d beautiful spectacle; then he swept one of the rifles to
a level. Old habit made the little beaded sight cover first the stately
leader. Bang! The gray monarch leaped straight forward, forehoofs up,
antlered head back, to fall dead with a crash. Then for a few moments
the Winchester spat a deadly stream of fire, and when emptied was
thrown down for the other gun, which in the steady, sure hands of the
hunter belched death to the caribou.

The herd rushed on, leaving the white surface of the lake gray with a
struggling, kicking, bellowing heap. When Jones reached the caribou he
saw several trying to rise on crippled legs. With his knife he killed
these, not without some hazard to himself. Most of the fallen ones were
already dead, and the others soon lay still. Beautiful gray creatures
they were, almost white, with wide-reaching, symmetrical horns.

A medley of yells arose from the shore, and Rea appeared running with
two sleds, with the whole tribe of Yellow Knives pouring out of the
forest behind him.

"Buff, you're jest what old Jim said you was," thundered Rea, as he
surveyed the gray pile. "Here's winter meat, an' I'd not have given a
biscuit for all the meat I thought you'd get."

"Thirty shots in less than thirty seconds," said Jones, "An' I'll bet
every ball I sent touched hair. How many reindeer?"

"Twenty! twenty! Buff, or I've forgot how to count. I guess mebbe you
can't handle them shootin' arms. Ho! here comes the howlin' redskins."

Rea whipped out a bowie knife and began disemboweling the reindeer. He
had not proceeded far in his task when the crazed savages were around
him. Every one carried a basket or receptacle, which he swung aloft,
and they sang, prayed, rejoiced on their knees. Jones turned away from
the sickening scenes that convinced him these savages were little
better than cannibals. Rea cursed them, and tumbled them over, and
threatened them with the big bowie. An altercation ensued, heated on
his side, frenzied on theirs. Thinking some treachery might befall his
comrade, Jones ran into the thick of the group.

"Share with them, Rea, share with them."

Whereupon the giant hauled out ten smoking carcasses. Bursting into a
babel of savage glee and tumbling over one another, the Indians pulled
the caribou to the shore.

"Thievin' fools," growled Rea, wiping the sweat from his brow. "Said
they'd prevailed on the Great Spirit to send the reindeer. Why, they'd
never smelled warm meat but f