pointing to the
children, showed clearly that they wished to cut their career short
without delay, but several of the more sedate members of the party
evidently objected to this. Finally, Hawk turned to Roy, and said
something to him in the Indian tongue.

Roy did not understand, and attempted to say so as well as he could by
signs, and the use of the few words of the Cree language which his
father had taught him. In the course of his speech (if we may use that
term), he chanced to mention Wapaw's name.

"Ho! ho! ho!" said one and another of the Indians, while Hawk grinned
horribly.

A variety of questions were now put to poor Roy, who, not understanding,
of course could not answer them. Hawk, however, repeated Wapaw's name,
and pointed towards the Fort with a look of inquiry, to which Roy
replied by nodding his head and repeating "Wapaw" once or twice, also
pointing to the Fort; for he began to suspect these must be Wapaw's
comrades, who had come to search for him. He therefore volunteered a
little additional information by means of signs; rubbed his stomach,
looked dreadfully rueful, rolled himself as if in agony on the ground,
and then, getting up, pretended to eat and look happy! By all of which
he meant to show how that Wapaw had been on the borders of starvation,
but had been happily saved therefrom.

Indians in council might teach a useful lesson to our members of
parliament, for they witnessed this rather laughable species of
pantomime with profound gravity and silence. When Roy concluded, they
nodded their heads, and said, "Ho! ho!" which, no doubt, was equivalent
to "Hear hear!"

After a little more discussion they rose to depart, and made signs to
the children to get up and follow. Roy then pointed out the broken
state of his snow-shoe, but this difficulty was overcome by Hawk, who
threw it away, and made him put on his sister's snow-shoes. A stout
young warrior was ordered to take Nelly on his back, which he did
without delay, and the whole party left the encampment, headed by their
chief.

The children submitted cheerfully at first, under the impression that
the Indians meant to convey them to the Fort. Great, however, was their
horror when they were taken through the woods by a way which they knew
to be quite in the opposite direction.

When Roy saw this he stopped and looked back, but an Indian behind him
gave him a poke with the butt of his gun, which there was no resisting.
For a mome