d in this part, too?" questioned Tad.

"Yes, there's gold everywhere. You can go down and pan out gold in the
black sands on the beach here. But what's the use? There is more money
to be made in other ways in this country, unless you are lucky enough to
strike it rich before you have spent a fortune locating the claim."

"Where you go?" demanded Anvik.

"North. Northwest from here. We want to get into the wildest of the
country and we don't want to get lost."

"Me no lose. Mebby me find gold, uh!"

"We are not looking for gold," replied the Professor.

"We are always looking for gold," corrected Stacy. "If you know where
there is gold you just lead me to it and I'll be your brother for life."

"Me show."

"I take back all I said about this gentleman," announced Chunky. "If the
half that he says is true, he is worth several times the price he asks."

"How much does he ask?" inquired Rector.

"I don't know," replied the fat boy. "He's cheap at the price, anyway."

"When you mush?" demanded Anvik.

"We don't have mush. We have bacon and beans, and tin biscuit and
coffee, and plenty of other things, but no mush," answered the
Professor.

The store-keeper laughed heartily.

"He doesn't mean something to eat. Mush means march or move, a
corruption of the French-Canadian 'marche.' He means when are you going
to set out."

"Oh!" exclaimed the Professor.

"I thought you were an Indian, Professor?" said Tad laughingly. "I guess
if we depend upon you for interpreter we shall get left."

"Of course I don't understand this jargon."

"Of course you don't," agreed Butler.

"I doubt if any other persons do outside of the locality itself. You see
this jargon is purely local and--"

"That's what the doctor said about a pain I had once," interjected
Stacy. "But it hurt just the same."

"Anvik, we would like to start this afternoon, if you are ready,"
announced the Professor.

The Indian shook his head.

"No mush to-day. Mush to-mollel."

"Why not to-day?"

"Innua him angry to-day."

"Who is Innua?" demanded the Professor, bristling. "We do not care who
is angry. That has nothing to do with us."

"He means the mountain spirits," explained the store-keeper.

"Eh?" questioned Chunky. "Mountain spirits?"

"He means spirits in the air," explained Butler. "We are not afraid of
spirits, Anvik."

"Anvik no like."

"How do you know Innua is abroad?" asked the Professor, now curious to
know more of the nati