ed their circle to receive him.

"My brother has discovered the thief," he said. "And after all a thief
is easily found among honest men."

Slowly and deliberately his eye traveled round the circle of faces,
keenly scrutinizing each in turn. When he came to Eagle Feather he
paused, gazed fixedly at him, took a single step in his direction, and,
suddenly leveling an accusing finger at him, cried in a loud voice:

"I have found him. This man is the thief."

Slowly he walked up to the Indian, who remained stoically motionless,
laid his hand upon his wrist and said in a clear ringing voice heard
over the encampment:

"Eagle Feather, I arrest you in the name of the Queen!" And before
another word could be spoken or a movement made Eagle Feather stood
handcuffed, a prisoner.

CHAPTER XIV

"GOOD MAN--GOOD SQUAW"

"That boy is worse, Mrs. Cameron, decidedly worse, and I wash my hands
of all responsibility." The old army surgeon was clearly annoyed.

Mandy sat silent, weary with watching and weary with the conflict that
had gone on intermittently during the past three days. The doctor
was determined to have the gangrenous foot off. That was the simplest
solution of the problem before him and the foot would have come off days
ago if he had had his way. But the Indian boy had vehemently opposed
this proposal. "One foot--me go die," was his ultimatum, and through
all the fever and delirium this was his continuous refrain. In this
determination his nurse supported him, for she could not bring herself
to the conviction that amputation was absolutely necessary, and,
besides, of all the melancholy and useless driftwood that drives hither
and thither with the ebb and flow of human life, she could imagine none
more melancholy and more useless than an Indian crippled of a foot.
Hence she supported the boy in his ultimatum, "One foot--me go die."

"That foot ought to come off," repeated the doctor, beginning the
controversy anew. "Otherwise the boy will die."

"But, doctor," said Mandy wearily, "just think how pitiable, how
helpless that boy will be. Death is better. And, besides, I have not
quite given up hope that--"

The doctor snorted his contempt for her opinion; and only his respect
for her as Cameron's wife and for the truly extraordinary powers and
gifts in her profession which she had displayed during the past three
days held back the wrathful words that were at his lips. It was late in
the afternoon and the d