t be over-particular in the wilderness, they had long
since discovered.

They learned that the Delawares had caught the fish with hooks made of
bones--evidently small wish-bones, and readily saw how they could make
just such hooks for themselves.

Capt. Pipe himself had received the boys, and it was in his lodge that
they were eating. He sat nearby gravely smoking his pipe, seldom speaking
except when spoken to. Gentle Maiden, the chief's comely daughter, was
sitting in a pleasant, sunny place just outside the bark hut, sewing with
a coarse bone needle, on some sort of a frock, the cloth for which was
from the bolt her father had secured from the young traders.

"Pretty as a picture, isn't she?" John whispered, glancing toward the
Indian girl. "Honestly, I never saw a white person more beautiful."

Ree made no reply, for at that moment Big Buffalo put his head into the
lodge. The boys had not seen him since early winter and both arose to
greet him; but he ignored their action, and pausing only a second, strode
haughtily away.

"What does that mean?" John asked in surprise.

"Has the Big Buffalo cause to be unfriendly?" inquired Ree of Capt. Pipe,
wishing to call the chief's attention to the Indian's apparent
hostility.

"Buffalo heap big fool," Capt. Pipe grunted, and then in the Delaware
tongue he spoke to his daughter, and she arose and took a seat inside the
lodge, behind her father.

This incident filled Ree with misgiving though he was not sure enough
that he had cause for such feeling to mention it at that time. John was
differently impressed.

"Why," he exclaimed, "Big Buffalo is on a mighty high horse to-day! He
acts like a child that has been told it must wait till second table at a
dinner! I wonder if there is any love lost between him and the Gentle
Maiden?" he added in a whisper.

Ree did not answer, but now that they had finished dinner, signified
their wish to talk to Capt. Pipe about buying a canoe.

The chief said he would make a trade with them and asked what the boys
had to give. In return they asked to see the craft he proposed swapping,
and were then conducted to a hillside where a canoe had but recently been
dug out of the dry muck and earth in which it was buried over winter to
save it from drying, cracking or warping.

Ree and John examined the frail boat of bitter-nut hickory bark, with
much interest. It was about eleven feet in length, well constructed, and
water-tight. With it we