"Oh, by the way, Snettishane," he said, "I want a squaw to wash for

me and mend my clothes."



Snettishane grunted and suggested Wanidani, who was an old woman

and toothless.



"No, no," interposed the Factor. "What I want is a wife. I've

been kind of thinking about it, and the thought just struck me that



you might know of some one that would suit."

Snettishane looked interested, whereupon the Factor retraced his



steps, casually and carelessly to linger and discuss this new and

incidental topic.



"Kattou?" suggested Snettishane.

"She has but one eye," objected the Factor.



"Laska?"

"Her knees be wide apart when she stands upright. Kips, your



biggest dog, can leap between her knees when she stands upright."

"Senatee?" went on the imperturbable Snettishane.



But John Fox feigned anger, crying: "What foolishness is this? Am

I old, that thou shouldst mate me with old women? Am I toothless?



lame of leg? blind of eye? Or am I poor that no bright-eyed maiden

may look with favour upon me? Behold! I am the Factor, both rich



and great, a power in the land, whose speech makes men tremble and

is obeyed!"



Snettishane was inwardly pleased, though his sphinx-like visage

never relaxed. He was drawing the Factor, and making him break



ground. Being a creature so elemental as to have room for but one

idea at a time, Snettishane could pursue that one idea a greater



distance than could John Fox. For John Fox, elemental as he was,

was still complex enough to entertain several glimmering ideas at a



time, which debarred him from pursuing the one as single-heartedly

or as far as did the chief.



Snettishane calmly continued calling the roster of eligible

maidens, which, name by name, as fast as uttered, were stamped



ineligible by John Fox, with specified objections appended. Again

he gave it up and started to return to the Fort. Snettishane



watched him go, making no effort to stop him, but seeing him, in

the end, stop himself.



"Come to think of it," the Factor remarked, "we both of us forgot

Lit-lit. Now I wonder if she'll suit me?"



Snettishane met the suggestion with a mirthless face, behind the

mask of which his soul grinned wide. It was a distinct victory.



Had the Factor gone but one step farther, perforce Snettishane

would himself have mentioned the name of Lit-lit, but--the Factor



had not gone that one step farther.

The chief was non-committal concerning Lit-lit's suitability, till



he drove the white man into taking the next step in order of

procedure.



"Well," the Factor meditated aloud, "the only way to find out is to

make a try of it." He raised his voice. "So I will give for Lit-



lit ten blankets and three pounds of tobacco which is good

tobacco."



Snettishane replied with a gesture which seemed to say that all the

blankets and tobacco in all the world could not compensate him for



the loss of Lit-lit and her manifold virtues. When pressed by the

Factor to set a price, he coolly placed it at five hundred



blankets, ten guns, fifty pounds of tobacco, twenty scarlet cloths,

ten bottles of rum, a music-box, and lastly the good-will and best



offices of the Factor, with a place by his fire.

The Factor apparently suffered a stroke of apoplexy, which stroke



was successful in reducing the blankets to two hundred and in

cutting out the place by the fire--an unheard-of condition in the



marriages of white men with the daughters of the soil. In the end,

after three hours more of chaffering, they came to an agreement.



For Lit-lit Snettishane was to receive one hundred blankets, five

pounds of tobacco, three guns, and a bottle of rum, goodwill and



best offices included, which according to John Fox, was ten

blankets and a gun more than she was worth. And as he went home



through the wee sma' hours, the three-o'clock sun blazing in the

due north-east, he was unpleasantly aware that Snettishane had



bested him over the bargain.

Snettishane, tired and victorious, sought his bed, and discovered



Lit-lit before she could escape from the lodge.

He grunted knowingly: "Thou hast seen. Thou has heard. Wherefore



it be plain to thee thy father's very great wisdom and

• beginning [bi´giniŋ] n.开始，开端；起源 (初中英语单词)


• miserable [´mizərəbəl] a.悲惨的；可怜的 (初中英语单词)


• softly [´sɔftli] ad.软化地；柔和地 (初中英语单词)


• primitive [´primitiv] a.原始的 n.原始人 (初中英语单词)


• hudson [´hʌdsn] n.哈得孙河 (初中英语单词)


• swiftly [´swiftli] ad.迅速地，敏捷地 (初中英语单词)


• charge [tʃɑ:dʒ] v.收费；冲锋 n.费用 (初中英语单词)


• conquer [´kɔŋkə] v.征服；克服；抑制 (初中英语单词)


• brilliant [´briliənt] a.灿烂的；杰出的 (初中英语单词)


• savage [´sævidʒ] a.野蛮的 n.蛮人 (初中英语单词)


• indian [´indiən] a.印度的 n.印度人 (初中英语单词)


• nevertheless [,nevəðə´les] conj.&ad.然而；不过 (初中英语单词)


• immortal [i´mɔ:təl] a.不死的n.不朽的人物 (初中英语单词)


• sunshine [´sʌnʃain] n.日光，阳光 (初中英语单词)


• slender [´slendə] a.细长的；微薄的 (初中英语单词)


• butterfly [´bʌtəflai] n.蝴蝶；蝶式 (初中英语单词)


• lightly [´laitli] ad.轻微地，稍微 (初中英语单词)


• prominent [´prɔminənt] a.突起的；凸出的 (初中英语单词)


