grip of the grizzly, or a wasting sickness which fell upon a man in his
own lodge till he coughed, and the life of his lungs went out through his
mouth and nostrils. Likewise did the powers receive sacrifice. It was
all one. And the witch doctor was versed in the thoughts of the powers
and chose unerringly. It was very natural. Death came by many ways, yet
was it all one after all,--a manifestation of the all-powerful and
inscrutable.

But Hitchcock came of a later world-breed. His traditions were less
concrete and without reverence, and he said, "Not so, Sipsu. You are
young, and yet in the full joy of life. The witch doctor is a fool, and
his choice is evil. This thing shall not be."

She smiled and answered, "Life is not kind, and for many reasons. First,
it made of us twain the one white and the other red, which is bad. Then
it crossed our trails, and now it parts them again; and we can do
nothing. Once before, when the gods were angry, did your brothers come
to the camp. They were three, big men and white, and they said the thing
shall not be. But they died quickly, and the thing was."

Hitchcock nodded that he heard, half-turned, and lifted his voice. "Look
here, you fellows! There's a lot of foolery going on over to the camp,
and they're getting ready to murder Sipsu. What d'ye say?"

Wertz looked at Hawes, and Hawes looked back, but neither spoke. Sigmund
dropped his head, and petted the shepherd dog between his knees. He had
brought Shep in with him from the outside, and thought a great deal of
the animal. In fact, a certain girl, who was much in his thoughts, and
whose picture in the little locket on his breast often inspired him to
sing, had given him the dog and her blessing when they kissed good-by and