20 THE DRAMA OF THE FORESTS 



that the time had now arrived to get it. So he picked out one 

 valued at forty skins and paid for it. Then, <taking back the 

 quills his grandson held, he bought twenty skins' worth of 

 powder, caps, shot, and bullets. Then he selected for himself a 

 couple of pairs of trousers, one pair made of moleskin and the 

 other of tweed, costing ten skins; two shirts and a suit of under- 

 wear, ten skins ; half a dozen assorted traps, ten skins. Finding 

 that he had used up all his quills, he drew on those set aside for 

 his wife and son-in-law's family and bought tobacco, five skins; 

 files, one skin; an axe, two skins; a knife, one skin; matches, 

 one half skin; and candy for his youngest grandchild, one half 

 skin. On looking over his acquisitions he discovered that he 

 must have at least ten skins' worth of twine for nets and snares, 

 five skins' worth of tea, one skin worth of soap, one skin worth 

 of needles and thread, as well as a tin pail and a new frying pan. 

 After a good deal of haggling, the Factor threw him that 

 number of quills, and Oo-koo-hoo's manifest contentment 

 somewhat relieved the trader's anxiety. 



A moment later, however, Oo-koo-hoo was reminded by his 

 wife, Ojistoh, that there was nothing for her, so she determined 

 to interview the Factor herself. She tried to persuade him to 

 give her twenty skins in trade, and promised to pay for them in 

 the spring with rat and ermine skins, or — should those fail her — 

 with her dog, which was worth fully thirty skins. She had been 

 counting on getting some cotton print for a dress, as well as 

 thread and needles, to say nothing of extra tea, which in all 

 would amount to at least thirty-five or forty skins. When, 

 however, the Factor allowed her only ten skins, her disap- 

 pointment was keen, and she ended by getting a shawl. Then 

 she left the trading room to pay a visit to the Factor's wife, and 

 confide to her the story of her expectations and of her disap- 

 pointment so movingly that she would get a cup of tea, a word of 

 sympathy, and perhaps even an old petticoat. 



In the meantime, Oo-koo-hoo was catching it again. He had 



