she demanded.

Constance nodded.

"Black bear geeve um dis."

"Black bear!" queried Constance in surprise, not knowing that this was
the most offensive epithet in the Tukudh vocabulary.

Again the old woman chuckled and grinned, exhibiting her toothless
gums. Then she arose, and drawing close to Constance, pointed in the
direction of the miners' cabins, while a fierce look came into her
wrinkled face.

"There, there!" she cried. "Him there. Bad man. Black bear, ugh!"

"Who is he? Tell me his name," replied Constance, shrinking back
involuntarily from the excited creature before her.

"No, me no savvy."

"What, don't know his name?"

"Me no savvy."

"But how did the chief get this picture?"

The old woman looked at her silently for a while, as if collecting her
thoughts. Then, in broken English, she told her tale of the mean trick
which had been imposed upon them. So vivid was the description that
Constance knew it could be Pritchen and no one else. It came to her
with a shock, for she feared him more than all the others, and somehow
she felt that he was responsible for all the trouble which had taken
place. How could she go to him and ask him what he knew? Would he not
only laugh at her?

At length, sick at heart, she arose to go. Before leaving, however,
she shook hands with the chief, and turning to his wife, said:

"I want to thank the chief for giving medicine to heal my father."

"You fadder?" asked the woman in surprise.

"Yes, the missionary got it. My father was very sick, and it made him
better. You tell chief that?"

"Me tell um by um by. Me glad." Suddenly she added: "You all same
Clistin?"

"What?" and Constance looked her surprise.

"You all same Clistin? You pray?"

"Oh, yes, I pray, and try to be a Christian."

"You fadder all same Clistin?"

"Yes."

"Good. Me glad."

Then she added: "White man all Clistin?"

"No," answered Constance doubtfully.

"Some bad man Clistin, eh?"

This was certainly puzzling, and, receiving no reply, the native
continued:

"Clistin burn mission house, eh?"

"No, no! A Christian would not do that. Only bad men. But look, all
the men over there are not bad."

"Some good, eh?"

"Yes."

"Umph!" grunted the old woman, as she went back to her position on the
floor, and continued her bead work.

As Constance left the lodge, she was surprised to find how dark it was.
She had not noticed how the time had passed so intent