o his soul. He resented it: he had taken pleasure in the
prospect of despising something white.

Clare went back into the shack. Ahchoogah, with a shrug, dismissed her
from his mind. He spoke again with his courteous air; meanwhile (or at
any rate so Stonor thought) his black eyes glittered with hostility.

Mary translated: "Ahchoogah say all very glad you come. He say to-morrow
night he going to give big tea-dance. He send for the Swan Lake people
to come. A man will ride all night to bring them in time. He say it will
be a big time."

"Say we thank him for the big time just as if we had had it," said
Stonor, not to be outdone in politeness. "But we must go on down the
river to-morrow morning."

When this was translated to Ahchoogah, he lost his self-possession for a
moment, and scowled blackly at Stonor. Quickly recovering himself, he
began suavely to protest.

"Ahchoogah say the messenger of the Great White Father mustn't go up and
down the river to the Kakisas and ask like a poor man for them to take
treaty. Let him stay here, and let the poor Kakisas come to him and make
respect."

"My instructions are to visit the people where they live," said Stonor
curtly. "I shall want the dug-out that the Company man left here last
Spring."

Ahchoogah scowled again. Mary translated: "Ahchoogah say, why you want
heavy dug-out when he got plenty nice light bark-canoes."

"I can't use bark-canoes in the rapids."

A startled look shot out of the Indian's eyes. Mary translated: "What
for you want go down rapids? No Kakisas live below the rapids."

"I'm going to visit the white man at the Great Falls."

When Ahchoogah got this he bent the look of a pure savage on Stonor,
walled and inscrutable. He sullenly muttered something that Mary
repeated as: "No can go."

"Why not?"

"Nobody ever go down there."

"Well, somebody's got to be the first to go."

"Rapids down there no boat can pass."

"The white man came up to the Indians when they were sick last fall. If
he can come up I can go down."

"He got plenty strong medicine."

Stonor laughed. "Well, I venture to say that my medicine is as strong as
his--in the rapids."

Ahchoogah raised a whole cloud of objections. "Plenty white-face bear
down there. Big as a horse. Kill man while he sleeps. Wolf down there.
Run in packs as many as all the Kakisas. Him starving this year."

"Women's talk!" said Stonor contemptuously.

"You get carry over those falls. Behind th