The Ely miner. [volume] (Ely, Minn.) 1895-1986, 1918-01-18

At last, one night, when he deemed
the time to be ripe, he abruptly left
the chiefs smoky dwelling and hast
ened to neighbOring lodge. AS usual.
she sat with squaws and maidens about
her, all engaged in sewing moccaSins
and beadwork. They laughed at his
entrance, and badinage, which linked
ZarinSka to him. ran high. But one
after the other they were unceremoni-
ously bundled into the outer snow,
whence they hurried to spread the tale
through all the camp.
His cause was well pleaded. in her
tongue, tor she did not know his, and
at the end of two hours he rose to go.
$50 Zarinska will come to the white
mans lodge? Good! I go now to-
have talk with thy father, for he may
not be so minded. And 1 will give him
many tokens; but he must not ask too
much. If he say no? Good Zarinska
shall yet come to the white mans
lodge"
He had already lifted the skin flap
to depart, when low exclamation
bIouSnI llIil DiCh W Tic Sill SiuS. hoiiC
brought herself to her knees on the
bearskin mat, her face aglow with true
Eve-light, and shyly unbuckeled his
heavy belt. He looked down, per-
picked, suspicious, his ears alert for
the slightest sound without. But her
next move disarmed his doubt, and he
smiled with pleasure. She took from
her sewing-bag a mOosehide sheath,
brave with bright beadwOrk, fantastic
ally designed. She drew his great
hunting knife, gazed reverently along
the keen edge, half tempted to try it
with her thumb, and shot it into place
in it's new home. Then she slipped the
sheath along the belt to its customary
resting-place, just above the hip.
For all the world, it was like a scene
of olden time-a lady and her knight.
Mackenzie drew her up full height and
swept her red lips with his mustache-
the, to her, foreign caress of the wolf.
1t was meeting of the stone age and
the steel.
There was thrill of excitement in
the air as Scruff Mackenzie, bulky
bundle under his arm, threw open the
| flap of Thling-Tinneh'S tent. Children
| were running about in the open, drag
potlach, a babble of women's voices
was growing in tensity, the young men
were consulting in sullen groups, while
| from the Shaman's lodge rose the eerie
sounds of an incarnation.
The chief was alone with his blear-
Mackenzie that the news was already
| old. So he plunged at once into the
business, shifting the beaded sheath
prominently to the fore as advertise
ment Of the betrothal.
80 Thling-Tinneh, mighty chief Of
the Sticks and the land Of the Tanana,
ruler of the salmon and the bear, the
moose and the caribOo! The white
man is before thee with great pur-
pose Many moons has mis- lodge been
empty, and he is lonely. And his heart
has eaten itself in silence, and grown
hungry for a woman to sit beside him
in his lodge, to meet him from the
hunt with warm fire and good food.
He has heard strange things, the patter
of baby moccasins and the sound Of
chiidren's voices. And one night a
vision came upon him, and he beheid
the raven, who is thy father, the great
raven, who is the father of all the
Sticks. And the raven spake to the
lonely white man, saying: Bind thou
thy moccasins upon thee, and grid thy
snowsnoes on, and lash thy sled with
food for many sleeps and fine tokens
for the Chief Thing Tinneh. For thou
shalt turn thy face to where the mid
land, and journey to this great chiefs
hunting grounds. There thou shalt
make big presents, and Thing Tinneh,
who is my son, shall become to thee
as a father. In his lodge there is a
maiden into whom l breathed the
breath of life for thee. This maiden
shalt thou take to wife
20 chief, thus spake the great raven
thus do I lay many presents at thy
feet; thus and l come to take thy
daughter
The old man drew his furs about him
with crude consciousness of royalty
but delayed reply while youngster
crept in, delivered quick message
to appear before the council, and was
gone.
80 white man, whom we have named
mOOse-killer, also known rs the wolf
and the son of the wolf! We know
thou contest of a mighty race; we are
proud to have thee our potlach guest
but the king-salmon does not mate with
the dOg-Salmon, nor the raven with the
wolf"
"NOt sol" cried Mackenzie. "The
daughter of the raven have I met liz
the camps Of the wolf-the squaw OF
Mortimer, the squaw of Tregidgo, the
squaw of Barnaby, who came two ice
runs back, and have heard Of other
squaws, though my eyes beheld then
not"
"SOn, your words are true; but II
were evil mating, like the water with
, the sand, like the snowflake with the
! sun. But met you one Mason and his
. squaw? No? He came ten ice-runs
, agO-the first Of all the wolves. And
with him there was q mighty man
! straight as q willow-shOOt, and tall
! strong as the bald-faced grizzly, with 9
heart like the full summer moon
his"-
"Oh!" interrupted Mackenzie, recog
| nizing the well-known northland fig
, ure-"Malemute Kid"
''The samoa mighty man. But saw
, you aught to the squaw? She was full
sister to Zarinska."