TWO DIANAS IN ALASKA 185 



" Joe loves his country. That is enough for a 

 statesman." 



And lower ftown the column this comment 

 " There can be no decay if such a vitality exists." 

 This settled the matter for us. The man " gone 

 native " was an Englishman, a patriot too, whatever 

 else he was" not. More we could not grasp, save the 

 paper, an'd that we annexed, by permission, as a 

 souvenir. 



Our Innuit, putting away her treasures, by signs 

 begged us to follow her, and, having nothing on hand 

 but the further gratifying of our detective propensi- 

 ties, we decided we wished to pursue this aclventure 

 to the end. Following our guide up hill and clown 

 dale we rounded a bluff, and came on a small settle- 

 ment, nestling on the banks of a small river. Our 

 friend did the honours, and introduced us to the chief 

 of the tribe, a crafty-looking personage of unusually 

 small stature, and shifty, deep-set eyes. 



Every one crowded close about us in a state of 

 unfeigned surprise. They were not at all unman- 

 nerly, and seemed gla'd to have us there, but they 

 could not hide the astonishment they felt at our 

 appearance. The chief triecl to detach my rifle, 

 whether because he would relieve me of its weight 

 or not I cannot tell. Just as gravely, just as 

 solemnly, I held on. Dried salmon was brought to 

 us and berries, which made us feel the awkwardness 

 of having nothing to present in return. We turned 

 out our pockets, and found a spare box of matches. 

 These took pride of place, and the chief condescended 



