sked quite humanly.

As Sam was about to defend himself it suddenly rushed over him what a
comic figure he would make, accusing a girl of abducting him. He
closed his mouth and blushed crimson. Big Jack and his pals smiled at
each other meaningly.

"Well?" demanded Coulson.

"It's not true," mumbled Sam.

"Didn't you go with her?"

"Yes--but----"

"But what?"

"I had to."

"What do you mean?"

There was no help for it.

"It was she carried me off!" Sam burst out.

There was an instant's silence in the room. The white men stared at
the unexpected answer. The red people hardly understood it.

"What do you mean?" demanded Coulson, scowling.

"Just what I said!" cried Sam recklessly. "Jumped on me when I was
asleep; tied me hand and foot, and bundled me in her canoe."

There was a great burst of derisive laughter. The decorum of the court
was entirely destroyed. Never had such an original defence been heard.
Coulson and his clerk laughed with the rest. Even the bishop had to
laugh, albeit indignantly. Jack, Shand, and Joe fairly doubled up by
the door. Sam stood through it, blushing and glaring around at his
tormentors.

"I believe him!" cried Miss Mackall; but nobody heard her.

When order was restored, Coulson said with a shake in his throat: "You
hardly expect us to believe that, do you?"

"I don't care whether you believe it or not!" returned Sam hotly. "Let
me question her, and I'll show you. I guess that's my right, isn't
it?"

"Certainly," said Coulson stiffly. "Stand aside for a while, and let
her tell her story without interruption. You can question her when she
is through."

All the white people except the white woman looked at the girl with
sympathetic eyes. Bela's face was pale, and one hand was pressed to
her breast to control the agitated tenant there.

To be obliged to speak out before so many white people was a terrible
ordeal for the girl of the lake. She suspected, too, that there would
be some difficult questions to answer--and there was no Musq'oosis to
advise her. Alas, if she had taken his advice she would not have been
here at all!

"Go ahead," said Coulson sympathetically.

Bela drew a steadying breath and raised her head. Pointing at Sam with
unconscious dramatic effect, she said clearly: "He speak true. I carry
him off."

Again there was a silence in the court, while the spectators gaped in
pure astonishment. The three men by the door scowled in an ugly
fashion. Sa