out how Louis Riel fought the whites.

"He said that Louis Riel would be the king of this country to-day if he
had not gone crazy. He used to ask Watusk how he would like to be a
king. He used to flatter Watusk and tell him he was a great chief.

"He explained to Watusk how he could kill a whole army of the whites if
he could lead them into the little valley beyond the Kakisa."

A gasp of astonishment escaped the court. In almost every sentence of
Colina's there was the material of a fresh sensation.

Ambrose lifted his head, and a little color came back to his cheeks.
Whether or not it saved him in the end, it was sweet to hear himself
justified.

Colina continued: "Nesis said that Watusk often complained to Mr.
Strange that my father was always making the goods dearer and the fur
cheaper. Mr. Strange told him to wait a little while and he would see
great changes.

"Pretty soon things would get so bad, he explained, that the Company
would take John Gaviller away and make him the trader. He told Watusk
to wait until the grain was thrashed next year, meaning last summer,
and there would be great trouble.

"He said if Watusk did everything he told him he would make Watusk a
great man. At different times he gave Watusk presents--silk
handkerchiefs, finger rings, pistols, a sword. By and by he said he
would make Watusk great presents.

"Nesis's story then jumped to the time, last summer, when Watusk and
many of the people rode into Fort Enterprise to get flour," Colina went
on. "In the mean time Ambrose Doane had been to Enterprise, and had
gone away again to get an outfit.

"My father refused to give the Indians any flour because they had been
trading with his competitor. The Indians were angry, Nesis said, and
Watusk was scared. One night Gordon Strange came to see Watusk, and
Nesis listened outside the teepee.

"She said Strange said to Watusk to let the Indians get mad. Strange
said he wanted to have trouble. There was talk of burning the store
then. Strange said that would fix John Gaviller, all right. He told
Watusk that the police would let the people off easily because, as he
said, my father had treated them so badly."

Colina drew a long breath to steady herself. "They talked about the
chances of my father's dying," she went on. "He was very sick at that
time. Mr. Strange suggested to Watusk that it wouldn't take much to
finish him. They both laughed at that.

"He told Watusk that i