red. "You mustn't talk lak' dat. Dose ole man
fin' you out. You can' hide away from heem. Ole tam long ago,
Pierre Cadotte is stole feefteen skin of de otter--de
sea-otter--and he is sol' dem on Winnipeg. He is get 'bout
thousand beaver--five hunder' dollar. Den he is mak' dose longue
voyage wes'--ver' far wes'--_on dit_ Peace Reever. He is mak' heem
dose cabane, w'ere he is leev long tam wid wan man of Mackenzie.
He is call it hees nam' Dick Henderson. I is meet Dick Henderson
on Winnipeg las' year, w'en I mak' paddle on dem Factor Brigade,
an' dose High Commissionaire. He is tol' me wan night pret' late
he wake up all de queeck he can w'en he is hear wan noise in dose
cabane, an' he is see wan Injun, lak' phantome 'gainst de moon to
de door. Dick Henderson he is 'sleep, he don' know w'at he mus'
do. Does Injun is step ver' sof' an' go on bunk of Pierre Cadotte.
Pierre Cadotte is mak' de beeg cry. Dick Henderson say he no see
dose Injun no more, an' he fin' de door shut' _Ba_ Pierre Cadotte,
she's go dead. He is mak' wan beeg hole in hees ches'."

"Some enemy, some robber frightened Away because the Henderson man
woke up, probably," suggested Ned Trent.

The half-breed laid his hand impressively on the other's arm and
leaned forward until his bright black eyes were within a foot of
the other's face.

"Wen dose Injun is stan' heem in de moonlight, Dick Henderson is
see hees face. Dick Henderson is know all dose Injun. He is tole
me dat Injun is not Peace Reever Injun. Dick Henderson is say dose
Injun is Ojibway Injun--Ojibway Injun two t'ousand mile wes'--on
Peace Reever! Dat's curi's!"

"I was tell you nodder story--" went on Achille, after a moment.

"Never mind," interrupted the Trader. "I believe you."

"Maybee," said Achille cheerfully, "you stan' some show--not
moche--eef he sen' you out pret' queeck. Does small _perdrix_ is
yonge, an' dose duck. Maybee you is catch dem, maybee you is keel
dem wit' bow an' arrow. Dat's not beeg chance. You mus' geev dose
_coureurs de bois_ de sleep w'en you arrive. _Voila_, I geev you
my knife!"

He glanced rapidly to right and left, then slipped a small object
into the stranger's hand.

"_Ba_, I t'ink does ole man is know dat. I t'ink he kip you here
till tam w'en dose _perdrix_ and duck is all grow up beeg' nuff so
he can fly."

"I'm not watched," said the young man in eager tones: "I'll slip
away to-night."

"Dat no good," objected Picard