"It is as I said," she called. "He is alive!"
Thus it happened that the return of Jean de Gravois to the post was
even more dramatic than he had schemed it to be, for he brought back
with him not only a beautiful wife from Churchill, but also the half
dead Jan Thoreau from the scene of battle on the mountain. And in the
mystery of it all he reveled for two days; for Jean de Gravois said
not a word about the dead man on the lake beyond the forest, nor did
the huskies come back into their bondage to give a hint of the missing
missionary.
CHAPTER X
RED SNOW-FLOWERS
From the day after the caribou roast the fur-gatherers began
scattering. The Eskimos left the next morning. On the second day
Mukee's people from the west set off along the edge of the barrens.
Most of the others left by ones and twos into the wildernesses to the
south and east.
Less than a dozen still put off their return to the late spring
trapping, and among these were Jean de Gravois and his wife. Jean
waited until the third day. Then he went to see Jan. The boy was
bolstered up in his cot, with Cummins balancing the little Melisse on
the edge of the bed when he came in.
For a time Jean sat and watched them in silence; then he made a sign
to Cummins, who joined him at the door.
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