234 MOOSWA 



was trying to keep from his mind. Even the 

 &quot; Huh, huh ! huh, huh ! huh, huh ! huh, 

 huh ! &quot; of the half-dozen Indians who sat about 

 a blazing camp-fire, and rocked their bodies 

 and swayed their arms in rhythmic time, came 

 to him with malevolent fascination. 



&quot; I t ink me I go sleep,&quot; Fran9ois said, knock 

 ing the ashes from his pipe, and putting it in his 

 bead-worked deerskin fire-bag. 



&quot; You d better pull out sharp in the morning,&quot; 

 commanded the Factor ; &quot; young McGregor will 

 be running short of grub before you get back.&quot; 



&quot; I roun up ever* t ing to-night,&quot; returned 

 Fran9ois, &quot; an* hit de trail firs t ing in de morn- 

 in , soor. I make me de S ack in t ree day.&quot; 



Outside, the &quot; Turn-turn &quot; called to him ; the 

 &quot; Huh, huh !&quot; pleaded with him like the voice of 

 a siren. He would go and sit by their fire just 

 for a little, the Breed reasoned not play ! for 

 more than once he had been stripped to his very 

 shirt when luck set against him. True, other 

 times he had accumulated furs, and dogs, and 

 guns, even the caribou-skin coats, and Cow-boy 

 hats fine valuable hats worth ten dollars a 

 piece, when fortune smiled and he had guessed 

 unerringly in which hand his opponent-player 

 had hidden the cartridge shell, or whatever other 

 token they used. 



