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"We-l-l, señorita," he began presently, "I theenk first mebbeso eet ees because Don Miguel find heem one leetle piece paper on the trail. I am see him peeck those paper up and look at heem for long time before he ride to me and ask me many question about the señorita and Señor Beel Conway those day we ride to Agua Caliente.
"But tha's not moose-meat mushed them dogs on so fast an' trim to-day. No, sir. Tha's Jan bes' dog-musher in 'Merica to-day, now I'm tellin' you. He don' got Beel to upset things to-day, and, by gar! you see how he make them other dogs mush. You don't need no wheep, don't need no musher, so's you got Jan a-leadin', now I'm tellin' you."
He stood looking at the man, saw menace in his eyes, heard his voice, writhing in profane accusation: "So you've shot Beeg Beel, you tenderfoot !" said the man. His right hand was hooked in his cartridge belt, near the butt of his six-shooter.
Not that the thought was new, but sometimes old ideas strike one with new force. Sometimes a stream passing through the flat Bengal country encounters a stretch of low land and spreads out into a sheet of water, called a beel, of indefinite extent, ranging from a large pool in the dry season to a shoreless expanse during the rains.
"Sure, he was good dog, very good dog; by gar! yes," agreed Jean. "But thees Jan, hee's best of all dogs. No good for Beel to fight heem. Only he was too blame full o' moose-meat, he don' lose no blood to Beel, you bet. That why Beel he don' eat las' night. Seeck? No. He too cunning, that Beel."
See that, an' thees. Look that ear. See thees shoulder. By gar! that Beel he fight good an' hard. But when he fight Jan, tha's the feenish for Beel." Jake and Jean together made the best job they could of patching up Jan's wounds a little against the frost and the rub of trace and breast-band. "Good dog, too, that blame Bill," mused Jake.
They were very kind to me. This is one of them." The flashing eyes of the entire party were turned upon Peter Davidson, who, however, had presence of mind enough to gaze at the cloudless heavens with immovable solemnity and abstraction. "There are two others, whom I look upon as sons. One is named Arch-ee; the other Leetil Beel.
Mosquitoes swarm over the still waters.... We start again at dawn this morning and pass through Kachikata, where the waters of the beel find an outlet in a winding channel only six or seven yards wide, through which they rush swiftly. To get our unwieldy house-boat through is indeed an adventure.
"He is not young. He is fifty years old in wisdom. He is very strong for his size, and he is willing, which makes his strength double." "But he will never consent to leave Little Bill," said Dan. "Okematan had fears of that," returned the Indian, with, for the first time, a look of perplexity on his face. "If Arch-ee will not go without Leetle Beel, Leetle Beel must go too."
They could see poor Blackfoot's bleeding hocks: "We got to call heem Redleg soon. Damn that Beel!" but they could not see Bill's continuous crafty incitements to mutiny, or the hundred and one ways in which he strove, when out of harness, to work up hatred of Jan among his mates, or when in harness to play subtle tricks which should produce an effect discreditable to the new leader.
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