16 CHRONICLES OF THE CARIBOO |

Baptiste with feeling. ‘He go poof! No shoot, man die!” Which |
describes the flash in the pan of the flintlock that only too often failed
te ignite the powder in the barrel.

It was evident that the widow and her daughters were immensely
proud of their huge relative, and celighted to enlist his guidance and
protection. It becarne evident, toc, that the young Shuswap, Tomaah,
was tenderly interested in the younger of the two girls. Thus it was
that when Dunlevey observed members of his party—notably Sellers
and McLean—sidling up to these two beauteous young women, buying
their wares with quite unnecessary arts and graces, clumsily executed
yet meant to be extremely ingratiating, it excited his, at first, amused
attention. But when he saw that these antics had not escaped the
watchful eyes of the two young braves, but was viewed with a dark
brooding frown by Tomash and a half amused, half stern disapproval
by Baptiste, he decided to be warily on guard lest any trouble between
his party and these virtual savages should wreck his enterprise.

It is no part of this story to describe the two days of Indian sports
indulged in with such whcle hearted enjoyment and competitive zeal
by the tribesmen.

Suffice it to say that the whitemen witnessed for the first time
exhibitions of skill, strength, speed, prowess and horsemanship that
were truly amazing particularly in running, horse racing, archery,
wrestling and knife and javelin throwing, the three latter being purely
Indian sports observed for the first time by the miners. Of course
Baptiste excelled in most of these and the power, skill and speed he
displayed in wrestling astonished Sellers, who considered himself a top
hand at it himself. The result being that a strong sportsman fellow
feeling sprang up between the two and the two days suffised to make
them fast friends.

At the end of the second day Dunievey thought it would be.a nice
gesture of good will to invite a few of the chiefs of the gathering to
supper at the miner’s camp and he and Manifee - who was their chief
cook - and Moffitt laid out plans for a modest feast.

This, of course included the two runners and Baptiste’s relatives
the window and two daughters. In fact, of all the Shuswaps the wid-
ow and her daughters were the oniy ones who could speak any English
or French - probably learned from the late husband and father - and,
proud of their accomplishment they sometimes chipped in as interpre-
ters when Tomaah and Baptiste were otherwise employed.

None of Dunlevey’s partners were reckless drinking men. McLean
was a wild, reckless and adventurous spirit in those, his young days,
but he was not a partner. But Sellers had brought along a few bottles
and flasks of Hudson’s Bay Rum in case of need in illness caused by
exposure and hardship.

This night after all had eaten their fill, Sellers and McLean made
their way quietly and casually as possible to the sides of the young
beauties where they squated, Indian fashion, a little apart with their
mother. Presently, Sellers finding that his advances to the elder giri