finally made him understand that he had seen a "white squaw" near the
"sweat-house," and that he wanted to know more about her. With equal
difficulty Jim finally recognized the fact of the existence of such
a person, but immediately afterwards shook his head in an emphatic
negation. With greater difficulty and greater mortification Pomfrey
presently ascertained that Jim's negative referred to a supposed
abduction of the woman which he understood that his employer seriously
contemplated. But he also learned that she was a real Indian, and that
there were three or four others like her, male and female, in that
vicinity; that from a "skeena mowitch" (little baby) they were all like
that, and that their parents were of the same color, but never a white
or "waugee" man or woman among them; that they were looked upon as a
distinct and superior caste of Indians, and enjoyed certain privileges
with the tribe; that they superstitiously avoided white men, of whom
they had the greatest fear, and that they were protected in this by
the other Indians; that it was marvelous and almost beyond belief that
Pomfrey had been able to see one, for no other white man had, or was
even aware of their existence.

How much of this he actually understood, how much of it was lying and
due to Jim's belief that he wished to abduct the fair stranger, Pomfrey
was unable to determine. There was enough, however, to excite his
curiosity strongly and occupy his mind to the exclusion of his
books--save one. Among his smaller volumes he had found a travel book of
the "Chinook Jargon," with a lexicon of many of the words commonly
used by the Northern Pacific tribes. An hour or two's trial with the
astonished Jim gave him an increased vocabulary and a new occupation.
Each day the incongruous pair took a lesson from the lexicon. In a week
Pomfrey felt he would be able to accost the mysterious stranger. But
he did not again surprise her in any of his rambles, or even in a later