es sufficed to make him feel at ease.

George and Victor called all their knowledge of Blackfoot into use, but
they could not think of a word that was intelligible to the youngster,
nor could they induce him to speak. He held his forefinger between his
lips, shook his head now and then, and glanced slyly from one boy to
the other, evidently well pleased but still embarrassed and a little
distrustful.

Victor suddenly crossed over to where most of the contents of the pack
carried by Zigzag had been laid out. Among these were several gaudy
trinkets brought all the way from Woodvale and carefully reserved for
special use. From the lot he took a string of bright crimson, blue and
green beads, strung upon a linen thread, the loop being long enough to
slip over the black crown and leave the lower part resting in all its
dazzling beauty on the breast of the lad.

You cannot imagine the wonder and delight of the dusky urchin. For a
few seconds he seemed too overcome to speak, and hardly breathed. He
looked down at the glittering string, then drew his forefinger from
between his lips and gingerly caressed the prize. Growing bolder, he
raised the loop to his mouth as if to taste it. Pressing one of the
beads with his even white teeth, the tiny glass snapped into fragments,
some of which flew several feet away. The youngster was startled and
glanced up at Victor, as if expecting a reproof.

The lad pleasantly shook his head to signify that the present did not
form a staple article of food, and then the urchin slipped off the pile
of furs and stood upon his sturdy legs. Looking gratefully up at the
paleface he lifted the string over his head and handed the beads back
to Victor. The latter took them from his hand and immediately slipped
them about his neck again, thus showing that they belonged to the
caller. Then the little one broke into grateful laughter, ran to the
door, thrust aside the flap, and was gone.

"You couldn't have hit upon a better name than 'Smiler,'" said George
Shelton, much amused by the peculiar visit they had received.

"Did you ever see one with so broad a grin? My only fear is that the
other chaps will be jealous of him and expect us to give them presents,
too. We haven't enough to go a tenth of the way round; but I couldn't
refuse that codger."

The caller had not been gone two minutes when Mul-tal-la came in,
bringing with him some buffalo meat that he had procured from a
neighbor. It was uncooked,