SKAI AND THE DANCING BEAR 137

it to the eager bear. Tahn swallowed it instantly and
bellowed loudly for more. Such an uproar did he
make that Skai was frightened for a moment and the
factor ran into the post for a musket, but they found
that all the animal wanted was more candy, that
strange sweet food which he found more delicious
than anything he had ever tasted. He would do any-
thing for candy; he would perform any of the tricks
he had learned, always eager for the reward. After
that, since the trader alone could supply the coveted
molasses and candy, Skai and the big bear were often
to be found in the yard behind the trading-post and a
remarkable friendship sprang up between the lone-
some man and the clever, quick-witted lad.

For hours at a time Skai and the bear worked upon
difficult new tricks which the factor had seen in Eng-
land and which he explained as best he could to the
Indian boy. Patiently, persistently Skai worked on
every new trick until he had mastered it. And after-
wards there were always treats of candy and molasses
for Skai and for the appreciative bear.

One day Skai told the factor a secret he had always
guarded very carefully. Not even his brother or sister
knew about it, he said earnestly.

“T have two voices,” he told the astonished trader.
“One I use when I am speaking to people, as I am
speaking now to you; the other I keep for magic, so
that all who hear it are perplexed.”