ou can handle a spade and crowbar, and live on dessicated
sawdust and tinned whale, you can take the shooting job on instanter.
There's a good two weeks' work for you afterwards. Only start on
Koppy. Eh, how's it look to you?"

"No pay Indian," repeated the Indian.

"There's a sting in the tail somewhere," Torrance muttered to his
foreman. "Either he wants my calabash pipe, or he plans to land his
whole family of papooses on my breakfast table while he's on the job.
And their annual bath may be eleven months back. Go on, Chief, what's
the answer?"

"Indian no work with P'lice."

"I don't ask you to--I don't want you to."

"Call off P'lice, then Indian find out everything."

"Mm-m! So that's the cue?" He turned his back to look meaningly at
Conrad. "You want the Police called off, eh?"

"Indian no can work with P'lice."

The redskin went through exaggerated motions of peering about, his
moccasins scraping noisily on the floor. Torrance began to understand.

"I see. The Police give the show away by snooping too much?"

"P'lice lookin'--bohunk good," grunted the Indian. "Nothin' doin'.
Indian watchin'--bohunk not know."

"If I could I'd do what you want, but I'm not the Commissioner. Just
the same, I'll put it to them. If they bother you, truss 'em up--only
don't say I advised it, or leave me your widow to look after. By the
way, where is she? Tressa wants to talk the latest prairie styles with
her, and how to cure freckles. But come on into the sitting room and
be comfortable."

He started for the front room, pushing the others ahead of him.
Turning at the door to throw another banter at his guest, he faced an
empty kitchen.

"By gad! There he goes again!" He went into the sitting room and sat
down with a loud sigh. "That fellow can't even leave like a civilised
being, and he don't come like one. He gets on my nerves. I don't know
whether it's best to go down with the trestle with a knife in my
gizzard, or to die of that spooky feeling nobody's ever invented a
patent medicine for since Peruna."

Sergeant Mahon heard the Indian's curious demand with a calmness that
surprised even himself. As for Torrance, he was completely bewildered.

"I suppose it sounded fishy to you," Mahon reflected. "I don't quite
understand why it doesn't to me--except that we've found no reason yet
to suspect him. . . . Wish I could talk with him."

"You kick around here for a day or two; he's sure to tu