"
They fell silent for a long time, while the stars travelled with them
in the broken water and the ripples lapped and sucked at the shores and
the swift stream hurried to the bay.
At length the trapper tentatively raised his hand and touched the bare
arm of Maren where it shone brown beneath the white of the fringed
sleeve.
"I thank you for those words, Ma'amselle," he said simply; "they are
healing as the Confessional to my ragged soul."
CHAPTER XXI TIGHTENED SCREWS
"M'sieu," said De Courtenay, "what think you? It would seem that
something stirs in this camp of squaws and old men. Gaiety and festive
garb appear. Behold yonder brave with a double allowance of painted
feathers and more animation than seems warrantable. What's to do?"
The man was worn to the bone with the day's work, yet the old
brilliance played whimsically in his eyes. This day a wearing burden of
skin packs had been added to the canoe, ladening it to the water's lip,
and the vicious prodding from behind had been in consequence of
redoubled vigour.
McElroy, reclining beside him on his face,--to lie on his back was
unbearable,--to one side of the camp, looked at the scene before them.
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