand -startled her, and she stopped dead and turned right round. A dozen feet -away, in the shadow of a large boulder she discovered an indistinct -figure standing. The girl stood inert, staring as if fascinated. - -“Kasba, wait a minute, I want you,” said the voice in carefully -modulated tones. - -“What—do—you—want—with—me?” faltered the maiden, now thoroughly -frightened. - -“I want to speak to you,” said the voice. Kasba shivered. She swayed and -almost fell, for it was the voice of the man she so greatly feared. - -“What do you want—I don’t understand,” she faltered, trying to move -away, but now her legs refused her bidding. - -“Oh, you needn’t be afraid,” said the man, stepping out of the shadow. - -“You’re not so scared of Bekothrie, I notice,” he added with meaning. - -“He is the master!” faltered the girl, her face flushing painfully, -wondering whether the fellow had guessed her secret. - -“Oh, of course,” laughed Broom unpleasantly, and slyly edging nearer. -“The master, and therefore a little tin god. But say,” he added, taking -a step or two boldly, “does he not kiss those pretty lips occasionally, -and embrace that tight little waist, eh?” - -“Why should he?” asked the girl stupidly, scarcely knowing what to say. - -“Why should he?” repeated Broom, chuckling. “Why indeed! Why, because he -is human, my dear, and can no more resist the fascination of your pretty -face and figure than I can.” Kasba remembered how easily Roy had -resisted her that very day and, despite the terror she was feeling, -smiled bitterly. While the fellow had been speaking he had craftily -reduced the space between them, and now, encouraged by the girl’s -silence, he tried to clasp her about the waist. But the action worked -upon the girl like magic. There was too much of the fighting blood of -her warrior ancestors in her to allow her to be terrified for long, and -though her expression of strong aversion never changed, she stopped -trembling and with perfect calmness skilfully eluded his grasp. His arm -encircled the empty air and he swore under his breath. “Oh, you needn’t -try to be so confoundedly coy,” he cried, baffled for the moment. “Come, -sweetheart,” he added, waxing passionate and insinuating and again -edging toward her, “I’m in love with you and shall sleep all the better -for a kiss from those red lips.” - -“Back, Ball-eye,” cried the girl, her eyes flashing and her lips curled -in scorn. “I do not like you. Why do you persist in troubling me when I -dislike you and try to keep aloof?” - -Somewhat staggered, the fellow gnawed savagely at his moustache. “Bah!” -he exclaimed at last. - -“I do not like you,” continued the girl staunchly. “There is something -here,” she added, touching her breast, “that tells me that you are a -very wicked man and will bring trouble upon us all.” - -“And I, my pretty divinator, have something here,” retorted the man, -tapping his breast in imitation of her, “that tells me that you are a -canting little hypocrite, and, by God, I will have that kiss!” With that -he took a step toward her, then stopped and stared hard at the girl, who -stood silent and immobile as a statue, facing her tormentor with no -apparent fear. She did not even start on hearing the threat, but on the -contrary faced him boldly, her foot planted firmly, looking him steadily -in the eye. Then deliberately she drew a long knife from her bosom and, -grasping it tightly, held it ready for use. She eyed him grimly, and -softly chuckled. Her terror was gone. - -The fellow fell back, sullen, foiled. Kasba’s fearless attitude utterly -disconcerted him, and he blasphemed till the girl shuddered and turned -her back and moved away. But her face was no sooner turned than a very -strange expression came on Broom’s, and rushing after her, he cried in a -loud, angry voice: “Not so fast, you little wildcat. You shall pay me -for those false smiles.” - -Suddenly a boy’s clear voice rang out on the still night air. - -“_Kas-ba-a, yu-cuz-zie, yu-cuz-zie Kas-ba-a!_” - -With a smothered imprecation the man stopped dead in his tracks. Then at -the sound of someone approaching he dropped hurriedly back into the -shadow. Suddenly an idea crossed his mind. He stood a moment chewing his -moustache thoughtfully, and nodding his head once or twice. “I’ll do -it,” he muttered. - -When Roy entered the house, after giving Delgezie a few supplies from -the store, he was astonished to find Broom had not come in; apparently -he must be outside talking to Sahanderry or Minnihak. Dismissing the -matter from his mind, he turned to Delgezie, who had followed to make -his report. - -Throwing back his hood, Delgezie displayed a pleasant, wrinkled face. -But there was the sad, wistful expression in his eyes of one who has -experienced some overwhelming sorrow, and yet was conscientiously -striving to live out his life bravely despite it. He seated himself at a -nod from his master, who plied him with questions relative to the trip. -It had been a very successful one. They had brought back a good haul of -furs. - -“And Acpa?” questioned Roy presently, referring to one of his Eskimo -traders. - -“His boy’s sick,” said Delgezie. - -“What’s the matter with him?” - -“Oh, he met with an accident. His father shot him in the leg; the gun -went off accidentally.” - -“Hurt him much?” - -“Yes, completely shattered the bone below the knee.” - -“What are they doing to it?” - -“They’ve tied a piece of shaganappi tightly around the leg, above the -wound.” - -“What in the world for?” asked Thursby, in blank surprise. - -“Oh, the line will cut through the flesh,” said Delgezie, unmoved, “and -the lower part will rot off, clean off.” - -“Good heavens!” exclaimed the other. “Is that possible?” - -“Yes. The greater part of the flesh below the shaganappi is off -already.” - -“How ghastly!” said the trader, with a slight shudder. “But the boy?” - -“Oh, he’s lively enough.” - -“Well, well! we live and learn,” said Thursby. “What would a doctor say -of such primitive surgery?” he wondered. “But there, I won’t keep you -any longer,” he added. - -The old man got to his feet instantly. With a cheerful “Good-night, -sir,” he left the room. Outside he was joined by Minnihak, and the two -proceeded to Delgezie’s hut together. On the way they met an Eskimo -woman, whom they passed with a slight greeting. - -With characteristic curiosity she turned and watched them. She was a -“runner.” A band of Eskimo had found it impossible to reach the post -that day and had sent her on in advance to get the usual gratuity of -_tee-pli-tow_ (tobacco) and carry it back to them. - -The old Chipewyan’s face brightened when he approached his humble home, -where a pale light welcomed him from the window. He lifted the catch -softly, while a look of pleased anticipation stole over his face, for -was he not to see his only child whom he loved better than anything on -all God’s earth? He had been away from her many days—long, weary days, -haunted by the fearful dread that he might return to find her gone, as -her mother had gone years before. For there was a tragedy in the old -man’s life. Leaving his wife in the best of health, he had gone on a -trip to an Indian encampment, and had returned to find her dead and -buried. She had died of some contagious disease. This was a terrible -blow to him, for he loved her fondly. He had shortly before embraced the -Christian faith, and this great affliction—this taking away of all he -loved best on earth—tried the simple-hearted man sorely. It seemed -monstrously unjust. He probably could not have put his feelings into -words, but that was what he felt. It was hard for him to believe in a -God who could do this thing—a God whom the missionary invariably -presented as a “God of love.” What had he done to deserve such misery? -All that was just and righteous in the gentle-minded man rose up in -revolt. And was this to be wondered at? How many of us so-called -highly-civilized people have not at some time or other questioned the -wisdom of God with infinitely less cause? Well, then, may we sympathize -with this poor, uneducated, half-pagan Indian. The bereaved man’s grief -was terrible to witness. For days he sat disconsolate and desolate, -moaning to himself, and neither eating nor sleeping. When the missionary -called to comfort him, he rose slowly to his feet and in a voice that -cut the preacher to the heart cried: “My wife, where is she?” Then with -a sweep of the arm to take in the whole of his tribe, he asked: “Was -there no other woman your God could take?” The missionary, greatly -distressed, felt that the kindest thing he could do was to go away. Time -passed on and the poor fellow again took up his accustomed duties. But -he was never afterwards the same man. He never forgot his dead wife and -secretly and sincerely mourned her all the rest of his days. He never -took another, but showered all the love of his bruised heart upon his -orphaned child, and never left the Fort without an overwhelming fear -that something might happen to his treasure while he was away. But he -was home again now and all was well. The _com-it-uk_ had claimed most of -his attention when he had driven up to the Fort, but his eyes -nevertheless sought eagerly for Kasba, whom he discovered standing -meekly in the background after her wont, ready to carry his “bag” to the -house. They had not yet spoken, for Kasba never intruded herself when -Bekothrie was nigh. She knew her father’s work came first. But she was -inside the house, he well knew, to welcome him; and never did a lover’s -heart flutter and throb as did the heart of this poor old home-coming -Indian father. - -True to his expectations, his daughter was waiting for him within. She -was standing by the stove. Instantly the girl’s face glowed with -pleasure, and with a little cry of delight she flew to him and, -encircling his neck with her arms, drew his face down on a level with -her own, and gazed searchingly into it for a moment, as if to see -whether he had taken any harm during his long absence. The old man gave -a short, contented laugh, then his feelings welled up within him and -tears of joy gleamed in his eyes. Reluctantly putting her from him, he -took off his out-door garments while Kasba greeted the Eskimo and flew -back to the stove, on which a pot was boiling merrily. A savory smell -filled the room but the old man remarked it not. His eyes were following -his daughter’s movements with the wistful gaze of loving solicitude. He -paused in the act of drying his hands on a coarse towel to smile -whenever his eyes caught hers in her flittings. His ablutions completed, -Kasba helped him into his jacket. Then, taking him by the shoulder she -playfully forced him to a seat. The Eskimo seated himself at the table -at a gesture from Kasba, and soon food was set before the men. Hardly a -word was exchanged between them, and in a marvellously short space of -time they had finished supper and were feeling for their pipes. Fumbling -in one pocket after another, Delgezie pulled out pipe, knife and a plug -of nigger-head from profound depths. Then he proceeded to cut up enough -of the tobacco to fill his pipe. Minnihak produced his _pu-lu-yet-ti_ -(pipe) from his fire-bag and with scrupulous carefulness filled its -little black bowl with a mixture of tobacco and a particular kind of -weed which grows among the rocks in the vicinity. - -This _pu-lu-yet-ti_ had been fashioned from soft stone and ornamented -with little brass bands in a manner and after a pattern peculiar to the -Eskimo. The stem was of wood and frequently renewed. But the old stems -were never thrown away; they were hoarded up against a tobacco famine -when they would be cut up very fine and smoked. - -The two men smoked in silence. Minnihak drew lovingly at his pipe long -after the little bowl was empty. Then with a deep sigh of regret he -reluctantly put it away, and drawing his _kaip-puk_ (deerskin robe) over -him, he stretched himself on the floor to sleep. - -Her duties completed, Kasba sat down beside her father. - -“The boy’s asleep,” said Delgezie, with an indicative thrust of the chin -in the direction of a recumbent figure in a corner of the room. - -“Yes,” laughed the girl, with a glance in the same direction. “Poor -David, he tried to keep awake, but he was so very tired. He was away on -the ‘big hill’ hunting, all day. He shot three deer.” - -“Oh!” ejaculated the old man with a nod and smile of approbation. - -“We’re going for them to-morrow,” she explained, taking her father’s -hand and smoothing it fondly. - -Just then the door opened and Broom appeared. He hesitated on the -threshold, glancing from one to the other as if asking permission to -enter. Kasba half started up from her seat at sight of him. She -experienced a feeling of resentful surprise, wondering what his visit -might portend. - -The old man bade him enter, though he seemed rather taken aback at the -fellow’s presence. The welcome obviously lacked fervor. - -Nothing daunted, Broom came forward with a peculiar smile on his lips. - -Kasba rose hastily and placed a seat for him, then turned deliberately -away, withdrawing to another part of the room, and for the time being -appeared totally absorbed in some kind of needlework. - -“Well, old man,” said Broom, breaking the strained silence, “what sort -of a trip did you have?” - -“Pretty fair, sir,” Delgezie made brief reply. Then he nervously moved -his hands and his eyes went to the girl. Delgezie certainly looked upon -Broom with much disfavor. Suddenly he straightened up a little and -looked the sailor full in the face. “What do you want?” he demanded -bluntly. - -Broom appeared a trifle confused by this direct question. He glanced at -the girl before answering, then: “Oh, nothing much?” he said. - -Delgezie nodded doubtfully, his eyes fastened on the fellow’s face. -Something in his manner had startled and displeased him. - -Conversation lagged. - -The intruder fidgeted uneasily under the old man’s solemn scrutiny. He -changed his position several times. Then he suddenly produced a cigar -and offered it to the old man, who refused it point blank. - -“No thank you,” said the old fellow, with grim brevity, “I’m used to the -pipe.” - -Broom bit off the end of the rejected cigar savagely, and sticking it -into his mouth applied a match. Again he glanced at the girl. - -This time Delgezie caught the direction of his glance and instinctively -his attention was alert. A shade of uneasiness came into his eyes; his -mind was filled with vague alarms. With puckered brows he sat silently -watchful and suspicious. - -To Kasba the constraint became unbearable. She softly opened the door -and went out. The closing of the door was the first warning Broom -received of it. - -He turned half round and sat for a few moments in a listening attitude. -Then he turned back, and leaning forward toward Delgezie, “Look here, -old man,” he said, laughing oddly, “what I’ve come to see you about is -this: I want your girl—” He left the sentence unfinished; there was -that in the old man’s face that caused him to stop. - -For Delgezie had turned white, his lower jaw dropped, his eyes set in a -fixed, horrified stare; he breathed heavily. So paralyzed was he at the -news that he lost his faculties. Something like a groan escaped his -lips. - -“You—want—my—daughter!” he gasped, at length. - -“Yes, I do,” replied Broom, mercilessly, with another odd laugh. “I’m in -love with her. Course I can’t marry her properly here, we haven’t a -parson; but I’m going south first open water and will take her along. We -can get hitched up then, at Churchill. In the meantime an Indian -marriage will have to do.” - -The look in the old man’s honest eyes caused Broom’s to wander. - -“Well,” said the old fellow shakily, “I can’t give you my girl. She’s -all I’ve got.” His voice broke and a tear showed on his cheek. -“Besides,” he added, pulling himself together, “you don’t love her; you -say you do, but by and by—” - -“I know what you mean. You mean I would grow tired of her and throw her -off.” - -“Yes,” said the brave old Indian, slowly, “that’s what I mean.” - -Broom laughed harshly. “You’re candid, at any rate, old man; but you’re -wrong. Besides, how do you know that the girl don’t want me?” - -“You can ask her yourself, in front of me,” replied Delgezie with honest -indignation. And rising slowly, he crossed the room and went out. Broom -heard the old man’s voice in conversation outside for a few moments, -then he returned, leaving the door ajar behind him. - -Soon after, the girl came in. “Well!” she said quietly, yet with a touch -of defiance in her voice, and facing Broom boldly. Her eyes were wide -and flashing, her lips compressed. She looked at him in a manner which -despite himself caused him to feel somewhat abashed and his face to -crimson. - -The fellow seemed too confused to speak for a moment. Then: “I’ve been -asking your father for you, Kasba,” he said, somewhat brusquely, as if -intending to carry off the matter with a high hand. - -The girl displayed no surprise. She looked him squarely in the face for -a moment, then: “Do you mean that you wish to _marry_ me?” she asked -with rather marked emphasis. - -“Well, I would; but I can’t, very well,” he explained. “I’d do it fast -enough, but there ain’t any parson here. I reckon you’d think a -sky-pilot necessary—” He paused and looked at her searchingly. - -But she would not help him. She stood grimly silent, gazing at him with -an inscrutable face. - -He shifted uneasily under the intensity of her gaze. Her attitude -stirred his wrath. Who in the world was she that she should put on airs? -She had been spoilt. Just because she was pretty she had been petted and -made much of! But—just wait! D—— her! - -“Still we could get married—” he continued, as she did not speak. - -The girl’s lip curled, and he left the sentence unfinished. - -“According to _native_ custom,” she finished scornfully. “Oh!” There was -great significance in the exclamation. She threw back her head proudly, -and her nostrils widened. She surveyed him from head to foot in one -sweeping glance of contempt. - -Broom smiled. It was a disagreeable smile and his brows lowered. There -came an unpleasant glint in his eye. - -Going to her father, who had resumed his seat, she knelt down beside -him. The old man took her hand and held it tightly. “Father,” she said -firmly, “I shall never marry in that fashion. You would not wish me to -do so?” - -The staunch old fellow shook his head decidedly. “No, my child,” said -the downright old fellow. “We are Indians, it’s true; but we are also -Christians. No, I do not wish it, nor would I allow it.” There was much -righteous indignation in his voice. - -“Christians!” sneered Broom, in a manner so diabolical that it is quite -beyond power of description. “_Fine_ Christians, I’m sure. But I’m up to -your little game. You think to make a fine lady of the girl, eh? She’s -throwing herself at Thursby’s head, and if—” - -“Stop!” commanded Delgezie, sternly. Gently disengaging himself from the -girl, he got to his feet. Raised to his full height, he looked upon the -slanderer with a face which, in truth, was fearful. His eyes brightened -into clear and perfect fire. He stood, a concentration of scorn, -contempt, hatred the most intense; pouring upon the dastardly villain an -unbroken stream of withering fury that was dreadful to look upon. His -daughter, in fact, was obliged to speak twice before she could arrest -his attention. - -“Father! father!” she pleaded. She was greatly frightened. She had never -seen this kind-hearted old man in such a fierce passion before. - -At the sound of the girl’s voice, Delgezie partly recovered himself. The -anger went slowly out of his face, leaving it grim and stern. “You have -received your answer,” he said with dignity. “You have no right to -insult us. Please go.” With that he resumed his seat. - -But Broom was angry, too. For an instant he had a wicked desire to seize -the girl and carry her off, but he could not do this without being -followed and brought back, and his punishment would be severe. Roy had -already declared himself on that score. Besides there would be this -fiery old father to deal with. - -“I’ll have her yet,” said Broom, starting to take his leave, “I swear -it!” - -At the door he turned and glanced maliciously back at the girl, then -laughing discordantly he strode out, banging the door behind him. - -Then a great, horrible fear seizing Delgezie seemed to still the beating -of his heart. For Broom had sworn that he would possess Kasba. Broom was -a white man, and white men always got what they set their hearts upon; -that is, when dealing with Indians. At least, such was Delgezie’s -experience. He must consult Bekothrie. Yet it seemed a silly thing to -make a fuss about. It was no insult to offer a girl marriage, and, if -pressed by Bekothrie, Broom would undoubtedly construe his offer as -such. Besides the fellow had been refused, and that should end the -matter, and probably would, when he had had time to recover from his -ruffled feelings. If he then refused to take the rejection in good part -and continued to annoy the girl with his attentions, it would then be -time to complain to Bekothrie. So argued the old fellow, who was not a -little shrewd in his way. - -“Do you like that man, my girl?” he asked with exceeding tenderness. - -“I don’t, and never shall,” Kasba replied firmly. “And oh, father, I -never want to leave you. You are the best father any girl ever had.” -Then with a laugh she kissed him. - -He put his hand up and stroked her cheek. - -“When the time comes, little girl, and the right man asks, your father -won’t refuse him,” Delgezie assured her in his slow, thoughtful way. -“But in God’s name let it be a man of your own kind, an Indian. You were -trained in the white man’s ways, and taught to read and write English, -but you are still an Indian, my dear; nothing could alter that. You are -what the good God intended you should be—a Chipewyan Indian girl; and -to be ashamed of it would be to doubt His wisdom. But there,” he added -hastily, trying to hide his emotion, “you are going to the ‘big hill’ -to-morrow, so must be off to bed. Give me the books.” He drew the lamp -toward him as if to obtain more light to read by, but in reality his -poor old eyes were dim with tears. - -Kasba sprang to her feet and brought two Chipewyan books, a hymn and a -prayer book. These she handed to her father, who fumbled at the leaves -of the hymn-book for some moments with a thoughtful frown. Then -suddenly, “_A Neolt ye sesal naothat da_” (Abide with me), he sang in a -thin, tremulous voice. Kasba joined in the hymn, but in subdued tones, -fearing to wake David, who moved uneasily. - -The pair then fell on their knees and Delgezie read the “general -confession,” concluding with “_Neta Yaka thenda nese_” (Our Father, who -art). - -Long after her father’s deep breathing told her that he was asleep, -Kasba lay gazing at a shaft of moonlight that pierced the small window. -Her mind dwelt with bitterness on the harshness of her situation: -Broom’s persistent attentions; Roy’s indifference to her love; and her -promise to Sahanderry necessitated important changes in her life. In -future she must no longer roam the Fort unattended; no longer spend the -quiet hours thinking of Bekothrie. Instead, she must always be -accompanied in her ramblings, must think of Bekothrie no more, and -accept Sahanderry as her lover. - - - - - CHAPTER V. - _AN ESKIMO CONJURER AND A PUGILISTIC ENCOUNTER._ - - -Early next morning Roy was in the inner room making a protracted search -for the store key, which had mysteriously disappeared from the nail on -which it had hung the night before. Suddenly discontinuing his efforts, -he strode into the kitchen. - -Sahanderry was standing near the door in earnest conversation with -Kasba, who had apparently just arrived with a message from her father. -Squatted beside the stove was the Eskimo, Ocpic. - -Roy nodded to the girl, who discreetly drew aside, then questioned -Sahanderry, who instantly assured him of his total ignorance of the -matter. - -Still pondering over the disappearance of the key, Roy suddenly raised -his eyes and encountered those of Ocpic, who was watching him keenly. In -a flash Roy perceived the culprit. - -He glanced searchingly at the Eskimo, who returned the look with an -inscrutable face. - -Roy smiled and flashed a glance at Sahanderry, who was standing with a -puzzled expression, gazing from one to the other of them. The -Chipewyan’s brain worked slowly, ponderously. It was some little time -before a suspicion of what was in the other’s mind dawned upon him. - -Roy beckoned him with a slight movement of the head and then went -outside. The Indian lingered for a few moments before following with an -awkward attempt at careless ease. - -“It was Ocpic,” declared Roy, vehemently, without preamble, as -Sahanderry joined him. “Of course it was he! I left him in the room with -the sailor when I went out to Delgezie, and the sailor followed. But -you,” he demanded quickly with a wrathful look, “what were you thinking -of that you allowed the Eskimo to stay alone in the room?” - -The delinquent dropped his head guiltily, expecting a storm. - -“Now go in,” continued the speaker peremptorily. “Try to keep Ocpic in -the kitchen while I fix up a plan to get the key away from him.” - -The servant acquiesced gladly, and quickly disappeared into the house. -Roy followed more leisurely. He spoke jocosely to Kasba as he passed -through the kitchen. - -On reaching the inner room he threw himself into a chair to form his -plans to outwit the Eskimo. In the dilemma his knowledge of the native -character stood him in good stead. - -A feasible way presenting itself, he called the Eskimo forward. - -Ocpic entered with a solemn face. There was a menacing gleam in his eye. -Roy knew at a glance that the native’s suspicions were aroused; that he -was prepared to deny any knowledge of the key with mule-like obstinacy. -It had been mislaid by himself, Roy explained, or it had dropped from -his pocket, as the case might be. Ocpic had often boasted of his feats -as a conjurer. Let him find the key and the trader would consider him as -clever as he made himself out to be. - -The Eskimo hesitated. The trader twitted him with his incapability as a -conjurer, laughing at his hesitation to comply with such a simple -request. However, if Ocpic refused to find the key, he had only to -change the lock on the store door and the key would be of no use to -anyone. - -Ocpic glanced searchingly at Roy, but his face had assumed such a bland, -innocent expression that any suspicion Ocpic might have had was -instantly allayed. - -The Eskimo was now on his mettle. He felt his reputation as a conjurer -at stake. He hesitated a moment longer while the thought of the change -of locks sank into his brain. He had instantly perceived that the stolen -key would then be of no use to him, and so, his face assuming his old -simple, ingratiating smile, he gave a ready assent. - -He would bring his conjuring belt, he said, and left the room. - -The trader laughed inwardly. - -After a short absence Ocpic again presented himself. He held a large -_kaip-puk_ (deerskin robe) in his hand and wore around his waist a belt -of string, to which rags of different material and color and sundry tiny -parchment ornaments had been attached. This belt was the insignia of his -office.[2] - -Entering the room, Ocpic made arrangements for the coming performance -with the profoundest gravity, while the trader watched him with a -twinkle of amusement in his eye. - -The native seemed to have some difficulty in finding a suitable spot on -the floor, but at length chose a place near the door, where he squatted -down, drawing the _kaip-puk_ over his head and completely enveloping -himself therewith. When this was accomplished to his own satisfaction, -he began a mumbled incantation, interspersed with much scratching on the -floor. - -The conjurer’s voice swelled into a loud song as the ceremony -progressed. The _kaip-puk_ heaved, while the figure beneath seemed to be -engaged in a violent struggle, presumably with some turbulent spirit. - -Meanwhile the noise made by Ocpic had gradually stirred Broom’s senses. -He slowly awoke, raised himself on one elbow, and gazed at the heaving -_kaip-puk_ as if fascinated. He brushed his hand across his eyes sharply -as if to make sure he was thoroughly awake, then threw another hasty, -startled glance in the same direction. Presently he smiled grimly as the -import of the scene grew clear to him. After watching the Eskimo’s -struggles for some moments longer, Broom dropped his legs over the side -of the bunk and sat in a stooping position. He was occupying the lower -bunk and the limited space above would not allow him to sit upright. He -then noticed Roy’s presence for the first time. - -“What’s the bally performance?” he inquired, catching a glance from the -trader. - -“Oh, I’ve lost the key of the trading store, and Ocpic’s finding it for -me,” responded Roy. The conjurer was still enveloped in the _kaip-puk_, -and, taking advantage of this, the speaker closed an eye. - -Broom’s eye twinkled. “Ah,” he said significantly with a smile and a -meaning glance at the struggling bulk, which was now undergoing -astounding evolutions. - -A moment later a tremendous upheaval occurred and the Eskimo’s head -appeared. He sat blinking at Roy, his overheated countenance perspiring -profusely. - -“The spirit wants to know what kind of key it is,” he said breathlessly. - -“A big key,” returned the trader, illustrating its length with his two -index fingers. - -Ocpic nodded comprehendingly, gazed seriously around the room for a -moment, then, taking a long breath, again disappeared. - -The two white men glanced at each other and smiled. - -“That fellow’s _some_ conjurer,” asserted Broom, whose voice seemed to -betray a considerable appreciation of the ludicrous element in the -incident. - -“He sure is,” said Roy, with a broad grin; “the best in the land.” - -Broom started to laugh, but a sharp look from Roy turned it to a -prolonged yawn. - -The conjurer’s previous herculean efforts were mere child’s play -compared to the superhuman display that followed. The intervals of -scratching became continuous, the incantations swelled into a roar and -the twisting figure beneath the _kaip-puk_ worked itself into a frenzy. -Then suddenly all was still and a closed hand pushed itself out through -the covering. The grimy fingers and the thumb slowly opened, disclosing -the wards of a large key. - -“Is that the key?” asked a muffled voice from beneath the _kaip-puk_. - -“Yes,” replied Roy without moving from his seat to examine the thing in -the extended hand. - -The fingers and thumb closed back on the object and the hand again -disappeared. Ocpic’s voice was then heard in conversation. After a time -the attendant spirits were, apparently, dismissed, for the figure arose. -The _kaip-puk_ fell to the floor in a heap and the Eskimo stood -revealed, smiling and perspiring. With a proud look he held a large key -extended on his open palm. The trader slowly took it, then, like a -flash, his expression of careless indifference disappeared and his face -took on a look of implacable wrath. Reaching for the fallen _kaip-puk_ -he hurled it into the kitchen as far as he could throw it; then turning -to the Eskimo, he grasped him firmly by the shoulder. - -“You’re a thief,” he cried. “You stole the key.” With this he gave the -astonished Ocpic a shake which nearly sent him off his feet. “If ever I -find you in this room again I will shoot you,” he added sternly. “Now -go.” Ocpic breathed heavily, his face worked passionately, then suddenly -he gave a loud shout. Hatred, the implacable hatred of a coward, flashed -from his eyes as he did so. - -As if by magic the doorway was filled with angry faces. A number of -Eskimos shuffled in and made an effort to draw near to Ocpic. - -Quietly Broom dropped from the bunk to the floor. Deliberately he -reached for a chair. Then he took his place beside Roy, balancing the -chair in his hand. - -Then a slight figure pressed itself through the group at the door. It -was Kasba. Roy looked at her surprised, and smiled. Straightening -herself, she faced Ocpic’s allies with outstretched hand and eyes aflame -and stood as if warning them back, a veritable little fury. For a moment -the Eskimos wavered, then they murmured together and moved as if to push -past the girl. - -Roy smiled grimly. He was conscious of feeling a slight exultation at -the prospect of a conflict with the natives, for the old race antagonism -was strong in him. He knew the moment of his life had come, that to show -the least fear now was to lose command over these people forever. All -depended upon a bold front. - -Abruptly he motioned Broom back. Then he gently brushed Kasba aside. -Stern and fearless he strode up to Ocpic, who never moved a muscle. With -blazing eyes Roy pointed to the door. He looked particularly big in his -wrath. - -“_Hilimee!_” (Go!), he barked. The command was not one to be ignored. He -seemed with his stern visage and flashing eyes to be very earnest -indeed. - -There was a tense silence. The two men gazed fixedly into each other’s -eyes; then, as invariably happens, the native quailed before an -unflinching outward manifestation of the stronger will. Ocpic’s eyes -dropped sullenly. He turned and shuffled out. The group at the door had -already melted away, as silently as it had appeared. - -Roy turned to speak to Kasba, but found her gone. The danger past, she -had vanished. The two white men silently gripped hands. - -A few minutes later Sahanderry appeared with a trembling, scared face; -so terrified was he at what had just transpired that he quaked with -terror. He kept muttering to himself while he laid the table for -breakfast. Evidently he expected Ocpic to take summary vengeance by a -murderous act similar to one of which he was already declared guilty. - -Having recovered the key, Roy decided to go alone to the trading-store -to ascertain the extent of Ocpic’s peculations, and with this intention -struggled into his hairy-coat and was about to leave the room when an -enamelled plate fell with a loud clatter from Sahanderry’s trembling -fingers to the floor. This drew Roy’s attention to the Indian’s state of -extreme nervousness. He looked fixedly at him for a moment and then -spoke. - -“Sahanderry,” he said in a voice that made the man addressed spin round -as if shot. - -“Bekothrie!” gasped the Indian. - -The trader quietly held his gaze until the other had somewhat mastered -his agitation, then: - -“Don’t be a fool,” he added sharply. - -These peremptory words, coupled with the speaker’s perfect coolness, had -the desired effect. Assuming courage borrowed from Roy’s composure, -Sahanderry continued his labors with less nervousness, but heavily and -with scant interest. - -Broom, who was feeling “as fresh as a daisy,” returned to his seat on -the edge of the bunk, where he sat warbling scraps of songs of -questionable morality in a harsh, grating voice, like the rasping of -dull metal, beating a tattoo meanwhile with the heels of his naked feet -and throwing Sahanderry an occasional glance to see how he was -appreciating these efforts. - -Strange to say, Sahanderry was far from being offended at the levity of -the singer, and hovered about the table with an approving smile on his -dark face long after he had completed his duties. Perceiving his -apparent interest, Broom threw himself into the attitude of a preacher -and with inscrutable face severely lectured the Indian on his -indiscretion in listening. - -“You are a hardened sinner, my man,” he declared sharply. “Mind what you -are about, or you will come to a bad end.” - -This admonition discomfited Sahanderry for the moment, then he threw the -incorrigible Broom a look of infinite scorn and abruptly walked out with -his head in the air. - -Left alone, the other delivered himself of a rattling chorus as a grand -finale, then, dropping on his feet, he pulled on his clothes with a -dexterity almost incredible. In a few moments Mr. Broom was dressed and -out of doors. - -After breakfast the trader rose from the table and paced the room -restlessly. “That packet!” he murmured, sighing a little. “How I wish it -would turn up. For some unaccountable reason my fiancée’s letters missed -connection last mail; I haven’t heard from her for a year.” - -“What, a whole twelve months!” cried his companion with a theatrical -start of horror. “A year without a ‘billy-doo.’ What a calamity!” - -Roy made a playful lunge, which the other skilfully avoided, then, -laughing good-naturedly at Broom’s banter, he attired himself and went -out, but he did not remain out of doors long, quickly returning and -wandering listlessly about the place during the rest of the morning. He -was too anxious about the “packet” to attend his traps or settle himself -to anything about the Fort. - -Broom made himself comfortable and began to read the book he had laid -aside on the previous day. But as time went on he put it down and -endeavored to attract the trader’s attention by making significant signs -and gestures, such as filling an invisible vessel from an imaginary -bottle, lifting his hand to his mouth and going through the motions of -drinking with evident gusto, and swallowing an indefinite quantity of -something with an appreciative smack of the lips. These pantomimic -efforts failing, he coughed spasmodically, then uttered sundry vague -half sentences, among which “An eye-opener,” “Throat as dry as a -lime-kiln,” “A hair of the dog that bites you,” could be plainly -distinguished, and all these attempts at effecting a “liquor up” being -abortive, he came abruptly to the point with a hint there was no -mistaking. - -“What about a drink?” he asked with an ingratiating smile. - -But the trader was gazing out through the window, his thoughts far away, -and Broom was obliged to repeat his words with emphasis before Thursby -became aware that he was speaking. - -Then, “Eh!” he ejaculated, turning sharply and collecting his errant -thoughts with an effort. “I beg pardon, Broom. I was thinking, and your -words passed over me.” - -“Oh, I was merely inquiring whether there was a ‘shot left in the -locker,’” grumbled Broom. - -The other laughed, paused irresolutely, then set a bottle and enamelled -mug on the table. Broom eyed these proceedings with manifest -satisfaction. But perceiving there was but one mug he raised his -eyebrows and glanced significantly from the mug to Roy and back to the -mug again. - -Roy shook his head and smiled. “No,” he said, “it’s too early.” He -waited until Broom had helped himself, then again placed the bottle -under lock and key. - -Broom shrugged his shoulders at this caution. He screwed his face into -an extravagant expression of dismay, then, changing his expression -suddenly, he emptied the mug at a gulp. - -Buttoning his coat and drawing his cap well down, Roy went out to take -another look for the packet. Broom followed Roy to the door with his -eyes, then took up the mug and looked into it as if to see whether by -any possible chance a drop had been left in the bottom. Raising it to -his lips, he drained the few remaining drops, then finding he could -squeeze no more out of it, replaced the mug and settled himself to read. - -Meanwhile, Sahanderry, trying to appear at ease, was in the kitchen -preparing dinner. He broke off short in a song to glance at Ocpic who -was squatting in a corner, watching him from beneath lowered brows. -Mustering courage, Sahanderry again burst forth, but only managed two -lines before his courage again failed him. His song stopped abruptly; he -wiped the perspiration from his forehead with a hand that trembled; his -eyes rolled in their sockets, and his hair stood on end more than usual. -Then he laughed the short mirthless laugh of a man who was afraid. - -At this juncture the door opened and Delgezie appeared, accompanied by -Minnihak, and Sahanderry’s face brightened instantly. He greeted the -newcomers with effusion. Feeling that he had a sympathetic confidant in -Delgezie, he related the story of the stolen key. But the old man -evidently was made of “sterner stuff.” He listened to the tale with the -keenest attention and at first looked puzzled, then astonished, then -fierce and wrathful. - -The story was no sooner finished than Delgezie called Minnihak to him -and, despite Sahanderry’s protests, and his own limited knowledge of the -Eskimo language, he acquainted him with what had occurred. - -Minnihak nodded twice after the old man had finished speaking, as if to -let him know that he perfectly understood, then, walking across the -kitchen, he squatted down a few feet in front of Ocpic and sat gazing -fixedly at him. - -Ocpic, no whit abashed, returned the look. - -After some moments of silence, “You’re a thief!” said Minnihak sharply, -and there was a prolonged wait. The two Eskimo glared fiercely at each -other, Ocpic’s breath came quickly, and his eyes glittered evilly. At -length he got slowly to his feet. - -The other did likewise and, standing silently, the two men continued -their fixed stare. - -Presently Ocpic deliberately threw off his coat and shirt and again -Minnihak leisurely followed suit. Then, still in perfect silence, they -straightened themselves, and, standing naked to the waist, prepared for -a pugilistic encounter. - -Stationing themselves at arm’s length the belligerents stood firm, and -Ocpic, considering himself the better man, allowed his opponent the -first blow and placed himself in the required position to receive it. -With left arm drawn tight against his side and the shoulder pushed well -forward, he stood offering the other a fair opportunity to strike his -exposed biceps. - -Minnihak paused a moment, as if mustering his strength, then, with a -swinging blow, he struck. The blow was received with a grim smile, and -the arm fell into its natural position, proclaiming the recipient ready -to take his revenge. - -Drawing himself up, Minnihak then offered the muscles of his arm for -sacrifice. Ocpic brought his fist round with a wicked swing and struck a -mighty blow. Minnihak winced visibly. Ocpic smiled grimly and drew back -into position again. - -There was now a few minutes interval of quiet, during which Broom -entered the kitchen. - -“Hullo! You giddy gamecocks,” he cried, “What’s the row?” - -Delgezie hastened to explain and the sailor seated himself to enjoy the -fight. - -It was a novel scene. The daylight straggled through the frosted windows -and lit the room dimly. The combatants breathed heavily. Delgezie leaned -against the table with an anxious look on his bronzed face. He was -feeling a little apprehensive for Minnihak’s safety. Sahanderry clung to -the old man in abject terror. He was viewing an Eskimo fight for the -first time and the heavy, resounding blows appeared fearfully -blood-thirsty compared to the milder hair-pulling battles of his own -race. Broom sat smiling and contemptuous. - -The pugilists again took positions and more hard blows were given and -received. These proceedings were repeated several times. Ocpic accepted -his punishment carelessly, but Minnihak was showing signs of fatigue. He -was clearly getting the worst of it. After a few more exchanges upon the -arms, Ocpic threw his head to one side, offering his cheek for a mark, -and the other drew himself together and made laudable efforts to gain -the victory, but his blow lacked force, and all felt that the fight was -over when it became Ocpic’s turn to strike. Their fears were well -grounded. Ocpic struck his opponent low down upon the jaw. The blow had -a touch of the uppercut, and Minnihak staggered and fell to the floor, -where he lay for a few moments blinking confusedly. Then he slowly got -to his feet. Ocpic stood watching him closely, but Minnihak had -evidently had enough. He crossed over to where his clothes were lying -and started to pull on his shirt. This was the act of a vanquished man. -Ocpic smiled exultantly at each of the spectators in turn, then followed -the example of his opponent. Their toilets completed, the two Eskimos -squatted on the floor close together and filled their pipes from the -victor’s fire-bag as if nothing unusual had happened. - ------ - -[2] In order to become a conjurer an Eskimo isolates himself in a tent -and neither eats nor drinks for fifteen days, when a spirit comes and -shakes him by the hand. This handshaking once performed he is a -conjurer. Henceforth he is supposed to hold an army of attendant spirits -at his beck and call: he can cause a lost article to be found; a person -to recover from an illness or the reverse; and a hundred and one things -equally astounding to happen. - - - - - CHAPTER VI. - _LOST IN THE DRIFTING SNOW._ - - -While the incorrigible Mr. Broom was sitting on his bunk making -prodigious efforts at harmony, David and Kasba were preparing to fetch -the deer that had fallen to the boy’s gun on the previous day. The sled -was brought to the door and packed with sundry cooking utensils, and, -this completed, David drew the wrapper together and lashed it with a -clapmatch line, tucking his rifle and axe under the lashing at the top -of the load to be handy in case of need. - -Meanwhile Kasba caught and harnessed the dogs, and everything being -ready, she started off at a quick walk. Barking joyfully, the dogs -bounded after, while David sat astride the loaded sled, laughing and -jubilant. - -Mile after mile was accomplished in this manner till the sun peeped over -the horizon, and Kasba, bethinking herself of breakfast, slackened her -pace, keeping a wary eye for a suitable place for a halt. After -journeying a short distance she came to a place where there were -sufficient spruce trees and enough dry wood for their purpose. - -Stepping suddenly, she turned and called to the dogs, who required no -encouragement to increase their efforts. The girl’s act was significant: -they knew exactly what was about to happen. With lolling tongues and -panting breath they reached the girl and threw themselves down to snatch -the few minutes’ rest which they knew would be allowed them. - -David dropped from the sled to his feet, took his axe and attacked a few -dead spruce trees while Kasba, obedient to Indian custom, made a fire -and put a kettle on the burning embers. Contrary to the old proverb that -“a watched pot never boils,” the water in this kettle was soon bubbling, -and the two young people sank upon the brush which David had strewn -beside the fire, eating their scanty breakfast with eager relish. The -meal did not occupy many minutes, however, and they were soon on their -way again. - -The morning was bright, and the cold acted as a stimulant on the two. -Kasba walked quickly over the snow with easy, buoyant steps, gazing on -the monotonous scene with eager eyes. The branches of the spruce had -taken unto themselves a covering of white, sparkling crystals which -easily outvied in beauty the trees’ natural verdure. Large flocks of -willow partridges ran about on the smooth white crust or delved into the -snow, occasionally disappearing into the thickest part of the scrub for -safety when a partridge-hawk hovered ominously over them. The sky was -blue and cloudless save for a few white fleeces floating low down upon -the horizon. The air was clear and still. A cut track led through the -thicker part of the scrub to a lake two or three miles in width. Half -way across this icebound lake the dogs espied a number of deer grouped -together, not far to the right, watching their progress; with a -lightning-like movement the leader diverged from the straight course and -made toward the deer, which, perceiving no danger, were now calmly -approaching the objects of their curiosity. But after drawing quite -close they made a sudden retrograde movement, then ran around in -circles. At intervals they stopped in their course to scrutinize the -dogs anew. - -As the dogs started on their wild rush after the deer, Kasba joined -David in dragging on the head-line, but even the combined efforts of the -two had no effect in staying them. - -Scenting danger, the deer soon made off at a long, easy trot with the -dogs in wild pursuit, until the sled’s coming in contact with a large -block of ice threw Kasba forward, and she was dragged rapidly onward -until, her arms growing tired, the line slipped from her grasp and the -dogtrain quickly shot ahead. - -Gathering herself up the girl stood looking after the disappearing sled -with a rueful countenance and combined feelings of mortification and -disgust at her ignominious position. - -Meanwhile David was speeding over the ice in a manner calculated to -break his neck, but a momentary delay occasioned by the sled colliding -with the stump of a tree on the farther side of the lake gave him an -opportunity to regain control of the dogs, which he halted, and then -waited for Kasba to come up. - -When the discomfited girl at length reached them David gazed at her -mutely for a moment, then the woeful expression on her face somehow -tickled the boy’s sense of humor and he burst into a fit of loud -laughter. - -This sudden change from extreme gravity to boisterous gaiety startled -Kasba, who stood for a moment irresolute, then threw herself beside him -on the sled, laughing hysterically. - -Presently, as David’s wandering gaze became fixed upon the sky, his -gaiety ceased as suddenly as it had begun, and he sat staring at the -threatening storm-clouds which were silently creeping upward. Then, -jumping hastily off the sled, he “drove up” his dogs with all vigor. - -Kasba, shivering, drew the hood of her coat, which had slipped back -during her frantic slide on the lake, upon her head with a quick pull, -for a keen and cutting wind was rising, and started off at a quick trot -in the direction pointed out by her companion. - -Soon a large, dark heap, marked by a fluttering handkerchief tied to a -stick, came into view. The girl divined that it was the object of their -journey and ran straight toward it. As she approached a number of small -white animals stood about it barking shrilly. They were the white foxes -of the North, and appeared about to defend their position, but a nearer -approach disconcerted them and they scuttled off to a safe distance, -where they sat watching events. Not all, however, for David had set -steel traps around the deer the day before, and a few foxes were caught. - -The weather now looked ominous, and no time was lost in loading the sled -with meat. The train was then turned toward home, and Kasba started back -against the wind with a resolute look on her small brown face. David -urged the dogs along with loud cracks of the whip, for the wind had -risen and was now rushing across the plain in a biting blast, while -large dark clouds, which had suddenly appeared upon the horizon, spread -rapidly over the sky like huge phantoms, extinguishing the sun in a veil -of vapor. David adjured Kasba to make all speed and “drove up” his dogs -with renewed energy. Hurrying on, they stopped for nothing, till -presently the “little hill,” which meant home, could be dimly seen in -the distance. - -The girl breathed a sigh of relief, for she realized that the Fort was -only a few miles beyond the hill. But her comfort was short-lived. The -wind, as if regretting its previous leniency toward them, now burst into -a hurricane, and all sounds were drowned by its howlings, while the -whirlwinds of snow which it raised filled the air and completely -obscured objects a few yards distant. - -As the storm cast its cutting ice-dust against David’s face, he could -not even see the dogs. He halted them and shouted loudly for Kasba to -come back, then fired his rifle several times. He waited five minutes, -ten minutes, but the moments passed and the girl did not appear. He -walked forward as far as he dared, but returned immediately, for he -could not see two paces from him and the drifting snow obliterated every -footmark. - -David paused irresolutely. He hated to proceed without Kasba, yet he -felt that to remain would be a useless sacrifice, for he was utterly -helpless in such a blizzard. Besides, Kasba was walking in the right -direction when last he saw her, and she might possibly stumble upon the -Fort. It would be a miracle, he knew, but miracles did sometimes happen. -Thus buoying up his hopes for Kasba’s safety, he determined to trust to -the sagacity of the dogs to take him home. - -But the dogs were now lying down and showed a decided objection to the -biting wind and drifting snow. Finding his efforts to make them draw the -loaded sled of no avail, he hastily threw off the meat, and again -endeavored to start them. Presently an idea of what their driver -required seemed to dawn upon the dogs, and, their speed accelerated by a -few sharp cuts of the whip, they started off so suddenly that they left -David standing where he was; and it was only with the utmost difficulty -that he caught them up and threw himself on the empty sled, where he lay -prone upon his face, burying his head in the heavy sled wrapper. - -If David’s condition was precarious, Kasba’s at the same time was even -more perilous. Had she remained where she was when the hurricane burst -upon them the dogs would have overtaken her, for they soon passed the -spot on their way to the Fort. But, in her trepidation, she had -endeavored to return to David, and this proved her undoing. The clouds -of whirling snow thickened as she scudded along, a mere play-thing for -the wind. Then suddenly there was a muffled shout and the girl turned -quickly in the direction of the sound, and endeavored to reach the spot -from whence it came. But the wind caught her again, driving her before -it until she had totally lost any vague idea she had previously -entertained concerning her position. - -Notwithstanding this, she persevered. She walked till she was well -assured that she had lost David in the drifting snow, then she turned, -and made prodigious efforts to reach a place of shelter. By keeping the -wind in her face, she felt that she was going in the right direction, -but thick clouds of snow struck her at close intervals and prevented her -from seeing a yard before her, while the force of the wind was such that -it was almost impossible at times for her to stand upright against it. - -To dream of reaching the Fort in such weather was simply madness, and -the poor girl had no choice but to proceed at random with the slender -hope of finding some shelter from the strength of the blizzard, and soon -she felt that nothing short of a miracle could save her, and staggered -forward with a prayer on her lips. But the thought of her poor old -father’s terrible grief should she perish in the cold, forced her onward -and kept her weary legs from sinking beneath her. With the heroism of a -martyr the girl endeavored to do for his sake what, as she felt, she had -neither the will nor the strength to accomplish for her own, and she -stood for a moment in dull despair, worn out by cold, fatigue and -hunger, for she had eaten nothing since their hasty breakfast early that -morning. Nature called to her loudly to discontinue her arduous efforts -and sink down upon the snow, but distracted though the girl was, she -fully understood that should she succumb to the languor she was feeling, -a little white mound would soon mark her last resting-place. Filial -affection was strong within her, and with superhuman efforts she -staggered forward. After half-an-hour’s desperate struggle with the -hurricane—half an hour which to her appeared like a century—the girl -stumbled and fell. She quickly recovered herself but had not proceeded -many steps before she fell again. This time the fall well-nigh deprived -her of the little energy now left her, and it was with great difficulty -that she regained her feet. - -As she endeavored to shake off the numbing effects of the intense cold, -she looked around her, gradually, carefully, and then for the first time -she perceived that she was getting among rocks, and that it was the -outlying boulders of these that had caused her to fall. Presently a -ridge of rocks loomed through the drifting snow, seen during a lull in -the gusts. This presented a welcome protection from the wind’s icy -blast, and uttering the glad cry of one suddenly rescued from what had -appeared almost certain death, the girl staggered forward. - -But the hurricane, as if angered at losing its lawful prey, seemed to -rush upon her with greater force than ever. It almost dragged her away -in its powerful grasp. Aroused by the imminence of the danger, Kasba -made strenuous efforts to reach a projecting rock, which stood up -heroically to the furious tempest, offering its protection to the -distressed girl. With a cry of relief she sank under its shelter. She -was still in a most unenviable position, however, and was not slow to -realize it. - -After resting some moments, Kasba applied herself to prayer. In a few -broken sentences she conveyed her thanks to God for His infinite mercy -in rescuing her from the drifting snow. Then feeling assured that she -had not been saved from the hurricane to perish miserably from cold and -hunger, she turned her thoughts to the means of effecting her further -escape. - -Gazing around she tried to discover her whereabouts. A close scrutiny of -the rock that sheltered her proved it to be a well-known landmark, and -this sufficed to tell her that she was in a gully not far from the Fort. -With this comforting assurance she proceeded to keep herself as warm as -she might. Breaking some branches with much difficulty from a spruce -tree that grew near-by, she laid them at the bottom of a hole in the -rock. Then going out upon the plain she stood her snowshoes upright as a -sign of her close proximity in case the worst befel and search was made -for her body. - -Returning to her haven of safety, Kasba drew off her hairy-coat, and, -tying a handkerchief over her head, crouched in the hollow, drawing the -coat over her in the manner of a blanket. Then she waited with a -fortitude worthy of the sterner sex for the end of the hurricane; for -she knew relief from the Fort was hardly possible till then. - - - - - CHAPTER VII. - _“THE PACKET” AT LAST._ - - -On the morning of the day on which Kasba and David were lost in the -blizzard, Roy Thursby stood on a high ridge of rocks at the back of the -Fort, gazing through a telescope at a minute speck in the distance. Was -it his imagination, or did the object move? He gazed eagerly at it until -his sight became blurred, and he was forced to drop the glass and give -his eyes a rest. However, after a few minutes spent in excitedly wiping -the lens of the telescope, he again applied it to his eye. Yes, the -object did move, but—was he sure? Again he gazed long and earnestly, -his feelings undergoing curious changes as they wavered between -certainty and doubt. Then the object of his attention suddenly made a -slight detour which was unmistakable. Roy uttered a wild whoop, shut the -telescope with a snap and went scrambling down the rocks with the -enthusiasm of a delighted school-boy. - -Long before he reached the Fort he fell to shouting, joyfully: - -“Sahanderry! Sahanderry! Up with the flag!” - -The kitchen door opened and Broom’s face appeared. - -“Where’s the fire?” he enquired with a well-feigned look of terror. - -“Fire be hanged! It’s the ‘packet,’” cried Roy exultantly, and in a -lumbering fashion he cut a boyish caper on the loose snow. - -Not to be outdone, Broom stepped from the doorway and began a grotesque -performance which he called the Highland fling. - -“Get out of it,” cried Roy, giving him a push. - -Broom paused with a leg poised gracefully in the air. “You’re an -unappreciative, cold-blooded Englishman,” he exclaimed in an injured -tone. “Why, I’m thinking of you, not of myself. I’m dancing with -delight, my boy, sheer delight. You’ll now be satiated with ‘billy -doos,’” and he performed a few more intricate steps. - -“Stop your nonsense, man!” commanded Roy, while he laughed heartily at -the man’s antics. “But put on your coat and come out on the rocks.” - -Broom instantly stopped his piroueting, to disappear into the house and -return shortly, struggling into his coat as he came. - -“Now, my bold Sir Launcelot, my lovesick swain, we will proceed to watch -the approach of Cupid’s errant messenger.” - -With this he attempted to link his arm in Roy’s, who promptly gave him a -push which wellnigh precipitated him into an adjacent snowdrift. - -Chatting merrily, the two men climbed the rocks till they arrived at the -summit, where they stood gazing over the dazzling whiteness at the blot, -which could easily be distinguished with the naked eye. - -A number of dogs, scenting excitement, scampered about on top of the -ridge of rocks, startling the _kas-i-ba_ (rock partridges), which flew -up in flocks of great size. Near at hand Delgezie and Sahanderry -scrambled up the eminence, while below Ocpic and Minnihak, accompanied -by more dogs, were making prodigious efforts to join them. The flagstaff -cut the sky-line sharply, and the flag, which had now been run up, -fluttered merrily as if it, too, desired to welcome the weary -“packet-men.” - -Within half-an-hour of their undignified scramble up the rocks they were -precipitating themselves down again to welcome the arrivals, who were -now close at hand. - -It was only by the persistent efforts of the dog-driver and his -companion that the “packet” sled was drawn to the summit of the -snowdrift in front of the Fort, for the dogs were completely worn out. -They staggered along, making heroic attempts to appear to the best -advantage before strangers, but appearances were against them. - -“Well, George Hopkins,” said Roy, extending his hand, “I’m glad to see -you.” - -“And we’re right glad to get here, sir,” answered Hopkins, drily. “The -trip’s been a hard one.” - -“Yes, I suppose it has,” returned the trader with an approving glance at -the plucky little half-breed who had accomplished the long, arduous -journey. But Hopkins appeared to look on the trip as nothing -exceptionally hazardous; it was just a part of the work that his -contract with the Hudson’s Bay Company called for. - -Hopkins’ Eskimo companion, Poo-koo, next received Roy’s attention, and -just then Broom, who had been standing idly by, uttered a terrific yell -as the dog-driver lifted the packet-box from under the sled wrapper. The -package was a small and unimposing spectacle, covered with canvas; an -insignificant object, indeed, to be carried such a number of miles at so -great an expenditure of money and labor; but the importance of its -contents and mission made up for its otherwise commonplace appearance, -and such evidently was Hopkins’ opinion, for he handled the box -carefully and with great respect for its “honorable enclosures.” - -Roy turned sharply on his heel at the sailor’s shout, and, perceiving -what Hopkins had in his hand, he walked forward to take charge of it -with as much unconcern as his excited state permitted him to assume. He -was feeling a little piqued at the noise Broom was making. It was, he -felt, a continuance of the ridicule he had provoked that morning, and he -resented Broom’s pertinacious buffoonery. - -Broom was watching Roy with considerable curiosity, for the occasion -suggested to him the possibility of a celebration. But the Englishman’s -manner was disappointing. In common with most of his countrymen, he -thought it a weakness to give unlimited sway to his finer emotions, and -generally covered them with an appearance of coldness and reserve. He -did so in this instance, and Broom’s hopes fell to zero. But the -expected happened, for when Roy and Hopkins started for the house, the -former suggested that George should “take a drink.” - -The suggestion was received by George with unconcealed satisfaction, and -Broom, who was following them closely, smiled in silent approbation of a -proposal which was so entirely in accord with his own mind. - -“It’s going to be a dirty day,” remarked Roy, glancing at the -threatening clouds which hovered on the horizon. - -“Yes, it’s going to blow from the north-west,” prophesied the -dog-driver. “We’ve just got here in time.” - -“Yes, you’re lucky. It will drift like the very dickens with all this -loose snow about,” supplemented the trader, who now paused to look -around; then, “But come,” he added, “let’s get indoors.” - -With steps few and rapid the men soon reached the house. As they entered -the door Sahanderry was observed standing with a steaming kettle in his -hand. He spoke hurriedly to Hopkins, who hesitated a moment, then -detained the trader with a respectful touch on the arm, and requested -permission to postpone the whiskey-drinking till he had partaken of a -few cups of tea. - -“Tea!” ejaculated the surprised trader. - -Broom was vastly amazed; that any man in the possession of his senses -should prefer this homely beverage to the more exhilarating spirit was -entirely beyond his comprehension. - -“Yes,” observed George in respectful tones of apology, “I haven’t drunk -tea for eight days.” - -Roy’s face cleared. “Of course,” he said, “you’ve been without wood to -boil the kettle. Where did you get the last cup of tea?” - -“At Cape Eskimo,” replied the other, mentioning a point some two hundred -miles south of Fort Future. - -“And you haven’t tasted tea since; poor devil!” Roy now exhorted -Sahanderry to at once supply the packet man with what he desired. - -But the Indian had a comprehensive knowledge of “tripping,” and had -already brewed a kettle of tea. He now offered Hopkins a large mugful. - -“Why, that’s capital, Sahanderry,” cried Roy, and he bade George seat -himself and eat and drink to his heart’s content. “You’ve earned it,” he -declared. “You can come to me later for the whiskey.” - -With the “packet” under his arm Roy entered his _sanctum sanctorum_, -closely followed by Broom, whose face displayed the resentment he was -feeling at what he considered Hopkins’ idiosyncrasy in preferring tea to -whiskey. He considered Hopkins had thrown away a glorious opportunity, -and expressed his irritation in sullen looks and dissatisfied demeanor. -“Of all the lunatics,” he murmured to himself, glaring back at the -unconscious cause of his anger. - -The trader opened the “packet” without any unseemly haste, for he felt -the other’s eyes upon him. There were a goodly number of letters and -newspapers. These he commenced to sort, but, feeling that Broom was -watching his every movement, he suddenly stopped, caught up a handful of -newspapers at random and handed them to his too watchful companion. - -Broom took the newspapers awkwardly and murmured something, presumably -his thanks. - -Again Roy turned to his correspondence. He hummed an Eskimo Crane song -as he separated the letters from the papers. - - “_Oo-ee-yah, Oo-ee-yah-ah; Moo-nick-koo-li, Shah-pa-ah;_ - _Moo-nick-loon-ee, Nip-yaik-tal-ee,_ - _Cle-uk! Cle-uk! Cle-uk!