t it up
to her. She'll understand."

"No use stoppin'," said Musq'oosis. "Bela send me up road tell you not
stop to-night."

Sam, in his helplessness, swore under his breath and fell silent for
awhile. Finally his face cleared a little. "Tell you what I'll do," he
said. "I won't stop now and let them find me there. I'll drive on down
to the point and fix my horses for the night. Then I'll walk back. By
that time everybody will be there. They will see that I'm not afraid
to come, anyhow. The rest is up to Bela. She can refuse to let me in
if she wants. And if Joe wants to mix things up, I'll oblige him down
the road a piece."

"All right, I tell Bela," said Musq'oosis. "Let me down now. Not want
anybody know I talk to you."

Sam pulled up. As the old man was about to get down he offered Sam his
hand.

"Ain't you little bit scare of Joe?" he asked curiously.

Sam smiled wryly. "Sure!" he confessed. "I'm a whole lot scared of
him. Hasn't he got thirty pounds on me, weight and reach beside. It's
because I'm so scared that I can't take anything from him. Do you
understand that?"

"I on'er stan'," the old Indian said pithily. "Walter Forest tell me
lak that long tam ago. You brave lak him, I t'ink."

Sam shook his head. "'Tisn't a case of bravery, but of plumb
necessity!"

From the window of the French outfit store Sam was seen driving down
to Grier's Point.

"Scared off!" cried Joe with a great laugh. "Lucky for him, too!"

* * * * *

An hour later Bela was feeding the largest number of men that had ever
gathered in her shack. Except the policeman on duty, and Gilbert
Beattie, every white man in the district had been drawn by the word
passed from mouth to mouth that there was "going to be something doing
to-night."

Even Musq'oosis, who had never before ventured among the white men
without a particular invitation, came in. He did not eat at the table,
but sat on the floor in the corner, watching and listening with bright
eyes, like some queer, philosophic little ape.

As time passed, and Sam did not turn up, the company was frankly
disappointed. They abused him thoughtlessly, forgetting in their
chagrin at losing a sensation, that Sam might have declined a contest
so unequal with entire honour. Bela kept her eyes down to hide their
angry glitter at the men's comments.

Joe Hagland was in the highest spirits. In him this took the form of
boisterousness and arrogance. Not on