Part 13 (2/2)

Suddenly, the force of inspiration that had held hihis eyes across an open space

”What do you see, Peter?” he gasped, sitting down abruptly, for very weakness

The Indian stood gazing for a long ti-train in front of it,” he said, slowly ”And, now, I see s from the chimney”

”Howto his feet again ”Tell me, quick! How many?

”That I cannot see,” answered the Indian, after ascrutiny

”Mush!+ Mush on!” cried McTavish, curling the long whip over the dogs' backs, and once lazed crust, into lodery drifts, under windfalls or around them, down the forest aisles, or across bare, open spaces, they whirled, the s at a fast trot

Nearer came the shanty and its curl of s was all down-hill and clear

The s, which responded by breaking into a gallop Thus silently, without bells, the equipage descended upon the unknown travelers in the shanty

A hundred yards away, the strange dogs sounded the alared in a free fight that threatened to put an end to every strip of harness

While Peter Rainy stayed to separate the co off, and rushed ahead to the shanty At that moment, two persons stepped out of the door, a man and a woman

Even at fifty yards, there could be no doubt as to their identity: They were the old hag Maria and her Indian son, Tom

CHAPTER XII

MARIA TAKES ACTION

”Good-evening,” said Donald, courteously, in the Ojibway tongue

With all his impatience, he knew better than to be precipitate

Tom and Maria responded in kind to his salutation, and the usual aether were exchanged Of course, the newco the cabin, since the others had reached it first, even though Donald's rank in the Hudson Bay Company entitled him to the best to be had

They were fortunate, he said, in the locating of such an admirable shelter; in fact, it was one of the best he had seen, wars Whose was it? They told him an Indian na the door all the tiood Indian would have to be reco his place in such fine order See! Even the door fitted in its fraes when he opened it

There would be--He entered

The roan froonized man caed, white and wretched-looking, his face draeariness and disappoint that made the two rascally Ojibways shi+ft uneasily Donald was not sure whether or not he had heard a s the moment that he found himself alone in the cabin, but he intended to find out

”Tooing?

”By Beaver Lake”