ught to get
you one of those knives each before you leave the country. That's what
we call a crooked knife--you see, the end of the blade is turned up."

"How do you use that sort of thing?" asked John, curiously.

"As any native Injun always uses a knife," rejoined Alex. "You see how
the handle is put on--well, an Injun never whittles away from him, but
always pulls the knife toward him. You'll see, too, that he never
sharpens a blade on both sides, but puts all the bevel on one
side--look at my big hunting-knife here--it's only sharpened on one
side, and the other is perfectly flat."

"Well, what makes Indians do that way?" asked John, wonderingly.

"I don't know," said Alex, "except that they always have done so. You
see, they use files rather than whetstones to sharpen their tools.
Maybe they find it easier to put on an edge in this way. Anyhow, if an
Injun is making a canoe or a pair of snowshoes, or doing any other
whittling work, you will see him use one of these crooked knives, and
he'll always whittle toward him, with his thumb out at the end of the
handle. I don't know who first invented these crooked knives,"
continued Alex, musingly, "but they've always been that way since my
father can remember. As to this big buffalo knife, I suppose the
Northwest Company or the Hudson Bay people invented that. They've been
selling them in the trade for a hundred and fifty years or so."

"I suppose each country has its own tools and its own ways," ventured
Rob.

"Precisely."

"I've been told," Rob went on, "that that's the way the Chinese use a
knife or a saw--they pull it to them instead of pushing it away."

"Well," said Alex, smiling, "some people say that all of us Injuns
came across the narrow salt water far to the northwest. You know, too,
don't you, that the Crees call themselves the First People?"

"They certainly were first in here," assented Rob; "and, as we've said
before, it's hardly fair to call any white man a real discoverer--all
this country was known long before a white man ever set foot in it."

XIII

THE CARIBOU HUNT

The supply of mountain mutton had lessened with alarming rapidity in
this open-air work, which tends to give any man or boy a strong
appetite. Moise looked rather ruefully at the few pieces which he
still had hanging on his meat line near the camp.

"I'll tol' you this sheep she's getting mighty scarce now pretty soon
before long," said he.

"Why not make a hunt, A