he
noonday meal.

The boys turned to greet him as he came up, and Rand drew his attention to
the ivory, intending to indicate the resemblance of the two carvings. As
his eye fell upon the relic a remarkable change came over the Siwash. He
reached forward, and his eyes blazing with excitement, almost tore the
ivory from Rand's hand and stepped back in a defiant attitude.

Heretofore, the tones of the Indians, like those of their dogs, had been
low, guttural and subdued. Now the aborigine gave vent to a shrill
piercing yell, and, at the same time, waved hysterically to his comrades,
all five of whom dropped their tools and rushed to the shack and
surrounded the chief.

With a wealth of wild gesticulation and deep growling tones that at times
rose to almost a shriek in a higher note they examined the horn and
appeared to pay it the most awed reverence. The Scouts seeing that they
were so deeply interested did not attempt to repossess themselves of their
treasure for some minutes, and then Rand was met by a most firm refusal on
the part of the leading Indian to give it up.

The other Indians surrounded him in a defiant attitude--the first sign of
insubordination that had yet appeared among them, and the boys seeing that
they had encountered a mystery which could not at once be unraveled, and
that the relic had some almost overpowering importance to the Siwashes,
determined to drop the matter for the time being, and put it up later to
the commander of the camp.

The aborigines went back quietly to their labor in the afternoon, and the
boys who were at work with the miner, laying out the foundation for the
sawmill, took occasion in the intervals of their labor to tell Swiftwater
the story of the narwhal's horn, and the incident that had taken place at
noon. The guide listened with close attention, and at the finish of the
incident his face was rather grave.

"I'll talk with that main guy Siwash, some time this afternoon. Meantime,
I wish you would all leave this matter in my hands. It may turn out to be
of more importance to us than we think."

The Scouts readily agreed, and toward the middle of the afternoon the
miner left them and strolled over to where the Indians were at work on the
sod house, and calling the "chief" to one side walked away with him to the
bank of the creek.

"Well," said Jack, when they were all together at one end of the
foundation, "what do you think of it? There seems to be more in that horn