arded by a meal or a plug of tobacco. These things
he had accepted without comment and without thanks. His taciturnity and
gravity seemed primeval.

"Huh! That old beat!" said Farwell contemptuously. "Every Indian can't
trail. However, _we_ can't, that's sure. Maybe he can make a bluff
at it. Go and get him."

Keeler brought up old Simon, and Farwell endeavoured to explain what
was wanted in language which he considered suited to the comprehension
of a representative of the original North American race. He had a
smattering of Chinook,[1] and for the rest he depended on gestures and
a loud voice, having the idea that every man can understand English if
it be spoken loudly enough.

[1] AUTHOR'S NOTE.--Chinook, the trade jargon of the Pacific
coast, is similar in origin to the pidgin English of China. It is
composite, its root words being taken from various tribal
vocabularies and from the French and English languages. The
spelling conforms to the pronunciation; and the latter in most
cases is merely the Indian rendering of French and English word
sounds. It is, in fact, an Indian Volapuk, used extensively by
the tribes of Oregon, Washington, British Columbia, and Alaska.
The number of words is comparatively small, probably not
exceeding nine hundred. Therefore each has various meanings,
rendered by shades of pronunciation or by combination with other
words. Thus the word "_mamook_," signifying to do, to make, to
perform, or anything denoting action, begins some two hundred
phrases, for each of which there is one equivalent English word.
Its nearest parallel is the French verb "_faire_," and its use is
much the same. It is impossible in this space to attempt a
vocabulary. "_Halo_" is the general negative. Throughout I have
endeavoured to supply the meaning by the context.

"Simon," said he, "last night bad man come and _mamook_ raise heap
hell. Him blow up dam. You savvy 'dam,' hey?"

"Ah-ha!" Simon grunted proudly. "Me _kumtuks_. Me _kumtuks_ hell. Me
_kumtuks_ dam. Dam good, dam bad; godam----"

"No, no!" rasped Farwell. "_Halo_ cuss word--no bad word--no. D-a-m,
'dam.' Oh, Lord, the alphabet's wasted on him, of course. What's Siwash
for dam, Keeler?"

"Search me," said Keeler; "but 'pence' is Chinook for fence, and
'chuck' means water. Try him with that." And Farwell tried again.

"Now, see, Simon! Last