THE LAW OF THE BOUNDARIES 67 



enough Devil-medicine to slay every Dweller in 

 the Boundaries.&quot; 



&quot; That it will, Your Majesty,&quot; confirmed Jack ; 

 &quot; and it kills while you breathe thrice so, 

 If-f-h, if-f-h, if-f-h ! and you fall your legs 

 kick out stiff, and you are dead. I ve seen it 

 do its terrible work.&quot; 



&quot;Just so,&quot; assented Black King. &quot;The use 

 of that is against Man s law, even ; but Fran- 

 ois cares not, so be it the Red-coats know 

 not of its use. Now must we take an oath to 

 help one the other, if we prefer not to have our 

 coats nailed on the Hunt-Man s Shack walls, 

 or stretched on the wedge-boards he uses for 

 the hides of Otter, and Mink, and Fisher, and 

 myself. Even Muskrat and Pisew go on a wedge- 

 board when they are skinned. You, Beaver, and 

 Muskwa, and Mooswa have your skins stretched 

 by iron thorns on the side of a Shack. 



&quot; Now take we the oath ? &quot; he asked, looking 

 from one to the other. 



A murmur of eager assent started with the 

 deep bass of Blue Wolf and died away in the 

 plaintive treble of Wapoos. 



&quot; Then, listen and repeat with me,&quot; he com 

 manded. 



