y a lonely road lets few pass by unseen.
Stonor sent him a hail, as is the custom of the country--but no
surprised glad face showed itself.

"He is away," said Stonor, merely to break the racking silence between
him and Clare.

"Would he leave the door open?" she said.

They landed. On the beach lay two birch-bark canoes, Kakisa-made. One
had freshly-cut willow-branches lying in the bottom. Stonor happened to
notice that the bow-thwart of this canoe was notched in a peculiar way.
He was to remember it later. Ordinarily the Kakisa canoes are as like as
peas out of the same pod.

From the beach the shack was invisible by reason of the low bank
between. Stonor accompanied Clare half-way up the bank. "Mary and I will
wait here," he said.

She looked at him deeply without speaking. It had the effect of a
farewell. Stonor saw that she was breathing fast, and that her lips were
continually closing and parting again. Leaving him, she walked slowly
and stiffly to the door of the shack. Her little hands were clenched. He
waited, suffering torments of anxiety for her.

She knocked on the door-frame, and waited. She pushed the door further
open, and looked in. She went in, and was gone for a few seconds.
Reappearing, she shook her head at Stonor. He went up and joined her.
Mary, who, in spite of her stolidity, was as inquisitive as the next
woman, followed him without being bid.

They all entered the shack. Stonor sniffed.

"What is that smell?" asked Clare. "I noticed it at once."

"Kinni-kinnick."

She looked at him enquiringly.

"Native substitute for tobacco. It's made from the inner bark of the red
willow. He must have run out of white man's tobacco."

She pointed to a can standing on the table. Stonor, lifting it, found it
nearly full.

"Funny he should smoke kinni-kinnick when he has Kemble's mixture. He
must be saving that for a last resort."

Stonor looked around him with a strong curiosity. The room had a grace
that was astonishing to find in that far-removed spot; moreover,
everything had been contrived out of the rough materials at hand. Two
superb black bear-skins lay on the floor. The bed which stood against
the back wall was hidden under a beautiful robe made out of scores of
little skins cunningly sewed together, lynx-paws with a border of
marten. There were two workmanlike chairs fashioned out of willow; one
with a straight back at the desk, the other, comfortable and capacious,
before the fire.