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Updated: June 24, 2025
La Certe could not, dare not, face his wife without these articles. He pleaded earnestly. "Slowfoot is so clever wi' the needle," he said. "See! she send you a pair of moccasins." The wily man here drew from the breast of his capote a pair of beautifully made moccasins, soft as chamois leather, and richly ornamented with dyed quills of the porcupine.
"Make it six, and I will agree. And here is a pinch of snuff in to the bargain." He pulled out a box as he spoke, and opened it. "Ha!" said La Certe, helping himself. "I love snuff, and so does my wife. Do you not?" Slowfoot answered, "Hee! hee!" and helped herself to as much as a good broad finger and thumb could grasp, after which she sneezed with violence.
"Heel hee!" responded his wife, whose Indian name translated was Slowfoot, and might have been Slowtongue with equal propriety, for she was quite an adept at the art of silence. She frequently caused a giggle to do duty for speech. This suited her husband admirably, for he was fond of talking could tell a good story, sing a good song, and express his feelings in a good hearty laugh.
"That is true, my Slowfoot; and, do you know," he added, earnestly, "I have had hard work awfully hard work killing work since I have been away, yet it has not killed me. Perhaps you will doubt me when I tell you that I, too, rather like it!" "That is strange," said Slowfoot, with more of interest in her air than she had shown for many a day. "Why do you like it?"
Now, observe, if I did not seriously hold and practise the principle of honesty, I would have made the best of circumstances as I found them, and would have put the knife in my pocket instead of returning it to you." La Certe laughed, and Slowfoot said, "Hee! hee!" while the juvenile La Certe availed itself of the opportunity to draw the pipe gently from its father's hand and have a whiff.
But this did not content her lord, who, after repeated questions, and a threat to resort to extreme measures in case of continued refusal, drew from her a distinct answer. "Slowfoot knows that Cloudbrow killed Perrin." "Sh!" exclaimed La Certe, with a look of real concern, "I am not yet tired of you, Slowfoot; and if old McKay hears you say that he will shoot you."
"Nay, that would be requiting me ill returning evil for good to take the wind out of my sails and make my news stale," returned the Trader, with a good-natured laugh. "True, I did not think of that," said Dan. "Then we will say not a word about it until you arrive." "Yes, we will be dumb," added La Certe. "Even Slowfoot shall fail to drag it out of me!" And thus it was arranged.
Commercially speaking, however, they had some ground for satisfaction; for at that time the ordinary price of a catfish, which is a little larger than a haddock, was threepence. Awakening the juvenile La Certe to the blissful realisation that a good "square" meal was pending, Slowfoot ordered it to fill and light the pipe for the father, while she set about preparing the fish for supper.
"Well, then, he gave me this order for some supplies of powder and shot, twine and hooks, with some cloth, beads, and such like for Slowfoot." "That is very good of the Governor very considerate," said La Certe with a pleased look. "Very good," said Sutherland.
Duncan glanced suspiciously at Dan to see how he took the explanation as he returned the knife to Slowfoot, and Dan observed the glance, as being uncalled for unnatural in the circumstances. Dan was by no means of a suspicious nature, nevertheless the glance haunted him for many a day after that. Suspicion once aroused is a ghost which is not easily laid.
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