_” - - (“Oh husband, oh husband, come dance with me; - Dance fast, and sing aloud, - Hurrah! Hurrah! Hurrah!”) - -which song, the natives solemnly aver, is sung by those birds on all -occasions of festivity, the birds sitting round in a ring with one bird, -presumably the leader, standing in the centre. - -Roy hummed it over several times before completing his task. A small, -square package of cardboard containing a photograph seemed to cause him -much hesitation, and he paused to lay it beside the letters, then again -to take it up and lay it on the newspapers, but eventually he gave it a -place of honor by itself, apart from the rest of the mail. - -By the time the last letter was sorted the heap had grown to a -respectable size. This fact Roy comprehended with manifest satisfaction. - -The letters were addressed to him in several different hands, but the -greater number were in the hand-writing of one person—evidently that of -a lady. After these letters had been separated from the others he -arranged them according to a mystic sign, or number, which was visible -in the left hand corner of each envelope, then suddenly, without any -apparent cause, he dropped them on the table to snatch up the cardboard -package. Cutting the string that bound it together, he discovered a -photograph of a young girl, or rather, young woman, for it was the -picture of a person about twenty years of age. - -The photograph was of the size known as a “cabinet.” The lady’s costume, -what could be perceived of it, was shadowy and indistinct. The features -were those of a young, healthy-looking maiden neither beautiful nor even -pretty, but the expression of the girl’s face was pleasant, and the eyes -which looked fearlessly out from it were large and good. The figure as -far as could be judged from the photograph was short, and, to use a -vulgar expression which aptly describes it, stocky. - -Roy held the photo tenderly, gazing rapturously at the face pictured -there. Presently he withdrew his eyes and glanced cautiously across at -his companion. - -Broom’s face was hidden by the newspaper, in the reading of which he was -apparently absorbed. Taking advantage of the other’s abstraction, Roy -hastily pressed the photograph to his lips. - -A crisp, crackling sound peculiar to paper brought a blush to Roy’s -cheek, and with guilty haste he laid the cardboard on the table, then he -looked up with what nonchalance he could muster. His companion’s -attention was still absorbed in his reading, and Roy concluded with a -feeling of relief that his late proceedings had passed unobserved. For -although the act of kissing a photograph was in no way a grave offence, -yet it was not an act he cared to commit before witnesses. - -But Roy was wrong in his conjectures. By a skilful manipulation of the -newspaper, Broom had seen Roy’s every act, and now sat behind the paper -with a supercilious smile upon his face. - -Opening the first letter, Roy scanned it eagerly. “Well, my dear boy,” -it ran, “you will be pleased to hear that Papa has at last received his -commission as Inspecting Chief Factor. The letter that he received from -the directors in London acquainting him with the appointment was -eulogistic in the extreme. The following extracts will give you some -idea of the nice things they said: - - “It is a satisfaction to know that you are still in the sphere - of activity. . . . We all feel that in you we shall have an - Inspecting Chief Factor who will exercise his influence to - instil new life into the Company which needs just now a master - mind to resuscitate—to some extent, at least—its ancient - prestige . . . That you will set yourself to work to inaugurate - changes which are much needed . . .” - - “There, now, what do you think of that? And dare you aspire to - the daughter of such a man? But I have kept my greatest bit of - news until the last. Papa is so elated with his new commission, - and determined to inaugurate the changes spoken of in the - letter, that he has decided to make a long trip of inspection - during the coming summer, and, prepare to be astonished, ‘Fort - Future’ is to be visited. Think of that, my boy, and tremble.” - -Roy read this letter through twice before laying it down to take up -another, which was written in a different key. - -“A terrible calamity has happened here. Young Mr. College got into a -quarrel with a native and shot him dead. Papa declares that he was quite -justified, as it was in self-defence, but I think it was horrible. I -shall never look on the young fellow without a shudder. It would be -impossible for me to take his hand; in my imagination it is covered with -blood. _For in my opinion it is murder for a man to take another man’s -life, no matter what the circumstances that seem to extenuate it._” - -For perhaps five minutes Roy pondered over this letter and when he laid -it down it was with a very solemn face. The words stirred him strangely, -and he sat absent-mindedly fingering the next letter for some moments -before cutting the envelope, but when he did so and his eye caught the -opening lines, he started erect in his seat and a slight exclamation of -surprise escaped him. Broom glanced at him inquiringly, but Roy was -absorbed in his occupation and quite oblivious of Broom’s presence. - -“My dear boy,” the letter ran, “you must not be frightened when I tell -you that I have been ill. Not seriously ill, dear, but what we Canadians -call ‘under the weather,’ and papa, after eager solicitations from -myself, has promised to allow me to accompany him on his visit to Fort -Future. Is not that most beautiful? I am sure I shall never get another -good night’s sleep till the time comes for us to start. It is three -years since we saw each other. I wonder if I shall find you changed in -appearance? If you will think that I have grown old-looking or ugly? -. . . You may rest assured that, if I am alive and well, at the earliest -possible chance after open navigation you will have the life plagued out -of you by - - Your ever loving - - LENA.” - - * * * * * - -This being the last letter necessary to the construction of our romance, -we will leave Roy Thursby to his letters while I digress in my story to -say something about the writer of the billet doux. - -The first few years of Roy Thursby’s employment in the Hudson’s Bay -Company’s service were spent in the Mackenzie River District. The -officer in charge of the Fort at which Roy was stationed was Factor -James McLeod, a widower with one child, Lena—Roy’s fair correspondent. -After a short time spent in the constant society of the Factor’s -daughter the young clerk became enamored of her and she in return -favored his aspirations. Perceiving the upright character of the young -fellow and the zeal he displayed in the Company’s service—which augured -well for his future success—Mr. McLeod consented to their being -engaged, but stipulated that Roy should be in the possession of his -Chief Trader’s commission before they entertained any thoughts of -marriage. Then Roy had been transferred to York Factory, and from there -to Fort Future, as we have seen. - - - - - CHAPTER VIII. - _DELGEZIE’S DESPAIR._ - - -Roy Thursby laid down the last of his correspondence with mixed feelings -of pleasure and strange forebodings. The delight he was feeling, since -learning that Lena McLeod was to accompany her father on his trip of -inspection, was tempered in a large measure by the words contained in -the letter announcing young College’s fatal encounter with the -Indian—“For in my opinion it is murder for a man to take another man’s -life no matter what the circumstances that seem to extenuate it.” This -was a strange decree from one so young, and the words rang in Roy’s -brain, try how he might to forget them. Yet why they should so disturb -and influence him he could not for the life of him imagine. - -Mechanically he caught up a newspaper and ran his eye over its pages -till dinner was pronounced ready. - -During the meal Broom’s manner appeared sullen and taciturn, and after a -few minutes of desultory talk Roy lapsed into silence. But when they -rose from the table the trader appeared to suddenly guess the cause of -the other’s moodiness, for after gaily exhorting Hopkins to come -forward, he brought forth the “comfort,” and at this Broom’s face -immediately cleared, while Hopkins entered the room blithely and took -the stiff dram offered him. - -The arrival of the “packet” was now celebrated by Broom with more -fervor, and entirely unsolicited he refilled his glass and drank success -to “George Hopkins.” - -Roy noted the circumstance with displeasure, but suppressed his -inclination to draw Broom’s attention to it, and drank the toast with as -much grace as he could assume. Then, unceremoniously, he whipped the -bottle off the table. - -No whit abashed, the loquacious Broom told a number of pithy stories, -which he related in his inimitable manner. These and other merry quips -kept Hopkins in a constant fit of laughter, in which Roy, despite his -annoyance, was at length forced to join. - -Suddenly a gust of wind struck the house, shaking it to its foundations. -The trader and the dog-driver glanced simultaneously at the window, then -at each other with an accompanying nod, as if to say that their -prognostications of a blow were proving correct. - -At once Roy thought of Kasba, for he had been told that she had gone for -meat. Had she returned? Had anyone seen her pass the house? Where was -her father, Delgezie? - -Receiving no answer to his questions from Broom or Hopkins, neither of -whom knew the whereabouts of the girl or her father, Roy called in -Sahanderry and again put the questions. The Indian entered with a face -that clearly betrayed the anxiety he was feeling, but he could give no -satisfactory information. He was almost certain Kasba had not returned, -but as it was possible that she might have passed while they were at -dinner he was unable to speak positively. He then spoke of his own -doubts and fears regarding the girl’s safety. - -But the trader checked these voluble premonitions by commanding -Sahanderry to go to Delgezie’s hut and find out the truth of the matter, -while he struggled into his “hairy coat.” - -Without waiting for further directions the Indian rushed from the room. -Fears for Kasba’s safety animated his movements. But he was stopped -short in his impetuous haste before he had crossed the kitchen, the door -being suddenly thrown open by Delgezie himself, who hastily entered, -pulling the door to after him. - -Delgezie’s entrance was the signal for the greatly perturbed Sahanderry -to begin a string of confusing questions interlarded with much advice -and dire prophecies of evil, but Roy came to the rescue of the -distracted old man by peremptorily ordering the young Indian to hold his -tongue, and then by a few direct questions the trader elicited the fact -that the girl and boy left the Fort at seven o’clock that morning and -had not yet returned. - -“Seven o’clock! They had left at seven o’clock! Then they should have -been back long ago! It is now two! What can have happened to them?” The -trader spoke sharply and with evident anxiety. - -In a bewildered fashion the old Indian stood gazing at the speaker, -leaning a little forward as if to better read the expression on Roy’s -face. He had the most implicit faith in the trader’s superior judgment, -and with the simplicity of a child waited to be told what he was to do. -His features worked in a nervous, agitated manner and a pipe that he had -been unconsciously holding fell from his hand to the floor. Suddenly he -seemed to be aware of Roy’s perturbed manner, and made for the door, but -at once Roy called after him, demanding what he was about to do. - -But the old man made no answer. He was fumbling at the door, which he -presently opened and went hastily out. - -Those left in the room looked askance at one another. - -“Follow him, Sahanderry,” cried Roy; “bring him back; he cannot go like -that. Be quick, man.” - -Sahanderry hastened to the door, but a sharp cry without caused him to -pause with his hand on the latch. The cry was followed by the howling of -dogs; a peculiar long-drawn howl which the listener instantly recognized -as proceeding from dogs that had become entangled or whose progress was -in some measure impeded. The trio in the inner room again looked at one -another, but this time it was with a smile of relief. - -“That’s them,” asserted Sahanderry from the kitchen, “the dogs have -found their way home and the sled has got stuck against something.” With -this information he hurried outside. - -But when he opened the door and stepped out, Sahanderry could see -nothing; everything was obscured by the drifting snow. The wind rushed -round the buildings from all points at once and seemed to gather -additional impetus at every corner. The Indian paused, half blinded by -the cutting wind and nipped by the intense cold. But the dogs, as if to -baffle discovery and thereby prolong his apprehensions, became suddenly -quiet. Taking a step forward he called to them in a loud voice. Just -then a bulky object loomed suddenly out of the gloom and he came in -violent contact with something which, although sufficiently substantial -to cause him a shock and nearly send him off his feet, was at the same -time curiously soft. Sahanderry recoiled from it with a thrill of -apprehension and the thing, whatever it was, instantly passed into the -house. - -The dazed and vastly astonished Indian remained for a moment staring -after the object. Then an idea of what it was struck him and he swiftly -followed it. When he entered the house he found Roy Thursby bending over -something which lay stretched upon a table, over which a blanket had -been thrown. Delgezie was standing apart, nervous yet confident in his -master’s power to restore animation to the apparently lifeless body he -had just given into his charge. - -After bending over the object for a moment longer, Roy looked up with a -slight exclamation and a quick glance at Delgezie. - -The old man’s quiet demeanor led Roy to suppose that he was laboring -under the delusion that the body was that of Kasba. The mistake was very -possible, for the object was enveloped in a “hairy coat,” and was -covered with snow when Delgezie discovered it. He had evidently caught -it from the sled without closely inspecting it and rushed into the house -with the senseless David in the belief that it was Kasba he was -carrying. Roy was debating how best to acquaint Delgezie with the error -when the matter was taken entirely out of his hands by Sahanderry, who -had drawn nigh and was now hurling a volley of questions at the -unconscious boy. - -Delgezie started as if electrified when the import of Sahanderry’s -importunate questions dawned upon him. He glanced suspiciously around as -if to perceive whether by any possibility the body could have been -changed, then rushed to the table, where he gazed long and searchingly -at David, whose existence he had evidently forgotten in his great -despair for Kasba. Then wildly he turned, and, holding up his hands, -cried in accents of direst agony: “She is my all, O God! Take not the -tender branch and leave the old trunk standing!” Then, dropping his -hands, he added as if to himself, “But I will find her or never return -alive!” - -Uttering these words, he was again about to rush from the room when Roy -caught his arm and so prevented him. With the fury of a wild animal the -old man turned on his captor; then, perceiving whom he was struggling -with, he instantly desisted. The trader, however, held him for a moment -longer in order to allow time for his habit of discipline to assert -itself, then commanded him, with a harshness he was far from feeling, to -seat himself and so remain until he was told to move. The poor old man -seated himself mechanically with bowed head and dazed, resigned manner -pitiful to witness. The sight of the Indian’s profound despair went to -the heart of the trader, who had a singular affection for the aged; but -the moment was too pregnant of danger both to the boy on the table and -the girl out in the drifting snow to allow him to engage in sentiment. - -Meanwhile Broom with commendable dexterity had removed all of David’s -clothing. - -“Snow! Bring snow!” he cried. - -Sahanderry and the little dog-driver, who had been present during these -proceedings, quickly fetched the required snow. - -The unfortunate boy’s hands and face were literally frozen. His eyes -were closed, and his lips pressed tightly together. - -Broom and Hopkins now gave the boy a vigorous rubbing with snow to -restore the circulation, which had been arrested by the intense cold. -This was no soft, agreeable massage, but a lustily performed rubbing -that almost took the skin off. - -After a time these exhausting efforts had the desired effect. David -sighed and opened his eyes. - -Whereupon the garrulous Sahanderry again bombarded him with questions, -but a peremptory: “Be quiet and fetch me some hot water,” from the -trader, sent him post-haste to the kitchen. - -Hastily diluting some brandy, Roy, after a little difficulty, got it -down the boy’s throat and almost immediately he seemed much revived. The -light expression returned to his eyes, and he tried to articulate, and -the trader began to hope that he might have an explanation before he -left on his search for the missing girl; and while the boy had been -undergoing his severe course of friction Roy had been by no means idle, -as two neatly rolled bundles enveloped in blankets testified. He had -tied up what necessaries he judged likely to prove useful to the -distressed Kasba, making them into two bundles, each ready to sling -across a man’s shoulder. He intended to carry one himself and give the -other to Delgezie to carry; thereby guarding against any possibility of -either of them coming upon the girl without the recuperating -necessaries; for in their hazardous hunt for the missing girl the two -men might become separated. Then, bending over the prostrate boy, Roy -earnestly adjured him to tell where he had last seen Kasba. - -David’s attempts to articulate were pitiful to behold; the name of the -girl he loved as a sister stimulated him to heroic efforts to speak, but -he could only moan in reply, while large tears ran down his burning -cheeks. - -Roy soon perceived that he would be unable to get an explanation from -the boy in the usual way, and resolved to acquire the desired -information by the intricate means of signs. - -Again he bent over David and this time he spoke in Chipewyan. - -“Now, David,” he said, speaking slowly, “I see that you are unable to -talk, but you can hear me speak and by doing what I desire, you will -make yourself understood just as well. If you wish to answer ‘yes’ close -both your eyes, if ‘no’ keep them open. You understand me, don’t you?” - -The boy’s bright eyes shut instantly. - -“That’s right!” said Roy. “Now, was Kasba walking ‘before’ the dogs when -you last saw her?” Those bright eyes shut again. - -“Good! You were coming to the Fort and were somewhere near the ‘little -hill’?” - -The boy’s eyes closed quickly. - -“You were on this side of the ‘hill’?” - -David stared at him. - -“You were on the other side?” - -David shut his eyes in the affirmative. - -For a moment Roy hesitated, then, as if deciding he could not get any -further information, he turned to go. But as he did so he saw such a -look of profound despair pass over David’s face that he turned to him -again. The mute appeal in the boy’s eyes gripped at his heart. - -“You want me to search in some particular place for Kasba?” he said. - -The eyes shut instantly. - -“At the ‘saw pit’?” David stared at him. - -“Sandy Ridge?” There was no response. - -Roy mentioned all the likely localities by name, but those haunting eyes -only watched him feverishly. - -Tenderly he patted the boy’s head. “You have done your best, David,” Roy -said, “but it is impossible for me to understand where you mean and I -must go and look for the girl without further delay.” With this he -turned away. But David, after lying perfectly still as if to collect all -his failing energies for one mighty effort, partly raised himself and -called out something in a hoarse shriek, but with such vehemence as to -cause the first part to be quite unintelligible. - -The sound of David’s voice brought Roy round on his heel with a swing. -His quick ear had caught the word “gully.” The boy was lying on the -table breathing fast and hard, his keen black eyes watching the trader -with an eagerness that told that he was anxiously waiting to be further -questioned. - -“Gully! gully!” said Roy to himself; “What does he mean?” Then, in a -flash it came to him. About a mile from the “little hill” was a gully, -Peter’s gully. - -Again he essayed an explanation from David. - -There was now a glad, happy look on the boy’s face as if by some means -he had discovered that Roy was in possession of the name he had tried so -very hard to utter. Probably Roy’s look of relief, or, what is more -likely, the movement of his lips, as he repeated the words to himself, -had given the boy his cue. - -The question was scarcely put before it was answered by those black -eyes, which closed several times in as many flashes. Then, as if the -excited boy’s unnaturally pent-up feelings had suddenly broken bonds he -gave a horrible, ghastly laugh that sent an unpleasant thrill through -all within hearing. - -Delgezie, who had remained perfectly impassive while Roy was -interrogating David, jumped excitedly to his feet at the sound of this -unnatural laughter. - -“What’s that?” he demanded, gazing around him in a scared, bewildered -fashion. - -Roy touched the old man’s arm softly. “Come, Delgezie,” he said, -cheerfully. “We will now go and find Kasba; David thinks she might be -sheltering in Peter’s Gully. I think we can find that even in this -drift, eh, old man?” - -The old Chipewyan started suddenly at hearing his daughter’s name. He -gazed at Roy for a moment in doubt, then, perceiving a smile on his -face, he smiled pathetically in return. - -“I think so,” he replied, and at once started for the door. - -“Wait! Catch hold of this,” cried Roy, pitching one of the bundles to -him, then slipping the other over his own shoulder. “We must go equipped -or we may as well stay at home.” - -The distracted father was now all impatience to be off. But Roy paused -to give Broom a few instructions for the proper disposal of David. Then, -carrying a small compass in his hand, he walked outside, closely -followed by the old Indian. - -Closing the door, Roy paused to take his bearings by the compass, then -started after Delgezie, who was already some yards in front. He did not -seek to overtake the old man, but followed close behind, keeping him in -sight except, occasionally, when a snow-cloud enveloped him for a few -moments. The force of the wind was terrific. It swept over the plain -howling like a pack of wolves, and drove the men before it at a great -pace. - -After scudding along at this unusual speed for some time the air became -literally filled with snow-flakes and the darkness thickened. It was -with utmost difficulty that Roy was able to consult the compass. But -feeling assured that he was going in the right direction he allowed the -wind to blow him forward. - -Suddenly the darkness lifted and Roy gazed about him in search of -Delgezie, but nowhere could he be seen. A ridge of rocks loomed out of -the gloom and caused Roy to consult the compass anew. “You’re a bit of a -liar, my friend,” he murmured, slipping the offending instrument into -his mitten in token of his disgust, for he knew by the character of the -rocks that he had come directly south and not south-west as he had -intended—the compass had proved incorrect, as compasses frequently do -in the Far North. - -“Well,” thought Roy, “I may as well have a look now that I am here,” and -with this determination he steered his way to a small ravine which he -knew ran through the rocks before him. - -And there he lustily shouted the girl’s name, but there was no response, -and after a time he turned and left the ravine in an attempt to reach -Peter’s Gully, his original destination. However, he had not walked far -into the open before he stumbled and fell, and picking himself up he -found that he had tripped over a pair of snowshoes. These he eagerly -scrutinized. From their size he perceived that they belonged to Kasba, -and with a terrific yell that fairly outrivalled the howling of the wind -he recommenced his search for their owner. - -After searching for some time, Roy discovered an object huddled in a -hollow of the rocks and sprang forward with a low cry of eagerness, but -in his impetuosity he tripped and fell heavily. The noise and -ejaculation occasioned by the fall apparently awoke the object into -life. For a little cloud of snow arose as a covering was suddenly thrown -back and the girl’s face appeared. Roy struggled to his feet with a -laugh, but it was with a sobered air that he approached Kasba. - -“Are you all right, Kasba?” he inquired, anxiously peering down at her. - -The girl nodded; she was too cold to articulate, and unable to rise from -the same cause. - -Perceiving this, Roy caught her up in his arms to transport her to -another part of the ravine where, as he knew, there was plenty of dry -wood for a fire. - -Thus Kasba was brought into the closest possible contact with the man -she loved, and, despite her resolution to think of him no more, she -nestled in Roy’s strong embrace with a little sigh of complete -contentment; she felt that the severe hardships she had undergone in the -blizzard were proving blessings in disguise now that they had given her -these moments of rapturous happiness. Her little brown hand stole to his -shoulder caressingly and she pressed closer to him. - -He could feel the beautiful form of the young girl pressing against his -breast. She was such a child, and was so little and dainty, that the -temptation to respond to her caress was not to be withstood, and -lowering his head a little he kissed her on the full lips. - -The instant he did it he felt a pang of conscience for his act. It -seemed like a sacrilege after just receiving letters from Lena. - -But he had done it more thoughtlessly than otherwise, besides he was -overjoyed at finding the girl safe and well. She had had a miraculous -escape. Still, he realized he had done wrong. - -Kasba sighed rapturously. He could feel her heart throbbing, and for a -moment she clung to him passionately. - -At this display of passion, he more than ever doubted the wisdom of his -act. He had not intended playing the lover to this half-savage child. He -felt he had played the villain. He knew she had more than ordinary -intelligence and that if he went on in that way he would break her -heart. - -He disengaged himself kindly and stood her upon her feet, but she still -clung to his arm, hugging it to her bosom. Her face was flushed and -joyous: he had kissed her, and all eternity could not take from her the -memory of that moment. - -As for Roy, in my opinion, he was certainly skating over very thin ice. - - - - - CHAPTER IX. - _ENTERTAINING THE “PACKET” MEN._ - - -During the next few days the sufferers from exposure and travel quickly -recuperated, and in a week all were once again in their accustomed good -health. Kasba had luckily escaped Jack Frost’s most tenacious embrace, -and a few hours had been sufficient to enable her to throw off the -lethargy occasioned by her perilous adventure. David, on the other hand, -had suffered painfully. The parts of his body that had been frozen -became swollen and inflamed to an alarming degree, but as the blood -regained its accustomed circulation the swelling slowly subsided. After -two days of careful nursing the boy had been removed to Delgezie’s hut, -where he had quickly recovered the use of his limbs and elasticity of -spirits, while any fatigue the little dog-driver and his partner might -have felt by their long journey had been entirely shaken off after -several good nights’ rest. - -Roy had traded with the few Eskimo encamped at the Fort and sent them -about their business. A large seamless sack, whose sides bulged -alarmingly, standing behind the counter in the trading store, had been -the cynosure of their oblique eyes. This was the damning evidence of -Ocpic’s cupidity, the sack he had filled with goods during the time he -was in possession of Roy’s store key, but had been prevented from -transporting from the premises for some unaccountable reason—probably -some sound had alarmed him and caused him to leave the store post-haste. - -The Eskimo spoke among themselves respecting the incident, and from the -fragmentary conversation Roy overheard whilst engaging in trading with -them he gathered that they felt more regret at Ocpic’s failing to take -the goods away than at his behavior. And this was not to be wondered at, -for they were acquainted with Roy only as a man who gave “nothing for -nothing,” while Ocpic was of their own race, and truly blood is thicker -than water. - -The trading-store was a small, unpretentious building of undressed -plank. It contained every imaginable commodity likely to be required for -the Eskimo trade: cloth of red and blue, white capotes, blankets, scalpy -knives, dags (snow-knives), pocket-knives, white seed beads, telescopes, -tin and copper kettles of various sizes and a large stock of firearms, -etc. First of all an Eskimo handed his bale of furs over the counter to -Roy, who counted and valued them. Having done this, the trader handed -the native a number of pins (pieces of wood), which the native with -great deliberation arranged upon the counter, first in tens, then into -little piles according to how much he wanted to buy of any one article. -Each of these pieces of wood represented a “skin,” or, as it is -sometimes called, a “made beaver,” the standard valuation by which trade -is carried on between the Hudson’s Bay Company and the natives in that -northern country. Having selected an article valued at, say, eight -skins, the native handed over eight of his pieces of wood in exchange, -and continued this method of doing business till all were gone. - -As each native finished his bartering he fell out of the gang which -thronged before the counter, and retired to the particular _iglo_ he -inhabited to gloat over his purchases. After untying the bundle which he -had tied up in the store with such security as to lead one to imagine -that he never again intended to unloose it, he took each purchase in -hand separately, felt the edges of the knives, admired their workmanship -and shape, closely scrutinized the large tin kettles and went into -raptures over their shining brightness. - -The trading done and the Eskimo away from the Fort, Roy gave his -attention to the accounts and letters he wished to send by the return -“packet.” The packet-train’s stay at Fort Future was limited to one week -by the hard-and-fast rules governing the Company’s “packets,” and Roy’s -search for Kasba and his trading with the natives had occupied several -days of this time, but at an isolated post like Fort Future the official -correspondence was not heavy and he was easily able to accomplish that -part of his duties in due season. The work of writing his private -letters, however, was more protracted. It was only in the evenings, -after the loquacious Broom had retired, that Roy could apply himself to -these. But by continuing his labors into the small hours of the morning -he arose from the table on the last day of the allotted time with his -work completed. - -With the “packet” off his mind, Roy turned his thoughts to giving -Hopkins and his companion a good send-off, and accordingly he arranged -for a dance to take place that evening. Sahanderry was told to make a -large supply of raisin cakes and to coax his dilapidated fiddle into -tune. And the delighted Indian proceeded to carry out these orders with -much jubilation. Soon little squares of dough, spotted with raisins, lay -on top of the stove, and the pleasant smell of newly-cooked cakes filled -the house all morning. During the afternoon the Indian brought out his -fiddle and started to tune it. At this Broom uttered fearful -imprecations and threatened to throw various objects at the fiddler’s -head, but Roy, greatly amused, allowed Sahanderry to go on with his -tuning, and the Indian continued the nerve-racking process with -diabolical ingenuity. - -As soon as supper was over, Sahanderry and Hopkins prepared the kitchen -for the coming ball, and when everything was in readiness and the guests -assembled Roy was apprised of the fact. There was a short delay -occasioned by Broom, who at the last moment decided to groom his hair -and unkempt whiskers, then the trader and his companion put in an -appearance. - -Kasba’s face at once filled with delight. She had not forgotten the -caress she had received from Bekothrie; her lips where his had pressed -them tingled still. And when he stood up for the first dance with her, -thereby elating her into a seventh heaven of happiness, the crimson flew -to her cheeks and brow. She tossed her head and smiled very prettily, -her heart glowing in her eyes, and I must confess she clung to his hand, -as they went through the figure dances, a good deal longer than was -necessary; also, I may as well tell you at once, she put up her lips, -when she bade him good-night, standing on tip-toe that she might reach -his face. He received her salute with a little laugh of embarrassment, -and in truth was too much worried over what she had done to allow of his -sleeping after he turned in. - -Kasba was the only woman present at this singular entertainment, but the -absence of lady partners seemed in no wise to detract from the jollity -of the evening. Hopkins, Poo-koo and David faced Broom, Delgezie and -Minnihak, while Roy had Kasba for partner, as we have just described, -and jigs, country dances, figures of eight, duck dances and rabbit -dances were one and all performed with commendable spirit. There was a -little confusion in the set dances caused by an occasional mix-up of -partners or a dancer jigging alone down the perspective, but these -mistakes only added to the fun of the evening. - -At first solemnity and much perspiration marked these performances, but -as pint after pint of “sugar beer” was swallowed by the thirsty dancers, -their solemnity wore away, a gayer humor prevailed and some most -intricate steps were ventured upon and accomplished with more or less -success by the juvenile members of the party. - -As the evening progressed, Broom suddenly burst into a song, much to -Roy’s astonishment, for the sailor had often declared himself incapable -of singing a note. The comic expression of Broom’s face created much -amusement, and when he ended his performance by shuffling a few steps -after the orthodox manner of the music-hall artists the delight of his -audience knew no bounds, and the fun waxed fast and furious till the -clock pointed to the hour of midnight. At the striking of the hour, Roy -shook hands with all present, and then, led by Broom, three cheers were -given for “the master,” and the party quickly dissolved. - -Despite their terpsichorean efforts of the previous evening they were -all up betimes next morning. Even Broom arose much before his wonted -hour to see the packet men start on their return journey. - -“Well, good luck, George!” cried Roy, grasping the little dog-driver by -the hand. “May you have a good trip!” - -“Thank you, sir,” returned the little man, who hastily proceeded to -shake hands with all within sight, which act of courtesy was closely -imitated by Poo-koo. And while it was yet dark the packet-train started -on its hazardous journey south. The dogs, greatly refreshed by their -rest, bounded after the rapidly disappearing Eskimo in front, who, -unlike most of his race, was a good and fast walker, and the last link -to the outside world was quickly swallowed up in the gloom of the early -morning. - -With an unconscious sigh of regret Roy turned to go indoors. To be sure -Churchill was as much out of the world as Fort Future, but there were -more people—possibly a dozen—and four mails a year there. Four mails a -year looked good to Roy. Truly all things are judged by comparison. - -Roy’s naturally buoyant spirits seemed to have departed with the packet -and he appeared dull and listless, remaining preoccupied during the -whole of breakfast, and returning only monosyllabic answers to Broom’s -airy remarks. The interesting occupation of letter-writing gone, there -seemed nothing to occupy his mind, and it was with something of an -effort that he forced himself to take up the old monotonous life and to -revive the interest he had hitherto felt in his work. But these -feelings, this hankering after the unattainable, was soon dispersed by -his strong will, and he was again the zealous officer the Company had -ever found him. He was inwardly longing for the time when the ice would -be out of the river, and Chief Factor McCall would arrive on his trip of -inspection, and the knowledge that Lena was to accompany her father only -made the enforced wait the more exasperating. But Roy knew from bitter -experience that the only way to make time fly was to be fully occupied, -and he therefore decided to make a trip to the camp of his Eskimo trader -Acpa. - - - - - CHAPTER X. - _A TRIP TO AN ESKIMO ENCAMPMENT._ - - -Roy and Broom spent the evening following in desultory conversation. The -latter was feeling in one of his best moods, but a strange presentiment -of coming evil beset the trader; that peculiar instinctive feeling of -some approaching calamity with which we are all more or less acquainted; -the shadowy, indistinct sensation that some catastrophe is nigh and -about to overwhelm us. - -As Roy’s naturally buoyant spirits were not prone to fits of depression -he felt irritated with himself and attempted to throw it off, but the -feeling was so persistent, so singularly distinct, that it caused him to -hesitate about making the journey. It was only by a supreme effort that -he suppressed these premonitions of evil and bent his mind on the -business before him. - -He had arranged for Minnihak to accompany him as guide, and Delgezie to -follow with a second train of dogs. Consequently the charge of the Fort -fell to Sahanderry, who was summoned to the inner room to receive his -orders. Roy made a point of giving these instructions in the presence of -Broom, so that he might perfectly understand his position and that he -remained at the Fort merely as a guest, and that except for the -preparing of his meals the Chipewyan was in no wise under his direction -or supervision. After