n's life is his own. He may do
with it as he pleases. But a man who is drunk is neither well nor
happy. He will not work. He sees his women and his children suffering
and in want, and he does not care. He beats them and drives them into
the cold. He is no longer a man, but a brute, meaner and more to be
despised than the wolf--for a wolf feeds his young. Therefore, I have
commanded you to drink no fire-water.

"I have not made you learn from books; for books are things of the
white men. In books men have written many things; but in no book is
anything written that will put warmer clothes upon your backs, or more
meat in your _caches_. The white _kloochman_ came among you with
books. Her heart is good and she is a friend of the Indians, but all
her life has she lived in the land of the white men. And from books,
the white men learn to gather their meat and their clothing.
Therefore, she thought that the Indians also should learn from books.

"But the white _kloochman_ has learned now the needs of the North. At
first I feared she would not learn that it is the work of the hands
that counts. When I knew she had learned I sent you to her, for there
are many things she can teach you, and especially your women and
children, of which I know nothing.

"The white _kloochman_, your good friend, has fallen into the hands of
Lapierre. We are men, and we must take her from Lapierre. And now the
time has come to fight! You are fighting men and the children of
fighting men! When this fight is over there will be peace in the
Northland! It will be the last fight for many of us--for many of us
must die! Lapierre's men are well armed. They will fight hard, for
they know it is their last stand. Kill them as long as they continue
to fight, but _do not kill Lapierre_!"

His eyes flashed dangerously as he paused to glance into the faces of
his fighters.

"No man shall kill Lapierre!" he repeated. "He is _mine_! With my own
hands will I settle the score; and now listen well to the final word:

"Drag the ladders to the edge of the clearing, scatter along the whole
front in the shelter of the trees, and at the call of the hoot-owl you
shall commence firing. Shoot whenever one of Lapierre's men shows
himself. But remain well concealed, for the men of Lapierre will be
entrenched behind the loop-holes. At the call of the loon you shall
cease firing."

MacNair rapidly tolled out twenty who were to man the ladders.