"He mean no good," Musq'oosis explained. "That is his joke. I not
believe ev'ryt'ing he tell me, no, not by a damnsight. He say,
'Musq'oosis, I no good for not'ing 't'all but a soldier.' He say,
'When there ain't no war I can't keep out of trouble.' He ask moch
question about my country up here. He say, 'When this war over I go
there. Maybe I can keep out of trouble up there.'

"Me, I all tam think that just his joke. Bam-by the fighting all over,
and Louis Riel sent to jail. Me, I got brot'ers up here then. I want
to see my brot'ers after the war. So I go say good-bye to my friend.
But he say, 'Hold on, Musq'oosis, I goin' too.' I say, 'W'at you do up
there? Ain't no white men but the comp'ny trader.' He say, 'I got
fight somesing. I fight nature.'"

"Nature?" repeated Bela, puzzled.

Musq'oosis shrugged. "That just his fonny way of talk. He mean chop
tree, dig earth, work. So he come wit' me. He ver' good partner to
trip. All tam laugh and sing and mak' music wit' his wind. He is talk
to me just the same lak I was white man, too. Me, I never have no
friend lak that. I lak Walter Forest more as if he was my son."

The old man's head drooped at this point, and the story seemed to have
reached its end.

"What do you do when you come here, you two?" Bela eagerly demanded.

Musq'oosis sighed and went on. "The Fish-Eaters was camp down the lake
by Musquasepi then. Your mot'er was there. She ver' pretty girl. Mos'
pretties' girl in the tribe, I guess."

"Pretty?" said Bela, amazed.

"She is the first one we see when we come. We are paddling up the
river and she is setting muskrat trap on the bank. Your fat'er look at
her. Her look at your fat'er. Both are lak wood with looking. Wa! I
think me, Bird-Mouth ain't goin' to keep out of trouble up here
neither! Well, he is lak crazy man after that. All night he want stay
awake and talk me about her. He ask me what her name mean. I tell him
Loseis mean little duck. He say, 'Nobody ever got better name.'
'Better wait,' I say, 'plenty ot'er girl to see.' 'Not for me,' he
say.

"In a week he marry her. Marry her honest wit' priest and book. He
build a house at Nine-Mile Point and a stable. Say he goin' to keep
stopping-house for freighters when they bring in the company's outfit
in the winter. He cut moch hay by Musquasepi for his stable. He work
lak ten red men. When the ice come, right away he start to freight his
hay across. I say 'Wait, it is not safe yet.' He laugh.