establishing this fact beyond any possibility of -doubt, Roy dismissed Sahanderry. - -“And now we’ll take a last horn together,” he said, little thinking how -prophetic his words would prove. - -“Thanks, old man,” returned the sailor. Then, as if the thought had -suddenly flashed upon him, he added: “By the way, you might leave a drop -with me, old chap; the time will be deuced long while you’re away.” - -Roy shot him a quick glance and remained silent for some moments as if -debating within himself. He turned and lingered over the spirit chest, -and then, alas, against his better judgment, he produced two bottles of -whiskey which he handed to the sailor. There was nothing in these -innocent black bottles to warn him that they would be chiefly -instrumental in bringing about the catastrophe his gloomy forebodings -had foreshadowed—_the imp of evil was there_. - -“I shall be away only four days if the weather holds good,” said Roy. -Then looking the other straight in the eyes he added a little more -seriously, but with a smile: “Of course I depend upon you behaving -yourself, Broom. You’ve given your word that you will try no more -foolishness with Kasba, and I trust you. I have given you the liquor you -asked for, but I don’t expect you to make an ass of yourself.” - -Broom smiled broadly while engaged in stowing the bottles under a pillow -of his bunk. - -“Dear me, what a doubting Thomas you are!” he said. Then, with the -theatrical manner he was so fond of assuming, he added: “You may proceed -on your hazardous journey, my good Samaritan, with the greatest -confidence in your humble servant’s future exemplary behavior. He will -conduct himself in the most approved manner during your absence.” - -After this virtuous assurance, Broom partly filled an enamelled mug with -whiskey from a bottle on the table, and, raising it in the air, drank to -“a successful trip.” “May you return with your sleds loaded down with -furs,” he cried, in a more friendly spirit than he had shown for some -time past. - -Thanking him for his wishes, Roy drank the liquor he had mixed for -himself, and prepared for bed. - -“You must excuse me,” he said, “for I am making an early start in the -morning. But don’t let my going to bed interfere with your enjoyment. -There is not much in the bottle, you might as well finish it.” - -Broom muttered something about the other’s generosity and drew the -bottle toward him, while Roy made haste to bed. - -The trading party left the Fort long before daylight next morning and -were many miles away when the “day-sky” crept over the horizon, for the -dogs were going well. Neither of the _com-it-uks_ was loaded very -heavily, although they appeared to be so from their bulk, but this was -caused by the amount of bedding, changes of clothing, and other useful -gear that trippers in the Far North are compelled to take with them when -making a trip, it does not matter how short, in winter; for a blizzard, -like that in which Kasba was lost, easily protracts a short trip into -one of several days’ duration. - -The day passed all too quickly for the little party, who, keenly alive -to the changeableness of the weather at that time of the year, -endeavored to push on with the greatest speed possible. With this end in -view, only one short stop was made “to boil the kettle,” as the phrase -goes. Beyond this there was no stopping, and each of the men was aware -of sundry severe promptings from an empty stomach long before the -approaching dusk compelled them to camp for the night. - -At a word from Roy the guide selected a suitable spot, and the dogs were -brought to a halt in a little bluff of trees. The place chosen was not -an ideal one, for the brush was poor and dry wood scarce, but, as the -men well knew, there was no better for some miles, and they lost no time -in idle speculation or useless regrets. Silently, and with the skilful -precision and dexterity of men well accustomed to the work, they went -about their several duties, each to his own task, knowing what was -expected of him. To Delgezie fell the task of “making camp.” Having -picked a spot free from underwood and where there were no holes, he -slipped off his snowshoes and using one as a spade proceeded to clear -the ground of snow, while Roy, acting as the old man’s assistant, cut -and brought suitable spruce trees which Delgezie “branched” as soon as -he had cleared a space some ten feet square, strewing the small branches -thickly over the uncovered ground, and at the same time making a -three-sided barricade some four feet high out of the robbed trunks. The -back of the camp was toward the wind, while the front, or open side of -the square, was reserved for the fire. - -The camp built, Roy stopped cutting “brush” and joined Minnihak in -procuring “dry wood,” which Delgezie cut into lengths as soon as -brought. - -Then the trader and the Chipewyan turned their attention to the dogs, -which were unharnessed, tied to adjacent trees and bedded down with -brush. A terrific clamoring ensued, for long experience told the dogs -that these acts betokened the feeding hour. Four pounds of venison were -now thrown to each of them, as a reward for the faithful efforts of the -day, and on a tree near by a bag containing a night’s feed for men and -dogs was cached for the return journey. Thus the _com-it-uks_ were -lightened by many pounds’ weight the first day out. - -By this time Minnihak had a fire blazing fiercely and throwing its glare -all about them, making the camp appear a comfortable haven indeed, as -compared to the cold, bleak surroundings, and Roy and Delgezie stepped -into its warm radius and knocked the snow from their moccasins and -trousers with their thick deerskin mittens, smiling the pleased smile of -weary men satisfied. - -The duties of cook fell upon the guide, Minnihak, according to the rules -of tripping. But although the Eskimo had acquired the elements of -civilization he was sadly remiss in the nicer details of cleanliness, -which made his services in that capacity quite undesirable. Therefore -Delgezie cooked the food, while Minnihak carried out the more menial -labors of cook’s mate, in pursuance of which he had already gone to a -near-by river and brought back several large blocks of ice for the -kettle, and these lay ready to the cook’s hand, glistening in the -firelight. - -Supper over, the men gave themselves up to a few minutes’ smoke and -reverie—the most delightful time of the tripper’s day—and their -thoughts naturally turned to sleep. Delgezie, who always held prayer -before retiring, began a hymn, which he sang alone, for Roy was unable -to follow the old man’s peculiar intonation, and Minnihak was ignorant -of both language and tune. - -In a reverie Roy’s gaze wandered from the bright glow of the fire, -through the few sparse spruce trees and out to the cold, desolate region -beyond. The moon was shining brightly, illuminating the surrounding -solitude which stretched into the far distance on either side like a -terrestrial eternity, having no visible beginning or end. - -With a shudder of awe at the weird grandeur, profound silence, and -magnitude of the scene, Roy realized himself an insignificant atom in -God’s great plan of creation, and his eyes, following the bent of his -thoughts, instinctively sought the heavens, where they discovered a -magnificent lunar halo, a white corona with a pale-hued edge completely -encircling the moon. - -Withdrawing his gaze from this beautiful phenomenon as Delgezie fell on -his knees to pray, Roy whipped off his cap and stood with head -reverently bowed while the old man stumbled through the General -Confession. At the words “_Nota Yaka Thenda Nese_” (Our Father, etc.), -Roy repeated the prayer with such fervor as to cause the Eskimo to look -up in astonishment. - -None but those who have witnessed it can understand the singularly -striking effect of such a scene—the small, rudely constructed camp with -the fire throwing its glare afar; the profound silence; the vast -surrounding solitudes and the little group of devotees, apparently alone -in an immense wilderness, their faces lit by the lurid glow of the fire; -the gentle soughing of the wind; the celestial canopy bright with -myriads of twinkling stars—all this appeals to the imagination and, -despite an inclination to ridicule, a distinctly religious feeling -prevails, while thoughts prone to wander on excursions of levity are -brought sharply to order and turned inward. - -Delgezie was the last to retire. Before lying down the old Indian made -all secure from fire by pushing the burning embers out in the snow. -Then, after making certain that the trader was well covered, he raised -himself to take a last look about him. - -A light wind from the west seemed somewhat capricious and threatened to -change to another point of the compass. This caused Delgezie some -uneasiness; he feared it might change during the night, which meant a -change of camp. And changing camp in the dark, on a bitter-cold night, -is a most disagreeable experience. - - - - - CHAPTER XI. - _BROOM HAS CONSCIENTIOUS SCRUPLES AND A SORE TEMPTATION._ - - - “_I see the right, and I approve it, too;_ - _Condemn the wrong, and yet the wrong pursue._” - —_Tate._ - -Left to his own devices, Broom sat at his lonely breakfast on the -morning of Roy’s departure, racking his brains for a means of diverting -himself. The big loneliness of the place had been penetrating his soul -for some time, and now that he was deprived of Roy’s society there was -nothing to relieve the death-like monotony of the life. To find -something sufficiently interesting to make the time pass quickly seemed -to him a necessity, for the man’s mentality was as weak in this respect -as that of a boy or a frisky animal. But a new divertisement was -difficult to devise. Sleep? He was tired of sleeping. It seemed to him -that he did nothing else. Books? He was satiated with reading. The gun? -He was no shot, and the weather was intensely cold. Conversation? -Nothing would delight him more, but there was no one but Sahanderry and -Kasba to speak to. Sahanderry was unfriendly, and Kasba—the forbidden -fruit. The whiskey? Ha! This indeed offered great possibilities, it -tempted him almost beyond his powers of resistance, but his promise to -Roy, though given in a facetious manner, was as binding to him as -anything could well be, and drink, as an entertainment, was excluded -thereby. Traps? Should he attend his traps? It was a clear morning, with -no wind; cold? yes, but he could guard against that. Yes, he would visit -his traps. It would please Roy, he knew, therefore he would go. - -It was with feelings of righteous self-abnegation—an odd sensation and -entirely new to this hardened sinner—that he proceeded to his traps. - -In his magnanimity he went so far as to invite Sahanderry to take a -drink with him before starting, but the Indian, hugging his animosity -closely, refused. Broom’s unprecedented cordiality, however, was not -entirely wasted. It had a mollifying effect upon the Indian, for he -fixed the netting of the sailor’s snowshoes with greater care than he -would otherwise have done, and even departed from his customary morose -manner toward him to wish him “good luck” when he started on his quest. - -Broom went on his way strangely thoughtful. There was a new-found joy in -the thought that he had denied himself the drink. He was even conscious -of feeling virtuous—a sensation quite foreign to him of late—and under -the influence of this new experience life seemed to take on a new -aspect. He was not given to conscientious scruples, and the sensation -was not altogether pleasant, for, stripped of his habitual indifference, -he stood revealed in a new guise, and found the picture not good to look -upon. Everything around him was of unsullied whiteness; the very -stillness and profound solitude cried loudly to him of the Creator. He -felt out of harmony with his surroundings, knew that he was the one -black spot in a region clothed with a mantle of purity, and, like the -progenitor of the human race, he was ashamed. - -Rime fell lightly in prismatic crystals, scintillating and glistening in -the bright sunshine all about him, and in the heavens there was a -magnificent spectacle, a beautiful celestial phenomenon: the sun shining -through the falling rime took the shape of a fiery cross, and on each -side of this sublime luminary, at some little distance, shone a luminous -ball, and, attached to each of these, on the side farthest from the sun, -and rising perpendicularly, was a little rainbow which extended in -glowing bands of deep red, orange, and light blue. - -Stretching out from these were bars of silver reaching across the -heavens on each side like gigantic arms and ending in indistinct -vaporous clouds like huge hands which appeared about to clutch the earth -in their embrace. Higher in the heavens, and exactly above the sun, a -crescent, its colors corresponding with the beautiful sections of the -rainbow, shone out brightly, and at different points around the horizon -indistinct rainbow hues were visible. - -Broom was by now well accustomed to the many splendid phenomena of the -Far North, but the present magnificent spectacle—catching him at a time -when he stood disarmed, when for the moment his mantle of indifference -and cynicism had fallen from him—influenced him strangely. However, a -mind perturbed with religious feelings was unusual to Broom, and like -the now fast-disappearing phenomenon, this unusual experience was soon -gone. With the arrogance natural to mankind he stifled this slight -inclination, this prompting toward reform, and lapsed into the hardened, -cynical reprobate he naturally was, at least to outward seeming. Alas! -what a number of Mr. Brooms there are in the world! - -Fate, luck, or Providence, call it which you will, reciprocated Broom’s -magnanimous feelings by smiling on him. His hunting-bag by the time he -had visited all his traps was swollen to undue proportions and bore -significant signs of good luck. He was greatly elated at this success. -Scorning his customary long, slouching stride as a mode of locomotion -too slow to keep pace with his excited feelings, he covered the ground -at a quick trot and arrived at the Fort in a thoroughly exhausted -condition. - -“Phew! That’s warm work,” he cried as he entered the door and found -Sahanderry standing before him with the vestige of a smile on his dark -face. - -“How many?” inquired Sahanderry shortly. - -“Five, my boy!” Broom dropped the bag of foxes to the floor with a long -sigh of relief. His face was scarlet. He was “blowing like a grampus,” -and now that he was in the house he perspired freely. “Guess I’ve earned -a drink,” he said, and passing into the inner room, quickly produced the -bottle and mug. - -After taking a goodly modicum of whiskey he eyed the bottle dubiously. -The liquor had shrunk in an incredible manner: a few more such potations -and he would arrive at the bottom of the bottle. To guard against the -calamity of running out of liquor altogether the tippler made a mental -reservation to drink only one-third of his stock of whiskey on each of -the following days, thereby securing an allowance for each day of Roy’s -absence. - -In theory the scheme was undoubtedly good, and well worthy of the -versatile sailor, but in practice it did not turn out as well as he -expected. For when he tumbled out of bed on the third morning, with an -exceedingly hazy idea of how he ever got into it, he discovered to his -chagrin that the whiskey was almost all gone. Evidently nothing but an -overpowering fit of slumber had prevented him from drinking the whole. - -Sitting on the edge of the bunk, feeling dull and miserable, he was -conscious of a raging, overpowering thirst, and it was with the greatest -difficulty that he laid restraining hands on himself and drank only -enough of the already greatly depleted liquor to discover, as he told -himself, if what remained was the real stuff. But this potation not only -proved its genuineness, but also greatly revived him, or, in his own -expressive language, “it made him feel a bit more perky.” - -After putting the bottle aside with the scrupulous carefulness of a -miser secreting gold, he sank into a chair and sat in drowsy -contemplation for a few minutes. Then, casting a disconsolate eye around -him, his gaze encountered Roy’s liquor chest with its neat fastenings -and lock. Immediately a fancied procession of the black bottles danced -before his burning eyes. The thought that most likely a considerable -quantity of whiskey lay in the snug-looking box and within easy reach -brought him upright in his chair with a jerk and he sat gazing at it as -if fascinated. Then, withdrawing his eyes with an effort, he sprang -suddenly to his feet and, catching up his coat and hat, rushed from the -room, clutching his snowshoes as he ran. - -Once outside and away from the dangerous fascinations of the locked -chest Broom paused and wiped the perspiration from his brow. He stood -irresolute for a moment, then, with an air of grim determination, turned -in the direction of his traps, plodding onwards with leaden footsteps, -weary and breakfastless. - -Like one in a dream he stumbled on his way. A burning fire seemed to be -consuming his vitals; flashes of heat and cold passed over him; his -hands became moist, and he felt utterly fatigued. He was walking -mechanically now and his nether limbs seemed to move like pendulums, -forcing him to continue the function of walking, to drag his weary body -along without any effort of will or possibility of staying their -movements. - -On his return he could discover no sign of Sahanderry’s presence and for -this he was devoutly thankful; for he felt too jaded, too dejected, to -encounter the gaze of his watchful enemy. On nearing the Fort, he had -endeavored to recover his old careless “bon-aire” expression, but he was -conscious that the effort had been a miserable failure, and, therefore, -the Indian’s absence proved both a relief and a boon. - -Throwing aside his outdoor apparel he sank into a chair where he sat -profusely perspiring like a man prostrated by weakness. He braced -himself in his seat to resist the temptation that he knew would come. -Sinking back, he gripped the sides of his chair with the tenacity of one -in a delirium and forced his gaze into a far corner of the room. - -Finding it impossible to keep his eyes fixed on any one spot, he cast -about him for something to occupy his mind. He could not go outside, for -the weather was too intensely cold to allow anyone to sit down, and he -felt too ill and weary to walk about any more. His breakfast stood upon -the table, where it had been placed by Sahanderry many hours before, but -it remained untasted, for he could not eat. He had no desire for food, -but the appetite for strong liquor was almost mastering him. He knew the -feeling and dreaded it. In his desperation he reached for a book that -protruded from under the pillow in his bunk, then again sinking back in -his chair, he endeavored to read. But the print danced before his eyes, -the large capital letters grouped themselves together and stood leering -at him. Suddenly in place of the dancing printed type he saw a smooth -wooden box, the lid fastened with a strong lock; for unconsciously the -book had dropped from his hands and he was again staring at Roy’s spirit -chest. After this he seemed to lose all consciousness of things around -him, his whole attention was riveted on the object of his gaze. -Presently he stiffened himself as to resist some powerful shock; -probably the last spark of manhood was making vigorous struggles to -extricate him from so pitiful a position. Beads of perspiration stood on -his brow, and he fell to trembling like a man with the palsy. To his -heated imagination the lid of the box slid slightly back and a long thin -hand protruded itself and was beckoning him on. Then, as the hand still -beckoned, several black bottles slipped out also and began a grotesque -dance upon the lid, while others thrust forth their heads to laugh, -grimly, and make horrible grimaces at him. Suddenly Broom started to his -feet. He passed a trembling hand across his eyes and then, with a sigh -of abject helplessness, staggered forward to fall on his knees before -the fascinating chest which he now eagerly scanned. With a cry more -animal than human, he began to take off its hinges with his pocket -knife, for apart from the strong lock, Roy had attempted no precautions -to make the box secure. - -A slight snapping of the fire caused Broom to stop in his frenzied -labors and to glare around the room like a hunted animal. But, -apparently satisfied that no one was there, he returned to his task, -working at the hinges with the cunning of a man bordering on delirium -tremens. In a few moments the screws were out and the lid thrown back -from the rear, the hasp and staple acting as a hinge. Then with a snarl -of disappointment the wretched man sprang to his feet, for with the -exception of one bottle the box was empty. In his heated imagination he -had pictured it filled to the top with rows of shining bottles and now -he stood for a moment glaring around him like a wild beast defrauded of -its prey, and well was it for Sahanderry that he did not appear upon the -scene at that moment. Then uttering a little chuckle Broom dropped on -his knees and clutched ravenously at the one bottle, which he fondled -and caressed with a foolish cooing noise horrible to hear; while the -hands of the bewildered wretch were now shaking so as to threaten -destruction to the bottle’s contents. With the cunning of a madman Broom -perceived this, and rising to his feet, and mastering his agitation with -a strong effort, he began to draw the cork with the aid of two -pocket-knives. “Experience makes perfect,” and Broom had become -dexterous in the art of cork drawing. So this cork was soon extracted -and the neck of the bottle hastily glued to his trembling lips. He took -several long pulls before placing it upon the table, then, in a dazed -and mechanical way, he replaced the hinges upon the box by returning the -screws to their places. He now stood slowly swaying from side to side, -his face wearing a curious expression like one slowly returning to -consciousness. Grasping the bottle with both hands, he took another deep -draught, then fell upon his bed panting and exhausted, as if from some -supreme exertion. After a few minutes of restlessness he fell asleep. - -When Sahanderry peeped into the room a little later, he found Broom -sleeping tranquilly. The Indian glanced from the sailor to the bottle on -the table, and believing it to be one of those given him by Roy, smiled -contemptuously, while his idea of the sailor’s drinking capabilities -underwent a quick change. - -Next morning Sahanderry was vastly surprised to find the sailor in the -same position. He was sleeping heavily, as his deep breathing and nasal -accompaniment testified, and his prolonged slumber aroused the Indian’s -suspicion. Stepping lightly across to the chest he carefully scrutinized -the lock, but found no evidence of its having been tampered with. What -then had produced Broom’s long sleep? Sahanderry lifted the bottle from -the table and held it up to the light. It was still a quarter full. This -was astounding. Despite the Indian’s obtuseness he was sharp enough to -perceive that Broom must have procured other liquor. But from where? And -how? Sahanderry shrugged his shoulders, and spreading out his hands in a -deprecating gesture he washed them of the whole business. - -It was late in the day when Broom awoke from his long season of -unconsciousness, for slumber it could hardly be called. Rising from his -elbow, he gazed about him. His head ached excruciatingly. His brain -seemed on fire. His tongue felt tough and dry so that he found it hard -to articulate. With a moan he fell back upon the pillow to collect his -scattered senses and as he slowly awoke to the full consciousness of -what he had done, a sentiment of bitterness rose in his mind against -himself. - -Presently he dropped over the side of the bunk and reached for the -bottle with an unsteady hand. As he put it to his trembling lips a -little of the liquor trickled down his chin, and a sudden revulsion of -feeling came over him. Pushing the bottle away with a look of malignant -hate he paced the floor with short unsteady steps, and with his long -hair and whiskers matted and disheveled, his face swollen and flushed, -his eyes intensely blood-shot and whole frame trembling violently, he -was indeed a pitiable sight. - -Presently the distracted man took his resolution. He caught up his coat -and struggled into it, but when it came to securing the buttons his -unsteady hands fumbled and refused their office. With an exclamation of -impatience he again reached for the bottle, and this time he drained it -to the dregs. Then, pulling on his cap savagely, he rushed from the -house. - -But his perambulations were soon cut short and he discovered himself -stuck in the deep snow, for he had left his snow-shoes behind. However, -he did not return for them; instead he took a circuitous path made hard -by constant usage and leading toward the open, quite unaware that Kasba, -ardently persuaded by David, who wished to shoot some birds, had also -taken this easy route and was coming towards him. - -The boy and girl had gone but a short distance when a flock of -partridges rose with a whir-r-r and flew to the rocks above them, and -David with boyish enthusiasm scrambled up the heights after the birds, -saying he would rejoin the girl farther down the track. - -Walking slowly with drooping head, Kasba went thoughtfully along the -path before her. She knew every foot of the ground over which she went. -Suddenly she became aware of the close presence of another, and starting -she raised her frightened eyes. Before her, leaning against a boulder, -was Broom. He stood with his back toward her, and his face buried in his -hands. He was apparently feeling ill and dazed. - -The girl shrank back as if she had been struck, then for some moments -she stood immovable, her startled gaze fixed upon the bowed figure. -Instinctively she felt her danger. A stifled gasp escaped her and -tremors shook her frame from head to foot. Yet she dare not turn back, -for David would be waiting. She must go on, or he would come to look for -her and discover Broom. She shuddered to think what might happen then, -for the impetuous boy violently disliked the fellow and would not miss -an opportunity of annoying him. Besides Broom had been drinking heavily. -Sahanderry had communicated his suspicions to her and from what she -could make out there seemed to be a great degree of truth in them. -Therefore she must not leave David. Broom would be in a black humor -after his drinking bout. She shuddered again. But this was no time for -weakness. She would go on, she _must_. Firmly bracing her nerves, Kasba -stepped lightly forward. - -With bated breath she moved, step by step, toward the silent figure. -Very slowly and stealthily she approached him. - -The man continued to stand perfectly still, but as she drew nearer his -motionless figure, she could scarcely restrain herself from crying -aloud, so acute was her terror. - -With a last effort, a strong, determined effort, she was beside him. The -snow under her feet crunched to her imagination like the report of a -gun. Her heart stood still, she felt discovery inevitable. With a mighty -effort she strangled the cry in her throat. - -The boulder against which Broom leaned was close beside the track, and -the attitude he had assumed caused him to occupy most of it. To pass him -so closely was to court certain discovery. Kasba resolved to make a -slight detour, but she had not brought her snowshoes. She had left the -house with the intention of taking only a short walk along the beaten -track and had thought them unnecessary. Off the track the snow was deep -and soft. What should she do? - -On her left was a ridge of rocks presenting acclivities of every degree; -on her right was a strip of scrub almost covered by loose snow. The -track, beaten hard by Sahanderry on constant journeyings to his traps, -led straight before her, and, blocking this narrow path was the inert -figure of Broom. But between the track and the rocks was a narrow strip -that to all seeming was perfectly hard. This she carefully tried with -one foot. It bore her weight and with steady, cautious steps she passed -on for a short time in safety. Then, with a peculiar, dull report, the -crust gave way and the girl sank to her knees in soft snow. - -Broom started nervously. Raising his head apprehensively he at once -discovered Kasba and her unfortunate position. - -With Broom’s eye upon her the distracted girl ceased her ineffectual -struggles and stood staring at him wildly like one fascinated. - -At first he believed her to be one of the multitudinous delusions of a -deranged mind. But presently he was convinced that it was no delirious -fantasy, but really Kasba’s self who was there, alone and in his power, -and he laughed the loud mirthless laugh of one gone mad. - -The girl quailed before his gaze of malicious triumph, then turned and -made frantic efforts to release herself from the clogging snow and to -regain the hard track. - -“Not so fast,” cried Broom, rushing in and grasping her by the waist. -“Not so fast, my little white partridge.” - -In vain Kasba struggled while Broom rained hot kisses on her mouth. She -could not prevent him. She was in his power indeed. - -But just when she had given up in despair Broom suddenly uttered a -terrific yell and loosened his grip. The girl stood bewildered. She was -dimly conscious that her captor had released her and was now scuffling -with something small and dark, and mechanically she drew herself out of -his reach. Then, floundering desperately out of the soft snow to the -beaten track, she fled along with a speed born of panic-stricken horror; -never pausing, never looking back, but rushing straight on and on—to -her father’s hut. - -Broom, swearing like a madman, looked about him. A dark form had dropped -seemingly from the sky, to spring forward upon his right arm, where it -clung with the tenacious grip of a bulldog. He was taken completely by -surprise. In his nervously-excited condition the suddenness of the -attack had startled him. He imagined himself assailed by some uncanny -foe or some fierce wolf, and he had released the girl the better to -defend himself, and Kasba was beyond all possibility of recapture before -he discovered, to his chagrin, that his adversary was no ferocious -animal, but the boy David, who had discovered Kasba’s precarious -position and slid down the face of the almost perpendicular rocks to -launch himself upon her assailant. In an ungovernable paroxysm of -baffled fury he now rained blows upon the boy’s unprotected face. David -clung to his wrists for some moments longer, then sank on the snow with -a moan of pain, and lay there limp and lifeless. - -Broom gazed stupidly at the still form for a moment, then with a cry -like that of a hunted animal he rushed from the scene. - - - - - CHAPTER XII. - _AN ESKIMO ENCAMPMENT._ - - -Contrast to Delgezie’s fears the wind played no pranks with them that -night, but after coquetting around all points of the compass, suddenly -died out altogether. - -Still it was with a grunt of disgust that he threw back his blankets -next morning, for a heavy rime was falling and everything appeared white -and cold to his gaze. Glancing up at that celestial clock—the North -Guards—and finding its tail pointing well toward the south, he arose -and set about building a fire. But the kindlings were coated with rime -and he experienced much difficulty in persuading them to ignite. However -after much patient coaxing the mass was at last got into a blaze, and, -unceremoniously awakening his assistant with a dexterous kick, he -proceeded to prepare breakfast. Thus rudely awakened Minnihak -reluctantly drew himself from his warm robes—he had no objection to the -intense cold, but a decided antipathy to early rising. - -Hearing the men astir, Roy arose also and shook his bedding clear of the -cloying rime before packing it away in his bag. To take a hasty -breakfast, “ice” the _com-it-uks_, lash the loads, and harness the dogs -was the work of fully an hour, for the morning was intensely cold, and -everything unpleasantly chilly and icy to the touch; falling on exposed -parts of the warm person, the rime at once became damp, then froze, -clogging the eyebrows and eyelashes, and any hair on the face, with icy -particles. It was one of the coldest mornings of that winter, and the -tenacious clinging of the rime accentuated its chill. - -Roy and Delgezie completed their disagreeable task of harnessing the -dogs as quickly as possible, then jumped into camp to warm their -benumbed fingers, while Minnihak followed more leisurely, smiling and -unperturbed. - -“_Ik-ki-mai_” (It is very cold), he said laconically. - -Roy in his haste to lash the sled had inadvertently touched the head of -an axe with his naked hand, thereby “burning” his fingers, and he now -stood nursing them with a rueful countenance, making, because of this, a -brief pause at the fire. But soon a start was made, and by the time the -sun had thrown its cheering rays over the desolate wilderness, the -trippers were well on their journey. - -Their course for some distance followed the river, then branched off -sharply and ran along a little creek, at the mouth of which Minnihak was -seen to stop, turn aside, and walk across to a partly built _iglo_, -which, from its appearance, Roy judged to be the one in which Oulybuck -had hanged his father and brother, and when his dogs got abreast of it, -he stopped them and walked across to view this primitive gallows. - -The walls of this _iglo_ apparently remained as they had been first -built, but the gruesome paraphernalia was missing, the crossbar and line -being probably buried with the defunct Eskimos, and the block of snow -from whence they had launched themselves into eternity thrown aside and -drifted over. Deep imprints on the snow walls told that death had come -only to the suicides after desperate struggles, and two distinct mounds -of snow a little to one side and close together clearly marked the -suicides’ graves. A fox had been digging at one of them, and the -excavations had left the handle of a saw exposed to view; for the -belongings of the deceased Eskimos had been buried with their bodies, -after the custom of their race. - -Shortly after leaving the ill-omened spot the travellers came in sight -of Acpa’s encampment. This consisted of several _iglos_ grouped together -with an unusually large one in the centre. The smaller _iglos_ were of -the ordinary kind, but the big one bore unmistakable signs of its -owner’s quality and importance. Not only was it larger than the others, -but it had two protuberances instead of one: the one, as in the usual -case, being the kitchen, as a wreath of blue smoke ascending from it -testified; and as Acpa held the proud position of a trusted trader, the -other without doubt was used by him as a storehouse, a room where the -trader bartered with his brother Eskimos. - -A number of dogs were running in and out of the _iglos_, and these at -once gave the alarm; promptly several rough, shaggy figures dragged -themselves through the tunnels leading to their various abodes and stood -watching the approaching dog trains. The moment the _com-it-uks_ arrived -at the encampment busy hands, with the characteristic readiness of the -Eskimo to assist, caught at the dogs while others carried the bundles of -merchandise away. - -While the unharnessing and unloading were taking place still other -Eskimos were engaged erecting a snow-house for Roy and the old -Chipewyan, for the trader invariably despatched his Eskimo guide to -sleep with a friend on these occasions. - -Eskimo etiquette compelled the guest of honor to wait in Acpa’s abode -till his own was pronounced ready for occupation, and in compliance with -this rule Roy dragged himself through the low entrance, followed by a -number of old men, women and children. - -He got to his feet in the kitchen and went forward, picking his way -among the skulking dogs, which, like the Irishman’s pig, were on terms -of equality with their master, to the large room in the centre, and once -there he gave a sigh of relief, for the air was less stifling, albeit -the ventilation still left much to be desired. - -_Kaip-puks_ were brought by members of the family and spread on one of -the elevated platforms or bed-steads for Roy to sit upon, and he seated -himself with an inward hope that his claim on their hospitality might be -of the shortest duration. - -The bundles of merchandise he had brought for Acpa were now lying in the -small room adjoining, which, as he conjectured, was used specially for -such purposes. The one in which he sat was large and dome-shaped, while -several pieces of comparatively transparent ice had been let into the -walls to afford the necessary light. The storehouse and kitchen were lit -in like manner, but in the latter a few sticks of driftwood were -smouldering on some flat stones, the smoke from these travelling to the -roof in the most erratic manner, occasionally darkening the larger room -in its wanderings. - -A number of men and women soon sauntered in, and, squatting down at a -little distance from Roy, sat silently watching him, while friendly -smiles suffused their greasy faces; infants clothed only in a hood, or -perchance a tobacco pipe, were produced with startling suddenness from -the capacious hoods of the women’s coats. - -Grouped among the throng were old and feeble Eskimos with the wrinkled -faces, projecting cheekbones and lantern jaws peculiar to the very aged, -and young wives with yellow complexions and bright, intelligent faces, -their hair ornamented in a fashion peculiar to themselves, with a kind -of pigtail formed from the hair over each ear neatly braided, the ends -decorated with beads and deer-teeth, and bands of brass worn across the -forehead. Sprinkled among the group were children of various ages, and -probably of both sexes, though their costumes were so exactly alike that -it was impossible to distinguish to which sex each belonged. Altogether -this close scrutiny was oppressive, and when Acpa appeared some minutes -later, Roy’s face brightened perceptibly. “_Ay-hoo_-_ee-la?