PEESCHEE'S MARVELLOUS STORY. 257 
sound of footsteps outside the door. Hugh sprang to open 
it, and admitted — Peeschee ! The poor fellow was hardly 
able to stand from hunger and exhaustion ; but before he 
would touch a morsel of food he drew from his pouch a 
handful of rocks, and . handed them to Mr. Button, not 
deigning to look at Solomon, who had long ago repented 
of his hasty words. 
They all clustered around the specimens, which sparkled 
in the firelight with a dull red glow. Beyond a doubt, 
they were splendid examples of the ore of cinnabar. 
" Hooray for you. Fox ! " shouted Solomon. You've 
found the real stuff, sure. Come up here to the fire, old 
fellow," he continued, dragging the shivering Indian to 
the hearth, " and get warm before you speak a word. I 
swan, I'll feed ye myself ! " And he did. 
Flossie was the only one who caught the gleam of a 
tear in the eye of the rough hunter, but all were touched 
by the evident attempt of Solomon to make up for his 
past harshness and unjust suspicions. 
Peeschee gravely held out his hand, and grasped that 
of Baronov, in token of forgiveness ; then applied himself 
voraciously to the " pemmican," or smoked and chopped 
venison, which was set before him. 
After he had eaten and eaten until Chloe became seri- 
ously alarmed for his safety, and stood gazing at him with 
arms akimbo, and the whites of her eyes showing as she 
stared, Peeschee sat down on the floor and told his story. 
He had travelled straight on, in the line of the trail, 
