y Uncle Jack had said the native's superstitious dread of this
disease knew no bounds. That recollection checked my sudden flight. If
the Indians had such fear, why had this band camped within a mile of
the pest tent? It would be more like Indian character to reverse
Samaritan practises and leave the victim to die. This man might, of
course, be a French-Canadian trapper, but I would take no risks of a
trick, so I ordered Paul to lead me back to that tepee.

The Mute seemed to understand I had no wish to be seen by the campers.
He skirted round the base of the hill till we were on the side remote
from the tribe. Then he motioned me to remain in the gorge while he
scrambled up the cliff to reconnoitre. I knew he received a surprise as
soon as his head was on a level with the top of the bank; for he curled
himself up behind a snow-pile and gave a low whistle for me. I was
beside him with one bound. We were not twenty pole-lengths from the
wigwam. There was no appearance of life. The tent flaps had been laced
up and a solitary watch-dog was tied to a stake before the entrance.
Down the valley the setting sun shone through the naked trees like a
wall of fire, and dyed all the glistening snow-drifts primrose and opal.
At one place in the forest the red light burst through and struck
against the tent on the hill-top, giving the skins a peculiar appearance
of being streaked with blood. The faintest breath of wind, a mere sigh
of moving air-currents peculiar to snow-padded areas, came up from the
woods with far-away echoes of the trappers' voices. Perhaps this was
heard by the watch-dog, or it may have felt the disturbing presence of
my half-wild _habitant_ guide; for it sat back on its haunches and
throwing up its head, let out the most doleful howlings imaginable.

"Oh! _Monsieur_," shuddered out the superstitious habitant shivering
like an aspen leaf, "sick man moan,--moan,--moan hard! He die,
_Monsieur_, he die, he die now when dog cry lak dat," and full of fear
he scrambled down into the gorge, making silent gestures for me to
follow.

For a time--but not long, I must acknowledge--I lay there alone,
watching and listening. Paul's ears might hear the moans of a sick man,
mine could not: nor would I return to the Chateau without ascertaining
for a certainty what was in that wigwam. Slipping off the snow-shoes, I
rose and tip-toed over the snow with the full intention of silencing the
dog with my pole; but I was suddenly arr