She had relied upon it to help her
get to De Courtenay! Of what depth and glory must be the love that sent
her after the savages! Even in the stress of the moment the old pain
came back an hundredfold. But events went forward and he had soon no
time to think.
They drew a line upon the earth as they had done before, squabbling
over its distance from the painted post; Bois-Brules, their keen eyes
gleaming, haggling for a greater stretch, and presently Maren stood
upon that line and they had pressed into her hand a bright new hatchet,
one of those bought from McElroy himself in the first days of trading.
Then an Indian, naked and painted like a fiend, whose toes turned out,
stepped forth and spoke in good English.
"Woman Who Follows," he said distinctly, "one of these two dogs is a
murderer,--having killed the Great Chief when his people came in peace
to trade at the Fort. Therefore, one of them must die. The
Nakonkirhirinons take a skin for a skin,--not two skins for one. So did
the Great Chief teach his people. But none know which hand is red with
his blood. For two sleeps and a sun have the braves given them the
tests,--the Test of the Flying Knives, the Test of the Pine Splinters,
the Test of the Little Lines, but neither has shown Colour of the Dog's
Blood.
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