40 TOM BOOT TO THE RESCUE. 



took aim at him, he stopped about six feet from me and shook 

 his fist in my face. I told him that I would shoot the first 

 man who tried to touch me, at the same time backing away, 

 to give myself more room in case of a rush. I had only two 

 barrels, after which I meant to use the butt-end of my gun 

 a very poor weapon, as it would break at the first blow. 



The Indians had a short talk, and then A-ta-ka-koup came 

 towards me and told me that, as I had thrown away the rum. 

 and had threatened to shoot him, they would kill me, hinting, 

 however, that I might buy them off; the whole thing being 

 done to get all they could out of me. Poor Badger, being 

 very little more than a boy, was frightened to death ; he had 

 not attempted to help me, and now advised me to give the 

 Indians big presents, or I might be killed. This I, of course, 

 refused to do, and they all sat down on some logs near the 

 door of the house, occasionally shaking their fists at me. 



I had come out in my socks, having removed my boots 

 before they arrived, and as I was standing in the snow, I soon 

 lost all feeling in my feet and knew that they were frozen ; my 

 only clothing, too, was a flannel shirt and a pair of drawers 

 rather light clothing for a night with the thermometer far 

 below zero. 



How it would have ended I cannot think; but just at the 

 right moment up came Tom Boot, returning from a hunt. 

 Now, fortunately for me, there had always been a rivalry 

 between him and A-ta-ka-koup as to their relative strength 

 and hunting capabilities ; so, on seeing who the leader of the 

 Indians was, Tom Boot asked him what the matter was, and 

 on being told what I had done and that they intended to kill 

 me, he ordered A-ta-ka-koup to stand out of the way and let 



