"That is partly true," answered Oo-koo-hoo, "but I must be loyal to the
Company. You are here to-day and away tomorrow; but the Company is
here for ever. But I will not be hard on you; I will wait and see how
you look at me."

For a while the dignified Indian sat puffing at his pipe and gazing at
the fire. Every line of his weather-beaten and wrinkled but handsome
face was full of sterling character. At times his small eyes twinkled
as a flash of cunning crept into them, and a keen sense of humour
frequently twitched the corners of his determined mouth. Then he
brought out a pack of furs and, handing it to Lawson, said:

"This is to pay the Great Company for the advances they gave us last
summer."

Lawson took the bundle without opening it, as it would not be checked
over until he delivered it at Fort Consolation. Resenting the Indian's
attitude toward Gibeault he began:

"I see, now that there's another trader here, it's easy for you to
forget your old friends. The free trader comes and goes. Give him
your furs, an' he doesn't care whether you're dead to-morrow. It's not
like that with the Great Company. The Company came first among your
people, and since then it has been like a father, not only to all your
people before you, but to you as well. Whenever your forefathers were
smitten with hunger or disease, who looked after them? It wasn't the
free trader; it was the Company. Who sells you the best goods? It
isn't the free trader; it's the Company. Who gave you your debt last
fall and made it possible for you to hunt this winter? It wasn't the
free trader; it was the Company. My brother, you have none to thank