_” -(Finished?) he asked with the best attempt at indifference he could -muster. - -“_Ay-hoo_” (short for It is finished), replied the old man. - -Roy slowly arose, intending to make a dignified exit, but even a -fur-trader’s powers of endurance have their limits, and he stumbled -quickly across the kitchen and precipitated himself through the low exit -into the fresh air, and, with feelings of grateful relief, filled his -lungs with the crisp oxygen. His confinement in the smoky _iglo_ had -made him quite ill. - -Entering the one erected for him by the hospitable Eskimos, Roy found -Delgezie awaiting his return and supper prepared. - -The old Indian was smiling. “They’re giving a dance,” he observed, -glancing at the trader with eyes that twinkled. - -“The deuce they are; and they’ll expect me to attend, I suppose,” -grumbled Roy. - -“Expect so,” said Delgezie drily. - -Further comment was stopped by the appearance of Acpa, who approached -with a face which radiated cheerfulness and goodwill. He squatted down -and partook of the food handed to him with apparent relish, for -intercourse with the white man had given him a taste for bread, tea and -sugar, and even coffee. - -After finishing the meal he proffered his unwelcome invitation in this -wise: “The Innuit are happy,” pause. “They are glad to see you,” pause -and a smile. “Innuit will dance,” another pause and smile, then -ingratiatingly, “The ‘master’ will come?” Here an expansive smile spread -over his heavy features and broadened into a laugh. - -Roy received the invitation with an assenting nod, and forced a smile to -his lips. He inwardly shrank at the thought of having again to enter -Acpa’s odorous and smoky abode, yet he dissembled, for he knew that his -presence at the dance was a thing of course. - -Presently the soft tap-tap of a drum was heard, and Acpa got slowly to -his feet, while Roy arose with assumed alacrity and followed his host to -the scene of revelry. - -Since the trader’s last visit a number of young men had returned from -the hunt, and these were now seated in a circle eating ravenously of -frozen meat, raw and unsightly. - -For this occasion the _iglo_ was lit by candles of home manufacture, -these being tapering pieces of dry moss and balls of grease. The bands -of brass across the foreheads of the women shining brightly in the -subdued light; the circle of hungry Eskimos devouring their food like as -many ravenous animals; the shadowy, indistinct figures of the old folk -seated on the outskirts of the throng, and the bright faces of the -children watching the assembly with keen and earnest eyes, all combined -to make the scene grotesquely weird. And the tap-tapping of the drum -went steadily on. - -When the circle of hunters had satisfied their rapacious appetites, it -slowly dissolved. Then, snickering and joking, the women formed -themselves into a circle and the ball was opened by Acpa, who stepped -into the centre of the ring, carrying a drum in his hand. - -This peculiar instrument consisted of a piece of parchment stretched -tightly across a wooden hoop with a straight handle attached. The -parchment was dampened before each performance, a tuning process as -novel as simple. Acpa struck the rim of the drum, the top and bottom -alternately, against a stick, held in the left hand, while shuffling his -feet in a semblance of step dancing, then striking the drum in the -centre a few times, he threw back his grand old head and gazed up at the -top of the _iglo_—seemingly for inspiration—then fell to shouting, the -shouts diminishing in volume as they increased in rapidity. “_Oh-ee, -oh-ee, oh-ee, oh-ee-ee, oh-ee-ee, oh-ee-ee!_” This was the cue for the -women’s chorus, and they now rocked themselves backwards and forwards, -repeating in high-pitched voices: “_Ya-ya, ya-a-ya, ya-ya_,” while the -old man composed his song as he went along. The sentiments were at times -poetic. He first thanked the “master” for coming to see him and -expressed a wish that he would be satisfied with his trip. Then he spoke -of his work and the work of the other Eskimos of the encampment and many -other things in the daily lives of himself and companions. Occasionally -he lapsed into the monotonous _Ya-ya_ of the chorus, or fell to shouting -_Oh-ee, oh-ee_, but the drum beating was continuous. - -Afterwards several other men followed in this unique individual dance -and then came the turn of the perspiring chorus to disport themselves. -But the women’s _rôle_ was the exact opposite of that of the men, for -they danced two at a time and at first were as silent as nuns, and they -used no drum. Staring each other straight in the eyes they shuffled -their feet, repeating queer words wheezily at the back of their throats, -all accompanied by a peculiar indrawing of the breath. Many gestures -accompanied this uncanny performance, such as pointing derisive fingers -at each other, this meaning “I think very little of you,” pointing -upwards and downwards (the significance of which seemed in doubt) and -lustily slapping their cheeks and patting their breasts. Evidently this -was a dance of endurance, but at last the final pair fell panting and -exhausted, and, taking advantage of this respite, Roy hastened to shake -hands with all present and to leave the _iglo_. - -The gleam of dawn spread in one golden glow of morning, and the day rose -radiant over the world. The _com-it-uks_ were “light” and the dogs -travelled quickly, and the sun was still high when our little party got -back to the camp they had made on the previous day, and, the wind being -in the same direction as when the camp was constructed, it was ready for -their use and their labors were thus lightened. - -Supper over, Minnihak went to inspect a trap he had set when they were -there before. Roy stretched himself on the outside of his bedding and -lay dozing, while Delgezie occupied himself making “cakes” for the -morrow. He had been employed in this manner for some time when he heard -a slight crunching sound as of something moving over the snow. He -thought it was the Eskimo returning from his quest and did not lift his -eyes. But as the moments went by and no Eskimo appeared, he raised -himself slowly and looked around. A large wolf stood before him on the -very edge of the camp. - -It was watching Delgezie with a wicked snarl that left bare its ugly -fangs. The hair along its backbone stood up stiffly and its eyes gleamed -threateningly. It looked fiercely hungry and Delgezie expected it to -spring at him, but it stood motionless and the old man’s eyes searched -the camp for a gun, but he could see no weapon, and then he remembered -that the guns had been left outside. He uttered a grunt of -indignation—that a lone wolf should invade his camp, seemingly as the -aggressor, was, for the old Indian, a new experience. Keeping his eyes -fixed on the wolf, Delgezie stealthily reached for a billet of wood. The -animal watched him furtively; its long white fangs snapped and it -crouched as if about to spring, but something in the old man’s -unperturbed pose and steady eye seemed to awe the beast and hold it -aloof. Delgezie felt cautiously for the billet, a particular piece of -green wood which as he knew lay beside the fire. He dared not withdraw -his gaze, and could only grope blindly. - -Suddenly he uttered a terrific yell and came upright with a bound. -Feeling for the billet, he had missed that which he sought and grasped -one that was burning. At the sudden and unexpected loud noise the wolf -wheeled quickly and fled away. - -Delgezie’s yell brought Roy sharply to his feet. - -“What in the world’s the matter, man?” he demanded. - -“Wolf in camp,” replied Delgezie, nursing his injured fingers. - -“Why didn’t you waken me? I could have shot it,” demanded Roy. - -“Guns outside,” said the old man drily. - -Whipping a revolver from his hip-pocket, Roy said: “I keep this little -thing for occasions like that.” Then observing that Delgezie was in -pain, he added, “But what have you done to your fingers?” - -Delgezie explained, and his adventure caused much amusement during the -rest of the evening. - -On the following morning, Delgezie, with Minnihak as guide, left the -track in order to get a load of meat from a cache some distance from the -camp and off the direct route to the Fort, and sitting on the sled -smoking idly while the dogs ran briskly to the sound of jingling bells, -Roy returned to the Fort alone. - - - - - CHAPTER XIII. - _A DASTARDLY DEED._ - - -When Broom came to himself after rushing from the scene of his violence -he discovered that he had returned instinctively to the Fort. - -Finding the house in darkness he groped his way across the kitchen to -the inner room, where, after a little, he succeeded in finding and -lighting a lamp. As its rays fell upon his features they clearly -disclosed the hateful effects of his debauch, the havoc his ungovernable -paroxysms of violence and passion had worked upon him. The veins of his -forehead were dark and swollen, his eyes inflamed and hollow, his look -that of a worn-out demon. He was still agitated, and his blood-shot eyes -swept the room fiercely like a wild beast still unsatisfied. His -breathing was labored and his mood still that of half-suppressed fear -and rage. Frowning and irresolute, he paused after lighting the lamp, -then began to pace the floor unsteadily, his pace increasing in fretful -rapidity as he continued his short, irregular perambulations. At last, -as if wearying of this, he stopped short and leaned his weight against -the pair of sleeping-bunks. - -Just then the indistinct form of a man appeared noiselessly in the -doorway. - -Broom eyed it fearfully, while his face grew pale and moist with -perspiration. He clutched at the sides of the bunks to support his -trembling limbs. Then commanding his courage he demanded somewhat -unsteadily: - -“Who are you?—speak out—be you man or devil?” - -The answer was a wordless mumble. The dim form slipped forward into the -light and the broad figure and grinning face of Ocpic stood revealed, -and Broom’s courage was greatly restored. He heaved a long sigh of -relief and made a ghastly attempt at jocularity. - -“Well, you imp of Satan,” he cried, “what do you want here?” - -“_Ik-ki mai_” (It is very cold), declared the Eskimo with an -accompanying expressive shiver. Then, entirely unsolicited, he lit the -fire, which had gone out during Broom’s absence. - -Broom paid no further attention to the native. With short, jerky steps -he recommenced his restless walk, pausing now and again with a nervous -start as the wood in the stove cracked sharply, like so many reports of -a pistol. He was in an impatient fury. His deliberations were far from -pleasant, for he felt that however much Roy might be inclined to -overlook the offence of breaking into the liquor chest, he had, by his -unpardonable assault upon Kasba, followed by his brutal attack on David, -put himself outside the pale of forgiveness. He knew by experience that -the trader would show him no mercy for this second insult to the girl, -and he dreaded his return. Not that he was a coward—in the physical -sense of the word; if corporal punishment could have atoned for his -brutal conduct he would have taken his punishment—as he then felt—with -the utmost satisfaction. But he recognized that in bringing this trouble -upon himself he had betrayed the trader’s trust, and this, to his mind, -was a far greater offence than his more criminal actions—even as -cheating at cards or the like ungentlemanly action is popularly supposed -to touch a man’s honor more closely than the committal of any offence in -the criminal calendar. He paced the floor impatiently, out of humor with -himself and things else, and cursing with bitter oaths his folly and the -circumstances which led to it. Moreover, the craving for strong drink -was again upon him, lashing him into a fury. - -He had just succeeded in working himself into an ungovernable passion -when the kitchen door was thrown violently open and Sahanderry burst -into the room. The Indian gibbered wildly and seemed about to -precipitate himself upon Broom. - -“What for you do?” he cried excitedly, pausing in the doorway and -spreading out his hands with a gesture of interrogation. - -Broom stopped short in his walk and stared at the speaker with eyes that -darted malignant hate. The appearance of Sahanderry was as a match to -tinder, and Broom’s look was so venomous that it disconcerted the Indian -and he halted irresolutely. - -Sahanderry’s discomfiture tickled Broom. He laughed derisively, then -abruptly resumed his tramp, his manner signifying his utter contempt for -anything the enraged Indian might do. - -Incensed by the man’s laughter, and drawing courage from his outraged -feelings, Sahanderry approached his adversary with menacing gestures. - -Broom halted, turned, and awaited his attack with a provoking smile. - -Suddenly springing forward, the Indian seized him by the hair of his -head with both hands, then paused to allow him to get a grip on his -locks in turn—this being the tribal idea of the proper opening of -affairs of honor, in which each man, having gotten a firm hold, tries to -twist the neck of his antagonist by screwing his head into a position -not in accordance with nature’s planning. But Broom, after permitting -his opponent to take up the proper attitude, suddenly discarded all -further recognized rules of Chipewyan combat and struck the vastly -astonished Sahanderry such a violent blow on the chest that had not the -Indian’s fingers been entangled in his adversary’s hair, it would have -felled him to the ground. As it was he was able to regain his -equilibrium in part before relaxing his hold, and staggering against the -table, he stood for a moment panting and muttering curses upon the head -of the sailor, then slowly, craftily, he shifted his position. - -For, in coming in contact with the table, he had instinctively put out -his hands to break the force of the collision and had touched an object -that stood thereon, over which his fingers had instantly closed, and -without pausing to consider what the missile might be or do, he, in -great desperation and excitement, now hurled it with sudden strength, -bred of his vindictive mood, at the head of the offending Broom. - -The missile was the bottle stolen from the chest, and, hurled with all -the force of Sahanderry’s arm, it struck Broom full on the cheek with a -cruel thud, then fell to the ground and broke. - -This unexpected attack found Broom quite unprepared. He staggered from -the force of the blow, but suddenly straightening himself, laughed -discordantly and pulled a revolver, which he cocked and levelled at the -now shrinking Indian, who, at the sight of the weapon, dropped to the -ground and vanished under the table, where he lay trembling and -terror-stricken. - -The Indian’s extreme fear filled Broom with fiendish glee. In sheer -devilment he fired several times—apparently at haphazard, but with -unerring aim, at various objects in the room. He was undoubtedly a dead -shot, and, taking advantage of his skill, he tortured the poor -distracted wretch until he moaned again. Fingering the revolver in an -apparently careless fashion, he touched the trigger and the bullet -passed in close proximity to Sahanderry’s body. Then throwing up the -weapon to feign sudden alarm it went off as if by accident, the bullet -grazing the Indian’s head. Then followed a display of fancy shooting, -till, suddenly tiring of his amusement, Broom’s mood changed. His face -became grim again and once more he levelled the revolver at the -shrinking figure under the table. The Indian fairly shook with terror, -and the sweat gathered upon his brow. - -Sahanderry felt that his end had come. Broom’s ghastly face and -glistening eyes seemed proof that he was no longer accountable for his -reckless acts. - -“You can say your prayers, you hypocritical imp of Satan, for I’m going -to kill you,” hissed the madman. “In five minutes more you’ll be a dead -man.” - -And a dead man Sahanderry certainly would have been if Broom had been -less elaborate in his system of torture. But during his shooting display -Roy Thursby had arrived at the Fort, and hearing the report of the last -shot had cautiously opened the door, crept noiselessly across the dark -kitchen, and reached the room in time to hear Broom’s murderous threat. -As his eyes took in the scene presented he started and raised his -clenched hand. - -“Now, you hell-hound,” continued Broom, “your time has come. I——” With -a deadly intent he was sighting the weapon. - -“Stop! You cowardly bully,” cried Roy furiously from the doorway. “If -you wish to fight you can fight me, but leave that wretched, cowering -Indian alone.” He spoke rapidly but calmly, and his tone of command had -its effect upon Broom. - -“What devil’s luck brought him here?” Broom muttered to himself as he -unconsciously lowered the revolver and stood looking at Roy with -darkened brows. But the next moment he laughed recklessly. - -Roy started at the sound of this discordant laughter. He eyed Broom -questioningly, apprehensively for some moments. From his strange -agitated manner, the gray pallor of his countenance and the wild, shifty -look in his eyes, Roy knew that he had to deal with a man who, if not -actually insane, or acting a part, was on the verge of delirium, or -could it be delirium tremens? But whatever the condition or cause, the -man was in a state that might be dangerous to himself and to others, -especially while in the possession of firearms. Roy resolved to -propitiate him as far as was consistent with getting him under control. - -“Fight you, my English bulldog; why, of course I’ll fight you,” cried -the frenzied man, handling his revolver in a reckless manner. “But not -in the low-bred manner of your countrymen, if you please. Hands are -weapons for women; we’ll fight like men.” Again he flourished the -dangerous weapon, then playfully presenting it at Roy, he shut an eye -and took long, deliberate aim. - -The trader glanced unflinchingly at the extended revolver. He fully -realized that his life depended upon the whim of a lunatic, and God only -knew what strange fantasy would next flash through Broom’s crazed brain; -but he realized also it was only a bold presence that would save the -situation. He therefore desisted from drawing his own weapon, and -remained motionless, gazing unswervingly down the little blue muzzle -before him. - -There was silence for some moments, then Broom laughed uncomfortably, -and, throwing up the revolver, he deliberately fired over Roy’s head. -The bullet whistled desperately near his skull, but he stood immovable. -This unperturbed demeanor appeared to have a quieting effect upon the -delirious Broom, for he presently lowered his weapon. - -Meanwhile a plan had flashed through Roy’s brain. He would induce Broom -to discharge his revolver at some innocent object till he was assured -its chamber was exhausted; then, with the help of Sahanderry, he would -secure him. - -But unfortunately for this plan Broom’s thoughts had returned to the -proposed fight. Flourishing his own weapon recklessly, he called on Roy -to “produce his gun!” - -“Come on, my weak-blooded Englishman; surely you are not afraid,” he -jeered. - -The offensive tone and leering face provoked Roy almost beyond -endurance. But believing the man to be for the moment little better than -a maniac, he controlled himself, and drawing a revolver, the one he had -displayed to Delgezie in the camp, he deliberately opened the breech, -ostensibly to discover whether it was in order, but really to gain time. - -“Don’t you think—,” he was saying in conciliating tones, when the other -broke in with a shout of demoniacal laughter; then suddenly remembering -Sahanderry his brows clouded again and he muttered viciously, “but first -I’ll settle with this black trash,” and once more he covered the -cowering creature beneath the table, causing him to shrink still farther -under cover. - -The white fury of Broom’s face and his deadly earnest manner startled -Roy anew. He perceived that he must instantly distract the man’s -attention if he wished to save the Indian’s life, and presenting his -revolver at Broom, he called, in a tone of stern command: - -“Drop your hand or I’ll——.” He spoke no further. By some unaccountable -accident the weapon was discharged at the moment when Broom’s finger was -actually pressing the trigger of his revolver to shoot Sahanderry. -Hearing the bullet whiz past his ears and believing that Roy had -wilfully shot at him, he turned with lightning quickness, diverted his -aim and fired, as he thought, in self-defence. - -Roy staggered, swayed and fell heavily. - -Standing rigidly erect, Broom gazed stupidly at the still body. His face -was livid. His legs trembled under him. His arm dropped to his side, his -hand still clenching the murderous weapon. - -Picking himself from the corner, where he had hidden when the trader -suddenly appeared, Ocpic now crept cautiously to the side of the -prostrate man. He dropped on one knee and closely scrutinized the -upturned face. Then laughing wildly, he got to his feet. - -“_To-koo-kuni! To-koo-kuni!_” (He is dead, he is dead), he gleefully -cried. - -The sound of the Eskimo’s voice brought Broom to himself. With a strong -effort he withdrew his eyes from the senseless figure and gazed about -the room like one suddenly awakened from an unpleasant dream, in doubt -whether the horrible event had really taken place, or he had been the -victim of some grotesque nightmare. But all doubt as to its reality -ceased when his wandering gaze returned to the outstretched body of his -victim. This ghastly proof was sufficient to convince him that the crime -was no fantasy of a delirious brain. He sighed heavily. A slight -convulsion passed over his features. Then, terror taking the form of -defiance, he sprang forward and stood gazing down at Roy’s still figure. - -A nervous grip was laid upon his shoulder and he swung fiercely round, -his frightened gaze meeting the oblique eyes of the Eskimo, Ocpic, who -stood pointing with extended arm; as Broom’s eyes followed its direction -his attention was drawn once more to Sahanderry, who by this time was -almost dead of fright. - -At the sight of the shrinking figure he started violently; the -catastrophe had happened so suddenly and had so confused and stupefied -him that all knowledge of Sahanderry’s presence had been crowded from -his mind. He now recalled it with fiendish satisfaction. Here was an -object on which to vent his vicious rage, one who—as he wildly -imagined—while under the secure protection of an all-powerful master -had lost no opportunity to insult him covertly. But things were now -changed; the exchange of shots had removed the protector, Sahanderry was -masterless, and Broom resolved to take speedy and adequate vengeance. In -his mood of ungovernable recklessness he hesitated no longer at the -thought of crime, but paused to form a plan of torture sufficiently -atrocious, and the vicious books that were his only reading supplied him -with plots innumerable. - -Soon a plan suitable for his diabolical purpose occurred to him. Smiling -sardonically he advanced to the table, and, stooping, caught the half -dead Sahanderry by the heels, and drew him into the centre of the room, -then, snatching a piece of clapmatch line from Ocpic’s hand, he bound -the distressed Indian in a secure fashion, the Indian making not the -slightest struggle or even a murmur of dissent. The latter circumstance -greatly amused Broom—a silent Sahanderry was a new experience. But his -mood soon changed. He again eyed the poor, bound wretch with triumphant -malignance, and, seating himself upon the edge of a bunk, he began his -torture by elaborately unfolding his diabolical plot to the trembling -prisoner. - -Chuckling with fiendish glee he said: - -“Now, Sahanderry, my friend, I am about to send you to your father, the -devil, by means entirely original and devised by your humble servant. By -the means I have in contemplation you will imitate the great and -excellent prophet Elisha, insomuch as you will quit this world without -encumbering the earth with your carcass.” - -Broom paused to enjoy the effect of his words. Sahanderry’s face was -livid. His eyes rolled in their sockets and threatened to start out of -his head. His lips moved convulsively as if he were attempting to speak, -but he was too panic-stricken to articulate. - -Well satisfied, Broom continued: “I shall proceed to the trading-store -and bring hither a keg of gunpowder. This explosive I shall place close -beside you, so that you may get the full benefit of it. After extracting -the little wooden stopper, or screw, which confines the dangerous powder -to the inside of the keg, I shall place the end of a lighted candle in -the hole, so that after burning a short time, in order to allow you to -say your prayers, and me an opportunity to escape, the flame will come -in contact with the powder, and—” Broom illustrated the probable result -with expressive gestures. - -Sahanderry groaned, at which Broom burst into a great fit of laughter. -Then, finding the Indian was incapable of speech, Broom left the room. -He was closely followed by Ocpic, who, anticipating some developments of -a devilish nature, was singularly happy. - -When Broom and his dusky coadjutor had gone, Sahanderry made superhuman -exertions to free himself. But he had been too well bound by the sailor -to escape, and by no possible effort could he loosen his bonds, though -the line cut deeply into his wrists in his violent struggles. - -“_Bekothrie, Bekothrie_,” he called hoarsely, in vain hope that he who -had remained undaunted in so many encounters, who had survived so many -dangers, would now rise up to his assistance. It was inconceivably -strange to him that Roy should lie there so impassive, should have -allowed these things to happen without remonstrance, for Sahanderry was -wholly unable to comprehend that Roy could be as readily overcome as any -common mortal. But the lifeless form was still, and Sahanderry’s heart -sank within him and with apprehensions goaded to the utmost he waited -his enemy’s return. - -Minutes of intense silence passed, then came the sound of deep -breathing, and Ocpic staggered into the room, carrying a heavy keg. He -was followed by Broom, whose white, set face and feverish eyes showed -him still implacable. - -Sahanderry moaned in utter despair. There was a curious grey pallor -under his brickdust complexion. His heart was beating like a drum. He -tried to speak, but his voice failed him. - -Broom worked with grim expedition and the preliminaries were soon over. - -Ocpic stood calmly watching events. His eyes took on a look of puzzled -bewilderment as the work progressed, but when Broom struck a match to -light the candle, Ocpic divined the hellish secret of these singular -preparations. With a startled cry he made a bolt for the door. - -But Broom caught him and unceremoniously threw him back. “_What-cha-o!