under which
their camp was pitched.

"Listen!" said Rob. "There's some one talking."

Alex nodded. They stepped up to the top of the bank and looked over.

XVII

THE YOUNG ALASKANS' "LOB-STICK"

They saw sitting near the fire three men beside Moise, all of them
Indians or half-breeds. They were all of them talking and laughing
eagerly, certainly not showing very much of the so-called Indian
reserve, at the time the hunters peered over at them. Yet occupied as
they were, their senses were always alert. One of them heard a twig
snap, and turned his face to the bank.

Alex said nothing, but kicked over the edge of the bank the big rolled
hide of the grizzly; after which, silently and with proper dignity,
all the hunters, old and young, advanced down the bank and across the
beach toward the fire. No one said anything until after the rifles
were all lined up against the blanket rolls and the pipes of the men
had been filled once more. Moise at length could be dignified no more,
and broke out into a loud series of French, English, and Cree terms,
all meant to express his delight and approval at the success of the
hunt. The three breeds also smiled broadly and nodded approvingly,
once in a while saying a word in their own tongue to one another. They
did not, however, seem to ask any questions regarding the hunt as yet.
Alex spoke a word or so to Moise.

"She's been my cousin," said Moise, pointing indifferently to all
three of the new-comers. He also pointed to their means of locomotion,
a long and risky looking dugout which lay at the beach.

"He'll gone on up the river," said Moise, "from Hudson's Hope."

"Well, when they go," said Alex, "I suppose you'll have to give them
something to eat, as you seem to be doing now. Only please don't part
with quite all our supplies--we're going to need a little tea and
flour for ourselves before we get out of here. You can tell these men
there's plenty of game in this part of the country, so they can easily
make a hunt if they like."

"Sure," said Moise, "I'll dream last night you'll catch grizzly this
time. But how we'll go to put heem in boat, _hein_? S'pose we put that
hide in canoe, she'll sink unless we eat up all the grub pile."

Alex told Moise to unroll the bear hide so that it might dry as much
as possible. He then set all of them at fleshing the hide, a task none
of them seemed to relish. Afterward, he also added some sort of
counsel in the Cree language w