But Dick had sharp eyes; and soon he had
gained the knowledge that someone, he knew not who, was crouching on
the opposite side of the fire nearest his nest in the snow!

It was disturbing knowledge, for he knew it was not one of his
comrades; but no one could have accused Dick of physical cowardice, and
immediately he tiptoed round the fire to investigate, with a heart that
beat a little faster than usual.

The crouching figure glanced up at him with eyes that shone like a wild
animal's in the glow of the fire, and Dick, thrilling suddenly,
recognised Peter Many-Names.

The Indian did not give him the usual greeting, but remained crouched
as he was, staring across the fire into the black mystery of the
forest. His dark face was shaken with some strange excitement, and his
eyes gleamed green like a wolfs behind their grey. He seemed to be in
one of those states of wild exaltation to which his race is liable; and
as he crouched there, he rocked himself backwards and forwards in a
sort of ecstasy.

"I-i-o-i-o-o, I-i-o, I-o-o, I-e-e!" he crooned over and over again, and
at each repetition his eyes shone more wildly. He seemed unconscious
of Dick's presence after the first glance, and gave himself up to his
own mad mood and the odd charm of his wild chant.

Dick's nerves tingled. There seemed to be some curious rhythmic
infection in the whole unexpected performance. The rocking, the
swaying, the subdued, incessant crooning were fascinating him, just as
they might fascinate and excite a young brave at his antelope dances.
After a few minutes he fancied he felt his own senses urging him to
join in the monotonous, mesmeric swaying, the soft barbaric chant.

The suggestion fairly frightened him, and he dropped his hand heavily
on the Indian's shoulder.

Peter sprang to his feet, his eyes still glittering with that strange
excitement. For a moment he was silent. Then he flung out his arm,
lean, brown, circled with savage ornaments--flung it out with a wild
gesture to the north, and began to speak.

[Illustration: "HE FLUNG OUT HIS ARM, CIRCLED WITH SAVAGE
ORNAMENTS--FLUNG IT OUT WITH A WILD GESTURE, AND BEGAN TO SPEAK."]

He spoke in his own tongue, deep-noted, musical almost as Greek, and
though the English boy, standing white-faced and motionless in the glow
of the fire, did not understand one word in twenty, there was no need
to ask the meaning.

Many have borne witness to the marvellous charm of Indian or