_” -(Wait!), he said grimly. - -With a wary eye on the Eskimo, Broom struck another match and coolly lit -the candle, but a draught caused the flame to burn unsteadily, and -perceiving this was likely to precipitate the explosion Broom carefully -snuffed out the flame with his finger and thumb. - -“Won’t do! Guess we’ll have to shift it over there,” he said, pointing -to a corner of the room and glancing significantly at his companion; but -Ocpic hesitated. - -“Shift it, I tell you!” roared Broom. - -Though unacquainted with the English language, Ocpic understood from -Broom’s gestures that he was ordered to move the keg of gunpowder. He -tremblingly approached, and lifting it gingerly, placed it in the -required place, then glanced furtively around for a speedy chance of -escape. But Broom’s bulk blocked the way. Perceiving Ocpic’s lightning -glance and divining its import, Broom waved him back. - -“Stand back!” he snapped fiercely. - -But the native retained his position boldly and scowled threateningly. - -Sahanderry lay with palpitating heart, watching the two men, in the -desperate hope that a conflict might ensue. Devotedly he prayed that -they might come to blows, but after moments of agonizing suspense -Ocpic’s eyes dropped before the grim ferocity of Broom’s look. He fell -back reluctantly, scowling with rage, and muttering darkly to himself. - -The candle was again lit, and this time the flame burned steadily. Broom -was satisfied. - -Standing aside, he allowed Ocpic to rush from the room, then quietly he -walked to the door. Pausing at the doorway he called jeeringly back: - -“Good-bye, friend Sahanderry, a quick and pleasant journey!” Then with a -burst of sardonic laughter: “I shall now have the charming Kasba all to -myself.” - -Left to himself Sahanderry lay still and lifeless, for the grim -situation had scared him into a condition near to death. But presently -the instinct of self-preservation awoke within him. Again he made -terrific struggles to loosen his bonds. With frantic yells he strove to -make himself heard, although he knew there was no likelihood of anyone -being nearer than Delgezie’s hut, and he realized that the sound of his -voice would hardly carry beyond the walls around him. Yet in his -extremity he found it impossible to keep silent. He persisted in his -exertions to free himself, for the issue at stake was his life. His -bonds cut deeply into his flesh at every movement and the pain was -frightful, but he struggled till he could struggle no more and fell back -exhausted, his head dropping to the floor with a dull thud. - -As he lay there like a trussed fowl it seemed to him that never did -candle burn so quickly. It shortened as if by magic. Soon the flame was -flickering over the black powder. Suddenly Sahanderry lifted his head -and listened with all his might. There was a sound outside. He gave a -hoarse cry for help, then listened again, his heart thumping like a -steam-engine. The sound drew nearer. It was a terrible moment. He -glanced frantically at the fast expiring candle. Was there yet time? -Spending all his remaining strength in one long-drawn-out cry, he fell -back to listen. He heard footsteps. They came nearer, they paused, and -then slowly went away. - -It was Delgezie, who had just arrived. He was alone, Minnihak having -left him to visit a trap. Finding no one on the look-out for him, Kasba -not at hand to take his bedding, the old man became uneasy; his heart -fluttered with vague forebodings. He took a few steps toward the house, -paused undecidedly, then suddenly changing his mind, returned to his -sled. Hauling off the dogs’ harness with the ease and dexterity which -come with custom, the old fellow tied it together mechanically. Then he -again approached the house, muttering to himself in his uneasiness. -Suddenly there was a blinding flash, a fearful report, then—darkness. - - - - - CHAPTER XIV. - _GRUESOME DISCOVERIES._ - - -It will be remembered that Kasba was left fleeing in panic terror to her -father’s hut; while the boy David, who had been wholly instrumental in -effecting her escape, lay on the snow, beaten senseless by an infuriated -ruffian’s cowardly blows. - -Now Kasba was not composed of the stuff that heroines are made of, and -when she found herself free, her natural impulse was to place as great a -distance between herself and the scene of danger as she conveniently -might. This she contrived to do with the best possible speed, but once -safe in her father’s hut and the door secured, her thoughts returned -with a shock to David. - -Where was he? Like a flash the remembrance of the dark object she had -left battling with the enraged man occurred to her. It was, it must have -been, David. He had sacrificed himself to Broom’s fury that she might -escape. Once thoroughly convinced of this, all fears for herself -vanished, terror for the boy’s safety crowded everything else from her -mind. Emboldened by her love for him, she hastily unfastened the door -and, stepping fearlessly forth, flew back over the narrow track. -Realizing that every moment was precious, she returned with incredible -speed to the spot she had quitted in such haste. Heavens! What was that? -The man she loathed and dreaded was gone, but on the snow lay David. - -Regardless that the brutal ruffian might still be lurking in the close -neighborhood, the girl, uttering a low cry, rushed to the senseless boy. - -With tender solicitude she bent over him and raised his head upon her -arm. His face was swollen, bruised, and stained with blood. His eyes -were closed. - -“Oh, David, David!” she sobbed piteously, “you have suffered for my -sake.” - -But her first agony of feelings over, she was relieved to find that the -boy was breathing regularly. Still the knowledge that he had received -this cruel treatment in order to save her from insult brought a fresh -flood of tears to her eyes. - -Tenderly she bent over him, while from her heart a low, piteous appeal -went up to heaven. - -At length the boy’s eyes unclosed, he gazed around in a dazed, -bewildered fashion, then: - -“What has happened? Where am I?” he asked wearily, and then: “Ah! I -remember, the Ball-eye (white man),” he added with a quick start of -apprehension. - -“But he has gone now, dear,” said Kasba. “He is a bad, wicked man and -will be abundantly punished when Bekothrie returns. Come, dear, you must -not stay here any longer. You will freeze. Let me help you up.” - -David staggered to his feet. Broom’s dastardly blows had been directed -at his upturned face, so although giddy and faint he was still able to -walk. The pair had not gone far before they heard a voice hailing them -from the rear. Turning, they discovered Sahanderry striding toward them -in vague alarm. When told of Broom’s offences he was impatient to find -and chastise him, but controlled his impetuosity till he had seen Kasba -and the boy in safety. - -Walking slowly with the assistance of Sahanderry and Kasba, for he would -not hear of being carried, David was brought to the hut. Then, leaving -Kasba to attend to the wounded boy, Sahanderry rushed in blind, -impetuous haste to the Fort, his whole frame trembling with passion—and -with what result we already know. - -With infinite tenderness the girl washed and dressed David’s bruised -face. Then she assisted the boy to her own bed. He at first strongly -objected to this, but Kasba was obdurate, and with a sigh of content he -at last laid his aching head on the pillow. - -Leaving him to fall asleep, the girl sank upon a seat in utter -dejection. She remained seated a long time, fearing to move lest she -wake the boy, who had quickly fallen asleep; then an explosion shook the -little house to its foundations. Kasba started to her feet and stood -petrified with fear. With a heart beating rapidly she waited and -listened, but could detect no further sound. - -A scared cry from the bed brought her to her senses. She flew to David, -whom the noise had rudely awakened, and throwing her arms protectingly -around him she turned her scared face to the door. - -The situation was nerve-trying. Except for their own audible breathing -the darkness of the hut was as silent as the tomb. Clasped in each -other’s arms the two waited tremulously, expectantly, with fearful -apprehensions, but of what they could not know, for only silence -followed, silence becoming painful as it lengthened into minutes. - -Choking down the hysterical sobs which threatened to overcome her, Kasba -gently released herself from the boy’s embrace. A pale gleam of light -relieved the gloom from pitchy blackness. Moving cautiously about, she -found the lamp and lit it. The light gave her additional courage. She -went to the window and looked out. All was quiet. The view was bleak and -cold, the dim light outside revealed the desolate waste but -indistinctly; objects took phantom forms, appearing weird and out of all -proportion. With a shudder of undefined dread, the girl turned away from -the casement and went back to the boy. - -David received her with a keenly expectant look. Kasba shook her head -with a wan smile in answer to his mute inquiry. - -“There’s nothing, that I can see, dear,” she declared with relief, -sinking on the bed beside him. - -“Was it an earthquake or an explosion?” he asked, in an awed whisper. - -“An explosion, dear, and at the Fort, I’m afraid.” - -“More of that devil’s work, I suppose,” said the boy after some -considerable thought. Then quickly, “I wonder if Bekothrie was at home.” - -The girl sprang to her feet. The knowledge that her father and Roy were -expected back that evening had entirely slipped from her mind. She stood -rigidly erect, thinking desperately. What should she do? Perhaps the -trader or her father had been injured by the explosion, perhaps both. -She must go to the Fort to discover by their living presence that they -were safe. Snatching her coat from where it hung, she drew it on without -further delay or thought. - -The boy watched her breathlessly, wide-eyed. - -“I’m going to the Fort, dear,” she said gently but firmly. “Like a good, -brave boy you will stay here. I shall not be long away.” - -David caught his breath sharply, but smiled back manfully with a -palpable effort to hide his fears. - -Without pausing for further speech the girl stepped into the night, into -the solitude and darkness, and with anxious heart passed swiftly along. -Suddenly there broke forth upon the intense silence a loud, long-drawn -howl. Kasba’s blood ran cold. Again that dismal howl. From its great -resemblance to a dog’s she knew it for the voice of a wolf, and one -suffering from hunger—its presence so near the Fort told her that—yet -no thought of turning back beset her. - -Awed and breathless she paused on the overhanging rocks at the back of -the Fort, straining her eyes to distinguish between the conglomeration -of buildings beneath her, which loomed up indistinctly; but there was -just sufficient light from the stars to enable her to see that one of -them was missing, that Roy’s dwelling had tumbled down. The space it had -occupied was lumbered with a disorderly pile of logs. “Good heavens!” -came from the girl’s lips—she was speaking distractedly. - -So intent was she on trying to divine what had really happened that she -shrieked aloud when something approached and touched her. It was -Minnihak, Roy’s Eskimo guide. Perceiving who it was, Kasba clutched him -excitedly by the arm and eagerly questioned him as to her father and -Roy’s whereabouts. Failing to make him understand in Chipewyan she -essayed in English, but only to meet with the like unsatisfactory -result; the bewildered native shook his head, for he was conversant with -neither language. The girl’s feelings on first perceiving the Eskimo -were of surprised relief, but her fears were instantly goaded to the -utmost the moment she found she was unable to make herself understood. -The suspense was appalling. Conjecturing evils of the very worst type, -the girl was moved by an irresistible impulse to approach and search the -ruins. Neglecting all precautions, regardless of all peril to herself, -she flew down the uneven track, with an instinct that was truly -marvellous avoiding the boulders and holes. A few moments and she was -beside the mass of logs. - -An awful accident must have happened to bring about the ruinous -condition of the trader’s dwelling. - -“What should she do?” she again asked herself. “What could she do? Where -was her father, where Roy?” - -She waited and listened. All was still. The situation for a young, timid -girl was extremely nerve-trying. A short time previously Kasba’s natural -disinclination to scenes of violence would probably have caused her to -rush frantically away and precipitate herself in her father’s hut to -indulge in a fit of hysterical weeping, but now the uncertainty of her -father’s and Roy’s fate chained her to the spot. - -“Where were they? Perhaps beneath those logs!” The thought was horrible. -When contemplating that huge pile all hope faded from her mind. The mere -possibility of their being in the house when the explosion took place -caused her heart to stand still, her blood to run cold. For it seemed an -impossibility that they could have escaped being crushed to death -beneath the falling logs, even if they had in some miraculous manner -escaped injury by the explosion. Perhaps they now lay pinned to the -earth, mangled and bleeding; and struggling with the convulsive sobs the -mere thought called forth, she bent over the débris. Frantically she -strove to push aside the heavy timbers that she might discover what lay -beneath them, fearing at any moment that her eyes would meet some -ghastly remains of one of the two men she loved. Yet with unflagging -energy she worked on. In her frantic haste she was dimly conscious that -the Eskimo had followed her, was lifting and throwing aside the -ponderous logs with surprising energy; evidently he had caught her idea. -But despite the native’s prodigious efforts and her own desperate -exertions the work proceeded at a snail’s pace. Kasba quickly realized -that her own puny strength availed her nothing, and a despairing moan at -her own impotency escaped her. Her head was whirling round and round and -she felt faint and giddy. - -At that precise moment, as if heaven had pitied her helplessness and -answered her prayer, a slight, muffled groan smote her ears. - -Kasba uttered a cry of joy, for she recognized it as the sound of a -human voice, knew that someone was alive beneath the ruins. Gathering -strength from hopes renewed, the girl tore more frantically at the logs, -straining every muscle to draw them aside. - -Suddenly the voice was heard again. It was speaking. - -Instantly Kasba paused in her panic haste to listen. - -“_Kli-et-ee?_” (Who is there?), it said. - -“It is I, Kasba!” cried the greatly excited girl. “Who speaks?” - -“Sahanderry!” returned the voice. - -With a cry of disappointment Kasba fell back. In her anxiety she had -quite forgotten Sahanderry. She had imagined it to be her father who -spoke, and her heart had leaped within her for joy. But now that she -discovered it was not her father but another, the revulsion of feeling -was too much for the already distracted girl. But the thought came to -her that a life was in deadly peril, that Sahanderry was entombed in -that rude black pile and that immediate aid was necessary. Chiding -herself for the delay and for her selfish regrets, she worked -desperately to accomplish a rescue. The painfully disappointing -incident, however, had sobered her. She now worked just as desperately, -but with more system than before. By the aid of the Eskimo she quickly -had a number of logs placed on one side. She then discovered that the -house had not fallen completely, as she had at first believed, but that -the walls farthest from the seat of the explosion, and a part of the -roof attached, had not come wholly to the ground but were propped up by -the other parts of the fallen building, forming a sheltering cavity, -though threatening to fall with a crash at any minute. Beneath this -dangerous but friendly shelter the groaning Sahanderry was discovered -lying prone upon the ground. A timber pressed him to the earth and kept -him from rising. - -Groping in the dark, Kasba and Minnihak ultimately freed and carried -Sahanderry from the ruins, but with heroic self-denial the girl -refrained from questioning him till a large fire had been made by -setting a light to some of the wreckage. The night was intensely cold -and Sahanderry was chilled to the bone. - -He crouched over the fire, his eyes wild and bewildered in expression, -for he was not yet fully convinced of his miraculous escape. His burnt -and torn clothing, his scorched hair and eyebrows, testified to how -narrow that escape really had been. - -After waiting some minutes—interminable minutes they seemed to the -girl—she could restrain herself no longer, but with a voice which -quivered with suppressed but almost overpowering anxiety. - -“_Se tah_ (my father), _Bekothrie_ (master)?” she queried desperately. - -The injured man staggered to his feet with a hoarse cry of horrified -remembrance. All thought of Broom’s deadly shot and its consequences had -completely slipped from his confused brain. Released from a position of -extreme peril, saved from what he had considered an absolutely certain -death, his mind had become blank to all else but his own unaccountable -deliverance. The girl’s questions brought back all the terrors of those -horrible scenes. He wiped the sweat of remembrance from his brow with -trembling hands. He shook like a leaf in a storm. Completely overcome, -he lost all power of speech and stood rocking himself to and fro. - -In the horror of conviction that either Roy or her father, perhaps both, -had perished miserably, had been blown to pieces or scorched out of all -semblance of a human creature, Kasba started impetuously forward. -Clutching the distraught Sahanderry’s hands she forcibly drew them from -his face. “Where are they?” she demanded sharply. - -Pointing with a shaking hand at the ruins, “Bekothrie is there,” he -cried hoarsely, then fell upon his face writhing and groaning. - -Ignoring Sahanderry’s emotion the girl rushed back to the ruins. Quick -and agile as a cat, she sprang from log to log, then suddenly -disappeared altogether. Minnihak, who had remained motionless beside the -fire, watching the foregoing proceedings with great bewilderment, -followed less hastily. Arriving at the spot where the girl had -disappeared he paused to look about him. A sharp cry, proceeding from -the same pile of logs that had protected Sahanderry, caught his ear. - -Squeezing himself between huge beams which hung dangerously suspended in -his path, Minnihak dimly discerned Kasba bending over a dark figure. -Picking his way carefully, he approached her, and by the uncertain light -discovered her supporting the head and shoulders of a man upon her -knees. But there was nothing in dress or figure by which to identify -him. His clothes were burned to rags, his face was black, and all his -hair had been scorched away. - -Yet though Minnihak failed to recognize him, Kasba had; and all in a -flutter of tenderness words of love poured forth thick and fast, but Roy -lay all unconscious, deaf to everything. - - - - - CHAPTER XV. - _A BITTER SORROW._ - - -“_Nota Kaholthay, Jesus Christ, Notyanayne neoltze nogahneayta -Tattaahyenay naso noayl nahnathath doko eethlahse choo. Amen._ (The -grace of our Lord, etc.)” The words broke the solemn silence in the -distinct but tremulous voice of a young girl; a voice trembling with -earnestness as the benedictory blessing passed her lips, every tone -filled with suppressed anguish, revealing the agony of a broken heart. - -The scene was as solemnly impressive as the words; two open graves -rudely hewn from the hard-frozen earth—accomplished by infinite labor -after burning fires over the spots for hours—one of them empty while -the other revealed a shapeless, undefinable bundle in its cold depths. -Beside this one stood three dark muffled figures, sharply outlined -against the perpendicular face of rocks. The central figure, the -speaker, one of the most touching sights on God’s fair earth—was a girl -bowed by a great, an overwhelming sorrow, a girl in whose eyes dwelt a -look of unutterable despair. This was Kasba; not the young, -lovingly-impulsive girl of yesterday, but a girl-woman, a woman of -steady and implacable purpose, with feelings so lacerated in the last -twenty-four hours that she had grown numb with pain. Horror upon horror -had fallen upon her until further grief could no longer be felt. - -On her left was the unmistakable figure of Sahanderry. He stood rigidly -erect with eyes fixed sorrowfully on the shadowy object at the bottom of -the grave. Tears streamed unchecked down his cheeks and violent sobs -convulsed his frame. Venturing to raise his eyes at the girl’s -concluding words, he threw her a hasty glance; her unnatural composure -puzzled him. With a pathetically resigned air she closed the book from -which she had been reading, and slowly advancing to the edge of the -grave, stood silently gazing into it. The despairing agony in her face -was pitiable, for the grave held all that was mortal of her beloved -father. - -Inconceivably strange it is that Delgezie, being on the outside of the -house, should have been killed, while Sahanderry, who lay close to the -seat of the explosion, had escaped with his life, in fact was almost -uninjured except for being badly scorched and thoroughly shaken. It -would be hard to explain this, or any part of the seemingly miraculous -events that followed this disaster. Even the sanest reasoning would fail -to convince. The natural inference was that the gunpowder-keg had not -sufficient resistance to cause the devastating combustion the incident -would lead one to expect and that Delgezie had been killed by some -flying object hurtled through the air by the force of the explosion—but -this was supposition. - -Beside the girl, and completely overcome with grief, was the boy David. -He was sobbing audibly. - -Stepping back from the grave, Kasba signed to her companions to fill it -in. This was the signal for Sahanderry to give full vent to his -lamentations while he dropped clods of frozen earth reverently into the -hole. These were instantly followed by the sound of dull thuds. Kasba -started at the gruesome noise, a startled cry escaped her, but she -displayed no further sign of emotion. Stunned and dazed, she stood -silently watching the work go on. - -The task completed, Sahanderry and David, overcoming their more violent -grief, turned to the girl for orders, but remained discreetly silent. -Kasba was gazing fixedly at the grave as if her eyes could penetrate the -hard, flint-like earth to where the body of her father lay beneath. -Suddenly she tottered forward and, uttering a low, despairing cry, fell -on her knees. - -“_Ay, setah! setah!_ (Oh, father, father!)” she moaned, with her face -pressed to the icy clods. She remained in this attitude for some time -wrestling with a feeling of unutterable loneliness. - -Her companions scarcely breathed. Presently she kissed the hard sod, -rose quickly and turned slowly away. - -Entering the lonely hut she dropped into a seat and remained in an -attitude of deep despondency with eyes fixed upon the floor. The -entrance of her sorrowing companions passed entirely unnoticed. - -Taking pains to make no unnecessary noise, Sahanderry first attended to -the fire, then seated himself in a gloomy corner, and from this -vantage-ground watched the sorrow-stricken girl. David sank on the floor -at Kasba’s feet, crouching with his head pressed tightly against her -knee, and without raising her eyes the girl dropped her hand upon his -head and let it rest there in sympathy. - -Time dragged on. Deepening shadows crept across the room, gradually -enveloping all objects in dismal gloom. The solemn ticking of the clock -sounded vastly disproportionate and seemed in the melancholy silence to -vibrate with the hum and noise of some mighty machine. - -Throughout these dreary hours Kasba sat mute and desolate, taking no -heed of time, battling with a confused sense of irreparable loss. - -Completely stunned by the succession of terrible shocks, she had been -too bewildered to fully understand the significance of the solemn -service she had read at the grave-side. The bitter fact that her father -was dead and that she had buried him that afternoon filled all her mind, -and for the first time in her life her never-failing consolation was -denied her. She could not pray, and she was disconsolate indeed, for -there was no other comfort in earth or heaven. - - “When some beloved voice that was to you - Both sound and sweetness, faileth suddenly - And silence, against which you dare not cry, - Aches round you like a strong disease and new— - What hope? what help? what music will undo - That silence to your senses? Not friendship’s sign - Not reason’s subtle count. Nay, none of these! - Speak Thou, availing Christ! and fill this pause.” - -But Kasba dare not look heavenward, for bitter, rebellious thoughts had -hardened her heart. What had she done that this great trouble should be -visited upon her? Delgezie had been both father and mother to her, -soothing and tending and caring for her in her infantile afflictions -with all the tenderness and affection of a loving mother. From the day -of her birth he had surrounded and guarded her young life with the -wealth and strength of a passionate love. The deep affection he had -borne his poor dead wife had been transferred to the child she had left -to his care. She became the joy of his life; his one thought was for her -happiness, his one aim her comfort. They had been all in all to each -other, and that God-fearing man had been cut down in an instant, without -even the mournful consolation of a parting word. As the knowledge of her -loss gained upon her the loneliness of her position grew correspondingly -distinct. Poor, weary, sorrow-stricken girl, tired and harassed by her -multitudinous duties, confused from want of rest and sleep, she sat -buried in the perplexities of a series of most singularly strange and -terrible happenings. - -Yet she had still another duty to fulfil, another painful task to -perform—a task, if possible, more keenly agonizing than the burying of -her loved father. In a corner of the room lay the body of Roy Thursby, -the man she had loved with all the strength of her simple young heart. - -Roy’s body had been carried to Delgezie’s hut, but all attempts at -resuscitation had proved futile, and it now lay on Kasba’s bed, covered -with a white sheet, awaiting burial. The body, however, had not yet been -sewn up in canvas, as was customary immediately after death. This still -remained to be done, although the empty grave beside Delgezie’s yawned -for it. - -Silently in the gloomy darkness Kasba sat in a procrastinating mood. The -stern burial custom of her race and a solemn duty to the dead called -urgently to her to complete those last sad rites, but love with equal -persistence implored for longer respite. Tremulously she shrank from the -heart-rending ordeal of hiding forever the face she loved so ardently. -Yet she well knew the task to be unavoidable, she would allow no other -hand to touch that dear form, to cover his dear body with the garment of -the grave. - -The darkness grew intense. The feeble gleam of twilight from the window -failed to pierce the room’s pitchy blackness any longer. The noisy clock -ticked on incessantly. Silent and motionless the three figures sat like -three grim statues, so inert were they. - -At length a weird, ghostly sound broke the deathly stillness. With one -accord Kasba and Sahanderry started to their feet. They gazed toward -each other with horrified eyes, each striving to pierce the black pall -which hung between them, to discover if either was the author of the -strange sound. David cowered upon the floor. - -The clock ticked ominously. - -The two figures stood speechless. - -Again that ghostly sound, and now it was like a deep, long-drawn sigh. - -Simultaneously Kasba and Sahanderry darted forward—Kasba to the bed and -Sahanderry to the door, through which he vanished. - -Kasba softly bent over the indistinct figure lying there. With senses -strained to the utmost she paused, breathlessly listening. Hours might -have passed, or only moments; she could not have told. Again that deep, -sighing sound. It came from beneath the white sheet upon the bed. - -With a sharp cry Kasba fell upon her knees. With outstretched hands and -upturned eyes, “Almighty God,” she cried in accents of exceeding joy, “I -thank Thee for this miracle.” Then for the first time since her father’s -death she fell into a storm of weeping. - -The figure sighed again and slightly stirred. - -Springing to her feet Kasba softly uncovered Roy’s face and then quickly -lit the lamp and held it in her trembling hand. The light fell upon the -form of Roy Thursby. He lay calm and still, and Kasba waited with bated -breath in an agony of suspense, her heart beating tumultuously. -Presently there was another sigh and Roy’s eyes slowly opened. The girl -started and trembled as he turned his head toward her, but there was no -gleam of recognition in his eyes. - -Kasba stirred uneasily. Her heart beat so for a moment that it well-nigh -choked her. - -The slight sound caught his ears. His lips moved—“Who is there?” The -words came slowly; they were spoken only by great effort and scarcely -above his breath. - -“It is Kasba,” said the girl when she could control her voice -sufficiently to speak. “There was an accident and you were hurt. I—they -brought you to my father’s hut.” - -“Why—are—we—in—darkness?” asked Roy with infinite labor. - -Kasba stared at him in horrified amazement, for the light she held fell -full upon his face. - -At this moment an ejaculation from behind caused her to glance back. In -the doorway stood the boy David with an expression of terrified wonder -on his face, and towering over his shoulder, with his head pushed well -forward, was Sahanderry who stood awestruck. His mouth was wide open, -and his piercing black eyes, large and round, betrayed the amazement he -felt. - -Kasba beckoned him to come forward, and putting the boy aside, he -cautiously entered. With eyes intent upon the countenance of his master, -Sahanderry drew near the bed. Then realizing that Roy was in truth -alive, that by some seeming miracle he had returned from the very brink -of the grave, he sprang impulsively forward, and clutching one of Roy’s -hands, burst into tears. - -“Oh, Bekothrie! Bekothrie! I am glad—me!” he sobbed. - -This miraculous escape from the dead was more in accord with his -wonderful faith than that Roy the all-powerful could be overcome, and -his jubilation knew no bounds. - -“But, Sahanderry,” said Roy, still speaking in a low, weak voice, “tell -me, why are we in the dark?” There was a slight tone of apprehension in -his voice, as if he divined that some evil was being kept from him. - -Sahanderry ceased his sobbing and gazed with perplexity at Kasba. - -“Why—,” he began, but Kasba with a swift gesture clapped her hand over -his mouth. - -Silent as the motion was, the slight, almost imperceptible sound made by -the girl in shifting her position caught Roy’s attention. He lay with a -painfully strained look upon his face, and in an attitude of intently -listening. No one spoke. The man and girl watched him with fast beating -hearts, a look of horror growing in their eyes, for a terrible suspicion -gradually took possession of them. - -“Will—you—not—speak?” he said hoarsely. “Speak, -why—is—there—no—light?” - -Sahanderry glanced in consternation at his companion. He moved uneasily. -His lips parted as if in speech, but he answered never a word. - -Roy waited, breathing quickly. Presently a look of suspicion passed over -his face. “Speak, man, I command you!” he cried with greater force. “Is -there a light?” - -Throwing a desperate, imploring glance at Kasba, Sahanderry wrung his -hands. “Yes,” he faltered, “but—,” he stopped suddenly, the unutterable -despair on his master’s face held him tongue-tied. - -For a few moments Roy lay silent, completely overcome by the sudden, -appalling revelation; then, clutching convulsively at his eyes: “Oh, my -God! my God! I am blind!” he moaned. - - - - - CHAPTER XVI. - _RETRIBUTION._ - - -The first grey streaks of a dawning day crept stealthily across the -horizon, and gaining strength in their silent progress finally revealed -a rough brushwood camp ensconsed in a good-sized bluff of trees. - -The multitudinous tracks and well-trodden snow, the number of mutilated -tree-stumps standing white and ragged—evidence that a quantity of wood -had been cut quite lately—several large holes, blackened as by fires, -and the general untidy aspect of the whole, told that the camp had been -in use several days. - -Early though the hour, the camp appeared deserted, but a closer -inspection discovered the shadowy figure of a man seated in a corner of -the barricade. He was muffled in a hairy-coat, with the hood drawn well -over his head, and he sat silent and motionless, in the position of one -wrapt in peaceful slumber, or absorbed in deep thought. - -There were several peculiarities about this camp. Immediately behind the -quiet figure a number of green spruce trees had been arranged to form an -additional protection against the blast of a biting wind, while a pile -of wood lay inside and close to the man’s hand. These unusual features -spoke strongly of the presence of an invalid, or one incapacitated in -some manner from moving easily about. There was one other odd thing, a -revolver lay at the man’s right hand, fully charged and with its butt -toward him, as if for instant use. - -Slowly the fire burned down, and with the curious, faltering gesture of -one feeling in the dark the man put out his hand and carefully -replenished it, then again subsided within himself. The new fuel burned -briskly; tiny flames started from the dying embers and caught -desperately at the fresh fuel, and gathering strength in the consumption -thereof they burst upward with fierce wild roars and lit the camp for -many yards around, revealing the figure and features of its lonely -occupant. It was Roy Thursby. Yet was it Roy Thursby? It was like him, -but with a look of great misery stamped upon him. His face was -ashy-grey. His eyes seemed fixed upon the leaping flames, but, alas! he -only knew of their close presence by his acute senses of hearing and -feeling, for he was totally blind. The longing, wistful expression—so -pathetic in the faces of the blind—was already showing upon his face. -He sat with bent head, leaning slightly forward, musing in mournful -retrospect upon the last few days. They had been to him nothing but -excitement and horror. Truly the shot that had left him lying senseless, -cutting a deep furrow across his skull and stunning him for many hours, -had saved him the harrowing, blood-curdling, diabolical details of -Broom’s subsequent deeds, but the fearful discovery his returning -consciousness had revealed was, perhaps, the most terrible a human being -could experience. - -Blind! Oh, the misery in that one word! What desolate loneliness! What -unfathomable despair! - -Roy’s passionate prayers to God to release him from a long, grim night -of unlifting darkness were painful beyond words to those who witnessed -them. It was with feelings of the greatest relief that his companions -finally saw him sink into a state of apathy. From that hour Roy was as -one who has some awful fear upon him; he started at the slightest sound. -None save himself knew how bitter were his feelings, how acute his -anguish. And always from his soul this cry went up: “What have I done to -deserve this terrible affliction?” His whole life was blasted. All his -bright dreams, all his ambitions, were roughly brought to an end, and -from a man, young, strong, resolute, he had become more pitiably -helpless than a little child—all by the evil-doing of a reckless, -useless man-animal to whom he had been rescuer and friend. Alone, and -solely by the strength of his personality, he had succeeded in a -difficult and dangerous enterprise, and with pardonable pride awaited -his reward and the approbation of a powerful and generous Company. But -now all enterprise, all ambition, lay dead, and he must spend the rest -of his days away from companionship of his kind. He had already fought -this out with himself. The battle had been fierce, but short and -decisive. His keen appreciation of what was due to others had won the -victory. Why should he go to the front, return to civilization, to Lena -whom he passionately loved—he, a useless incumbrance, compelled by the -very nature of his affliction to depend upon others for even the most -trifling offices? Better far that she should believe that he had met his -death in the explosion—Delgezie’s grave would lend color to that -belief—and when the first bitter sorrow of the blow had worn off she -might still be happy with another. Why then should he doom her to wear -out her life by the side of a hopeless, melancholy invalid? Besides, he -shrank from exposing his extreme helplessness to other eyes, even though -they were the eyes of a sympathizing friend. Yes! He would spend the -rest of his life in the company of the faithful Kasba and Sahanderry, at -some camp which they might make in the desolate solitude, far from all -possibility of encounter with any white man. - -Discovering what she fully believed to be Roy’s dead body, Kasba had -despatched Minnihak with a message to Acpa, acquainting him with the -trader’s death and requesting him to come and take charge of Fort Future -_pro tem_. Therefore Roy had decided not to remain at the Fort any -longer than it would take to make adequate preparations for a long trip, -but to proceed by easy stages to a place known to Sahanderry, where a -stay might be protracted to any length. - -But a startling incident had compelled them to fly Fort Future with -scarcely any preparation—Broom had appeared upon the scene. - -Sahanderry and David were away from home and Kasba was outside gathering -an armful of kindling. Her first intimation of the ruffian’s presence -was a rude arm around her waist, and a voice in her ear, which said: - -“Now, my bonny Kasba! I’ve come back for you!” - -In utter surprise and consternation the girl gave a startled cry which -rang out sharply, and, caught up by the echoes, it was thrown on and on -till it died away in the distance. - -Hearing the cry Roy sprang to his feet within the house. In the -excitement of the moment he forgot strength and courage could avail him -nothing. He stumbled across the room but could not find the door. It was -in this awful moment that he realized how utterly helpless he was, how -miserably incapable to protect those in his care—those who, accustomed -to a lifelong protection, were totally unable to think for themselves in -moments of great crisis. Listening intently he could distinguish a noise -made by scuffling on crisp snow. He knew it was Kasba who cried, that -she was being molested. Oh, for the gift of sight for one moment! His -agony at being unable to render the girl assistance was so intense that -he sobbed like a child. - -Suddenly the scuffling ceased. Then there was another cry and the sound -of departing footsteps. - -Stumbling about the room, Roy again made frenzied efforts to find the -door, but struck against something and fell to the ground. He tore at -his eyes, then, calling loudly upon his Creator, and in sheer -desperation, shouted with the full force of his lungs. Hearing the voice -of a man he verily believed dead, Broom dropped the girl and staggered -back as if shot. Then with a white, scared face, he dashed away, as if -pursued by some ghostly visitant. - -He had scarcely disappeared before Sahanderry and David returned. -Sahanderry’s great trepidation at hearing of the adventure plainly told -Roy that he could not be depended upon to protect Kasba, for, although -he was unable to see Sahanderry’s terror, the Indian’s tremulous voice -betrayed him. - -With the quick decision of an ever-resourceful mind, Roy ordered his -companions to prepare for a hasty flight, so that when Broom -returned—for Roy felt that he would return—he might find the girl far -beyond his reach. - -So a few things were gathered quickly together and packed upon a -dog-sled and soon Fort Future was deserted. - -For the first few days the party travelled incessantly, only pausing for -the scantiest of meals and an occasional short sleep; but when they -arrived at the spot described at the beginning of this chapter, Roy, who -rode on the sled, discovered that Kasba was suffering greatly from the -hardships of the long and severe trip; despite her heroic efforts to -appear thoroughly alert and quite rested after each short nap, she was -unable to hide her weariness of voice and movement from his quick ear, -and at the risk of being overtaken he had ordered a few days’ halt. - -On the morning of which we write, Sahanderry and David had left the camp -early to go some distance on a hunting expedition, for the food supply -was getting low. Kasba had wandered into the bush and Roy was left alone -with his bitterness of spirit. To have run away from Broom, to have -deserted his post, was gall to his soul. With an ejaculation he flung -more wood on the fire. - -Just then a slight girlish figure crept cautiously to where he sat and -stealthily reached for the revolver. Grasping the barrel, she was -drawing it gently toward her when a hand descended heavily upon hers and -held it in a vice-like grip. - -“Who is that?” demanded Roy, turning his sightless eyes upon her. - -The girl stifled a scream. Roy’s sudden action had surprised and greatly -startled her. “It is Kasba,” she said, almost crying with vexation. - -“And why do you steal into camp in this manner?” asked Roy sternly. The -girl’s peculiar behavior had made him apprehensive of danger. - -After hesitating a moment Kasba uttered the one word—“Broom!” - -Roy’s face hardened, his whole body stiffened ominously, for he -conjectured that his enemy was in close proximity. “The villain!” he -muttered. Then, releasing the girl’s hand, he held out his own and -demanded that the revolver be put in it. - -Reluctantly Kasba complied with his demand. - -Then, “Where is he?” enquired Roy in a low, tense voice. - -“At some distance. He is with the Eskimo Ocpic, in camp and asleep. I -discovered them and came back for the revolver.” - -“And why?” - -“That I might kill him,” hissed the girl, with flashing eyes and her -bosom heaving with uncontrollable excitement. Then, “Oh, give me the -revolver, Bekothrie, and let me go,” she pleaded; for her bitter hatred -toward her persecutor had completely overcome the terror she had always -felt for him. - -“No! That is my work,” said Roy sternly. “Lead me to him.” - -The girl had been taught strict obedience, and did not pause to argue -with Roy as to the improbability of his being able while laboring under -his terrible affliction to accomplish his revenge by shooting Broom. -Besides she, like Sahanderry, had a deep-set belief in Roy’s -infallibility. With hasty fingers she fastened on his snowshoes. Then, -taking his hand, she gently led him forth. - -The way was rough and tortuous. With her disengaged hand and her strong -body the girl forced a path through the bushes so that none might touch -him in passing. Their progress was necessarily slow and laborious, their -footsteps uncertain. - -After a time, which seemed interminable to Roy, Kasba halted. They had -arrived at a poorly constructed camp. Two figures muffled in _kaip-puks_ -lay side by side within it. Over the feet of one a rough pilot-coat had -been thrown. Kasba had come across the camp, and recognizing the coat as -belonging to Broom, divined that he lay beneath it. - -“We are there, Bekothrie,” said Kasba softly. Despite her efforts to -control it, excitement had unstrung her nerves and thrown a quiver into -her voice. - -“Point the revolver,” commanded Roy, fiercely. - -Kasba hesitated. What if it was not Broom after all, but some innocent -person? But only a second did she falter, for the remembrance of Broom’s -diabolical doings caused implacable wrath to surge within her. -Cautiously she led Roy forward a few more steps, then halted and with a -steady hand pointed the extended revolver at the sleeper’s head. - -“Now!” she whispered. - -Roy stiffened his arm and slipped a finger on the trigger. He did not -hesitate to kill Broom while he slept. Broom’s crimes had been too -heinous to permit of mercy. A grim look came into Roy’s face; his finger -was pressing the trigger with fearful intent, when the bright face of a -young girl flashed before his mind’s eye and in his imagination a clear -voice repeated the word’s of Lena’s letter in his ear: “_For in my -opinion it is murder for a man to take another’s life, no matter what -the circumstances that seem to extenuate it._” - -Then, to Kasba’s surprise, instead of firing, he dropped his hand to his -side, letting the weapon fall to the ground. “I cannot do it!” he cried -hoarsely. “Take me away.” - -The girl stared at him, vastly amazed at this sudden, inexplicable -change from grim determination to profound helplessness. Then obediently -she caught his hand and led him away. - -They had scarcely turned before the figure sprang to its feet. It was -Broom! His eyes rolled in his head and he trembled like an aspen leaf. -With a ghastly white face he stood staring after them as they slowly -retraced their steps. - -He stared, motionless in his astonishment, for he had awakened just in -time to hear Roy’s words, and the revolver lying half buried in the snow -was all that was necessary to explain that his life had been spared. -Then, too, he was overpowered at the sight of Roy’s affliction. Just how -he became aware of this it is hard to determine—perhaps from Roy’s -words, “Take me away,” or his faltering footsteps, or the sight of the -girl leading him by the hand; perhaps the three combined. However, the -sight of the once active Roy moving slowly, laboriously away overwhelmed -him with remorse. In a flash the heinousness of his acts came home to -him. Sinking upon his knees in the snow he hid his face in his hands, -rocking himself and groaning like one demented, taking no heed of time, -nor that his hands were exposed to the bitter cold wind. When at last he -rose to his feet he staggered like a drunken man; the strength dependent -upon his feverish excitement of the last few days had suddenly left him, -leaving him as weak as one just recovered from a long and severe -illness. He had paid a terrible toll for his mad fits of passion; his -eyes were sunken, his cheekbones protruded. Scarcely ever sleeping or -eating, his thoughts had been concentrated on possessing the girl. -Overcome with baffled fury at discovering her gone from the Fort, he had -travelled hot-foot in pursuit, but now that she was within his reach, -now that he had discovered Roy powerless to protect her, his feelings -underwent a sudden revulsion. The spark of humanity that had long lain -dormant under all his recklessness burned bright at the sight of Roy’s -pathetic figure, and all idea of further pursuit faded from his mind as -completely as if it had never filled it. In its stead a raging desire to -go far away from the man he had injured possessed him. His mad desire to -possess Kasba, to secure the witnesses of his diabolical acts, and by -some measures not quite plain to him to prevent them from bringing him -to account, were forgotten in his anxiety, which in the weak state of -mind rapidly developed into monomania—to place a great distance between -himself and them. And the dogged, mad glare of a set purpose was in his -eyes as with a savage kick he awoke his companion, crying: “Get up, you -black devil, we are going back.” - -Ocpic grumblingly crawled from beneath his blankets, rose sullenly to -his feet, and stood staring inquiringly at his companion. Shifting his -gaze, he caught sight of the fresh tracks in the snow, noted that they -led to and from their camp, and discovered the revolver. For a moment he -stood stupidly looking, his eyes protruding as if he could scarcely -believe his senses, then slowly he went and picked it up. - -With a yell and a spring Broom was upon him, wresting the weapon away. -Ocpic scowled, but retired before Broom’s look of fury. - -“Get to —— out of this!” cried Broom, with a flourish of the revolver. - -A slight smattering of English and Broom’s gestures sufficiently -enlightened Ocpic. They were to turn back. He stood thunderstruck. To -stop the pursuit meant starvation, for they had no food nor any -ammunition with which to provide food. In their impetuous pursuit they -had travelled night and day, throwing themselves down to snatch a few -hours’ sleep only when they could go no farther. Once they had been -awakened by an explosion. They had neglected to push the burning embers -back from the camp before retiring and the fire had caught the brush; -spreading to the place where their food and ammunition had been -carelessly thrown, it had burned up the food and set off the gunpowder. -From that time they had lived on a few handfuls of pemmican which had -been accidentally left in a bag outside, and thus escaped the fire. But -the last of this had been consumed for their scanty supper and they were -now without a crumb to make breakfast. - -With pantomimic gestures and broken English Ocpic tried to make his -companion understand that to turn back would be madness, that only their -catching up to Roy’s party would save them. They had food, perhaps more -than they needed; at any rate he and Broom could take what they had, and -he glanced significantly at the revolver. - -But Broom would have none of it. In his changed mood he would protect -Roy, and with his life if need be. He stood, for the moment, a man -transformed. - -There was an uneasy pause, while Ocpic cudgeled his crafty brain: What -to do? To him Broom’s sudden reversion of tactics was a bewildering -puzzle. What had happened while he slept? Ocpic would have given worlds -to know. That someone had visited the camp the freshly made tracks and -the presence of the strange revolver gave convincing proof. But who? And -why had they gone away? There could be no one in those parts but the -trader and his party, or perhaps a wandering gang of Eskimos. But a man -of Ocpic’s malignant nature could not conceive of Roy as visiting the -camp and leaving it without so much as laying a disturbing finger upon -the men who had brought such disaster upon himself and his companions. -Yet it could not have been Eskimos, for they did not carry revolvers. - -Ocpic’s cogitations were brought sharply to an end by Broom, who -presented the revolver at his head. “Get out of this, I tell you,” he -shouted. Surely he was going mad, for to turn back was an act of -madness. - -Still there was the vague chance of meeting with wandering Eskimos who -would assist them with food, and small though the chance at that time of -the year, it was infinitely better to take it than refuse and meet -certain death. So argued Ocpic. He had once witnessed Broom’s exploits -with the revolver and had great respect for his markmanship. He -possessed a vivid remembrance of the incident which had caused Roy to -drop like a log. - -Sullenly Ocpic faced about and with head down started to retrace his -steps of the day before. Broom followed closely, driving the Eskimo -before him. - -Thus hours passed. Crunch, crunch, crunch, crunch, the creak of their -snowshoes was as regular as the ticking of a clock, cutting off the -yards of endless track as a clock ticks off the moments of the hour. -Hunger gnawed at Ocpic’s vitals. He was ravenously hungry and fit to -drop with fatigue, but the stern, relentless hand clutching the revolver -waved him on, ever on. - -About the noon-hour Broom called a halt and the Eskimo dropped in his -tracks and sat on his haunches, taking the greatest degree of rest out -of the short respite. Broom leaned against a fallen tree; he was -breathing hard and appeared much distressed. The Eskimo’s glittering -eyes took in the situation. The white man was tiring. Good! - -Crunch, crunch, crunch, crunch—soon they were off again. Nothing but -dogged grit upheld Broom. Crunch, crunch, Ocpic trudged steadily on, -craftily saving himself against the time when his companion would become -spent. - -So the day passed and the gloom of an approaching night gathered around -them. In a subconscious way Broom was aware that he was starving, that -he was suffering from extreme fatigue, but an indomitable will and a -mortal fear drove him on despite his physical sufferings. In his -frenzied brain there was but one idea. The Eskimo had evil designs on -Roy Thursby, therefore he must drive him away. His own vile part in what -had gone before was completely forgotten—all knowledge of the past was -swallowed up in the vital present. In his changed mood Roy was a hero, a -martyr, a man to be worshipped, protected, saved at all costs. - -Crunch, crunch, crunch, crunch; the night fell and the moon rose -gloriously, shedding a pale blue light over the silent white world in -which these two plodding figures seemed to be the only things possessed -of animation. - -Crunch, crunch, crunch, crunch. Perceptibly Broom’s strength was waning. -He began to stumble over nothing, to draw his breath in broken gasps. -The incessant crunch, crunch of his snowshoes beat on his brain like a -hammer. The earth heaved and rocked, his legs dragged heavily, he -staggered in his gait. At last he fell, but soon by sheer effort of will -struggled to his feet. Ocpic, plodding in front, noted the circumstance -with a triumphant smile. He did not turn his head, continuing his -mechanical walking as if nothing had happened. But imperceptibly he -quickened his stride. With ears strained to the utmost he took -cognizance of his companion’s rapidly failing strength, and slowly -widened the distance between them. - -Crunch, crunch, Ocpic was rapidly drawing away. Confident in his ability -to escape, he chuckled silently. But he was not quite easy in his mind, -the revolver still causing him a little apprehension. However he was -almost out of range; a few more steps and, presuming on his companion’s -preoccupation, he lengthened the gap. - -Slowly it dawned upon Broom that Ocpic was getting farther and farther -distant. Suddenly he divined the cause—Ocpic was running away. - -With a cry of mad rage he started in pursuit, calling loudly to him to -stop. Ocpic stopped, hesitated, then started off again. Broom followed, -rocking from side to side as he ran. He fell—got up—ran a few yards, -then stumbled and fell again. - -With a loud curse he struggled to his feet for the last time; he was -beaten in the race but not yet foiled in his purpose. Concentrating his -remaining strength he drew himself erect, took deliberate aim and fired. - -Ocpic uttered a wild yell, staggered on for a few more steps, and then -pitched forward. Simultaneously with the pistol’s report Broom collapsed -and fell. The last spark of his vitality had flickered out. Two huddled -forms lay prone upon the snow, and for a little time all about was still -and silent. - -At length Ocpic straightened himself out and tried to rise, but fell -back, groaning. Again and again he tried, and with each attempt a dark -blot widened upon the snow. Not to be outdone, he began to crawl toward -Broom. Slowly, painfully, a few feet at the time, he crept along, and a -thin dark line following in his wake discolored the snow. - -Broom sighed and opened his eyes. The red glare was gone. He lay quite -still; the long trail was at an end and he needed rest and food—yes, -possibly food. But for the time being he was almost comfortable. He was -conscious of stabbing pains in his ears, and that his face and hands -were rapidly becoming stiff, but what was that? The time was past when -small things mattered. He was very comfortable—and—Ocpic was creeping -nearer. - -Never in his life had Broom felt so happy. A heavy burden seemed to have -dropped from his shoulders. He felt as light as a feather. In sheer -ecstasy and with a long sigh of contentment he closed his eyes—Ocpic -was quite close! - -Broom’s mind now began to wander. He murmured to himself, living over -again events in his chequered career. Then a restful look came on his -face and he babbled of boyhood days; of days—long, long ago—before he -had grown into a hardened reprobate. - -And now Ocpic was at his side! And drawing a knife! - -Broom! Broom! Awake! Open your eyes, for an assassin lurks near! - -Broom smiled and spoke softly a woman’s name. - -Raising himself on one elbow Ocpic bent over him! Something glittered in -his hand. - -Opening his eyes, Broom smiled up into the little rat-like orbs above -him, which darted back malignant hate. - -Suddenly, with a fleeting return of consciousness, he recognized Ocpic. -He gazed perplexedly into the malevolent face of the little Eskimo, and -then he remembered. - -Ocpic upraised the knife. - -Broom chuckled. “Well, you damned Husky!” he said, “So I did for you all -right, eh? Come now, give me my quietus and I’ll race you into hell!” - -Then, as if Ocpic accepted the challenge, the knife descended. - - * * * * * - -The silence of the grave lay over the white world. There on the snow, -almost side by side, lay two lifeless figures with distorted faces and -eyes that stared at the stars. In the far distance was an indefinable -object moving. Slowly, stealthily it approached. It was an animal. -Pausing, the creature threw back its head and howled. Soon other dark -objects appeared. They were wolves assembling for the feast. - - - - - CHAPTER XVII. - _A NARROW ESCAPE._ - - -If Roy had not been with them, the Indians would certainly never have -found themselves in such a desperate plight. They would never have -thought of attempting to cross the river, for they understood better -than anyone the portentous signs of a “break-up.” But Roy in a black -humor had decided to go on, and his word was law. Therefore, what else -could they do? What was left them to do? They would as soon have thought -of questioning the wisdom of the Creator as disputing Roy’s -judgment—probably sooner. For such was their habit of obedience, a -habit handed down by generations of men who had been Company’s servants. -In truth Sahanderry had turned positively grey with terror when Roy had -decided to cross. However, though he was not one of the bravest of men, -what he did was not easy. It required considerable self-control to lead -the way, as was his duty, for it was like walking to almost certain -death. - -Since leaving the spot where they had as they thought left Broom asleep, -the difficulties of their journey had grown with every passing day; -indeed, the last few days’ travel, toiling ankle-deep in slush, had been -very hard work, for spring had come upon them and the snow was -disappearing as if by magic, and though they had not many miles to go, -the nearer they approached their destination the slower had been their -progress, and this had irritated Roy almost to a frenzy. Consequently -the signs that should have warned him to stay had been the very things -to urge him on. Clearly his usual good judgment had been at fault; and -his blindness could not have been wholly responsible for this, as his -hearing had been preternaturally sharpened thereby and there could have -been no possible doubt as to his having heard the frequent significant -explosions up the river, which had been loud enough to waken the dead, -so to speak. Moreover he had had a good idea of the character of the -river, therefore these recurring reports should have been sufficient to -warn him. But truth to tell his mood had become fierce and reckless, and -brooked no control. - -Howbeit the little party found themselves on a surface of quaking, -rocking ice that threatened to “break up” and move out at any moment. -Just where they were the river was of considerable width and the ice was -very soft, and they were in a very bad way indeed. - -Rain had fallen during the past week; floods of the creeks and larger -tributaries were pouring into the river, and the great volume of water -was lifting the ice, and, as it strained and labored from this great -pressure, the explosions grew louder, nearer and more frequent. -Presently, far up the stream, a huge billow of straining, tumbling -ice-cakes reared its head and came steadily toward them. Behind this -mighty billow was the spring freshet against which nothing could stand. -Meanwhile, his eyes wide with terror, Sahanderry slipped and stumbled -ahead of the poor miserable dogs, who strained and tore at their traces, -half running, half swimming in places, where the water was deep. The -sled and everything on it were streaming wet, for at times it was almost -entirely submerged in deep holes, filled with water. The dogs were urged -on by the boy David, who, though almost played out by dragging the sled, -still “drove them up” vigorously; turning ever and anon to look back at -Kasba, who was following slowly, painfully, behind, and leading Roy by -the hand. - -By and by there was a ruder shock than any that had gone before and the -whole ice field became in motion. Startled at last out of his -indifference, Roy gave an exclamation of concern and stood still, but -his expression did not change; he was perfectly cool and self-possessed; -the sort of coolness that comes upon strong men in moments of danger. -The grinding of the ice was terrible to hear, and soon the whole ice -field was moving down stream. Roy, now thoroughly alive to their -situation, turned to Kasba: “The river is ‘going out’?” he said, -interrogatively. - -The girl paused to control her voice before she answered. - -“Yes, Bekothrie,” she said quite steadily. “It is on the move.” She -neither wept nor trembled, though she fully realized the danger they -were in. - -“Can we return to the bank?” asked Roy quietly. - -The girl looked back. The ice behind them was piling along the shore in -impassable confusion. “No, Bekothrie,” she said, “we cannot go back.” - -“Where are the others?” he asked. - -“Far in front,” answered the girl. “They are waiting for us.” - -“Then send them on,” said Roy peremptorily. “Let them save themselves.” - -Thereupon Kasba waved Sahanderry and David on. The man at once struck -off, but the boy paused as if loath to go. At that the girl frantically -repeated her gesticulations and the boy drove up his dogs again, but -with apparent reluctance. Soon man, boy and dogs were lost to sight in -the confusion of ice. - -“They are gone, Bekothrie,” affirmed the girl. - -“Very well,” said Roy, “let us go too.” The girl took his hand again, -and they went on their way. Their progress was necessarily slow. Their -path was strewn with pitfalls for Roy’s feet, and soon the girl was -panting from her exertions in keeping him upright, but within her -delicate body there dwelt an unconquerable spirit. - -Reaching a comparatively smooth surface they skated along with increased -speed. There were puddles of water which they could not avoid. Cracks -more or less wide open barred their way, and guided by the girl Roy -crossed them, jumping easily or exerting himself to the utmost, -according to the emergency. But more than one opening was too wide to -allow of any assistance from Kasba’s helping hand, and he had to make -the attempt entirely by her direction. All this was very wearying, for -however careful he might be, he was bound to expend a great deal of -strength to no purpose. It is one thing to jump with eye and muscle -acting together, and another to do it blindly, as everybody knows. Poor -Roy! - -At times there were gaps which neither could leap. They skirted these, -walking as fast as possible. Out of breath and entirely worn out with -fatigue, Roy would often fall in a heap upon the ice to rest. He was -cold and disheartened, and would have given up altogether if it had not -been for the girl’s presence, for he valued his life not a jot since his -terrible affliction. Therefore his own danger appealed less to him than -the girl’s situation. It seemed such a terrible thing that she should -lose her bright young life in trying to save his, which was worthless. -He well knew that by herself the girl could have crossed the river -safely, for she was fearless and as agile as a cat, springing and -climbing with the greatest ease. - -Then the ice started to rock beneath their feet. “Hurry—hurry!” cried -Kasba, dragging him forward with the desperate energy of a man. “We have -not a moment to lose if we would save our lives.” - -“Leave me,” said Roy withdrawing his hand, “and save yourself.” - -For a moment the girl gazed at him in horrified surprise. “Leave you!” -she exclaimed in a tone that was unmistakable. “I will not leave you.” -There was a power in her tone that struck him with amazement. - -“But I keep you back.” - -“Nevertheless, I will not leave you,” repeated the girl firmly. - -In spite of their desperate situation Roy could not help smiling. He -realized that their positions had suddenly changed; it was the girl’s -spirit which now predominated. “Very well, then,” he said, giving her -his hand again. “Go on.” The thundering of the broken ice floes, the -grinding of the smaller pieces against each other, made conversation -difficult. Here and there the force of the flood piled up mountains of -cakes which, after a moment, toppled over with a deafening crash. - -Presently there was a shock which capped all others, and the ice field -stopped. They knew that somewhere below it had become jammed, and that -an added peril threatened them, for the river was rising each moment, -and if the ice did not overwhelm them it seemed that the flood must. The -cakes rocked threateningly, collided together, then stopped, but the jam -could not hold them back long. - -Stumbling, struggling, striving, Kasba dragged Roy along. They were -pitiful sights, these two. Their hands and feet were bleeding, their -moccasins had long since worn out, as had the duffles and hose beneath -them, and their clothes were cut and torn. Kasba’s dress hung in ribbons -and was soaking wet, impeding her movements, while Roy’s knees showed -through great holes, the result of many tumbles. Every step he took was -an effort, a terrible effort, still he dare not give up and let the girl -die, for she would not leave him, he knew. - -Slipping and sliding they struggled on. - -Presently, to Kasba’s horror, they came to a strait of dark water at -least five feet across, while on either hand huge piles of ice cakes -blocked their way. The situation was desperate. The girl stopped dead, -holding Roy back. “We cannot go on,” she said. “We have come to a very -wide crack.” Then she laughed as lightly as if there were no such thing -as danger. Roy heard her and understood; she was pretending to be gay in -order to make it easier for him. - -“How wide is it?” he demanded, steadying his voice with difficulty. The -situation was very nerve-racking. - -“It is very wide,” returned the girl. “The widest yet. You must not -attempt it; you will fall in.” - -“I’ll not,” replied Roy with emphasis. “Can you manage it?” - -“Yes, Bekothrie,” declared the girl bravely, her voice quite unshaken. -Then she laughed again in the same way. - -“Well, jump it, then,” said Roy, “and I will follow.” - -The girl hesitated a second, then with a coolness that was wonderful she -sprang across, but it took all her agility to clear the gap. With a -white, set face she stood looking anxiously back at him, across the -deep, dark water. “Turn a little to the left, Bekothrie,” she directed. -“That will do. Now advance a few steps. Stop! You are now on the edge. -Spring straight forward and I will catch you.” The girl braced her feet -to receive the shock, while poor, blind Roy bunched his muscles for the -effort. - -“Now!” shouted the girl and stood with hands extended ready to receive -him. - -At the word Roy launched himself forward, but at the same instant the -ice rocked beneath his feet and almost threw him down; recovering -himself somewhat, he made his spring, but it fell short and he plunged -into the water. Kasba uttered a cry of horror and despair, but stooping -till she was herself in peril of falling she grabbed him by the collar -with both hands and held him up. It was a terrible moment. The girl -skilfully shifted her clutch to Roy’s wrists, first to one hand, then -the other, grasping them with a hold like steel; then, bracing her feet -with a strength inconceivable in so frail a body, a strength far beyond -her years and size, she lifted him so high that he could relieve her of -his weight by sprawling on his chest across the ice and by wriggling his -body assist her to haul him out. - -Then Roy staggered to his feet with an unsteady laugh, but the girl, who -stood breathing hard from the efforts of her superhuman exertions, -looked anxiously into his face and saw that his teeth were chattering -and that his lips were blue. He was shivering from head to foot. - -“You are cold,” she said, greatly alarmed. - -“I’m not,” denied Roy shortly, but for the life of him he could not keep -his voice steady. “Come, let us get on,” and unaided he tottered forward -a few steps, then swayed and would have fallen had not the girl -supported him. - -“You must rest,” she said decisively, studying his face closely. “Sit -down.” Taking his arm, she guided him to a nearby hummock. “Sit down,” -she repeated; “the ice is jammed and for the moment we are safe.” She -tried to speak cheerfully, but Roy’s desperate case made her sick at -heart. - -For a wonder Roy obeyed, though to be strictly truthful he could not do -otherwise. His brain was beginning to reel from exhaustion, and he fell -rather than sat down. Every bone and muscle ached; his breath came in -gasps. The girl seated herself beside him, and quite unconsciously his -head dropped back and rested against her shoulder. She took one of his -hands softly in both hers while she gazed into his face. She loved him -more than her own life. Poor little thing, how her heart fluttered, how -the blood rushed to her face! She drew him closer and covered him as -much as she could with her arms, trying to put some warmth into his -icy-cold body. She was afraid that he would hear her heart, which was -beating like a hammer. She was for the moment indescribably happy. -Careless of any danger to herself, she looked up into his face as he -leaned against her and held him tighter. There was not a trace of fear -in her own face, nor indeed of any feeling but love and sympathy. If -they were to die, she would prefer to die like that. What did anything -matter since they were together? - -Roy seemed to divine her thoughts. “What’s the use of your remaining?” -he asked. “You cannot save me by losing your life.” He spoke almost -roughly and the girl started as if struck a blow. - -“I am not frightened,” she answered quietly. “It will not be hard to -die.” - -Roy turned half round, as if to look into her face; in fact, his -sightless eyes seemed to be fixed upon hers. “You are a very brave girl, -Kasba,” he said tenderly; “the bravest I have ever known. Why are you so -good to me?” The words were scarcely spoken before he regretted them; a -distressed look came to his face instantly, for he remembered and was -deeply touched by the sincerity of her love for him. - -The girl said nothing for a moment, but looked at him with a smile of -unutterable tenderness, which he could not see. “I love you!” she said -simply. “Now you really know, at last.” - -“I knew already,” declared Roy. His voice rang painfully, for he -understood how she loved him as he had not understood before, and it -seemed as though it must have somehow been his fault. The full strength -and nobility and devotion of her passion for him rushed on him. For the -first time he saw the splendid heroism of which her untrained nature -would have been capable had she met with a different fate, and it filled -him with a passion of remorse. “Poor child! poor child! What have I done -to be worthy of such love?” he murmured, and feeling for her hand, he -found and pressed it, almost caressingly. Then, drawing her to him, he -felt for her face, and, taking it between his hands, he drew it closer -and kissed her smooth young forehead. “Poor child,” he repeated sadly. -There was a shadow of pain in the words. - -The girl’s eyes filled and she uttered something that sounded like a -sob. - -At that instant there was a tremendous explosion below, and soon the ice -field started to move again down the current. - -The girl started up, and seizing Roy’s hand she pulled him to his feet. -“On! on!” she urged. “We must not stop here. The jam has burst and we -shall be carried out to sea.” As the field moved, mountains of ice which -had piled up because of the jam, toppled over with deafening noise, and -for a time no other sound could be heard. Guiding Roy, the girl moved -forward as swiftly as possible. The fates were good to them. Before -them, and reaching almost to the opposite shore, was one vast stretch of -smooth ice. Once upon that they made better progress and Kasba grew -hopeful. Moving their feet as if skating, they rapidly drew nearer to -the shore. Soon Kasba was able to make out the figures of Sahanderry and -the boy David, who stood in perilous positions on top of huge blocks of -ice, which the action of the flood had piled up on the shore during the -jam. They were waving frantically. - -“We are almost there,” Kasba shouted encouragingly in Roy’s ear: “We -shall be saved yet.” - -But Roy shook his head. He could not understand the words addressed him. -Nevertheless he did his best to keep up as the girl dragged him forward. - -They were now close, but the ice they were on was fast going down -stream, and the two on the ice wall were compelled to scramble along in -order to keep abreast. Presently there was a lull in the noise caused by -the grinding, screaming ice and they could plainly hear Sahanderry’s -voice adjuring them to hasten. Roy raised his voice in a mighty shout in -reply, using his fists for a trumpet, and tried to increase his pace, -but stumbled at almost every step. However, the girl was possessed of -marvellous strength and dragged him by sheer force toward the shore. - -And soon they were at the base of the ice wall, which they were passing -at a great rate. Sahanderry on the summit above them whirled a coil -about his head, then throwing it away from him, it straightened itself -out and an end fell at Kasba’s feet. It was the clapmatch line which -belonged to the sled. Quickly the girl caught up the end and tied it -round Roy’s waist. But, divining her intention, he caught hold of her -and despite her struggles would not let her go. The boy and man began to -pull upon the line. - -The foundations of the ice wall were being undermined by the rushing -water and it swayed threateningly. Would it hold a little longer? - -The man and boy strained on the line, and half-climbing, -half-scrambling, the two were dragged together to the top of first one -ice block, then another. They were now out of danger from the ice floes, -but the structure they were on was trembling and threatening to -collapse, and