d away quantities of
powder and bullets and tobacco, and other things appertaining to the
comfort of the North-western Indian. In place of her cloak of furs
Bigbeam wore a blanket so gorgeous of coloring that even the brilliantly
hued wood ducks envied her as they swept by overhead. In the bottom of
the canoe lay Red Dog. He had secured more whisky, and was as the dead
who know not. He would awake on the morrow with a headache, perhaps, but
with a proud consciousness that he had accomplished the feat of a
statesman for himself and for his band. Bigbeam rowed steadily toward
home, crooning some barbarous old half-song of her race. She was very
happy.

MARKHAM'S EXPERIENCE

Markham awoke late for the simple reason that it had been nearly morning
when he went to bed. He awoke lying flat upon his back, and looked up
dreamily at the pattern on the ceiling It was unfamiliar and that set
his mind at work, and gradually he recognized where he was and why he
was there. He reasoned idly that it must be as late as ten o'clock in
the forenoon, and knew that by reaching out his arm he could open the
shutter of the hotel window, admitting the sunlight and affording a view
over the park and the blue lake, but he was laggard about it. There was
a pleasure in debating the matter with himself. He could hear bells, the
whistling of steamers and locomotives, the rumble of carriages and the
murmur which comes from many distant voices. He recognized that another
day in a great city was fairly on, and that the thousands were in motion
while he lay listless.

He forgot the sounds and thought about himself. He acknowledged, though
with a certain lenience of judgment, the absurdity of being where he
was. He should have shown more resolve, he admitted, at 2 A.M., and have
gone to his lodgings, a mile or so away. But he had been doing good work
the night before; that, at least, should, he felt, be counted to his
credit. Payne had come on from Washington with a duty of moment to
perform, and had called upon Markham to assist him. Years had passed
since they had worked together and it was a pleasure to renew the
combination. How well they understood each other's methods, and how
easily confident they felt united! They had been dilatory with what they
had to accomplish, so self-conscious of their force were they, and had
justified themselves gracefully in the event. They had strolled forth
after their labor, the last dispatch sent, had smo