came from under
the rough cardboard shade of the lamp. "Well, the whole look of things
has kind of changed since I've--" he indicated the papers on the
desk--"taken a look into all these."

"Him read--much. Him look--always look. So."

Steve nodded.

"That's so. Well, I've got to get busy now, and do the things I was sent
up to do. But it seems likely there's going to be no murderer to take
back with me. It looks like a report of two men dead, by each other's
hand, a woman dead through accident, and you, and little Marcel left
alive. That being so I guess I can't leave you two up here. Do you get
that?" He set his elbows on the desk and rested his chin on his hands.
"There's the boy, he's white," he said, watching the squaw's troubled
face. "He's got to go right back with me, when my work's done. And
you--why, you'd best come, too. I'd hate to rob you of the boy. You'll
both need to come right along. And the big folk will say what's to be
done with you when we get back. How do you say?"

The trouble had completely vanished from the woman's eyes. It was like
the passing of a great shadow. Their velvet softness radiated her
thankfulness, her gratitude.

"It good. Much good," she cried, with a sudden abandonment of that stoic
unemotional manner which was native to her. "An-ina love white boy. She
love him much. Boy go? Then An-ina all go dead. An-ina wait. So storm
devil him come. Then An-ina go out, and sleep, sleep, and not wake never
no more. An-ina keep boy? Then An-ina much happy. An-ina help white man
officer. An-ina strong. Mak long trail. An-ina no sick. No mak tire.
Work all time. An' help--much help white man officer. So."

Steve's smiling eyes indicated his acceptance of the woman's
protestations.

"That's all right," he said. Then he went on after a moment's thought:
"Now, you know these folk. These 'Sleepers.' Do you know their
lingo--their language? I've got to make a big pow-wow with their head
man. I guess that can't be done till they wake. You figger they wake at
intervals, and they dope themselves again. If that's so, I've got to get
their big chief right at that time. D' you guess you could take me right
along to get a look at these folk, and, after that, fix things so I can
grab their big man first time he wakes?"

The woman nodded at once, and her eyes wore a contented smile.

"Sure. An-ina know. Show him white man officer. Oh, yes. Show him all
this folk. Oh, yes. When? Now? Oh, yes. Him n