been here, Mr. Coombs?" queried Phil.

"Not more 'n ten minutes."

"Have they seen Nel-te?"

"No, for he hain't been outside the door."

"Could they have seen him at any time during the day?"

"Not without me knowing it; for he hain't left my side sence you boys
went away."

"Then it is more certain than ever that there is magic connected with
the fur-seal's tooth, and that the Chilkats are in some way involved in
it. How else could they possibly have known that it was in our
possession, just where to find us, and, above all, the exact position of
the tooth at this moment?"

"It surely does look ridicerlous," meditated Jalap Coombs; while Serge
said he was glad Phil was becoming so reasonable and willing to see
things in a true light.

"How did these fellows get here?" asked Phil.

"They say they came in canoes," replied Serge.

"Ask them if they will take us to Sitka, provided we will give them the
fur-seal's tooth."

"No; the Indians could not do that."

"Will they give us a canoe in exchange for it?"

"They say they will," replied Serge, "if we will go with them to their
village and allow their Shaman (medicine-man) to examine the tooth, and
see whether or not it is the genuine article."

"Won't that be awfully out of our way?"

"Yes. I should think about seventy-five miles; but then we may find a
steamer there that will take us to Juneau, or even to Sitka itself."

"It would certainly be better than staying here," reflected Phil. "And I
know that neither Serge nor I want to try the mountain trail again after
what we have seen to-day. So I vote for going to Chilkat."

"So do I," assented Serge.

"Same here," said Jalap Coombs; "though ef anybody had told me half an
hour ago I'd been shipping for a cruise along with them black pirates
before supper-time, I'd sartainly doubted him. It only goes to prove
what my old friend Kite Roberson useter say, which were, 'Them as don't
expect nothing is oftenest surprised.'"

CHAPTER XXXVIII.

THE TREACHEROUS SHAMAN OF KLUKWAN.

So delighted were the Chilkat hunters to know that they were to have the
honor of conveying the fur-seal's tooth back to their tribe, that they
wished to start at once. The whites, however, refused to go before
morning, and so the Indians returned down the inlet to their camp of the
preceding night, where they would cache what seals they had obtained in
order to make room in the canoes for their unexpected passengers. They
ag