skins to ease his rheumatics, while, spread out before him, were a
number of charms and much "med'cine," which had been so set by his wise
men to alleviate his ailments. In the centre of the throng a fire
smouldered, and the smoke therefrom rose sullenly upon the dense air and
drifted out through a hole in the flat roof. Man-of-the-Snow-Hill
blinked his watery eyes as the strangers entered, and passed his pipe to
his favourite squaw, a buxom, sleepy-eyed beauty who sat upon his right.
Then he grunted intelligently as he saw the visitors deposit their pile
of presents upon the floor, and, in the manner of the neche, seat
themselves beside it.

Ralph spoke his greeting in Indian fashion.

"How," he said.

"How!" replied Man-of-the-Snow-Hill, in a thin, reedy voice. And his
followers echoed the sentiment in chorus.

Then the aged chief held out his hand in further greeting. And each
neche in turn shook the white men by the hand.

The visitors filled and lighted their pipes, and passed their plugs of
tobacco to the others. Then Ralph began to speak in Cree.

"We come far to speak with Man-of-the-Snow-Hill," he began.

The watery-eyed chief shook his head, grunting. The squaws laughed, and
the med'cine-men closed their eyes in sign of not understanding the
tongue in which he spoke. Then a young chief harangued his comrades. He
could understand the tongue and would interpret. The old chief nodded
approval and continued to gaze greedily at the presents.

Now the conversation proceeded quite smoothly.

"We wish to speak with the great Man-of-the-Snow-Hill in private," Ralph
said. "We have much to say, and many presents."

The chief blinked with satisfaction, and grunted appreciation. His lined
face lit up. He waved one shaking arm and his followers reluctantly
departed. All except the interpreter and the chief squaw.

Then Ralph went on. Nick had care of the presents, and on him the
cunning old chief kept his eyes. He opened a large bag of beads and
emptied some on a spread of cheap print. The squaw's eyes smiled
greedily.

"We wish the great chief well," said Ralph, using all the flowery
embellishments of the Cree tongue, "and we would live in peace. We have
tobacco, beads, skins, prints, and blankets. And we would lay them all
at the feet of the great man, the mighty hunter, if he would help us to
find that which we seek."

Ralph signed to his brother and Nick laid out an array of presents and
passed them wi