e Fort to her father, and back again. The
chief was silent. Then anger leapt into her face.

"Why does my father fear to speak to his child?" she said. "I will speak
plain. I love the man: but I love my father also."

She stood up, and drew her blanket about her, one hand clasped proudly
on her breast. "I cannot remember my mother; but I remember when I first
looked down from my hammock in the pine tree, and saw my father sitting
by the fire. It was in the evening like this, but darker, for the pines
made great shadows. I cried out, and he came and took me down, and laid
me between his knees, and fed me with bits of meat from the pot. He
talked much to me, and his voice was finer than any other. There is no
one like my father--Konto is nothing: but the voice of the white man,
Fyles, had golden words that our braves do not know, and I listened.
Konto did a brave thing. Fyles, because he was a great man of the
Company, would not fight, and drove him like a dog. Then he made my
father as a worm in the eyes of the world. I would give my life for
Fyles the trader, but I would give more than my life to wipe out my
father's shame, and to show that Konto of the Little Crees is no dog.
I have been carried by the hands of the old men of my people, I have
ridden the horses of the young men: their shame is my shame."

The eyes of the chief had never lifted from the Fort: nor from his look
could you have told that he heard his daughter's words. For a moment
he was silent, then a deep fire came into his eyes, and his wide heavy
brows drew up so that the frown of anger was gone. At last, as she
waited, he arose, put out a hand and touched her forehead.

"Mitawawa has spoken well," he said. "There will be an end. The yokes of
gold are mine: an honour given cannot be taken away. He has stolen;
he is a thief. He would not fight Konto: but I am a chief and he shall
fight me. I am as great as many men--I have carried the golden yokes: we
will fight for them. I thought long, for I was afraid my daughter loved
the man more than her people: but now I will break him in pieces. Has
Mitawawa seen him since the shameful day?"

"He has come to the lodge, but I would not let him in unless he brought
the epaulettes. He said he would bring them when Konto was punished. I
begged of him as I never begged of my own father, but he was hard as the
ironwood tree. I sent him away. Yet there is no tongue like his in the
world; he is tall and beautiful, a