ked Henri after a pause--"I vish I could git de vampum
belt de leetle chief had on. It vas superb. Fat place do vampums come
from?"

"They're shells--"

"Oui," interrupted Henri; "I know _fat_ dey is. Dey is shells, and de
Injuns tink dem goot monish, mais I ask you _fat place_ de come from."

"They are thought to be gathered on the shores o' the Pacific," said
Joe. "The Injuns on the west o' the Rocky Mountains picks them up and
exchanges them wi' the fellows hereaway for horses and skins--so I'm
told."

At this moment there was a wild cry of terror heard a short distance
ahead of them. Rushing forward they observed an Indian woman flying
frantically down the river's bank towards the waterfall, a hundred
yards above which an object was seen struggling in the water.

"'Tis her child," cried Joe, as the mother's frantic cry reached his
ear. "It'll be over the fall in a minute! Run, Dick, you're quickest."

They had all started forward at speed, but Dick and Crusoe were far
ahead, and abreast of the spot in a few seconds.

"Save it, pup," cried Dick, pointing to the child, which had been
caught in an eddy, and was for a few moments hovering on the edge of
the stream that rushed impetuously towards the fall.

The noble Newfoundland did not require to be told what to do. It seems
a natural instinct in this sagacious species of dog to save man or
beast that chances to be struggling in the water, and many are the
authentic stories related of Newfoundland dogs saving life in cases
of shipwreck. Indeed, they are regularly trained to the work in some
countries; and nobly, fearlessly, disinterestedly do they discharge
their trust, often in the midst of appalling dangers. Crusoe sprang
from the bank with such impetus that his broad chest ploughed up
the water like the bow of a boat, and the energetic workings of his
muscles were indicated by the force of each successive propulsion as
he shot ahead.

In a few seconds he reached the child and caught it by the hair. Then
he turned to swim back, but the stream had got hold of him. Bravely he
struggled, and lifted the child breast-high out of the water in his
powerful efforts to stem the current. In vain. Each moment he was
carried inch by inch down until he was on the brink of the fall,
which, though not high, was a large body of water and fell with a
heavy roar. He raised himself high out of the stream with the vigour
of his last struggle, and then fell back into the abyss