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Then, very slowly inch by inch, as though afraid of awakening a sleeping person, he lowered himself to the ground. When he turned toward the young hunters it was with an expression that Rod had never seen upon Mukoki's face before. "What is it, Mukoki?" The old Indian gasped, as if for fresh air. "Cabin she filled with twent' t'ousand dead men!" he replied.
"That cabin more'n' twent' t'ous'nd year old!" There was an awesome ring in his voice. Rod understood, and clutched Wabi's arm. In an instant he thought of the other old cabin, in which they had found the skeletons. They had repaired that cabin and had passed the winter in it, and they knew that it had been built half a century or more before. But this cabin was beyond repair.
"Da men to taka your job come to-night on da Nomber Twent'. I hava da plan. "You alla know da old track dat turn off alonga da riv' to da old brick-yard? Well, hunerd yard from da main line da old track she washed away. We will turn da old switch, Nomber Twent' she run on da old track an' swoosh! Into da riv'!" Run No. 20 into the river! Alex almost cried aloud.
"Ugh!" shuddered the white youth. "Let's talk of something more cheerful. What a glorious fire that poplar makes!" "Mak' light more as twent' t'ous'nd candles!" agreed Mukoki. "Heem bright!" "Once upon a time, many ages ago, there was a great chief in this country," began Wabigoon, "and he had seven beautiful daughters.
But Tony quickly added: "An' no one else be kill buta da strike-break'. No odder peoples on da Nomber Twent' disa day at night. An' da trainmen dey alla have plent' time to jomp. "Only da men wat steala your job," he repeated craftily. And with a sinking heart Alex saw that the rest of the easily excitable foreigners had been won. Again he moved back out of sight. Something must be done!
"He is too anxious to become Minnetaki's slave again, Rod. No, Muky won't go, I'll wager that. He will stay at the Post to see that she doesn't get lost, or hurt, or stolen by the Woongas. Eh, Mukoki?" Mukoki nodded, grinning good-humoredly. He went to the door, opened it and looked out. "Devil she snow!" he cried. "She snow like twent' t'ousand like devil!"
But he would hurry. He was the first to get through with breakfast, the first to set to work among the dogs, and when Mukoki started out at the head of the team through the forest he was close beside him, urging him to greater speed by his own endeavors. "How far are we from the camp, Mukoki?" he asked. "Four hour twent' mile," replied the old pathfinder. "Twenty miles.
Lil fire two lil fire twent lil fire," he cried, excitedly. "'Mell um cook suffum. Come 'long, Mass' George, I dreffle hungly."
River run lak twent' t'ous'nd cari-boo!" "I'll bet the Ombabika is a raging torrent," said Rod. "And we've got forty miles of it, all upstream," replied Wabi. "Then we come to the Height of Land. After that the streams run northward, to Hudson Bay, and when we reach them we'll hold our breath and pray instead of paddling. Oh, it will be exciting fun rushing down-stream on the floods!"
He hooked his forefinger in the pocket of my army-shirt, led me to one side, and breathed in my ear impressively these words: "He can out-buck anything in America!" "Going, going, going at twent ty four dollars and a half, gen " "Twenty-seven!" I shouted, in a frenzy. "And sold!" said the auctioneer, and passed over the Genuine Mexican Plug to me. I could scarcely contain my exultation.
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