had he
not at one time been with the company as a hired hunter? Had he not once
gone with a fur-carrying party even to Hudson's Bay, and thence to the
far south and even to Quebec? And did he not know the ways of the
company, and could not he talk a French patois which enabled him to be
understood at the stations? Now, as fitting representative of himself
and of his clan, a great responsibility had come upon him, and he was
lost in as anxious thought as could come to a biped of his quality.

Like a more or less benevolent devil-fish, the Hudson Bay Company has
ever reached out its tentacles for new territory where furs abound. Such
a region once discovered, a great log house is built there, and furs are
bought from the Indians who hunt within the adjacent region. This is, of
course, a vast convenience for the Indians, who are thus enabled to
exchange their winter catch of peltries for what they need, without a
journey of sometimes hundreds of miles to the nearest trading post.
Hence, under the wise treatment of Indians by the British, there has
long been competition between separate Indian bands to secure the
location of a new post within their own territory. Thus came the strait
of Red Dog. A new post had been decided upon, but there was doubt at
company headquarters as to whether it should be at Red Dog's point or a
hundred miles to the westward, where, it was asserted by Little Peter,
head man of a tribe there, the creeks were fairly clogged with otter,
the woods were swarming with silver foxes and sable, and as for moose,
they were thick as were once the buffalo to the south. Red Dog had told
his own story as well, but the factor at the post toward Fort Defiance
was still undecided. He had told Red Dog and his rival that he would
decide the matter the coming spring when they came down the river with
their furs for the spring trading. The best fur region was what he
sought. He would decide the matter from the relative quality of the
catch.

So Red Dog had hunted and trapped vigorously, and would ordinarily have
been satisfied with the outcome, for his band had found one of the best
fur-bearing regions of the river valley, and the new post was deserved
there upon its merits. This, however, the factor did not know. The issue
depended upon the relatively good showing made by Red Dog and Little
Peter. Despite his name, Little Peter was a full-blooded Indian and like
Red Dog, he was shrewd.

Red Dog smoked long, and t