"What does this mean?" demanded Mr. Morris, after a pause, in which the youth did his best to get back his breath. In a few words Dave explained. While he was talking, Jacques Valette managed to rise to his feet. If he had been angry before, he was doubly so now. He felt for his pistol, but, luckily, the weapon was gone. "Ha! you take my pistol," he cried. "Gif it back to me." "I haven't your pistol," said Dave. "You didn't have one." "I did. I want it back," growled Jacques Valette. "You'll get no pistol here," put in James Morris. "You have no right to come to my post and raise a disturbance, and attack my son." "I want some rum. I pay," returned the Frenchman. "I haf English money--plenty, too!" With a leer, he put one hand into his outer garment and felt around in a pocket. Then he felt in his other pockets. "Ha! the money, it is gone!" he cried. "You take my money too! This is the _coup de grace_ truly But, _a l'Anglaise_!" "It is not after the English fashion," put in Dave, who understood the French fairly well. "We are honest people here, and, as my father says, you have no right to come here and raise a quarrel." "The money--all gone!" muttered Jacques Valette. The loss appeared to sober him for a moment. "Fifteen pounds, ten shillings--all gone!" "Do you mean to say you had fifteen pounds and ten shillings?" questioned James Morris. The French hunter and trapper nodded. "_Oui! oui!_" "And you haven't it now?" Jacques Valette shrugged his shoulders. "Not a shilling! All is gone! You haf it!" And he shook his hand in Dave's face. "Don't dare to accuse my son of theft!" exclaimed James Morris angrily. "He has nothing of yours." A perfect war of words followed. Jacques Valette insisted that, on coming to the post, he had had a pistol and the money mentioned. As they were now gone he felt certain that Dave had taken them. He could not or would not tell where he had been previous to his journey to James Morris' place. "You lost them before you came here, that is certain," said James Morris. "I want no more from you. Get out!" And he forced the Frenchman to leave. Jacques Valette walked away slowly, muttering all sorts of imprecations in French under his breath. "He'll try to make us trouble for this," observed Dave, after the unwelcome visitor had gone. "I have no doubt but that you are right, son." answered James Morris. "Let us hunt around and see if he dropped his pistol and money anywhere in this vicinity." A thorough hunt was made, but nothing was found which looked as if it might belong to the Frenchman. Half an hour later it began to snow once more, and soon the tracks made by Jacques Valette were covered up. "After this I am going to keep the gates barred when we are alone," said James Morris. "I'll hang the horn outside, so anybody who wants to get in can blow." And this was done.