"You are now a warrior," whispered Hawk Eye.

Groping their way toward the beach, they made as much speed as safety would permit. Hawk Eye's course proved straight and true and in a few minutes they heard the river water lapping at the sand. Suddenly, from a distance, came a series of yaps and barks. Confident that Ohitika aided by the darkness would be above to hold Slow Dog at bay for a reasonable length of time, Hawk Eye whispered, "I must find the body of the Chippeway I killed!" Hardly were the words out of his mouth when he came upon it stretched over the bow of one of the canoes.

As he bent over to obtain the highly prized scalp, Raven Wing noiselessly launched the two enemy canoes and gave them a push to set them in the current. The paddles, which he had removed before launching, he laid in his own canoe, but as he was about to set it afloat, Hawk Eye said;

"We can't leave the dog."

"It is the only way out," answered Raven Wing. "Come, push off your canoe."

"No," said Hawk Eye. "I will not leave Ohitika."

For a moment Raven Wing paused. Then, seizing hold of Hawk Eye's canoe, he dragged it off the beach. As the yelps and barks drew nearer, he climbed into his. Hawk Eye, stepping slowly into his craft, sat down and raised his gun to his shoulder.

Suddenly the barking changed to a yell of pain.

"Ohitika has been hit by an arrow," cried Hawk Eye, and he fired his gun into the air.

"'Twill warn Slow Dog to halt and also enable Ohitika to lay a straight course to us," went on Hawk Eye.

As the canoes began to drift away from sh.o.r.e, the sound of a sudden splash caused Hawk Eye to exclaim in a low voice, "Ohitika is swimming toward us."

Laying down his gun, he picked up his paddle and noiselessly dipped it in the water to check the canoe's progress.

[Ill.u.s.tration: {Wolf.}]

CHAPTER XVII

THE TRADING POST

There being neither moon nor stars, Hawk Eye could no longer make out the sh.o.r.e line, but as he softly dipped his paddle, his ears caught the sound of a faint wheeze close at hand, followed by a m.u.f.fled bark.

Dropping the paddle, he leaned over the side of the canoe and lifted in his faithful dog. As he laid the animal down, the feathered end of an arrow brushed his cheek. Gently feeling with his fingers, he found that the barb had only slantingly penetrated the fleshy part of the dog's thigh. A short, deft stroke of his knife made it easy to pull out the arrow. Picking up his paddle, he turned the canoe midstream, and after a few strokes came alongside Raven Wing who had been holding his canoe from floating away with the current.

"Come in with me," said Hawk Eye in a low voice. "We must keep together or we may become separated in the darkness."

Raven Wing climbed into Hawk Eye's canoe and held on to his own while Hawk Eye bent to his paddle. In a short time they were far down stream.

At early dawn they came across the two Chippeway canoes. Fastening to each a long strip of buffalo hide, they easily towed them down the river.

It was pleasant paddling as the beautiful Minnesota twisted and turned in its broad and sunny valley. Cottonwood and willow bordered its banks, which rolled back in gentle slopes of pale green, dotted with tree clumps, to the broad prairie. Blooming wild rose vines crept close to the water which sparkled in the sunshine or reflected the tints of the sky.

At its mouth, where it emptied into the Mississippi, the Minnesota spread out around a great flat island.

"We will not beach our canoes here," said Hawk Eye. "Fearless Bear advised me to see the trader on that little island yonder. He is known to deal justly with the red men. The Sioux call him Walking Wind."

Running their own canoes gently up on the sandy beach, they pulled the empty Chippeway canoes a little further up on sh.o.r.e and looked about them.

"Come, we will go to the post," said Hawk Eye, pointing to a building made of native limestone, with shutters and doorways of wood painted white.

As the boys drew near, they noticed groups of Indians with their squaws and Canadian boatmen with pipes in their mouths, gathered in front of a great wing, which on entering they found to be the company store.

Blankets, traps, sleigh bells, scarlet cloth, beads, silk handkerchiefs and earbobs lay spread upon long counters. On others, already sorted and packed for shipment, lay pelts of muskrat, fox, wolf, beaver and mink, together with skins of deer and hides of buffalo.

"You need not look for a gun," said Hawk Eye in a low voice, noticing that Raven Wing paid little attention to the display on the counters.

"You already have Slow Dog's gun; it is a fine one. But you are in need of powder and bullets, as I am."

As he finished speaking, a white man of about thirty, tall and muscular, came forward and asked them in the Sioux language what they wanted.

Both boys held up their guns and answered that they wished ammunition for their weapons.

"What have you in exchange?" asked the trader.

[Ill.u.s.tration: "WHAT HAVE YOU IN EXCHANGE?" ASKED THE TRADER.]

"We have pelts; they are in our canoes on the beach," said Hawk Eye.

"Bring them here and we will trade," smiled the trader.

As the boys turned to go back to the river, the trader asked; "How came you by the fresh scalps at your belts?"

"We killed two thieving Chippeways," answered Hawk Eye. Here he paused, thinking it best not to mention Slow Dog, for he was a Sioux and the tribe must not be humiliated by the telling of his treachery. "We took their canoes. Will you trade also for canoes?" Hawk Eye continued after a brief silence.

"I will go with you and look at them," answered the trader. Beckoning to three Indians, he accompanied the boys to the river.

"My Indian brothers will help you carry the pelts," he explained as they went along.

On arriving at the sh.o.r.e, the trader's eyes glittered as he looked at the beautifully built Chippeway canoes. "I will take them in trade," he said.

"We would rather part with our own canoes," answered Hawk Eye. "We would be proud to return to our village in our enemy's canoes and with their scalps at our belt."

The trader smiled at the boy's words. "In that case I will be content to take the Sioux-built craft," he said. "The Sioux excels the Chippeway in horsemanship, but does not equal them in canoe building."

In the meantime the three Indians had shouldered most of the cargo. When Hawk Eye and Raven Wing had shouldered the balance, they all set off for the post.

The trader had shown much generosity, agreed the boys as later on they loaded their purchases in the Chippeway canoes. How delighted would be Light Between Clouds with the scarlet cloth, thought Hawk Eye. Bending Willow will appear even more beautiful with the necklace of bright beads at her throat, thought Raven Wing.

CHAPTER XVIII

JOURNEY'S END

Early the following morning Hawk Eye and Raven Wing pushed off from the landing and followed up the twisting course of the river. Paddling was not so easy against the current.

"We have no need to hurry," remarked Hawk Eye. "We will visit on our way," and so they stopped to beach their canoes whenever they saw upon the bluffs the summer houses of poles and leaves which the Sioux erect in place of the winter tepees of dressed buffalo skin.