or the first time since they met, the characteristic reserve of the
Indian broke down, and he became obviously excited, yet even then he
curbed his tongue for a few moments, and when he again spoke it was with
his habitual calmness.

"Does my son know the tribe to which she has been taken? And is it well
with the girl?"

"He does. And it is well with Adolay."

"Do they dwell far from here?" asked Nazinred, anxiously in spite of
himself.

"Not far. I can soon take you to their igloes. But tell me,
man-of-the-woods, do you think your child had no reason for leaving home
in this way except fondness for the young man?"

"I know not," returned the Indian, with a doubtful, almost a hopeful
look. "What other reason could she have? Her mother and I loved her
more than ourselves. All the young men loved her. One of them--a bad
one--had sworn to his comrades that he would have her for a wife in
spite of her father,"--he smiled very slightly at this point, with a
look of ineffable contempt--"but Magadar did not venture to say that in
her father's ears!"

"May it not have been fear of this man, this Magadar, which drove her
away?" suggested Cheenbuk. "You were not there to defend her. She may
have been afraid of him, although you fear him not."

"That is true," returned the Indian, with a brighter look, "though I
thought that Adolay feared nothing--but she is not her father."

This wise and obvious truism, or the words of the Eskimo, seemed to
afford some comfort to the poor man, for he became more communicative
and confidential after that.

"Do you think," asked Cheenbuk, "that your daughter has married this
young man?"

"I know not."

"Don't you think it is likely?"

"I fear it is not unlikely."

"Why should you fear it? Are not the Eskimos as strong and brave as the
men-of-the-woods?"

For a moment the Indian looked at his companion with high disdain, for
the boastful question had aroused within him the boastful spirit; but
the look quickly disappeared, and was replaced by the habitual air of
calm gravity.

"It may be, as you say, that your nation is as brave and strong as
ours--"

"I did not say that," remarked the free-and-easy Eskimo, interrupting
his companion in a way that would have been deemed very bad manners in
an Indian, "I asked you the question."

With a look of deeper gravity than usual the Indian replied:

"To your question no true answer can be given till all the men of both
na