182 THE BIG CANOE

the long line of totem and memorial poles in front
of the lodges; at the crowd of slaves around the guest
house; at the forest in which the Niskas were lurk-
ing. He was trying to think of some way in which
he could safely reach the village and warn his tribe
of Klaidak’s treachery.

He dared not walk along the beach to the village.
If the Niskas noticed him there, they might suspect
he had seen the party that had landed beyond the
headland, and guess that he was on his way to warn
the Haidas. They would send an arrow whizzing
from the forest, and that would be the end of Yulan!
He could not possibly get to the nearest thicket on
shore from the end of the sand-spit on which he lay,
without being seen by the enemy. Yet he must reach
the guest house. He must reach it quickly, before it
was too late!

Yulan suddenly became aware that the drums had
stopped beating; that the chanting and clamor of the
ceremonial dance had ceased. The feast had started.
Sparks were roaring up through the smoke hole of
the guest house and the scent of roasted meat and
fish was stronger, causing the dogs to bark wildly.
Slaves had climbed up on the roof of the guest house
and were peering down through the smoke hole at
the festivities within.

In a few moments he heard again the hoot of an
owl in the forest behind the village, and then he
noticed that some of the slaves slid down off the roof