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At the time the shot was heard, the self-indulgent half-breed was inside, recumbent on his back in the enjoyment of a pipe. "That's odd," he said to Slowfoot, who was seated opposite to her lord scraping the remnants of something out of a tin kettle with the point of a scalping-knife. "Somebody's gun gone off by accident, I suppose. I hear some one at our fire.
"Can Slowfoot not guess?" he asked, after attending to a hopeful nibble, which came to nothing. "Slowfoot need not guess; she knows," said the woman with an air of great mystery. "What does Slowfoot know?" The woman's answer to this was a look of exceeding slyness.
Look out, Slowfoot, and ask what has happened." Slowfoot finished the scraping of the kettle before obeying; then lifted the curtain that closed the opening of their tent, and peeped out. "It is Kateegoose loading his gun, I think." La Certe got up, with a sigh of regret at the necessity for exertion, and, lifting the curtain-door, stepped out. "What are they firing at, Kateegoose?"
"Domestic infelicity," answered La Certe, with a sorrowful shake of the head. "What! surely Slowfoot has not taken to being unkind to you?" "O no! Slowfoot could not be unkind, but she is unhappy; she has lost her cheerful looks; she does not take everything as she once did; she does not now let everything go anyhow with that cheerful resignation which was once her delightful characteristic.
Wheeling round, he stood face to face with Slowfoot, whose mouth was expanded from ear to ear. "Clever boy!" she said, patting him on the back, "come into the tent and have some grub." She said this in the Cree language, which the boy did not understand, but he understood well enough the signs with which the invitation was accompanied.
"Game to fight!" echoed the other "to fight for my Slowfoot, my little one, my smoke, and my repo I mean my my new " "Speak lower, man, and listen to a plan I have in my head." Here Dan spoke so low that he could not be heard at all, save only by his companion; but that is of little consequence, for the plan, whatever it might have been, was never carried out.
"It will never be more peaceable as long as there are two rival companies fighting for the furs," said Davidson; "but there's worse than that goin' on, for some of the Indians, it seems, are mad at the agreement made between them and Lord Selkirk." "Wow! that iss a peety. Where heard ye that?" "I heard it from La Certe, whose wife Slowfoot, you know, is a Cree Indian.
"Yes, it will be hard for the poor boys who have gone to the plains, the weather is so awful, to say nothing of the women." "Ho," replied Slowfoot though what she meant to express by this no mortal knows nor, perhaps, cares.
Like many too many people, they were incapable of being impressed very deeply through their ears, but could be keenly touched through the eyes. No sooner did they behold the condition of Fergus who was well-known to them than they dropped their apathetic characters as though they had been garments. In her haste Slowfoot let fall her pipe, which broke to atoms on the floor but she heeded it not.
"I think he will agree to lend it next time I go to him," said La Certe, hopefully. "He will give in," replied Slowfoot, decidedly. The four-year-old could not understand the subject, and made no comment; but it howled for another smoke, and got it. La Certe was wrong, and his wife was right as usual.
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