outward resemblance to his savage progenitor, he was at heart a veritable
Indian.

Greedy, selfish, jealous, treacherous, quick to take offence and slow to
forgive or forget, his presence in the Johnston gang was explained by his
wonderful knowledge of the forest, his sure judgment in selecting good
bunches of timber to be cut, and his intimate acquaintance with the
course of the stream down which the logs would be floated in the spring.

Johnston had no liking for Damase, but found him too valuable to dispense
with. This year, by chance, or possibly by his own management, Damase had
among the gang a number of companions much after his own pattern, and it
was clearly his intention to take the lead in the shanty so far as he
dared venture. When first he saw Frank, and learned that he was to be
with Johnston also, he tried after his own fashion to make friends with
him. But as might be expected, neither the man himself nor his overtures
of friendship impressed Frank favourably. He wanted neither a pull from
his pocket flask nor a chew from his plug of "navy," nor to handle his
greasy cards; and although he declined the offer of all these uncongenial
things as politely as possible, the veritable suspicious, sensitive,
French-Indian nature took offence, which deepened day after day, as he
could not help seeing that Frank was careful to give himself and
companions as wide a berth as he could without being pointedly rude or
offensive.

When one is seeking to gratify evil feelings toward another with whom he
has daily contact, the opportunity is apt to be not long in coming, and
Damase conceived that he had his chance of venting his spite on Frank by
seizing upon the habit of Bible reading and prayer which the lad had as
scrupulously observed in the shanty as if he had been at home. As might