144 THE BIG CANOE

great piles of wood on the beach, a fine new guest
house was built at one end of the street, and days
before the visitors were expected, the ledges in the
chief’s house were piled high with Hudson’s Bay
blankets, bolts of cloth, pots and kettles and tinware,
all sorts of dishes and weapons, and many other things
obtained from the trader in exchange for the pelts of
seal and marten and sea otter.

The day before the festivities were to begin, Skai
and Tahn left the deserted village and hurried up the
trail to the trading-post, where they found the trader
sitting upon the steps, looking out over the eastern
waters. He was not smiling, and Skai saw that he was
troubled about something. The boy asked no ques-
tions, however, as his friend dressed him in the clown
suit and made up his face for the rehearsal.

“This is such a terrible face that even Tahn will
growl when he sees you,” the trader laughed. “You
look worse than Kali Koustli himself, Skai, and no
mistake. Even old Sebassa would take to his heels if
he caught a glimpse of you. By the way, Skai, I hear
that old Sebassa is on the war-path again.”

“Sebassa bad man.” Skai spoke in the broken Eng-
lish that he had picked up from the trader, who also
spoke the Haida language fluently. “Sebassa steal up
like a fox and then come fast like an eagle. He kill
many people and burn many houses when he raid a
village.”