drew away, saying that God and man had deserted her.... We had
breakfast, the chief and I. Afterwards, when the chief had eaten much
and was in good humour, I asked him where he had got the woman. He said
that he had found her on the plains she had lost her way. I told him
then that I wanted to buy her. He said to me, 'What does a priest want
of a woman?' I said that I wished to give her back to her husband. He
said that he had found her, and she was his, and that he would marry her
when they reached the great camp of the tribe. I was patient. It would
not do to make him angry. I wrote down on a piece of bark the things
that I would give him for her: an order on the Company at Fort o' Sin
for shot, blankets, and beads. He said no."

The priest paused. Bagot's face was all swimming with sweat, his body
was rigid, but the veins of his neck knotted and twisted.

"For the love of God, go on!" he said hoarsely. "Yes, 'for the love of
God.' I have no money, I am poor, but the Company will always honour my
orders, for I pay sometimes, by the help of Christ. Bien, I added some
things to the list: a saddle, a rifle, and some flannel. But no, he
would not. Once more I put many things down. It was a big bill--it would
keep me poor for five years.--To save your wife, John Bagot, you who
drove her from your door, blaspheming, and railing at such as I.... I
offered the things, and told him that was all that I could give. After
a little he shook his head, and said that he must have the woman for his
wife. I did not know what to add. I said--'She is white, and the white
people will never rest till they have killed you all, if you do this
thing. The Company will track you down.' Then he said, 'The whites must
catch me and fight me before they kill me.'... What was there to do?"

Bagot came near to the priest, bending over him savagely.

"You let her stay with them--you with hands like a man!"

"Hush!" was the calm, reproving answer. "I was one man, they were
twenty."

"Where was your God to help you, then?"

"Her God and mine was with me."

Bagot's eyes blazed. "Why didn't you offer rum--rum? They'd have done it
for that--one--five--ten kegs of rum!"

He swayed to and fro in his excitement, yet their voices hardly rose
above a hoarse whisper all the time. "You forget," answered the priest,
"that it is against the law, and that as a priest of my order, I am
vowed to give no rum to an Indian."

"A vow? A vow? Name of God! what