squaws standing around began to grin and giggle and repeat what had been
said. 'Quite a pretty boy,' says the first one. I'll not deny I was
rather smooth-faced and youngish, but I'd been a man amongst men many's
the day, and it rankled me. 'Dancing with Chief George's girl,' pipes
the second. 'First thing George'll give him the flat of a paddle and
send him about his business.' Chief George had been looking pretty black
up to now, but at this he laughed and slapped his knees. He was a husky
beggar and would have used the paddle too.

"'Who's the girls?' I asked Tilly, as we went ripping down the centre in
a reel. And as soon as she told me their names I remembered all about
them from Happy Jack. Had their pedigree down fine--several things he'd
told me that not even their own tribe knew. But I held my hush, and went
on courting Tilly, they a-casting sharp remarks and everybody roaring.
'Bide a wee, Tommy,' I says to myself; 'bide a wee.'

"And bide I did, till the dance was ripe to break up, and Chief George
had brought a paddle all ready for me. Everybody was on the lookout for
mischief when we stopped; but I marched, easy as you please, slap into
the thick of them. The Mission girls cut me up something clever, and for
all I was angry I had to set my teeth to keep from laughing. I turned
upon them suddenly.

"'Are you done?' I asked.

"You should have seen them when they heard me spitting Chinook. Then I
broke loose. I told them all about themselves, and their people before
them; their fathers, mothers, sisters, brothers--everybody, everything.
Each mean trick they'd played; every scrape they'd got into; every shame
that'd fallen them. And I burned them without fear or favor. All hands