"What's to be done now?" said Macavoy. "There'll be hell's own racket;
and they'll come on like a flood."

"To wait," said Pierre, "and dam the flood as it comes. But not a bullet
till I give the word. Take to the chinks. We'll have them soon."

He was right: they came soon. Someone had found the dead body of Young
Eye; then it was discovered that the gate was shut. A great shout went
up. The Indians ran to their lodges for spears and hatchets, though the
weapons of many were within the Fort, and soon they were about the place,
shouting in impotent rage. They could not tell how many invaders were in
the Fort; they suspected it was the Little Skins, their ancient enemies.
But Young Eye, they saw, had not been scalped. This was brought to the
old chief, and he called to his men to fall back. They had not seen one
man of the invaders; all was silent and dark within the Fort; even the
two torches which had been burning above the gate were down. At that
moment, as if to add to the strangeness, a caribou came suddenly through
the fires, and, passing not far from the bewildered Indians, plunged into
the trees behind the Fort.

The caribou is credited with great powers. It is thought to understand
all that is said to it, and to be able to take the form of a spirit. No
Indian will come near it till it is dead, and he that kills it out of
season is supposed to bring down all manner of evil.

So at this sight they cried out--the women falling to the ground with
their faces in their arms--that the caribou had done this thing. For a
moment they were all afraid. Besides, as a brave showed, there was no
mark on the body of Young Eye.