oots. See? Give you some bully
tabak if you'll do that for Nig. Hein?"

She nodded at last, and made a queer wheezy sound, whether friendly
laughing or pure scorn, the Boy wasn't sure. But she set about the
task.

"Come 'long, Nig," he whispered. "You just see if I don't shoe my
little horse." And he sneaked back to bed, comfortable in the assurance
that the Colonel was asleep. Nig came walking after his friend straight
over people's heads.

One of the children sat up and whimpered. The Colonel growled sleepily.

"You black devil!" admonished the Boy under his breath. "Look what
you're about. Come here, sir." He pushed the devil down between the
sleeping-bag and the nearest baby.

The Colonel gave a distinct grunt of disapproval, and then, "Keepin'
that brute in here?"

"He's a lot cleaner than our two-legged friends," said the Boy sharply,
as if answering an insult.

"Right," said the Colonel with conviction.

His pardner was instantly mollified. "If you wake another baby, you'll
get a lickin'," he said genially to the dog; and then he stretched out
his feet till they reached Nig's back, and a feeling of great comfort
came over the Boy.

"Say, Colonel," he yawned luxuriously, "did you know
that--a--to-night--when Nig flared up, did you know you'd trodden on
his paw?"

"Didn't know it till you told me," growled the Colonel.

"I thought you didn't. Makes a difference, doesn't it?"

"You needn't think," says the Colonel a little defiantly, "that I've
weakened on the main point just because I choose to give Nig a few
cracker crumbs. If it's a question between a man's life and a dog's
life, only a sentimental fool would hesitate."

"I'm not talking about that; we can get fish now. What I'm pointin' out
is that Nig didn't fly at you for nothin'."

"He's got a devil of a temper, that dog."

"It's just like Nicholas of Pymeut said." The Boy sat up, eager in his
advocacy and earnest as a judge. "Nicholas of Pymeut said: 'You treat a
Siwash like a heathen, and he'll show you what a hell of a heathen he
can be.'"

"Oh, go to sleep."

"I'm goin', Colonel."

CHAPTER XVI

MINOOK

"For whatever... may come to pass, it lies with me to have it serve
me."--EPICTETUS.

The Indians guided them back to the trail. The Colonel and the Boy made
good speed to Novikakat, laid in supplies at Korkorines, heard the
first doubtful account of Minook at Tanana, and pushed on. Past camps
Stoneman and Woodworth, w