Thus treacherously planning, Lynx stealthily circled to the Shack, lay down behind a Cottonwood log fifty feet away, and watched with a ravenous look in his big round eyes. Presently he saw Rod open the door, look across the waste of snow, stretch his arms over his head wearily, turn back into the Shack, reappear with two metal pails in one hand and an axe in the other, and pa.s.s from view over the steep river bank.
With a swift, noiseless rush the yellow-gray thief darted into the building. His keen nose pointed out the dried White Fish lying on a box in the corner. Stretching his jaws to their utmost width, he seized four or five and bounded into the thick bush with them. Two hundred paces from the clearing Pisew dropped his booty behind a fallen tree.
"I"ll have time for the others," he snarled, pulling a white covering over the fish with his huge paw.
As he stole back again, a sound of ice-chopping came to his ears.
"Plenty of time," he muttered, and once more his jaws were laden with The Boy"s provision. In his eagerness to take them all, two fish slipped to the floor; Pisew became frightened, and bolted with those he had in his mouth. "I can"t go back any more," he thought, as he rushed away; "but I"ve done well, I"ve done very well."
The Boy returned with the water, took his axe and cut some wood. He did not miss the fish. Pisew carried his stolen goods away and cached them.
That night Whisky-Jack, sitting on his perch under the extended end of the roof, heard something that gave him a start. Rod had discovered the loss of his Fish.
"My G.o.d! this is serious," the Bird heard him say. "Two fish and a handful of flour for ten days" food--perhaps longer. This is terrible.
It"s that Devil of the Woods, Carcajou, who has robbed me, I suppose--he stole the bacon before. If I only could get a chance at him with a rifle, I"d settle his thieving life."
The misery in The Boy"s voice touched Whisky-Jack.
"Pisew has done this evil thing," he chirped to himself. "If he has, he has broken his oath of the Boy-care."
THE PUNISHING OF PISEW
In the morning Whisky-Jack flew early to the home of Black King, and told him of the fish-stealing.
"Yes," affirmed the Red Widow, "it was Pisew. His father before him was a Traitor and a Thief; they were always a mean, low lot. And wasn"t this Man-Cub good and kind to my Babe, Stripes, when that brute of a Huskie Dog attacked him?"
"Yes, Good Dame," affirmed the Bird; "but for this Man-Cub your Pup would have lined the stomach of a Train Dog--now he may live to line the cloak of some Man-woman--that is, if Francois catches him. But what shall be done to this breaker of Boundary Laws and Sneak-thief, Pisew, Your Majesty?"
"Summon Carcajou, Mooswa, Blue Wolf, and others of the Council, my good Messenger," commanded the King. "There is no fear of the trail now, for Francois is gone, and The Boy hunts not."
When they had gathered, Whisky-Jack again told of what had been done.
"It is Pisew, of a certainty," cried Carcajou.
"Yes, it is that Traitor," concurred Rof, with a growl.
"I could hardly believe any Animal capable of such meanness," sighed Bull Moose; "we must investigate. If it be true--"
"Yes, if it prove true!" snapped Carcajou.
"Uhr-r-r, if this thing be true--!" growled Blue Wolf, and there was a perceptible gleam of white as his lip curled with terrible emphasis.
"Go and look!" commanded Black King; "the snow tells no false tales; the Thief will have written with his feet that which his tongue will lie to conceal."
The vigilants proceeded to the scene of Pisew"s greedy outrage. "I thought so," said Carcajou, examining the ground minutely.
"Here he hid the stuff," cried Rof, from behind a fallen tree. "That odour is Dried Fish; and this--bah! it"s worse--it"s the foul smell of our Castoreum-loving Friend, Pisew;" and he curled his nose disdainfully in the half-m.u.f.fled tracks of the detested Cat.
"I can see his big foot-prints plainly," added Mooswa. "There is no question as to who is the thief. Let us go back and summon the Council of the Boundaries, and decide what is to be done with this Breaker of Oaths."
When they had returned to the King"s burrow, he commanded that Umisk, Nekik, Wapistan, Mink, Skunk, Wapoos, and all others, should be gathered, so that judgment might be pa.s.sed upon the traitor. "Also summon Pisew," he said to Jay.
When the Council members had arrived, Whisky-Jack came back with a report that Lynx could not be found.
"Guilt and a full stomach have caused him to travel far; it is easier to keep out of the way than to answer eyes that are asking questions,"
declared Blue Wolf, in a thick voice.
"Then we shall decide without him," cried Black King, angrily.
The evidence was put clearly before the Council by Rof, Carcajou, and Mooswa; besides, each of the animals swore solemnly by their different tail-marks, which is an oath not to be broken, that they had not done this thing.
"Well," said Black Fox, "we arranged before that, in case of a serious breach of the Law, the Council should decide by numbers whether any one must die because of the Law breaking. Is that not so?"
"It is," they all answered.
"Then what of Pisew, who has undoubtedly broken the Oath-promise that was made unto Mooswa?"
"He must die!" snarled Blue Wolf.
"He must cease to be!" echoed Carcajou.
"Yes, it is not right that he live!" declared Mooswa. And from Bull Moose down to Wapistan, all agreed that Pisew deserved death for his traitorous conduct.
"But how?" asked the King.
n.o.body answered for a time. Killing, except because of hunger, was a new thing to them; no one wanted to have the slaying of Lynx upon his conscience--the role of executioner was undesirable.
"He shall die after the manner of his Father,--by the Snare, and by the means of Man, which is just," announced Carcajou, presently.
"But Francois has gone, and the Man-Cub traps not," objected the Red Widow.
"He did not trouble to take up the Snares, though, Good Dame," affirmed Wolverine; "I know of three."
"You know of three, and didn"t spring them?" queried Jack, incredulously.
"There was no Bait--only the vile smelling Castoreum," answered Carcajou, disdainfully. "And there was also a chance that Pisew might poke his traitorous head through one--I guard not for that Sneak."
"But how will you induce Pisew to thrust his worthless neck into the Snare?" asked Black King.
"There is some of the Fat-eating still left, Your Majesty," returned Carcajou, "and I"ll forfeit a piece as Bait."
"That should tempt him," a.s.serted the King.
"But he may be a long time discovering it," ventured Umisk, pointing out a seeming difficulty.
"Leave that to me," pleaded Whisky-Jack; "you provide the Bait, and I"ll provide the Thief who"ll try to steal it."