66 THE BIG CANOE

man’s canoe out there upon the waters. Even as he
looked, a narrow golden band appeared upon the
eastern horizon.

“It is the moon,” he thought happily. “It is the
full moon. Now it will be almost as light as day.”

Quickly he ran down to the beach, found his canoe,
and launched it upon the waters. His great fear of the
night was forgotten as the moon mounted slowly into
the heavens and disclosed the schooner riding like a
huge bird upon the calm waters of the cove; riding
in a golden path made by the climbing moon. Straight
toward it sped Weah’s canoe. Straight toward the
strange canoe with the gleaming white sails. All fear
had departed from his heart; in its place was a new
feeling of peace and satisfaction. No longer was he
Weah the Timid. From this hour he would be Weah
the Bold!

Silently as a swimming gull, he paddled across the
bay and approached the schooner. His eagerness
changed to amazement as he drew near the vessel and
realized how much larger it was than the largest
Haida canoe he had ever seen—and the Haidas made
the finest, largest canoes of any of the coast tribes.
No cedar ever grew on the islands of the Haidas big
enough to make a canoe like this! Even Kahtow, the
whale, was small in comparison!

For a long time Weah knelt motionless in his canoe
and stared at the vessel, not daring to approach
nearer. His pride and curiosity, however, finally