CHAP. vi. INDIAN RHETOEIC. 93 



' He says I must tell you,' spoke Louis, ' that white 

 men often tell lies, and deceive poor Indians. He says 

 that if you do not bring back Michel safe, he will track 

 you, and find you wherever you go. He says Michel 

 shall go with you, and show the old Montagnais road ; 

 but he says he is terrible when men deceive him, and 

 Michel is his only son.' 



I held out my hand to Domenique ; he grasped it 

 firmly, and putting the other hand on Michel's shoulder, 

 looked at me with a fiendish glare, hissing out with a 

 slow and distinct utterance sentence after sentence, while 

 he waited for Louis to interpret, still holding me fast 

 by the hand, and apparently working himself into a 

 rage. 



Presently, letting go my hand, he returned to his 

 squaw and spoke some words in Montagnais, moving at 

 the same time towards his canoe, which he lifted up and 

 put into the water. The squaw quickly loaded the 

 canoe, Michel standing by. Domenique came and shook 

 hands with me and the other gentlemen, and with Louis, 

 who since he had been called upon to act as interpreter, 

 was getting very talkative and bumptious. They left the 

 blanket with Michel, but, true to their Indian nature, 

 they were not seen by any one to bid him good-bye, 

 or take any notice of him when they embarked in their 

 beautiful little craft. The mother handed the little 

 girl a tiny paddle, the father cried, ' Ya-mah ! ya-mah ! ' 

 Good-bye! good-bye! and with a few strokes of the 

 paddle they reached the middle of the stream, and 

 were swiftly carried down towards the sea. 



' Was that passion of Domenique's put on, Louis ? ' 



