looked inquiringly while Louis rattled off
an account of the events of the morning.

The news did not appear to be agreeable to Conrad, who walked away
without comment; but the little fellow was too full of the novelty of
his experiences to heed Conrad's manner, and they went on to a lodge
on the edge of the village and Louis led his companion into where,
seated on a bear skin, was a woman weaving mats out of rushes. She
looked up quickly, and Rodney saw at a glance that she was superior to
any Indian women he had ever seen, evidently a half-breed. The blanket
she wore and her surroundings looked clean, and her face showed
intelligence much beyond the ordinary; but there was something in the
look she gave him that warned Rodney she would be his implacable
enemy.

The little fellow's tongue ran on in a mingled jargon of French,
Indian and English and Rodney comprehended, rather from the looks and
gestures of the woman and child than from the words, that Louis was
determined the newcomer should live with them, while she objected,
whereat Louis began to wail imperiously, and the glance of dislike she
gave Rodney was not reassuring.

"I will build a lodge, you can show me how to do it, and then you can
have one more home to go to," said Rodney, trying to soothe the
troubled feelings. This idea pleased Louis, who dried his eyes and was
for beginning on it right away, but "Maman," as he called the
half-breed woman, did not appear to like this plan any better than the
first, and her beady eyes snapped ominously; but she said nothing.
Rodney wished he might lie down on one of the clean mats before him
and sleep, for he was so tired he scarcely could keep awake even while
walking. He shrank from asking the woman for a place to sleep, but
finally did so, and she grunted assent.

While Rodney slept the sleep of exhaustion, Louis went in search of
Conrad, and asked him to build his new friend a wigwam.

Conrad scowled and replied that the new boy wouldn't live long enough
to need it, and Louis cried, "They can't kill him, Ahneota won't let
them."

"Vat for you vant him, yet? Conrad your friend is."

"I want him, too; he's white like Jules. Papa said: 'Jules is a good
boy and you may play with him all day.' You don't play with me all the
time, but go away hunting and will not let me go, too."

"He need will have to eat, und to hunt, I tink, alretty."

Louis was so insistent that Conrad finally assisted him in cutting
pol