“I’m thinkin’ ’twere that thief Injun Jake that shoots me.”

“What makes you think so?” asked Doctor Joe.

“He were huntin’ geese just below here, and he comes in and sits for a bit.  I had a silver fox skin I were holdin’ for a better price than they offers at Fort Pelican.  ’Twere worth five hundred dollars whatever, and they only offers three hundred.  I were busy mendin’ my fishin’ gear before I stows un away when Injun Jake comes.  We talks about fur and I brings the silver out t’ show he.  Then I lays un on the table and keeps on mendin’ the gear after he goes, thinkin’ to put the fur up after I gets through mendin’.”

“What time did Indian Jake come?” asked Doctor Joe.

“A bit after noon.  Handy to one o’clock ’twere, for I were just boilin’ the kettle.  He eats a snack with me.”

“How long did he stay?  What time did he go?”

“I’m not knowin’ just the time.  I were a bit late boilin’ the kettle.  I boiled un around one o’clock.  We sets down to the table about ten after and ’twere handy to half-past when we clears the table.  Then Injun Jake has a smoke, and I shows he the silver, and I’m thinkin’ ‘twere a bit after two when he goes.  He said he were goin’ to stop on Flat P’int last night and get to Tom Angus’s to-night whatever.”

“A little after two o’clock when he left?”

“Maybe ‘twere half-past.  He had a down wind to paddle agin’, and he were sayin’ ‘twould be slow travellin’, and ’twould take three or four hours whatever to make Flat P’int.”

“And then what happened?”

“I were settin’ mendin’ the gear thinkin’ to finish un and stow un away, and I keeps at un till just sundown.  I were just gettin’ up to put the kettle on for supper.  That’s all I remembers, exceptin’ I wakes up two or three times and tries to move, but when I tries there’s a wonderful hurt in my shoulder, and my head feels like she’s bustin’, and everything goes black in front of my eyes.  If the fur’s gone, Injun Jake took un.”

“It’s strange,” said Doctor Joe, “very strange.  There’s a bullet in your shoulder.  After you rest a while we’ll probe for it and see if we can get it out.  Don’t talk any more.  Just lie quietly and sleep if you can.”

The boys were out-of-doors.  Doctor Joe was glad they had not heard Lem’s accusation against Indian Jake.  The half-breed had been good to them, and they held vast faith in his integrity.  There was some hope that Lem’s suspicions were not well founded; nevertheless Doctor Joe was forced to admit to himself that circumstances pointed to Indian Jake as the culprit.  It was highly improbable that any one else should have been in the vicinity without Lem’s knowledge.  It was quite possible that Lem’s statement of the hour when he was shot was incorrect, for his mind could hardly yet be clear enough to be certain, without doubt, of details.

Lem quickly dropped into a refreshing sleep, and Doctor Joe left him for a little while to join the boys out-of-doors.  He found them behind the house picking the goose Indian Jake had left in the tree at the Flat Point camp.