“The Snow-Burner said ye would. It’s Tilly he’s had doctoring ye. She’s been feeding you some Indian concoction and keeping ye heated till your blankets were wet through. Oh, you’ve had scandalous good care, lad; Reivers to set your ankle, Tilly to doctor ye Indian-wise, and Miss Pearson and Reivers to drop in together now and anon to see how ye were standing the gaff. No wonder ye came through all right!” The room seemed suddenly to grow dark for Toppy. Reivers again—Reivers dropping in to look at him as he lay there helpless on his back. Reivers in the position of the master again; and the girl with him! Toppy impatiently threw off his covering. “Gimme my clothes, Scotty,” he demanded, swinging himself to the edge of the bunk. “I’m tired of lying here on my back.” Campbell silently handed over his clothing. Toppy was weak, but he succeeded in dressing himself and in tottering over to a chair. “So Miss Pearson came over here, did she?” he asked thoughtfully. “And with Reivers?” “Aye,” said Scotty drily. “With Reivers. He has a way with the women, the Snow-Burner has.” Toppy debated a moment; then he broke out and told Campbell all about how Reivers had deceived Miss Pearson into coming to Hell Camp. The old man listened with tightly pursed lips. As Toppy concluded he shook his head sorrowfully. “Poor lass, she’s got a hard path before her then,” he said. “If, as you say, she does not wish to care for Reivers.” “What do you mean?” “Well,” said Campbell slowly, “ye’ll be understanding by this time that the Snow-Burner is no ordinar’ man?” “He’s a fiend—a savage with an Oxford education!” exploded Toppy. “He is—the Snow-Burner,” said Campbell with finality. “You know what he is toward men. Toward women—he’s worse!” “Good Heavens!” “Not that he is a woman-chaser. No; ’tis not his way. But—yon man has the strongest will in him I’ve ever seen in mortal man, and ’tis the will women bow to.” He pulled his whiskers nervously and looked away. “I’ve known him four year now, and no woman in that time that he has set his will upon but in the end has—has followed him like a slave.” Toppy’s fists clenched, and he joyed to find that in spite of his illness his muscles went hard. “Ye’ve seen Tilly,” continued Scotty with averted eyes. “Ye’ll not be so blind that ye’ve not observed that she’s no ordinar’ squaw. Well, three years ago Tilly was teacher in the Chippewa Indian School—thin and straight—a Carlisle graduate and all. She met Reivers, and shunned him—at first. Reivers did not chase her. ’Tis not his way. But he bent his will upon her, and the poor girl left her life behind her and followed him, and kept following him, until ye see her as she is now. She would cut your throat or nurse ye as she did, no matter which, did he but command her. And she’s not been the only one, either. “Nor have the rest of them been red.” “The swine!” muttered Toppy.