ent.

"Who's this?" he asked pleasantly. "Is it a monkey that Mighty Hand has
caught to please him, or is it maybe a little dancing-bear tricked out
in feathers for the braves and warriors to laugh at?"

Thunder-maker well understood the jibe, and he flung himself about with
passion.

"Ma conscience! Don't go making all that noise," was the quiet reproof.
"And if you'll take my advice, you'll go home and put on warmer
clothes. You've little enough on to keep you cosy when the wind blows
chill."

Poor Thunder-maker! He had never been treated with such scant respect.
Even the young papooses were putting "tongue in cheek" towards him, and
some of the women could be seen pointing their fingers at his
discomfited self.

Blind with passion the Indian threw himself upon the Scotsman. Instantly
the boys had their guns ready to protect their friend. But the next
moment they could not have pulled a trigger if it had been necessary to
save their lives thereby, for they and the whole concourse of Indians
were shaking themselves with laughter at what was taking place.

What was it?

Well, merely that Thunder-maker had not reckoned with the enormous
strength that was latent in the Scotsman, nor the peculiar sense of his
humour; for, no sooner had the Indian charged, than he found himself
gripped by powerful hands, turned face downwards on a bent knee, and
smacked in good old homely style of punishment, which the medicine man's
scanty attire rendered exceedingly suitable.

Thunder-maker yelled and kicked, but he was held as if in a vice, while
the slaps rang out in rapid succession and the valley echoed with
laughter.

At last Mackintosh released the delinquent, and the poor man slunk away
amid jeers and laughter. His day was over, and from that hour our white
friends saw him no more.

When the hum had subsided, Mackintosh once more appealed to the chief,
but without success.

"We must obey the totem," was reiterated doggedly, though it was plain
that the chief was sorry to be at enmity with the strangers.

"But how do you know that you are obeying the totem?" questioned Bob,
who could remain silent no longer.

At this question Mighty Hand turned to the boy with an indulgent smile.

"White spirits come from waters that are silver when moon round. By this
we know. But if redmen foolish, totem wise. Totem will not let redmen do
wrong. Totem will appear serpent of fire to warn redmen no' light
flames."

"We can do no