e Raven, he
stigmatized Mackenzie as the Wolf, the fighting and the destructive
principle. Not only was the combat of these forces spiritual, but men
fought, each to his totem. They were the children of Jelchs, the Raven,
the Promethean fire-bringer; Mackenzie was the child of the Wolf, or in
other words, the Devil. For them to bring a truce to this perpetual
warfare, to marry their daughters to the arch-enemy, were treason and
blasphemy of the highest order. No phrase was harsh nor figure vile
enough in branding Mackenzie as a sneaking interloper and emissary of
Satan. There was a subdued, savage roar in the deep chests of his
listeners as he took the swing of his peroration.

'Aye, my brothers, Jelchs is all-powerful! Did he not bring
heaven-borne fire that we might be warm? Did he not draw the sun, moon,
and stars, from their holes that we might see? Did he not teach us that
we might fight the Spirits of Famine and of Frost? But now Jelchs is
angry with his children, and they are grown to a handful, and he will
not help.

'For they have forgotten him, and done evil things, and trod bad
trails, and taken his enemies into their lodges to sit by their fires.
And the Raven is sorrowful at the wickedness of his children; but when
they shall rise up and show they have come back, he will come out of
the darkness to aid them. O brothers! the Fire-Bringer has whispered
messages to thy Shaman; the same shall ye hear. Let the young men take
the young women to their lodges; let them fly at the throat of the
Wolf; let them be undying in their enmity! Then shall their women
become fruitful and they shall multiply into a mighty people! And the
Raven shall lead great tribes of their fathers and their fathers'
fathers from out of the North; and they shall beat back the Wolves till
they are as last year's campfires; and they shall again come to rule
over all the land! 'Tis the message of Jelchs, the Raven.' This
foreshadowing of the Messiah's coming brought a hoarse howl from the
Sticks as they leaped to their feet. Mackenzie slipped the thumbs of
his mittens and waited. There was a clamor for the 'Fox,' not to be
stilled till one of the young men stepped forward to speak.

'Brothers! The Shaman has spoken wisely. The Wolves have taken our
women, and our men are childless. We are grown to a handful. The Wolves
have taken our warm furs and given for them evil spirits which dwell in
bottles, and clothes which come not from the beaver