A detaining feminine hand reached mechanically for his collar, groped aimlessly for a moment, and fell across the hammock's edge. Evidently its owner was too sleepy for effort. Meanwhile the man who had floundered free from the hammock, leaped overboard and came hopping stiffly over the slush toward us like a badly-winged snipe. "Who are you?" I demanded, drawing bridle so suddenly that I found myself astride of my mule's ears. Sliding back into the saddle, I repeated the challenge haughtily, inwardly cursing my horsemanship. He stood balancing his lank six feet six of bony altitude for a few moments without replying. His large gentle eyes of baby blue were fixed on me. "Speak!" I said. "The reputation of a lady is at stake! Who are you? We ask, before we shoot you, for purpose of future identification." He gazed at me wildly. "I dunno who I be," he replied. "My name _was_ James Skaw before that there lady went an' changed it on me. She says she has changed my name to hers. I dunno. All I know is I'm married." "_Married!_" echoed Dr. Delmour. He looked dully at the girl, then fixed his large mild eyes on me. "A mission priest done it for her a month ago when we was hikin' towards Fort Carcajou. Hoon-hel are you?" he added. I informed him with dignity; he blinked at me, at the others, at the mules. Then he said with infinite bitterness: "You're a fine guy, ain't you, a-wishin' this here lady onto a pore pelt-hunter what ain't never done nothin' to you!" "Who did you say I wished on you?" I demanded, bewildered. "That there lady a-sleepin' into the nuptool hammick! You wished her onto me--yaas you did! Whatnhel have I done to you, hey?" We were dumb. He shoved his hand into his pocket, produced a slug of twist, slowly gnawed off a portion, and buried the remains in his vast jaw. "All I done to you," he said, "was to write you them letters sayin's as how I found a lot of ellerphants into the mud. "What you done to me was to send that there lady here. Was that gratitood? Man to man I ask you?" A loud snore from the hammock startled us all. James Skaw twisted his neck turkey-like, and looked warily at the hammock, then turning toward me: "Aw," he said, "she don't never wake up till I have breakfast ready." "James Skaw," I said, "tell me what has happened. On my word of honor I don't know." He regarded me with lack-lustre eyes. "I was a-settin' onto a bowlder," said he, "a-fig-urin' out whether you was a-comin' or not, when that there lady rides up with her led-mule a trailin'. "Sez she: 'Are you James Skaw?' "Yes, marm,' sez I, kinder scared an' puzzled. "'Where is them ellerphants?' sez she, reachin' down from her saddle an' takin' me by the shirt collar, an' beatin' me with her umbrella. "Sez I, 'I have wrote to a certain gent that I would show him them ellerphants for a price. Bein' strictly hones' I can't show 'em to no one else until I hear from him.'