d many portions of the west are often swept by what are termed
"northers" during the warm season. These winds are accompanied by such
cutting cold that people and animals often perish, the suddenness of
the visitation shutting them out from securing refuge.

Red Feather offered his blanket to Dot, but she shook her head. "It's
too dirty," she said, noticing the soot which the owner did not seem to
mind; "I can use a blanket from the bed, for mamma did not take them all
with her."

Had Melville suspected the thought in the mind of his little sister, he
would have checked its utterance through fear of offending the
chieftain, but there was no need of that: one of the impossibilities was
for Dot to hurt his feelings.

The next most interesting event was the second failure of the Sioux to
set fire to the house. This was singular, for there seemed no reason why
they should not have succeeded with such facilities at command.

The barn burned so readily that long before dusk it was reduced to a
mass of smoking ruins.

From these, it would have appeared, enough brands could have been
collected to make a bonfire of the structure.

Several of the Sioux gathered fuel at one corner of the building, and
made an attempt to fire it. The sounds which reached those within left
no doubt of what was going on, and you may be sure they listened with
anxiety.

It was while matters were in this critical shape that Melville put the
direct question to Red Feather as to what he would do in the event of
the house being fired. The chieftain replied that, when he saw there was
no saving the building, he intended to take Dot in his arms and walk out
of the door among his own warriors. The lad was to follow immediately,
and he would insist that the lives of the children should be spared
because of the promise made by him to them.

Pressed further, the chief admitted that the plan was likely to be only
partially successful. He was confident he could save Dot, because of her
sex and years; but there was little hope for Melville. Unless prevented
by the care of the little girl, Red Feather was willing to join in the
fight which the youth would have to make for his life with scarcely an
earthly prospect of winning.

But the attempt to fire the log structure came to naught, and, strangest
of all, the Sioux gave it up--at least for a time, for it would have
been contrary to Indian nature had they abandoned the effort to destroy
their enemies so