But among the
younger men there was a defiant attitude, a spirit of braggadocio,
easily understood by the raw insinuations of the toothless squaws
and the giggling of the maidens. They had known few white men,
'Sons of the Wolf,' but from those few they had learned strange
lessons.
Nor had 'Scruff' Mackenzie, for all his seeming carelessness,
failed to note these phenomena. In truth, rolled in his
sleeping-furs, he thought it all over, thought seriously, and
emptied many pipes in mapping out a campaign. One maiden only had
caught his fancy,--none other than Zarinska, daughter to the
chief. In features, form, and poise, answering more nearly to the
white man's type of beauty, she was almost an anomaly among her
tribal sisters. He would possess her, make her his wife, and name
her--ah, he would name her Gertrude! Having thus decided, he
rolled over on his side and dropped off to sleep, a true son of
his all-conquering race, a Samson among the Philistines.
It was slow work and a stiff game; but 'Scruff' Mackenzie
maneuvered cunningly, with an unconcern which served to puzzle
the Sticks. He took great care to impress the men that he was a
sure shot and a mighty hunter, and the camp rang with his
plaudits when he brought down a moose at six hundred yards.
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