• factor [´fæktə] n.因素；原动力；要素 (初中英语单词)


• mosquito [məs´ki:təu] n.蚊子 (初中英语单词)


• reality [ri´æliti] n.现实(性)；真实；逼真 (初中英语单词)


• discussion [di´skʌʃən] n.讨论；辩论 (初中英语单词)


• meanwhile [´mi:n´wail] n.&ad.其间；同时 (初中英语单词)


• investment [in´vestmənt] n.投资；(时间等)投入 (初中英语单词)


• anxiety [æŋ´zaiəti] n.挂念；渴望；焦虑的事 (初中英语单词)


• midnight [´midnait] n.午夜；漆黑 (初中英语单词)


• departure [di´pɑ:tʃə] n.离开，出发 (初中英语单词)


• linger [´liŋgə] v.逗留；留恋；拖延 (初中英语单词)


• pursue [pə´sju:] v.追赶；追踪；从事 (初中英语单词)


• complex [´kɔmpleks] a.复杂的 n.综合企业 (初中英语单词)


• entertain [,entə´tein] vt.招待；娱乐；使高兴 (初中英语单词)


• calmly [´kɑ:mli] ad.平静地；无风浪地 (初中英语单词)


• suggestion [sə´dʒestʃən] n.建议，提议；暗示 (初中英语单词)


• distinct [di´stiŋkt] a.清楚的；独特的 (初中英语单词)


• tobacco [tə´bækəu] n.烟草(叶)；卷烟 (初中英语单词)


• gesture [´dʒestʃə] n.手势 v.打手势 (初中英语单词)


• scarlet [´skɑ:lit] n.猩红色 a.猩红的 (初中英语单词)


• knowingly [´nəuiŋli] ad.狡黠地，机警地 (初中英语单词)


• wisdom [´wizdəm] n.智慧，聪明，才智 (初中英语单词)


• rotten [´rɔtn] a.腐烂的；腐朽的 (高中英语单词)


• decent [´di:sənt] a.体面的，正派的 (高中英语单词)


• repeated [ri´pi:tid] a.反复的；重复的 (高中英语单词)


• salmon [´sæmən] n.鲑，大马哈鱼 (高中英语单词)


• fringe [´frindʒ] n.穗；边缘；刘海 (高中英语单词)


• simplicity [sim´plisiti] n.简单；朴素 (高中英语单词)


• attraction [ə´trækʃən] n.吸引(力)；引力 (高中英语单词)


• seeing [si:iŋ] see的现在分词 n.视觉 (高中英语单词)


• scotch [skɔtʃ] vt.&n.刻痕(于)；划伤 (高中英语单词)


• massive [´mæsiv] a.厚实的；魁伟的 (高中英语单词)


• transparent [træns´peərənt] a.透明的；显而易见的 (高中英语单词)


• offering [´ɔfəriŋ] n.提供；礼物；捐献 (高中英语单词)


• destiny [´destini] n.命运 (高中英语单词)


• concerning [kən´sə:niŋ] prep.关于 (高中英语单词)


• carelessly [´kɛəlisli] ad.粗心地；疏忽地 (高中英语单词)


• upright [´ʌprait] a.直立的 ad.直立地 (高中英语单词)


• apparently [ə´pærəntli] ad.显然，表面上地 (高中英语单词)


• goodwill [,gud´wil] n.友好，亲善；信誉 (高中英语单词)


• victorious [vik´tɔ:riəs] a.得胜的，胜利的 (高中英语单词)


• hamper [´hæmpə] vt.&n.妨碍，阻止 (英语四级单词)


• delicately [´delikitli] ad.精美地；微妙地 (英语四级单词)


• unrest [ʌn´rest] n.不安；不稳；动乱 (英语四级单词)


• scottish [´skɔtiʃ, ´skɑtiʃ] a.&n.苏格兰人(的) (英语四级单词)


• austere [ɔ´stiə] a.严峻(格)的；质朴的 (英语四级单词)


• whereupon [,weərə´pɔn] ad.在什么上面；因此 (英语四级单词)


• drawing [´drɔ:iŋ] n.画图；制图；图样 (英语四级单词)


• compensate [´kɔmpenseit] v.赔偿；补偿；酬报 (英语四级单词)


• manifold [´mænifəuld] a.多样的；多种特征的 (英语四级单词)


• coolly [´ku:li] ad.冷(静地)，沉着地 (英语四级单词)


• lastly [´lɑ:stli] ad.最后，终于 (英语四级单词)


• averse [ə´və:s] a.反对的，不乐意的 (英语六级单词)


• subtlety [´sʌtlti] n.敏锐；巧妙；微妙 (英语六级单词)


• innocently [´inəsntli] ad.天真地，单纯地 (英语六级单词)


• gunpowder [´gʌn,paudə] n.火药 (英语六级单词)


• unmistakable [,ʌnmi´steikəbəl] a.明显的；错不了的 (英语六级单词)


• foolishness [´fu:liʃnis] n.愚蠢 (英语六级单词)


• inwardly [´inwədli] ad.内向；独自地 (英语六级单词)


• calling [´kɔ:liŋ] n.点名；职业；欲望 (英语六级单词)


• taking [´teikiŋ] a.迷人的 n.捕获物 (英语六级单词)