THE WHITE WORLD 



was that I was glad that my friends knew nothing of my 

 true situation, for they could not have reached me short 

 of one year, if at all. My knowledge of these Indians, 

 their customs and their superstitious beliefs, was here of 

 great help to me, and was undoubtedly the one thing that 

 saved my life. 



I knew they would not break my cache themselves, for in 

 their belief, were they to do so, the evil spirit would get 

 them. It was a fortunate circumstance that I chanced to 

 have some food in my sled, and I decided to make this last 

 as long as possible. During the day I had many curious 

 visitors, all anxious to see my guns, knives, and camp 

 outfit, and to learn what I had stored in the cache. 



The day was one of nervous expectation, and I thought 

 it would never end. I learned that a young man was ac- 

 tually dying with consumption in camp about half a mile 

 up the river. This to me was a special source of anxiety, 

 for the reason that should he die while I was there, his 

 people would claim that his death was due to my presence 

 and that my life must be taken in turn. But one thing 

 could have averted this, and that would have been by the 

 payment of a certain amount of blankets, guns, tea, to- 

 bacco, and such like merchandise to the friends of the 

 deceased as a recompense for the young man's life, and 

 this in my case would have meant no less than the end of 

 my expedition, and my escaping, if possible, to civilization. 



Long days and longer, restless, sleepless nights passed, 

 one after another, and every day I was harassed by those 

 red devils in every sort of way. They wanted my guns 

 and ammunition, they even coveted my camera and the 

 very blankets I slept in, and they threatened violence to 

 me if I did not open the cache and show them what I 

 had and divide with them. Every night I slept in the 

 same place in the open — when I slept at all — and I kept 

 Zilla, the only dog and only companion I had, chained at 

 the back of my bed, with three loaded rifles and extra 

 ammunition in front of me. 



Ten days had passed, during which time I had been 

 on guard from early morning till late at night, using every 

 precaution, every particle of diplomacy that I could com- 

 mand in order to prevent serious friction. I had not 



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