cascaded in the still air of the summer night. A moment later his
smiling eyes were peering through the thin veil of smoke at the two
dusky figures beyond the fire. They were Indian figures, huddled down on
their haunches, with their moccasined feet in dangerous proximity to the
live cinders strewn upon the ground.

"Oh, yes?" he said. "And you guess they sleep all the time?"

The tone of his voice was incredulous.

"Sure, boss," one of the Indians returned, quite unaffected by the tone.
The other Indian remained silent. He was in that happy condition between
sleep and waking which is the very essence of enjoyment to his kind.

Inspector Allenwood picked up a live coal in his bare fingers. He
dropped it into the bowl of his pipe. Then, after a deep inhalation or
two, he knocked it out again.

"'Hibernate'--eh? That's how we call it," he said presently. Then he
shook his head. The smile had passed out of his eyes. "No. It's a dandy
notion. But--it's not true. They'd starve plumb to death. You see,
Julyman, they're human folks--the same as we are."

The flat denial of his "boss" was quite without effect upon Julyman.
Oolak, beside him, roused himself sufficiently to turn his head and
blink enquiry at him. He was a silent creature whose admiration for
those who could sustain prolonged talk was profound.

"All same, boss, that so," Julyman protested without emotion. "Him same
like all men. Him just man, squaw, pappoose. All same him
sleep--sleep--sleep, when snow comes," Julyman sucked deeply at his pipe
and spoke through a cloud of tobacco smoke. "Julyman not lie. Oh, no.
Him all true. When Julyman young man--very young--him father tell him of
Land of Big Fire. Him say all Indian man sleeping--so." He leant over
sideways, with his hands pressed together against his cheek to
illustrate his meaning. "Him father say this. Him say when snow come All
Indian sleep. One week--two week. Then him wake--so." He stretched
himself, giving a great display of a weary half-waking condition. "Him
sit up. The food there by him, an' he eat--eat plenty much. Then him
drink. An' bimeby him drink the spirit stuff again. Bimeby, too, him
roll up in blanket. Then him sleep some more. One week--two week. So.
An' bimeby winter him all gone. Oh, him very wise man. Him no work lak
hell same lak white man. No. Him sleep--sleep all him winter. An' when
him wake it all sun, an' snow all gone. All very much good. Indian man
him go out. Him hunt