desperately they strove to gain the summit before it -should topple upon them. - -Perceiving the danger, Sahanderry and the boy David tugged on the line -with every ounce of their strength, and Roy, who clung with a deadly -grasp to the girl, was pulled violently to the top, and as he came the -girl was dragged up with him. Once there the whole party lost no time in -precipitating themselves down on the other side, and before long were -safe ashore, nor were they a moment too soon; for they had scarcely left -the ice before the entire wall swayed slowly over and toppled into the -river with a thundering crash that sent a painful thrill through each -one of them. - -“Thank God we are saved!” cried the girl breathlessly. - -“Amen!” said Sahanderry solemnly, lifting his hat and reverently bowing -his head, an action which was closely imitated by David. Roy nodded, but -said nothing. He was too exhausted for words and was again shivering -violently. Kasba silently pointed this out to Sahanderry, who at once -turned his attention to building a shelter in the form of a brushwood -camp, while David made a huge fire, which was no sooner lighted than Roy -threw himself down beside it, and almost immediately clouds of steam -rose from his wet clothing. - -Soon they were all enjoying the warmth of the blaze. They had not eaten -since early morning, but after such a day of fatigue and excitement they -all felt more inclined for rest than food. On comparing notes it was -found that, except for an overpowering fatigue, a severe wetting and -minor cuts and bruises, none of them were any the worse for their -nerve-racking adventure. But they would not go on farther that day—that -was of course out of the question. Later in the evening Roy decided to -spend a few days on the spot, and in the end determined on remaining -there altogether. For he thought the situation over carefully, and -decided that with the break-up of the river spring had come in earnest. -Nature was awaking once more from her heavy sleep in the long winter -night. - -The renovation of creation in spring is, I think, more impressive in the -Far North than in any other part of the world, on account of the greater -contrast with what has gone before. - -This river, Roy argued, would serve their purpose as well as the one -they had had in mind on leaving Fort Future. So Sahanderry was told to -make a house in the vicinity. - -Despite their desperate situation Roy could not help smiling when he -gave the order, for there was practically no building material at hand. -Nevertheless Sahanderry soon accomplished his task. The walls were of -small logs, the roof of several layers of parchments (undressed -deerskins), which they had brought with them, stretched to the tightness -of a drumhead and overlaid with turf. A hole cut in one of the walls -was, in the absence of glass, covered with a piece of cotton and formed -a window. The door was made of boards which had been chopped with -infinite labor from logs. There was no chimney, nor was it required, as, -in the absence of a stove, the cooking would have to be done outside. - -And in this primitive dwelling Roy Thursby decided to drag out his -monotonous existence. - - - - - CHAPTER XVIII. - _AN INGENIOUS EXPEDIENT._ - - -One morning a few weeks later the sun rose quickly over the horizon, as -if it had overslept and was hurrying to make up lost time. Its angry -crimson face threw a lurid glow across the sky, like the reflection of -some mighty conflagration. - -A small coast-boat, dancing on the waves of a flood-tide, tugged -impatiently at her anchor, while a strong south wind sportively dashed -an occasional drenching spray across her deck, much to the discomfort of -a number of men lying there. - -At length one of these recumbent figures rose slowly to his feet and -scanned the horizon with a sailor’s eye. It was our old friend George -Hopkins. He stood for a moment staring at the crimson sunrise, then -touched the nearest sleeper with his foot. “_At-tee, Oulybuck, A-no-ee -pi-chi-ak_ (Now, Oulybuck, it is a fair wind),” he said. - -The Eskimo addressed threw back his blankets with a sleepy ejaculation, -rose to his knees and then to his feet, gazing around him the while. -When his eye encountered the threatening sky he uttered a disapproving -grunt. - -One by one four other Eskimos crawled from under their blankets, yawned, -stretched themselves, and scowled at the approaching storm. - -In a few minutes the little anchor was up and the boat was speeding on -her way north. Hopkins perched himself in the stern to steer while the -Eskimos dropped into positions of ease, awaiting orders. - -Soon the wind freshened and the sea began to dance. As the boat cut her -way through the billows a head was poked out from an improvised cabin -amidships. It was the head of a man well on in years, with grey hair and -a long grey beard. His keen blue eyes scanned the heavens, noted the -direction of the wind, then turned to the steersman. - -“Fair wind, eh! George?” he remarked. - -Hopkins glanced at the lowering clouds, then with dubious cheerfulness, -he replied: “Yes, but we’ll have bad weather before long.” - -“Let us hope you are mistaken,” returned the other, withdrawing his -head. - -In a few minutes he reappeared fully attired. It was Chief Factor -McLeod, accompanied by his daughter Lena and his nephew Frank, and on -his way to inspect Fort Future. - -Shortly after Mr. McLeod’s appearance the sound of girlish laughter, -mingled with the protesting voice of a man, proceeded from the cabin. -There was the noise of a scuffle, then a young woman burst out and -sprang behind the Factor. As she stood there, her face alive with -mischievous laughter, her eyes sparkling with merriment, her bosom -heaving with the exertions of her playful struggle, she was the picture -of a bonny, saucy, Scottish maiden. - -Soon a fresh, boyish face appeared in the cabin doorway. - -“Look here, Uncle,” groveled the young fellow, a little sulkily, “I wish -you would keep that daughter of yours in order. She is more mischievous -than a monkey. Yes, a monkey, miss,” he added severely, for the girl was -making grimaces at him from behind her father’s back. “She can’t leave -me alone five minutes, sir.” - -“Lena! Lena!” admonished Mr. McLeod with a smile and a look of deep -affection. “Will you never act as a grown-up young lady should?” - -The girl laughed derisively at her cousin, then, abruptly turning her -back, she caught her father’s arm and pulled him to the side of the -boat. As they gazed over the turbulent waters, a low, hoarse roar made -itself heard above the noise of dashing waves. The expected gale was -upon them. A damp column of cold air struck the boat, bellying out the -canvas with a jerk, and wrenching the yielding mass, until it bowed -heavily over before the shock. - -The mainsail was quickly dropped and the boat righted herself. -Sluggishly great waves buffeted her, causing her to stagger when they -struck. - -Presently the gale became furious, fully justifying Hopkins’ -prognostications. The sea was so rough that the boat was in great danger -of being smashed by the sheer weight of water hurled against her side. -But they were compelled to go on, however terrible the storm might be, -for the wind had swerved round to the west and this, with the tide on -the ebb, prevented them running close-in to anchor in one of the -numerous rivers along the coast. The boat was fast being carried out to -sea, the land was becoming a thin black line in the far distance, and -shortly all trace of it was lost to sight. - -Perceiving their peril, Hopkins gave the helm to a trusty lieutenant and -stumbled forward to speak to the Chief Factor, who was standing there -alone. He had long since sent Lena to the cabin and now stood with his -arm twined around a back-stay, strung to the tension of a harpstring, -and his eyes sparkling with excitement as the little craft beneath him -tossed and rolled and tore along. His drenched hair and beard were -flying back from his face, which was streaming with salt water. - -“She’s not holding her own against the combined fury of wind and tide,” -he cried at Hopkins’ approach. - -“We’re being carried out to sea, sir,” declared George with some -disgust. Just then a tremendous sea caught the boat and she gave a -lurch, throwing him violently down. The plunging masses of water made -her quiver to her keel, and threatened to swamp her, but digging her -nose into the great waves she staggered on. - -“Thank God we are still afloat,” murmured Mr. McLeod. “Another shock -like that and it will be all up with us.” Then turning to Hopkins he -enquired whether he had been hurt in the fall. - -Hopkins shook his head. - -“We are being carried out to sea, you say, but what can we do?” -questioned the Factor. - -“We can drop anchor, and try to ride it out, sir.” - -The Factor shook his head. “The seas would smash us,” he said. - -George nodded. “Then we must hoist the mainsail again. I’m afraid she -won’t carry it, but we can try. There’s a shoal that runs from a point -of land ahead of us; if we can make that we’ll anchor in the lee of it.” - -“All right! Hoist your mainsail, then. But have it close reefed.” - -Staggering back to the stern, Hopkins resumed charge of the rudder and -the mainsail was reefed and hoisted, but with great difficulty, for the -wind, catching the spreading canvas, flapped it with a report like a -gun-shot, threatening to snatch it away. The extra sail caused the boat -to heel over alarmingly. - -A smothered ejaculation of concern came from the cabin and soon Lena -appeared, enveloped in a serviceable macintosh. Perceiving that she was -alone the Factor hastened to assist her to a position of safety. -Meanwhile Hopkins was straining his eyes in search of land. He was -feeling very uneasy, for it seemed impossible that the boat could much -longer resist the perpetual attack of the waves. The point at issue was -simply—would the coast-boat last till they reached a place where they -could anchor, or would she be swamped or smashed to pieces before they -reached a place of safety? - -At length there was a shout from an Eskimo lookout in the bow. - -“_Nuna!_ (land)” he cried. - -“_Ninne? Ninne?_ (where? where?)” asked the other Eskimos in chorus. - -“_Na-nee!_ (there)” cried the bowsman, pointing almost straight ahead. - -“Thank God!” exclaimed Mr. McLeod, with a long sigh of relief, while -Hopkins’ face cleared, and the Eskimos lost their anxious looks, for -right ahead of them was a small island of sand, over which the waves -broke in rapid succession. It was the shoal of which Hopkins had spoken, -and for which they had been so anxiously looking. - -Their jubilation was shortlived, however, for they had scarcely got the -anchor ready before the boat struck something under water with a -terrible thud and remained fast. The jerk caused by the sudden stoppage -threw the men off their feet, and snapped the mainmast short at the -shaft, carrying the sail and gear overboard. The boat heeled over, great -waves dashed into her and in an instant she was full of water. - -Quick of action, the Chief Factor caught Lena about the waist and -hoisted her to the top of the cabin, then, scrambling up himself, he -signaled to the others to do likewise. The roaring of the surf, breaking -over the small island, drowned all other noises. - -Turning to Hopkins and forming a trumpet with his hands, the Factor -endeavored to make himself heard. “Tide’s going out,” he shouted. “Shoal -will dry . . . may walk ashore . . . if boat will only last till then.” - -Hopkins’ lips moved in answer but his words were carried away by the -wind. - -For two hours the group crouched miserably upon the cabin, clutching at -anything within reach to save being washed away by the great volumes of -water that poured over them. Lashed by the wind, and drenched to the -skin, they waited for the tide to ebb and leave the boat high and dry -upon the shoal. The tempest continued with unabated fury, but the little -island grew larger every minute. - -Gradually the billows receded from the boat. They then discovered that -Hopkins had run her on a part of a shoal which extended to a great -distance under water at high tide. - -At length the shipwrecked party were able to drop over the boat’s side -to the sand beneath, and walk to the prominence of the sandy island, -where for a time, at least, they would be safe. - -Calling Hopkins aside, the Factor attempted to prepare for -eventualities. But it was only by turning their backs to the wind that -they were able to distinguish what was said. - -“Hopkins,” Mr. McLeod began, “it is necessary that we should discover if -there is any means of leaving this shoal before the tide turns.” - -“Yes, sir,” replied George, “and the sooner the better.” - -“But it will necessitate an exploration of that part of the shoal,” said -the Chief Factor, indicating the part nearest the mainland, “and that is -still under water.” - -“I am ready, sir.” - -“Yes, George, I know you are always ready to do your duty, but you -cannot go alone. We will go together. I must see for myself. My nephew -and daughter will remain with the Eskimos. You will tell the Eskimos to -stay near them till we return.” - -Hopkins instructed the Eskimos who straightway grouped themselves near -by. - -Meanwhile Mr. McLeod was informing Lena of the proposed reconnaissance. -Embracing her father, the girl urged him not to risk himself -unnecessarily. The Factor promised to be as prudent as possible, then -called Hopkins and they set out. - -It was with the greatest difficulty that they faced the wind, but -struggling desperately and unceasingly, they crept along. After an -extremely difficult and laborious journey they arrived at the other end -of the island, or shoal, and to their dismay found it was divided from -the mainland by a large bay of water, which the wind was lashing into -furious waves. - -Taking off his l’Assumption belt and tying a stone in one end of it, -Hopkins lowered it into the water to ascertain the depth, but was unable -to touch bottom. At this, his face lengthened and the Factor, who had -been closely watching him, gave a groan of dismay, for their hopes of -escape by wading ashore were destroyed. - -“Nothing but a raft can save us now,” said George dejectedly. - -The other shook his head dubiously. He was turning his footsteps -sorrowfully backwards when a great shout from his companion brought him -to a halt. Turning quickly, he discovered Hopkins wildly gesticulating -toward a point of land in the far distance, and looking in that -direction, he first saw something infinitely small dancing upon the -waters, then several small objects which speedily followed it. He turned -to his companion for information. - -“Eskimos,” explained Hopkins in answer to the other’s look of puzzled -enquiry. “They’ve lashed their _ka-yaks_ (parchment canoes) together and -are coming to help us. See,” he added excitedly, pointing to the far-off -land, “they’re camped over there to hunt _nitchuk_ (seal).” - -The Factor turned his eyes to the spot indicated by his companion and -after close scrutiny made out several tiny white objects dotted about -the sand—these were tents. - -Chief Factor McLeod had witnessed many daring feats, but never one to -compare with this which the Eskimos were attempting. The waves dashed -threateningly over the _ka-yaks_, but seemed powerless to harm the -fragile crafts, which floated with the buoyancy of cork. At times waves -larger than their fellows caught them, and, carrying them up on their -towering crests appeared to capsize them, but a few strokes of the -_pou-tik_ (paddle) seemed to right them again. - -As the Eskimos drew nearer, the Factor could see how skillful they -really were, with what wonderful precision they handled the _ka-yaks_, -which, in this instance were lashed together in threes, and any doubts -he might have had about their effecting a rescue by this ingenious -expedient were immediately dispelled. Turning, he gave a joyful shout, -which, carried along on the wind, was plainly heard by the anxiously -waiting party at the other end of the island. These instantly started to -come to him. The Eskimos staggered on sturdily, but Lena found it -difficult to force herself forward against the tempest; the wind caught -her garments and pressed her backwards, threatening to throw her off her -feet. It was only by desperately clinging to her cousin’s arm that she -was able to keep her balance and walk slowly on. - -Perceiving her predicament the Factor went to the rescue, and with the -wind at his back he scudded along and was soon by her side. He managed, -by shouting his loudest, to make her hear the broken sentences. - -“Eskimos . . . encamped . . . neck of land . . . coming . . . _ka-yaks_ -. . . . rescue us . . . .” - -By the time they had reached the further end of the island, the -_ka-yaks_ were lying high and dry upon the sand and the Eskimo strangers -grouped together waiting to greet them. - -With quaint gestures, the Factor endeavored to thank them for coming to -the rescue of himself and party. - -The intrepid Eskimos received phlegmatically the earnest expressions of -gratitude. - -They nodded deliberately, glanced at the ebbing tide, then walked to the -_ka-yaks_ where they stood significantly waiting. - -Divining from their behavior that they were anxious to start before the -tide turned, which, flowing against the wind would make a rougher and -angrier sea than ever, Mr. McLeod lost no more time, but straightway led -Lena to the _ka-yaks_. A trio were now put on the water and Lena was -lifted into the middle one. Then an Eskimo stepped quickly into each of -the outside _ka-yaks_ and a start was made for the shore. The Factor -watched the men paddle desperately for a few moments, then walked -quickly to where a set of _ka-yaks_ was waiting for him. And in a very -little while the whole number of frail craft were on the water, battling -against wind and waves, which had providentially lessened in violence. - -After an hour or so of arduous paddling the _ka-yak_ containing Lena -touched the shore and the girl was lifted unceremoniously in a pair of -malodorous arms and carried to dry land. - -Then at intervals others of the shipwrecked crew arrived, all very wet, -very cold, and very stiff from sitting in such cramped positions, and -painfully they walked up to a large fire which the Eskimo women had -kindled. - -After such strenuous efforts, the thoughts of the Eskimo rescuers turned -to a meal, and taking their shipwrecked comrades with them, they -strolled to where several large kettles hung suspended over as many -fires. Then the men seated themselves in a circle, the women arranging -themselves in another at some little distance from them. - -Two large, oblong, wooden dishes, one for each group, were brought from -the fires and their contents emptied upon the ground. This was the -signal for a mad rush. The men displayed remarkable agility as they -scrambled with hearty laughter for the sickly mess—boiled seal -meat—while screams from the group of women told that excitement was -likewise rife in their midst. Procuring as much as they could hold in -both hands, they retired to their former positions in the circle and -with the aid of long, murderous-looking knives, wolfishly devoured their -portions—cramming their mouths to the utmost extent and cutting off the -remainder uncomfortably close to their flat noses and chins. - -When all the solids had disappeared, liquids were brought on. Large -kettles containing the water in which the meat had been boiled were -carried into the centre of the two groups, which once more became -struggling masses of humanity, all of them endeavoring to dip a can or a -mug into the kettles at one and the same time. The uproar gradually -subsided as each person retired to his or her place, chuckling over a -mug of greasy liquid. - -This simple but animated repast at an end, the Eskimos settled -themselves for a deliberate smoke. - -Meanwhile the wants of the Chief Factor and party had been cared for by -the resourceful Hopkins, and they were glad to be able, at least for a -little time, to rest and be thankful. But their respite was of short -duration. Fate had chosen that, at that time and place, they should -learn of the awful catastrophe at Fort Future and the harrowing news was -travelling fast toward them in the person of Acpa, who was on his way -with a party of Eskimos in a whaleboat to take charge of the ruins of -the Company’s property at Fort Future in compliance with Kasba’s -request, and was on the lookout for a suitable spot to put ashore and -camp. Perceiving Eskimo tents dotted along the point of land, those in -the boat quickly dropped the sail and pulled to the shore. - -“Why, it’s Acpa!” declared George Hopkins, greatly astonished, as the -old Eskimo stepped out of the boat. “Wonder what he’s doing here,” and -with that he strolled down to greet the old fellow, little dreaming what -terrible news he would bring back. - - - - - CHAPTER XIX. - _KASBA’S SACRIFICE._ - - -Meanwhile Roy Thursby dragged out a miserable existence in the little -hut on the bank of the river. Day by day his frame of mind grew more and -more despondent and morbid. Everything worth while seemed at an end. -Except that at certain times there was the sound of his companions’ -movements, and at others only a dreadful stillness for long days -together, all “Time” was alike to him; to-day the same as yesterday and -to-morrow but a repetition of to-day. He was merely a machine, going -through the daily routine of getting up and lying down, eating and -drinking, with automatic precision, and the outgoings and incomings of -the male members of his party marked the period for each of these acts. -It was one long, dreary monotony. He had long since lost count of the -days. He was conscious that the occupations of his companions varied as -the season wore on and that, in consequence, his diet changed from -venison to fish, varied with the flesh of migratory birds, but this -interested him not at all. He had long lost all pleasure in food—just -eating and drinking to keep the machine going, that was all. A pathetic -indifference to everything possessed him. He sat for hours without -uttering a word, and when he spoke it was always in monosyllables, and -an awed, unnatural silence lay over the house from morn till night, for, -as if by tacit consent, the three Indians carried their conversation to -the outside of the house. - -Thus weeks passed. Sahanderry and David hunted or fished and did the -heavier chores. Kasba dressed and smoked deerskins to make into -moccasins, made and mended the clothes of herself and companions, cooked -the meals and attended to a hundred and one other things. - -One day the girl brought Roy his dinner as usual. It was a piece of -salmon, the first they had caught. Setting the plate before him, she -retired to a seat and took up a garment which required mending. Slowly, -and with the indifference of a man without an appetite Roy lifted the -food to his mouth, turned it on his tongue, sat a moment as if struck by -a sudden thought, and then got unsteadily to his feet, dropping the fork -as he arose. He stood a moment like one suddenly awakened from a deep -sleep, then: “This is salmon,” he said with a slight inflection as of -interest in his voice. - -At the sound of his words Kasba started forward, letting the garment -fall to the ground. Her lips were parted, her eyes sparkled. This sudden -interest might portend a break-up in Roy’s apathy, and to the girl it -was as the clear sunshine after days of dismal gloom. - -“Yes, Bekothrie,” she answered as soon as emotion would permit her to -speak. “We caught the first yesterday.” - -“Then this is the middle of July,” he said thoughtfully. - -“Yes,” said the girl, divining the trend of his thoughts. - -Roy breathed hard and his lips moved; but he dropped slowly back to his -seat without further speech. - -The girl stood with parted lips watching him expectantly, then, finding -he had nothing more to say, and that he seemed fully occupied with his -thoughts, she breathed a little disappointed sigh, took up the dropped -garment and went patiently on with her sewing. The stitch, stitch of her -needle and the song of the busy mosquitoes were the only sounds. - -From that time Roy was as one laboring under some suppressed excitement, -uneasy, as if waiting for something to happen and dreading while -desiring it. He became restless and impatient to a large degree and as -Kasba went quietly about her household affairs, she frequently paused to -blink away salt tears, called to her eyes by the sight of his misery. -The once hulking big fellow was but the shadow of his former self. Great -rings showed round his eyes, his face was becoming more and more haggard -and drawn, his cheekbones protruded sharply. Perceiving that he was -rapidly becoming ill and divining the cause, she timidly essayed a -proposal. She would go back to Fort Future and by secretly watching -discover when _Bekothrie nithee_ (the far-away master, in this case Mr. -McLeod), came. But Roy would not hear of this, though as the time for -Mr. McLeod’s arrival at Fort Future drew near he could scarcely contain -himself. - -He fancied the scene; the dismantled Fort, the grey-haired Chief Factor -sorrowfully supporting Lena, sobbing out her heart over what she -believed to be his grave. He could hear her heart-breaking cries as she -bewailed his loss; hear the cold, tense voice of the Chief Factor -swearing to be avenged on the perpetrator of the outrage and murder. -Then Lena would be led on board and the boat would sail away. That would -be the end. His mind would dwell upon this till his brain reeled, and he -would put his hot hand up to his burning forehead as if to press back -his thoughts. - -Then one day by a process akin to telepathy he became aware that Lena -was near. It was the very day Mr. McLeod’s boat was wrecked and its -occupants rescued by the Eskimos, and it happened that they were landed -near where Roy had, as he thought, so securely hidden himself from all -communication with his own kind. At first the poor fellow believed that -his mind must be wandering. But the conviction that Lena was there, -close at hand, grew stronger every minute, and at last he could contain -himself no longer. He felt he must send to the coast to ascertain if -anyone had lately landed, or he would go mad. Unwilling to trust the -garrulous Sahanderry, he must perforce send Kasba. The girl was outside -attending to the fire, he could hear her talking to David. He called to -her, and almost instantly she was at his side, and in a few words he -explained what he wanted her to do. She smiled confidently. “Yes, -Bekothrie,” she said quietly, and without another word she made her -preparation and at once started off for the coast, which was about a -mile distant. - -Arriving at her destination, she discovered the shipwrecked voyagers. -From Roy’s description she at once recognized them. The Factor was -standing apart with Lena and her cousin. Overcome with feelings of -bitter jealousy, she ventured dangerously near in order that she might -better discern the features of her fortunate rival. - -The grim expression of the Factor’s countenance bore token of a severe -determination of mind. Bitter sorrow for the tragic end of his -promising, inordinately ambitious young friend mingled with the wrath he -felt toward the perpetrator of the tragedy. He gazed with loving -solicitude upon Lena, who sat in an attitude of great sorrow. The news -had been a great shock to her. The bright, sunny expression had entirely -disappeared and a pained, startled expression had come into her face. -Her lips trembled as her father’s hand fell lightly upon her head. - -“Be brave, my little girl, for my sake,” he pleaded brokenly. Then he -walked to where Acpa was sitting, surrounded by a number of Eskimos. - -Left alone with his cousin, Frank was in a dilemma; he knew not what to -say. Lena’s uncontrollable grief was extremely painful to witness, for -he loved her. - -At length he leaned over and gazed into the tear-stained features, -“Lena, my darling,” he said, “do not grieve so.” - -There was a strange pleading in his manly voice. “It breaks my heart to -see your distress. After all, it may be, it must be, some mistake. We -shall yet find Roy Thursby and find him alive and well.” - -“It is kind of you to say so, Frank,” said the girl in a mournfully -sweet voice, “but there is no hope, can be no hope, for poor Roy.” - -“But, my dear Lena,” began Frank, then glancing behind him, “I heard -something moving,” he added, partly to himself. - -It was Kasba. Attracted by the sight of Lena’s grief she had drawn quite -close. Crouched down among the rocks she had heard, and the poor girl’s -despair made Kasba’s warm, affectionate heart ache. The sorrow she -herself had suffered, was still suffering, made her tenderly solicitous -for another’s misery. She stood with hands tightly clenched, battling -with her own desires. She dreaded to speak, to tell Lena that her lover -lived, for she well knew what the result would be. Yet she longed to -comfort her. - -The conflict raged fiercely. The issue at stake was all heaven and earth -to her, for without Roy life would be blank indeed. Then why should she -give him up? Then she remembered Roy’s misery, that in his heart he was -pining for the companionship of his own kind, and the inborn truth, the -native generosity and candor, that always overruled every other element -in her, conquered now. Girding herself to make a great sacrifice, she -stepped into the open. - -“_Bekothrie nithee!_” she cried in a tremulous voice. - -Mr. McLeod turned sharply. Lena sprang to her feet expectant of she knew -not what. - -Then, nerving herself, Kasba spoke the words which would make her -forever desolate: “Mr. Thursby is alive,” she said. - -With a cry of joy Lena ran swiftly to the brave girl. - -“What do you mean?” she asked with feverish eagerness, holding the girl -by the wrist. “Roy not dead?” Her voice broke. - -“No, God performed a miracle for me.” The girl spoke simply, fully -believing what she said. “Mr. Thursby was dead for many hours,” she -explained, “then he came to himself. But he is—” Kasba hesitated, -fearing to speak the terrible truth. - -Lena noticed the girl’s hesitation and was alarmed at once. “Go on,” she -cried, clutching the girl’s wrist hard. “Tell me, tell me quickly! -Something has happened?” Her voice expressed the utmost anxiety. - -“He is totally blind,” said Kasba sadly. She spoke in the greatest -distress. - -Lena’s face grew dead-white, she stood stiff and rigid, staring at the -girl, quite dazed at the horror of the thing. - -“Blind!” cried the Chief Factor who had come up. “How terribly horrible! -Poor Roy! Ah!” He was just in time to catch his daughter, who uttered a -short unnatural sound and reeled against him. But she did not lose -consciousness and in a moment her strength returned. - -“Let me go!” she cried, sobbing wildly and struggling in her father’s -arms. “Let me go to him, or I shall die!” - -“You shall go, my child,” said the Chief Factor soothingly. He glanced -at Kasba, who nodded and stretched out her hand, that tiny brown hand, -which small though it was, had pulled Roy out of the water. - -“Come,” she said simply, “I will take you to him.” - -Arriving at the hut Kasba stood aside to let Lena pass. “You will find -him in there,” she said. But Lena did not hear her, for she was already -through the door. - -As the door opened Roy started upright in an instant, conscious of the -girl’s presence in the room. Lena’s eyes opened wide with horror at the -sight of him, she started and drew slightly back, struck speechless by -the fearful change in the splendidly vital figure. - -There was a painful silence. - -Roy stood with head thrust slightly forward in an attitude of listening -intently,—in that attitude of concentrated expectancy of sounds -peculiar to the totally blind; holding his breath to catch the slightest -sound. He trembled all over with excitement. “Lena!” he cried, in a low, -tense voice, though believing it impossible that she should be there. -Then he swayed unsteadily. - -Lena came forward to him quickly, and with a little cry, in which there -was more of anguish than joy, her arms went about his neck. - -Kasba had remained outside, but she could hear their voices and for a -moment her heart stopped beating and her lips set tightly. She pressed -one hand to her bosom, uttering a stifled wail like a wounded animal. -The sacrifice had been great. She reeled and almost fell. Then she made -a great effort, straightened herself and went and leaned against the -hut, on the other side, away from the door, and covered her face with -her hands. Then a feeling of utter loneliness fell upon her. She felt -that something had been taken from her and given to another—something -that was more to her than life. - -She could still hear their voices. They were happy together; while she -was outside alone. And so it would always be now. They would take Roy -away and leave her behind, and she would see him no more. Then she heard -footfalls, and one was Sahanderry’s. He came and stood beside her. She -could hear his sharp breathing. Then, in an impulse, she dropped her -hands and gave them to him. “He is happy now,” she said, a little -bitterly. “Take me. It was my father’s wish. I am yours.” - - * * * * * - -Here ends the story of Kasba, and the chronicler makes apology for all -that has been amiss in the telling of the events recorded, conscious -that a better man could have done it better. Whether Kasba will ever -come into another story the author himself cannot tell, nor does he know -whether she will be welcome if she comes. - - - - - * * * * * - - - - -Transcriber’s note: - -Archaic spellings and hyphenation have been retained as in the original. - -Punctuation has been corrected without note. Other errors have been -corrected as noted below: - -page 72, The fellow semed too ==> The fellow seemed too - -page 92, combined fellings of ==> combined feelings of - -page 95, burst into fit of ==> burst into a fit of - -page 139, the few sparce spruce ==> the few sparse spruce - -page 145, signs of lood luck. ==> signs of good luck. - -page 153, went thoughtfullly along ==> went thoughtfully along - -page 196, and throughly shaken. ==> thoroughly shaken. - -page 205, brushwood camp esconsed in ==> brushwood camp ensconsed in - -page 245, off his l’Assumtion belt ==> off his l’Assumption belt - - - -***END OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK KASBA (WHITE PARTRIDGE)*** - - -******* This file should be named 53176-0.txt or 53176-0.zip ******* - - -This and all associated files of various formats will be found in: -http://www.gutenberg.org/dirs/5/3/1/7/53176 - - -Updated editions will replace the previous one--the old editions will -be renamed. - -Creating the works from print editions not protected by U.S. copyright -law means that no one owns a United States copyright in these works, -so the Foundation (and you!) can copy and distribute it in the United -States without permission and without paying copyright -royalties. 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